2019 CSA Share ~ Week #13
“I think preparing food and feeding people brings nourishment not only to our bodies but to our spirits. Feeding people is a way of loving them, in the same way that feeding ourselves is a way of honoring our own createdness and fragility.”
― Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Tomatoes! We have a surplus of tomatoes right now, so if you would like to order a flat, just let us know. We are offering 15# flats for $34.
Beef or Lamb Shares! We have sold out of our hamburger only Beef shares, but we have plenty of the mixed cuts to offer. If you would like to have the info for either the Beef or the Lamb, call/email the office at 541-935-1920 or [email protected]
WHAT’S IN YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK:
- Corn
- Carrots
- Lettuce ~ Curly Romaine
- Zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Cauliflower
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Cherry Tomatoes
SOME SITES ONLY
- Beets
- Broccoli
RECIPES:
Spicy Eggplant & Cauliflower w/Basil
Herb Crusted Cauliflower Steaks w/Beans & Tomatoes
Roasted Eggplant w/Miso & Sesame Seeds
September! As I sit writing this today, I am enjoying the beautiful view outside my window. The sun is shining, the sky is the bluest, and I’m in full denial that Fall is just weeks away. Yes, the leaves are changing, and falling, the temps are dropping at night, and the sun is rising later, and setting earlier, kids going back to school. Still….denial to the bitter end. I love the warm summer months so much, planting, harvesting, watching things grow. I know there is a time to every season, and welcome them all joyously, but summer is my favorite, and I’m always a bit sad to watch it fading….
We have Corn!! So happy to be putting the first ears in your boxes this week, and there will be more to come. There is something so mystical and magical about corn and it’s been revered in so many cultures since the beginning of agriculture.
Botanically known as Zea mays, all varieties of corn are grass, belonging to the gramineae family, along with wheat, oats, and rye. Corn, often referred to as maize, is one of the ancient staples. The grain is believed to have been domesticated from teosinte, a wild grass that grew in central America. Dried fossil cores, drilled from below Mexico City, have been found to contain corn pollen grains determined to be over 80,000 years old! The original corn was different than the corn of today, as Mesoamerican tribes improved the grain by systematically selecting desired traits.
The name corn evolved from Indo-European words. The Germans used the word “korn”, meaning cereal grain, and the Latin term “granum” meant edible grass. The word “maize” was from the Taino people, who populated the Northern Antilles. It was transmutated from their word “Mahis”, which meant “Source of Life”. They inhabited the island of San Salvador, where it is believed Christopher Columbus first landed. They gave him the corn to take home to Spain. Corn was so important to the Pueblo tribes of the Southwest that it was considered one of the Three Sacred Sisters, along with squash and beans. Native American cultures are rich with stories involving corn. The early settlers would not have survived had it not been for the introduction of corn to them by the native peoples. It became so important, they used it not only for food, but for their currency and trade.
The corn crop dominates American agriculture, doubling any other crop. Seventy to eighty million US acres are planted annually, with over a $30 million value. This humble kernel finds its way into your life in many different ways, as edible and inedible products. Besides the wonderful, sweet summer vegetable that we all love, corn is made into rubber, plastic that degrades, a fuel called ethanol, clothing (rayon), paper, and so much more. It is one of our chief exports, and a major livestock feed source.
Even though much of the nutrition has been sacrificed through the years in search of sweetness, corn still offers a significant amount of Vitamins A, B-complex, phosphorous, and potassium, along with vegetable protein. Corn, combined with most beans or a dairy source, forms a complete protein, and is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates. What would a summer BBQ be without a few ears of steaming, buttered corn!
Fun Corn Facts:
- Corn is a type of grass and the number of rows on a kernel is almost always an even number. The average ear of corn has sixteen rows and a total of 800 kernels.
- Corn is actually the flower of the plant. Corn silk must be pollinated in order for corn kernels to grow. There is one silk strand for each kernel on the cob.
- Seventy-five percent of all items found in grocery stores contain corn or come from animals who were fed on corn.
- How much does a pirate pay for corn? Why, a buccaneer of course!
Hope you all enjoy your veggies this week!
Linda and all of your Winter Green Farmers