Use your beets to make borscht! Photo by Scott David Gordon

By Megan Winfrey

Hey ya'll!

This week, I proudly checked a dish off of "my list" - you know, the list we all keep of dishes that we eventually want to make ourselves. When I saw the beautiful red cabbage and beets in last week's CSA box, it felt like fate screaming out "BORSCHT, BORSCHT!" So I went for it. And it was delicious.

I modified a classic recipe to accommodate what I had in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Russian Borscht 

3 beets

3 red potatoes, sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, grated

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small head of cabbage, shredded

2 bay leaves

4 tbs. ketchup

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Juice of one lemon

Fresh ground pepper

Salt

Olive Oil

Greek Yogurt



Fill a large pot with 10 cups of water. Boil the beets until tender, around 45 minutes to an hour. Once they are finished, set aside to cool. KEEP THE BEET WATER.

Add the sliced potatoes to the same water and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.

When the potatoes are half done boiling, add the shredded cabbage.

Keep the pot on a low boil from now until you serve.

Add some olive oil to a skillet and sauté the shredded carrots, onion, and garlic until soft. Stir in the ketchup when they are almost done.

Once the beets are cool, peel and slice into matchsticks. Add them back into the pot.

Add in the stock, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Add the carrot, onion and garlic mixture.

Cook another 5-10 minutes so everything can meld together.

Serve hot or cold with a dollop of greek yogurt and crusty bread.

CSA Box Contents Week of June 8th

We are planting away under the blue skies of June! Photo by Scott David Gordon

It's hard to believe that it's June already.  This means we are almost halfway through the year - and what a crazy one it has been so far in terms of the rain.  We've also had cooler-than-normal temperatures up until now, and this has had an effect on our tomato plants.  Specifically, it has taken much longer for them to bear fruit.  We planted our first round of this crop early this year, and so we anticipated having tomatoes by no later than mid-May.  Well, it is now June, and I am happy to say that the tomatoes are finally coming in - CSA members can look forward to some in their boxes this week.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine. Photo by Scott David Gordon

The unprecedented rains have also rendered our squash and zucchini crops pretty much non-existent so far this season.   My apologies to our CSA members for this  delay- I had hoped you would have more of this constant of summer in your shares by now.  We have planted more, so don't worry, we will have these summer staples before too long.  The weather is beyond our control, but please know that we are doing everything we can to ensure your shares are full of our fresh organic produce.  I said this last week but will say it again - your support is now more important than ever during this difficult time as we readjust our planting schedules to be in-line with what the weather has wrought.  I truly mean it when I say that the CSA is at the heart of our farm - you keep us going even through the rough parts.  We may end up with overall smaller yields of some vegetables this year, but my hope is that a CSA member, you won't even notice it.  The smaller yields may affect what we can offer wholesale clients and what we bring to market, but the CSA shares will always be filled first.

And for those of you who haven't already, I encourage you to sign up for the Ceres Vegetables Society - believe me, it's a lot of fun!  So far, we've hosted pop-up events at Contigo and ABGA - two fantastic local businesses - and we have lots more planned.  I started the Ceres Vegetable Society because I wanted to share my love of vegetables with like-minded folks - people who love to cook and love to gather together.

Inglorious Vegetables!

The overall mission of the Ceres Vegetable Society is super ambitious - to protect, preserve, and establish land for plant and animal habitat all over the world in perpetuity - but at its heart, it's really about community.  The way it works is you sign up to be a member (it's free to join), and then we email you when we are going to have a pop-up event.  In this way, it's kind of like a secret society - those who sign up get the details first!  You can come hang out, hear good music, and talk to folks who also love to cook.  You can also order a "mystery" vegetable box ahead of time that's full of our fresh organic produce for only $25!

At these pop-up events, we also set up a farmers market stand full of "inglorious vegetables"at 30%-50% less than our normal prices.  What are inglorious vegetables, you may ask.  Well, inglorious vegetables are beautiful in their own right - they just aren't perfect.   They might not be on the cover of Vogue (or the vegetable world equivalent), but they still pack the nutritious and tasty punch of just harvested organic vegetables.  If you go to most supermarkets, you will see vegetables that have nary a blemish (supermarkets are notorious in terms of wasting good vegetables that lack a perfect veneer).  To me, that's crazy - I care more about how a vegetable is grown than living up to an unrealistic standard of beauty.  Believe me, none of our vegetables are perfect - that's an ideal that is close to impossible to come by for those growing organically.  It is also an ideal that comes with at a cost to health through the use of pesticides and also leads to unnecessary waste.

Part of the reason that I started the Ceres Vegetable Society is that I hated seeing any good vegetables going to waste just because of how they looked.  So, while we know that none of our vegetables are perfect, we also know that some are a little bit further from perfect than the rest.  We've lovingly labeled these "inglorious."  I believe there is beauty in these inglorious vegetables, and I hope you will, too.   Even if you aren't charmed by their looks, hopefully their incredible taste will win you over.  You know what they say about a book and its cover...

Photo by Scott David Gordon

Yamileth, Haley, & Veronica plant sweet potatoes. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Here comes the sun!  We - and our plants - have been soaking up the rays and getting lots done.  This includes catching up on the planting that was delayed by the rain while continuing with the daily harvest.

John, Yamileh, Haley, Veronica, & Josefina plant sweet potatoes. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Sweet potato slip goes on the wheel of the transplanter prior to going into the ground. Photo by Scott David Gordon

John makes sure that the sweet potato slips are planted properly in the ground. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Tomatoes! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Tomato rows. Photo by Scott David Gordon

We have lots of tomatoes on the way! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Check out those colors - our flowers are loving the sun! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Cucumber growing in the field. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Eggplant! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Look for okra in your CSA share this week! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Montana, Marcus, Adrienne, & Eric plant away in the sunshine. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Marcus transplanting. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Getting lots done under blue skies. Photo by Scott David Gordon

Slow Food Austin 2015 Tomato Dinner

Presented by Springdale Center for Urban Agriculture and Slow Food Austin

When: Tuesday, June 9, 6:30 PM

Where: Springdale Farm, 755 Springdale Rd, Austin, Texas 78702

Tickets: Purchase by clicking here

Celebrate the flavors of vine-ripened tomatoes at the height of the season with a feast on the farm. The Tomato Dinner will begin with a seasonal cocktail and appetizers, followed by entree courses and a plated dessert, all with a focus on Springdale Farm tomatoes. Participating chefs and artisans include Antonelli's Cheese Shop, Sam Addison from Pogue Mahone Pickles, Stephanie McClenny from Confituras, Sonya Cote from Eden East Austin, Ned Elliot from Foreign & Domestic, Brandon Fuller from Juliet, Sarah McIntosh from épicerie, Josh Jones from Salt & Time Butcher Shop and Salumeria, and Janina O'Leary from la V.

By Megan Winfrey

Hey ya'll!

I am really excited about this week's recipe - and let me tell you all the reasons why.

1. You can add, subtract, or substitute practically any vegetable imaginable.

2. It is as easy to make for one person as it is for a crowd.

3. It is bright, super flavorful, simple, healthy, and filling (what more could you want in a meal?!)

4. It utilizes CSA box and pantry staples.

5. It makes great leftovers.

6. It was a total experiment that yielded a new family favorite. SCORE.

So, now that I've got you on the edge of your seat...

Roasted Veggies over Wild Rice with a Twist 

Carrots, cut into bite sizes and peeled if desired

Parsnips, cored, peeled, and cut into bite sizes

Fennel root, cut into bite sizes

Onion, cut into bite sizes

Garlic, a few cloves

1/4 c. Mint, cut into ribbons

1/4 c. Basil, cut into ribbons

2 tbs. Capers

Juice of half a lemon

Wild or brown rice

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper



Heat the oven to 375º. Place the prepared carrots, parsnips, fennel root, onion and garlic on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until tender.

Prepare rice according to package directions.

Once the veggies are done, transfer them to a medium sized bowl. Add the mint, basil and capers. Add the lemon juice and mix. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice and Enjoy!

CSA Box Contents Week of June 1st