Greenshire Eco Farms CSA Choices #9 Week of Aug 1 -5, 2011
Farm News
Travis Reports:
 cucumbers are starting to take off
 pole and bush bean plants are starting to produce tiny pods
 fava beans are flowering
 peppers, tomatoes and winter squash are forming fruit
 okra is producing flower buds
 ever-bearing strawberries have fruit and flowers forming, with a small harvest possible by mid-to-late
August as long as we can keep the fruit protected from the slugs and birds
Our methods of control for the strawberries will include: hanging pie plates on sticks and string as noisemakers and
light reflectors (to deter birds), bird netting, compost tea as a health boost and scent deterrent, and yeast traps for
slug control.
We were pleased to welcome members of the Kawartha Field Naturalists this past Sat. for the F.E.E.L. Demo and
gardens tour. One of the attendees said of the F.E.E.L. Demo, “It opens one‟s mind to the reality that anything is
possible.”
We‟re holding our next F.E.E.L. demonstration this Saturday, August 6th, 10am-noon. Facilitated Equine
Experiential Learning is a long way of saying that you discover cool things about yourself through fun, non-riding
activities with the magnificent horse as a “behaviour mirror". What you learn can change your knee-jerk reactions to
situations and improve your relationships with your family members, work colleagues, fellow students – everyone!
Please see the attached flyer for details on the demo and upcoming workshops. We‟d appreciate you passing the
word. Find out more about our no-horse-experience-required F.E.E.L. programs and read testimonials here:
http://greenshireecofarms.com/healing-horse-centre/feel/
This week’s produce choices:
See notes below:
1) garlic- uncured, fresh, sm. to med. size.
………………
$6.50/lb
2) baby carrots - young, whole, with leaves (can use as an herb)
$2.50/bunch of 15-18
3) Rainbow Swiss Chard – sm-med sz leaves …………………. $4/lb; $2/ ½ lb.
Chioggia beets - heirloom variety, reddish pink skin, flesh has a „candy cane‟ pattern Limited supply.
a) baby sized roots
or b) med-lg sizes roots
………..…… $3.50/bunch of 8-12; $2.00/bunch of 4-6
Early Wonder beets – heirloom variety, round, dark purple root Limited Supply
…………………$3.50/ bunch of 8-12; $2.00/bunch of 4-6
Staghorn Sumac berries - ……………………………….
$4.00/ lb; $2.00/ ½ lb
green onions ………………………………………
$1.50/ bunch of 10
wood sorrel (lemony - looks like shamrocks) …………………
$2.00/oz
baby Milan turnips (size of radishes) ……………………..
$2.00/bunch of 10-12
Milan turnips - flat round white roots about 3 – 4 in. diameter,
with distinctive pink-red shoulders (1/2 price - some surface insect damage) … $1.00/ bunch of 4-5
… $2.00/bunch of 10-12
wild grape leaves – (approx 14 – 16 leaves for your favourite wrap recipe)
$2.00/2 oz
wild spinach ……………………………………... $10/lb; $5/ ½ lb; $2.50/ 4 oz
cilantro – Limited quantity due to poor germination
……………….. $1.50/oz
basil – Genovese Green – Limited quantity as this is 1st cut ……………
$1.50/oz
1) uncured garlic has reached full size, is fully formed with individual cloves, but still contains the oils and
stronger smell that curing/drying helps to eliminate.
To cure/dry garlic heads: put into a mesh bag (the kind you buy onions in work great) or a paper bag with holes
punched through it. Keep at room temperature, out of the sun. In a few weeks when the garlic is dry, its outer
wrapper will be papery and shrunken. NOTE: do not keep in the frig as it will cause the garlic to sprout.
To bring out the health benefits of garlic: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodtip&dbid=22
2) baby carrots – Grocery store „baby‟ carrots are actually large carrots, chopped, smoothed, and typically
washed in a chlorine-and-water solution before packaging (as are other ready-to-eat fresh vegetable products, such
as bagged salads.)
Carrots help to maintain acidic & alkaline properties in the system. They are an invigorating & energizing tonic for
eyes, skin, bones, heart & muscles of the body. Carrot is blood purifier, diuretic, carminative, digestive, anti
flatulent, anti pyretic and vermifuge.
Avoid storing them near fruit, particularly apples and pears, which emit ethylene gas as they ripen, that can give
carrots a bitter taste and decrease the storage life of carrots and other vegetables. Also keep away from peaches. A
light rinsing is all that's necessary for young carrots and tiny baby carrots; older carrots can be peeled if necessary
but remember much of the goodness is in the skin.
3) Rainbow Swiss Chard – ornamental quality mixture of yellow, pink, white and red stripe stalks with bright green
leaves.
Note:
1) Produce may be pre-washed only. It may/may not have been sprayed with a natural
biodegradable soap/garlic spray to help keep insect munching to a minimum.
2) Please:
- recycle the plastic bags, ties & rubber bands
- wash out and return the re-usable grocery bags when you pick up your next share.
Thank you for helping to reduce our footprint on Mother Earth as much as possible.
What's New and Beneficial About Swiss Chard
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16
“Recent research has shown that chard leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, ……
a vegetable whose flavonoid phytonutrients are unique and may offer special benefits for blood sugar control.”
“Like beets, chard is a unique source of phytonutrients ….. Many of the betalain pigments in chard have been
shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support.”
(Check out the Nutrient Chart – extremely high in Vitamin K)
“Swiss chard is not only one of the most popular vegetables along the Mediterranean but it is one of the most
nutritious vegetables around and ranks second only to spinach following our analysis of the total nutrient-richness
of the World's Healthiest vegetables. It is also one of only three vegetables that we recommend boiling to help
reduce its concentration of oxalic acid. Slice leaves 1-inch wide and the stems 1/2-inch wide and boil for just 3
minutes. We only recommend eating the stems of varieties with white stems; colored stems are very tough. For
more on the Healthiest Way of Cooking Swiss Chard, see the How to Enjoy section ……. “
For 3-Minute Swiss Chard (prep & cook time 15 min):
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=100
Effects of Processing on Antioxidant Content in Foods
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=42
Surprisingly, they found that the antioxidant content increased in the following foods when they were cooked:
carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, red cabbage, green and red peppers, potatoes, and
tomatoes.
Steaming emerged as the preferred method of cooking since it clearly resulted in the biggest increase in antioxidant
content.
And now … Food for Thought!
From Natural News – Lists A to Z worst food ingredients:
There‟s an „easy to clip & carry‟ listing below, but if you‟re at all interested in being
well, be sure to check out the link that gives further explanations:
http://www.naturalnews.com/033162_food_ingredients_chemicals.html
Guess we‟ve all heard it said that things are not always as they seem. There are several examples in this
listing.
For example, how many people do you know that have cut way down on salt intake for „health‟ reasons?
As Mike Adams, Health Ranger, explains, “In the holistic nutrition industry, we call it (processed white
salt) "death salt" because it promotes disease and death. Real salt, on the other hand, such as "dirty" sea
salt or pink Himalayan salt, is loaded with the trace minerals that prevent disease, such as selenium
(cancer), chromium (diabetes) and zinc (infectious disease). Much like with bread and sugar, white salt is
terrible for your health. And don't be fooled by claims of "sea salt" ….”
Makes you wonder how much healthier these people would be if they switched to a healthy salt instead of
the disease-promoting white processed version, rather than cutting it out (or down). It is well accepted that
a large percentage of the population is very lacking in minerals, and without them, vitamins don‟t get
absorbed by the body.
Guess there‟s a good reason for the animal „salt licks‟! 
Another example to be very aware of, is anything that is Genetically Modified.
“Nearly all conventionally grown corn, soy and cotton are GMOs. They're linked to severe infertility
problems and may even cause the bacteria in your body to produce and release a pesticide in your own
gut. If you're not eating organic corn, you're definitely eating GMO corn.”
Great info at www.ResponsibleTechnology.org
An enlightened 11 yr old boy passes on what he‟s learned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F7Id9caYw-Y
Mike Adams suggests, “watch my GMO music video (hilarious) at www.NaturalNews.com/NoGMO “
(second screen down for the video version).
Natural News is U.S. based, but to be sure, Canada is almost on a par with most practices.
I received an e-mail this week that I feel important enough to pass along to you – esp with corn season
upon us:
“Urgent Consumer Advisory: Genetically Modified Sweet Corn in Canada”
Issued: July 29, 2011 - Please distribute widely. This advisory is posted at http://www.cban.ca/corn
The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) and the Ecological Farmers of Ontario have confirmed that
genetically modified (GM) sweet corn is being grown by farmers in Ontario who are selling at roadside stands, at
Farmers‟ Markets, and through some local grocery stores.
“What consumers can do”: (see above link)
“GM corn is one of 4 GM crops grown in Canada: canola, soy, and white sugar beet (for sugar processing) are the
others. The GM corn grown in Canada has been, until recently, all hard corn used for processed food ingredients
and animal feed. The Canadian government does not label GM foods and does not keep national statistics on how
much GM is grown or where. CBAN researches and monitors GM foods for you”: for more information please
see http://www.cban.ca/gmfoods
You can also print “CBAN‟s Quick Guide to GM Foods” …. Download the flyer
at http://www.cban.ca/content/view/full/994
And a third example of … „isn‟t what it may seem‟ is a Food label trick.
“Here's a trick food companies frequently used to pack more sugar into their products without making sugar look
like the first ingredient:
Ingredient labels, you see, must list the most prominent ingredients first, and some consumers might freak out of
they saw a box of cereal that said, "Sugar, whole grain wheat, corn" and so on.
Instead, the company uses 3 or 4 different forms of sugar to distribute them farther down the label, like this:
"Whole grain wheat, sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids..."
This way, the first ingredient looks like "whole grain wheat" when, in reality, the cereal might be over fifty
percent sugars.”
How to buy honest food …. see link for Health Ranger‟s suggestions.
A closing thought … “The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes.” – priceless!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmz6Rbpnu0&feature=related
Worst Food Ingredients
Acrylamides
Aspartame
Autolyzed Proteins
BPA (Bisphenol-A)
Casein
Corn Syrup
Food Colors
Genetically Modified Ingredients
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Homogenized Milk
Hydrochloride
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Partially Hydrogenated Oils
Phosphoric Acid
Propylene Glycol
Sodium (Salt)
Sodium Nitrite
Soy Protein
Sucralose
Sugar
Textured Vegetable Protein
Yeast Extract
Feel free to contact us with comments/suggestions: 705-879-4207 or [email protected]
and check www.greenshireecofarms.com for updates