But we have certainly not turned our backs on farmer-to-consumer projects or relationships. Rather we are exploring different models and projects all which help connect consumers to their producers directly. You can find out more about some of these projects at Slow Food Mother City, our new Slow Food chapter.

And if you have wandered onto this site in search of vegetable box schemes, we suggest you try one of the following:

Harvest of Hope – Run by nonprofit Abalimi Bezakhaya, vegetables are grown by small home gardeners and community gardens on the Cape Flats, and delivered to sites around Cape Town

Wild Organics – Run by the Wild Organics shop in Woodstock, lots of fun add-ins besides vegetables

The Drift Farm – Organic Overberg farm, veggies delivered to your door for a small fee

Keep eating and enjoying your vegetables!

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This is week ten, the last week of the Summer 2010 veggie CSA. Tomorrow you will receive your last veggie bag.

MUSHROOMS

In your bag tomorrow you will find your last bag of oyster mushrooms from Foxenburg Estate. We hope you enjoyed receiving mushrooms in your bag this CSA, as this is the first time we have included them in a vegetable CSA.

FEEDBACK

As with past CSAs, we have set up an anonymous online feedback form, to help us gauge how successful (or not) different aspects of the CSA were from your perspective. It should only take a minute to fill out, and we would really appreciate your feedback.

THE FUTURE OF THE SLOW FOOD CSAS

As you all know, we have had our fair share of hiccups this CSA, and I have often been unhappy with the quality or quantities of vegetables in the bag. I have passed this on to Erick both during the CSA and now as we come to a close. I still believe that CSAs are good models, and would like to participate in and run future CSAs, but we need to know we are getting value for money (and not just helping an emerging farmer, regardless of the produce) in order for a CSA to be sustainable. In my discussions with Erick as to why we have been having these problems, his response is something along the lines of that old chestnut; “It’s so hard to get good help”. While I sympathise, this is his problem, not ours, and one that he needs to solve.

I am taking a two-month break from running CSAs with Erick, to give him time to mull over my feedback, and give myself a rest from the admin of coordinating the CSA. I have told Erick that I will consider running a smaller, shorter CSA in June, perhaps with one collection point and for a month, to see whether he can rise to the challenge and get his quality and quantities where they should be. Should this happen, you are all on our CSA mailing list and will be notified.

Slow Food Mother City, Slow Food Cape Town’s sister convivium (chapter) does have some other CSA projects in the works, dealing with meat and fruit. When these are ready, you will be notified. If you do not wish to remain on the mailing list, just drop me a line.

A FINAL PLUG FOR SLOW FOOD

This CSA is called the Slow Food CSA for a reason, and that’s not just because I volunteer with local chapters of the Slow Food movement! Slow Food is an international grassroots movement of ordinary people making informed and good choices in the food they buy, eat and enjoy. The motto is, “Food that is Good, Clean and Fair”, and if sustainability, small producers and family farms, protecting food traditions and cultures are important to you, you should get involved.

If you would like to be notified of events (farm visits, tastings, run by Slow Food in Cape Town, go onto Slow Food Mother City’s mailing list, sign up on the ‘news’ page of our website, www.slowfoodmothercity.co.za

Slow Food Cape Town’s website is: www.slowfoodcapetown.co.za

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: CREAMED SPRING ONIONS

Much along the lines of creamed spinach, only with spring onions (or baby leeks). A comforting side dish as we ease into winter. You can find the recipe on the blog, here.

Enjoy them!

Thank you for your support over the last ten weeks. We wish you well for the rest of 2010, and hope to see you at future events and CSAs.

Warmly

Kate & the CSA team

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1 ½ cup milk

2 TBS butter

2 TBS flour

bay leaf (optional)

1 bunch spring onions

1 tsp butter hard cheese (optional)

Wash, trim and then steam the spring onions (or boil in lightly salted boiling water) until soft but not mushy. Drain.

In a small pot, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the flour, then return to heat and cook, stirring, for one minute. Heat the milk, and then off the heat whisk it slowly into the butter and flour mixture. Add the bay leaf. Return to heat and cook, stirring occasionally over low heat, for eight minutes. Add salt and a grinding of pepper, and fish out the bay leaf. If the sauce is lumpy, strain through a sieve. In a frying pan, sauté the cooked spring onions gently in the last teaspoon of butter, until fragrant. Stir through the white sauce, adding grated hard cheese if desired. Serve warm.

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This is week nine, the penultimate week of the Summer 2010 CSA.

Not much to report, as even CSAs try to take it easy on public holidays! But your veggie bags will be on their way to you tomorrow, as always.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: SWEET BUTTERNUT CUSTARD BUNS

Yes, I know this is more labour-intensive than the recipes I usually give, but these are so technically easy, impressive and delicious that I think these sweet Chinese bao (buns) are worthy of a little effort on weekends. The recipe is adapted from Chef Joe Ng of the Chinatown Brasserie in New York which, in my humble opinion, makes the best baked custard buns I have ever tasted. You can find them here, on the blog.

Enjoy them!

Kate

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FILLING

60g butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup maizena

1 ½ TBS cake flour

1 egg, beaten

½ cup coconut milk or cream

230g cooked, peeled butternut (approx 300g small whole butternut)

pinch salt

DOUGH

360g cake flour

5g dried yeast (half a packet)

1 cup milk, slightly warmed

4 TBS butter, melted

2 TBS sugar

pinch salt

1 egg, beaten

icing sugar (optional)

METHOD

To make the filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cake flour in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg with the butter. Add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine, and then whisk in the coconut milk.

Puree the butternut with a hand blender or push through a sieve. Mix into the coconut milk mixture, and place in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and does not taste of flour, about eight minutes. Remove from the heat, and leave to cool.

To make the dough, put the year, sugar, salt and flour in a bowl. Pour the butter and milk into the middle and stir to combine. Turn out onto a counter and knead for about five minutes, until smooth. Place in a bowl and cover, and leave to rise for one hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl, and place on a counter. Roughly shape into a log, and cut into 14 roughly equal sized pieces. Lightly roll each into a ball with your hands, and then roll out with a rolling pin, into a 3-5mm thick circle. Place a spoonful of cooled custard into the middle of each dough circle, and wrap the dough around the custard, pinching the dough together at the top to seal. There will probably be custard left over, but this can easily be taken care of by a spoon and a hungry volunteer.

Place the buns seal-side down on a lightly oiled or lined baking tray, about 3cm apart. Let them proof uncovered for another 30 minutes.  Brush with the beaten egg, and bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes, until firm and lightly golden on top (if your oven is fierce, rotate the sheet after five minutes). Dust with icing and serve warm.

You can leave them in the oven (with the oven turned off and the door ajar) for half an hour if you do not wish to eat them immediately, or reheat them covered with a kitchen cloth at 160C before serving. These keep a day or so in a sealed container.

Enjoy them!

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This is week eight of the Summer 2010 CSA.

FARM OUTING: THE DRAMA CONTINUES

When I called Erick last week to confirm the outing last weekend, he was across the country at an agricultural conference. I’m guessing he thought we would cancel the outing again, as we did last time, and accepted an invitation to the conference without mentioning it to me. So we have rescheduled for the last time, for Saturday 27 March, at 1pm. As always, if you’d like to join us… let me know.

BEHIND THE SCENES

This is the fifth CSA we have run, and by far the most stressful for me. I say this because a CSA is a community project, not a business, where consumers have idea of what happens behind the scenes. Well, behind the CSA scenes I have been speaking with Erick almost every week, giving him feedback on the variety, quality and quantity in the weekly bag. I’ve been telling him things like, don’t put rocket and lettuce, or pumpkin and butternut, in the same bag, and over and over again – increase the quantities. But it doesn’t seem to stick, and while initially I was convinced it was a communication problem (Erick is Xhosa and I am English, and we meet halfway in Afrikaans, sometimes less than successfully), I am starting to think it is an attitude problem. So I told Erick last week that I just don’t feel like running another CSA with him immediately after this one. I need a break, and I think he needs a break too, to think about whether he wants to really commit  to a CSA model (where he is paid above-market prices in a lump sum to provide a veggie bag), or rather sell directly to shops and at the Stellenbosch Waldorf market, where he sells each item for a specific price.

But I’m not making longterm decisions in a vacuum, so you will still be asked for your opinion in our usual anonymous online feedback form, probably next week. So think meanwhile about whether you are happy with your CSA bag, and would want to continue in the future.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: SAUTEED SPINACH WITH CHORIZO AND CHICKPEAS

Yes, I know – meat? It took us eight weeks to get there, but here is the first recipe of this CSA that calls for the non-veggie stuff. For vegetarians, I would obviously skip the chorizo and rather add chunks of cooked butternut at the end for a very different but still delicious dish. For meat eaters who are sadly chorizo-less, I would suggest some pancetta or even decent bacon as a substitute. The recipe is on the blog, here.

Enjoy your veggies!

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1 bunch spinach (or swiss chard, or kale)

1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

a small chunk of chorizo, cut into small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

Wash the spinach well, removing any large stalks. Chop. In a large frying pan, heat some olive oil and sauté the onion until soft and golden. Add the chorizo, toss with the onion, and then add the garlic. Stir until fragrant, then add the spinach. Toss to coat in the oil, and if possible, cover the pan (a plate or a big pot lid should do the trick). Check occasionally, stirring, until the spinach is fully wilted (add a small splash of water if the pan is dry and the spinach is sticking). Remove the covering, and if there is any liquid, stir until it has evaporated, leaving your vegetables and chorizo moist. Push them to the side of the pan, add a little more olive oil and add your chickpeas, stirring to coat in the oil, until heated through. Add some ground pepper and a good splash of balsamic vinegar. Stir the vinegar through (some will evaporate) and remove from the heat. Serve immediately.

Alternatively, serve at room temperature with large cos leaves to scoop up the chickpeas and spinach, as a sociable appetizer to a meal.

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This is week of the Summer 2010 CSA.

THIS WEEK’S BAG GOODIE: OYSTER MUSHROOMS

Awaiting you in this week’s bag is a 200g bag of naturally grown oyster mushrooms from Foxenberg Estate. Foxenberg Estate is best known for their delicious goats cheeses, but they also produce and sell olives and olive oil, and oyter mushrooms. Erick suggested I contact them when our mushroom supplier fell through at the beginning of the month as, like Erick, they run a stall at the Stellenbosch Waldorf School on Saturdays. They will be supplying us with two big bags of oyster mushrooms this month. We hope you will experiment with and enjoy this first bag, and let us know if you come up with any lovely recipes for them.

OUTING TO ERICK’S FARM: THIS SATURDAY

A final reminder of the outing this weekend to Erick’s farm. We’re meeting up in Kraaifontein, about fifty minutes’ drive along the N1 from Cape Town, to meet Erick and have a short tour of his farm. The whole visit should take about an hour. If you would like to attend, drop me a line with the number of people you’re bringing, and a cell number in case we need to contact you on the day. This is the only outing we are running this CSA, so please, join us!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: FENNEL, BUTTERNUT AND SPINACH LASAGNE

I’m not sure if this should be named a gratin or lasagne, but either way, it’s delicious, and given the lack of cheese and the amount of vegetables, pretty light. Somehow, this dish is more than a sum of its parts, and I highly recommend it, even to fennel-haters. View the recipe, here.

Enjoy your veggies!

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For two people with some leftovers:

1 small-medium butternut, peeled, seeded and cubed

1 largish bunch of spinach or chard, well washed and stems removed

2 medium fennel bulbs, halved and sliced 5mm thick

2 TBS mild vinegar

lasagne pasta sheets

2 cups milk

2 generous TBS butter

3 TBS flour

2 bay leaves (optional)

a little hard cheese for grating

Preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly oil your lasagne dish.

Steam or microwave the butternut with a pinch of salt until cooked but not losing its shape. Place in the bottom of your dish.

Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the fennel in one layer over high heat, with a pinch of salt. Once golden, add a good splash of water and 2 TBS vinegar. If the fennel is not soft and sweet once the water has evaporated, add more water and partially cover, and cook until the fennel is al dente. If it’s not very sweet, add a teaspoon of sugar.

Put your spinach with a pinch of salt and a splash of water in a saucepan, cover, and cook until green and wet. Refresh in cold water, and then squeeze all the water out with your hands. Roughly chop, and with your hands massage a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt into the spinach.

Use the butter, flour and milk to make a pretty thick white sauce. Season with salt and pepper. If using the bay leaves, either infuse the milk first with the leaves, or simply stick them in the béchamel and let stand for five to ten minutes.

Break half your lasagne sheets as necessary to create a layer that fits your dish. Spread on both sides with half your béchamel and place in the dish. Pour the fennel over, and dot with the spinach. Repeat the second layer of lasagne sheets and béchamel. Grate a little hard cheese over, and grind over some pepper.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling, and the pasta is cooked (check with a fork). Stand for five minutes and then serve.

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Welcome week six of the Summer Veggie CSA.

VISIT TO ERICK’S FARM

Remember we are visiting Erick’s farm the weekend after next, 13 March at 1pm. If you would like to join us, drop me a line. The more the merrier!

SLOW FOOD OUTING: SPIER BIODYNAMIC FARM

While not directly CSA-related, I thought you’d like to know about an outing the new Slow Food chapter, Slow Food Mother City, is running this weekend. It’s a visit to Spier Estate’s biodynamic farm, where they are raising vegetables, chickens for meat and eggs, and cattle for meat. The outing is on Saturday, participants can buy Spier’s amazing chickens at wholesale prices, and additional info can be found here.

MUSHROOMS CRISIS

I think we may have reached a solution to our mushroom supplier bailing on us last week. We have found suppliers who are willing to supply naturally grown mushrooms, albeit at an increased cost. So I think what we will do is rather send you larger portions of mushrooms twice this month, rather than three very small portions of mushrooms. I suppose the lesson is: if the price is too good to be true… But more on this next week.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: PEANUTTY VEGETABLE NOODLES

This is an inauthentic but delicious Asian-style addition to my weekly repertoire of quick meals, perfect for a quick supper or take-to-work lunch. The dressing can be used for noodles, or vegetable sides. Like many of the CSA recipes, this one has hundreds of variations, limited only by your fridge (or CSA bag) and preferences. Try different nut butters, available from health food stores, and noodles. And don’t knock the addition of cucumber until you’ve tried it. View it here.

From the archives, try Persian Herb Stew and Broccoli Pasta Two Ways.

Enjoy them!

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