Sandy Spring CSA

August 5, 2009: This week’s featured fruits and vegetables are: sweet corn, zucchini, cucumber, Swiss chard, salad mix, pepper, peaches, basil, and tomato.

More farm tidbits from Farmer Pam:

Lots to pick up here after the big storm on Sunday – whew – heck of a way to trim the trees! Not much damage – just more stuff to pick up. Things were a little muddy so we had to give an extra rinse to everything.

We are busy working on the fall crops – planted more celery yesterday.

We look forward to when that celery comes our way in the fall. Speaking of fall - don’t forget to sign up for the Fall CSA! The cost for returning members is $195 - click here for details.

Recipes: The Many Faces of Chard

Swiss chard is a fun addition to this week’s mix of veggies. Try Stuffed Yellow Peppers with Spicy Swiss Chard and Scallion Pilaf, which can serve either as a side dish or as a main course (with some nuts added to the stuffing for extra flavor and extra protein). Or for a change of pace, put Swiss chard into homemade pasta with Swiss Chard Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce - and then put the tomatoes and basil into this Tomato Cream Sauce recipe! The gnocchi freeze beautifully, and even just tossed with butter and parmesan cheese, they make a great focal point for any meal.

Food for Thought: Good News, But….

On July 30th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749). Next, the debate will move to the Senate.

So, that’s good, right?

Well, yes and no. The measure still contains many provisions that could be very problematic for smaller-scale farmers and organic farmers - like Farmer Pam and many of the farmers she networks with.

The Organic Consumers Association has a great article in their most recent Organic Bytes newsletter that details both the good and bad aspects of the legislation. They also link to an even more detailed discussion of the issue on one of their forums.

For those who want to get involved, the Organic Consumers Association will be organizing their members to contact the Senate about the new version of the legislation. Stay tuned!