Red Hill Farm Open House & Plant Sale, by Joanne

Flyer by Joanne

We're having our annual Open House and Plant Sale--all are welcome--on Saturday, May 11th, from 1 pm to 4, rain or shine!  This is your opportunity to become acquainted with all the aspects of the farm, as well as meet Farm Manager Angela and other farmers and staff (our beekeeper and our Purple Martin consultant), sample our off-farm products and meet the vendors, and discover the latest addition to our offerings, artisanal breads made from locally grown grains by Jerry Sheehan (see the post just above this one for more information on the breads and their maker).

We will have well marked parking areas for the event--just follow the signs on South Convent Road; you'll be parking across the street from the main convent, then walking from there over to the farm (not a long walk).

If you plan on attending (these are always a lot of fun!), please RSVP by calling or emailing Joanne Rosenbaum, our events coordinator (610-558-5396 or Jrosenbaum@osfphila.org).  See you there!  Buy a few organic plants (or a lot!) for your home garden, or as a nice Mother's Day gift!

Winter Market, Friday the 15th, and Wild Herb Ravioli, by Melinda

Lamium purpureum (Deadnettle)

Our Winter Market on Friday the 15th of March will feature kale and freshly dug carrots--what a treat!

And here's a recipe for a green ravioli just in time for St. Patrick's Day! This recipe is adapted from one by Tama Matsuoka Wong, whom I mentioned in the previous post  and who forages wild herbs for upscale restaurants in the New York City area.  Her recipe calls for chickweed,  deadnettle, and onion grass (aka "wild garlic"). It's called "dead" nettle to distinguish it from stinging nettle--deadnettle has no sting to it and is quite mild in flavor. It's in the mint family, so it has a square stem (which you can feel), though it doesn't taste as "minty" as spearmint or peppermint.

Deadnettle's exotic, tiny flowers

The University of Delaware Extension blog (photo above left) treats it as a weed to be eradicated, but it's actually highly desirable as an edible wild plant, called Lamium purpureum in Latin.  In fact, right now, it looks like it does (in the above left photo) in our neighborhood. It's important not only as an edible green, however, but also as a very early source of nectar for honeybees and the wild bees or bee-like insects (e.g., carpenter bees, hoverflies, etc.) that later in the season will pollinate our domesticated crops.

However, if you don't want to use wild greens in this recipe, you can substitute spinach with the stems removed. You also could substitute some of the kale we'll get at Winter Market The recipe is very quick and easy to make, as you use pre-made eggroll wrappers, about 8- inches square, which you can buy at the supermarket.

Wild-Herb Ravioli

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 & 1/2 oz chopped chickweed (~2 cups); if desired, you can substitute spinach with the stems removed, or kale with stems removed and chopped
• 1 oz. deadnettle tops, including flowers, chopped (~ 1 & 1/2 cups), or spinach or kale (stems removed & chopped)
• 1 oz onion grass (aka wild garlic), or substitute chives, cut into 1/2-in. to 1-in. lengths (3/4 cup), and more for garnish
• salt & fresh-ground pepper
• 2 oz. ricotta cheese (1/4 cup)
• 2 oz. freshly grated Parmesan [or Pecorino], plus more for sprinkling
• 18 eggroll wrappers, ~8-in. square
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Melt 1 tbsp butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add chickweed, deadnettle, & wild garlic (onion grass) greens [or substitute greens] & cook till bright green & softened, about 2 min (a bit longer for substitute greens). Transfer to food processor & pulse till finely chopped. Season w/ a pinch each of salt & pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl & fold in ricotta & parmesan w/ rubber spatula or large spoon. Let cool.

Place 9 eggroll wrappers on work surface. On each wrapper, mound 4 separate teaspoonfuls of filling in a grid 2-in. from the edges. Dip a finger in water & trace a circle around each mound of filling. Place remaining 9 eggroll wrappers atop the filled ones and press to seal around each mound of filling. Cut out 36 ravioli with a 2-inch ring cutter. Make sure edges are pressed together well.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; add oil. Cook ravioli until al dente, 5 to 8 min. Drain well.
Serve topped w/ remaining 2 tbsp melted butter & a sprinkling of chopped onion grass (wild garlic).

This recipe by Tama Matsuoka Wong is featured in the March 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

New Farm Education Coordinator, and an Invitation to You, the Members, from Joanne

[The "backstory," from Melinda:  the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, who own our Farm, see the Farm as fulfilling part of their environmental goal of shepherding the land, which it does admirably. But  among their other goals are outreach and education. This led to the idea of finding someone already conversant in the hands-on life of the Farm, as well as versed in food science and the health sciences in general, who could guide and coordinate the Farm's educational mission(s). As is so often the case, the person we sought was right under our nose:  Joanne Rosenbaum! Many of you know her as a long-time workshare, but you may not realize that she has extensive professional experience in life sciences (biology and chemistry), health sciences, health administration--particularly but not exclusively in women's health--conference and workshop organizing, and new-program development in those areas. We're thrilled to welcome her as our new Farm Education Coordinator!  Below is Joanne's story in her own words.]

Joanne's Story

Joanne, photo by Melinda

"Back in the day when I was working full-time and had five weeks' vacation, I spent Fridays at the Farm doing my workshare. I came home sweaty, smelling of the earth and whatever veggies I harvested that day. Since then, Red Hill has become my sanctuary for peace, relaxation, introspection, and meeting new and like-minded friends.  Oh, and how could I forget?--the most beautiful, luscious veggies ever! (See my essay on why I love my CSA on the Sisters' site--click here.)

So, one might ask, how and why did I end up taking the Red Hill Farm Education-Coordinator position?

I loved my previous job:  working in women's health had always been my dream. But after sixteen years and many difficult life events, I started thinking that I wanted to work in the community where I live and try to make a difference there in people's lives. I am passionate about "health promotion and disease prevention," especially the importance of good nutrition and the prevention of childhood obesity.

Angela Kidder, our Farm Manager, mentioned that the Sisters wanted to get back to one of the core missions of the Farm, "education."  To make a long story short (as I usually do), I quit my job and here I am!

The Invitation

Part of my charge is planning events and programs for our CSA members and community. I also want to build on the existing farm tour and develop at least two further age-appropriate tours.  Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in joining a "working committee" to plan the two tours.  Now please don't be frightened by the term "working!" I will do the leg-work for support materials, contacts, or other things that need to be done during the working day. Ideally, we'd have a group working on each topic of the tour:  e.g., bees, soil health, compost tea, weeds, etc. I'd like to have our first meeting at the beginning of February.

It is also very important to the Sisters, to Angela, and to me to develop relationships with local schools, including Drexel Neumann Academy (see here). I will be planning interactive lectures to take into the schools, in turn supporting them with tours of the Farm.

The most important part of this plan is to include as many members of the community as possible:  school students and teachers, dietitians, clinicians, farmers, Sisters, and of course, YOU, the CSA members!  You can call me at 610-558-5396; or email at Jrosenbaum@osfphila.org. Looking forward to seeing you all again!"