City Roots

BACKYARD BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

When: May 19th 9:00 am to 3:30 pm
There will be a 45 min. lunch break – bring your own – refreshments will be provided.

Where: City Roots, 1005 Airport Blvd. (Next to Owens Field Airport in Rosewood )

What:  You’ll learn:

• Introduction to beekeeping
• How to construct a hive from a kit (hands on)
• The different types of hives available
• How to handle bees
• How to establish a new hive
• How to maintain a hive
• How to extract honey
• Where to go for additional resource information

Workshop will be held by Patrick Coyne.

Check out the “GET IVOLVED” tab at the top of the page to register for this workshop!

Thank you everyone who has joined our 2012 Spring CSA. We have successfully filled up this upcoming season and excited about what will be available. Each week a share will include a braising green, salad green, root vegetable, microgreens and always an extra surprise vegetable or green. In the ground now we have: carrots, braising mix, beets, arugula, radish, spinach, lettuce, turnips, and bok choy just to name a few.

We are also seeding and transplanting for our summer crop. We’ve started the season early by getting over 800 Tomato plants in the ground, and have seeded for eggplant, peppers, cucumbers and squash. For those who are interested, our summer CSA has not filled up and are continuing to accept shares for a couple more months. Don’t sign up to late!!

CSA signup is available on this site by clicking on the “CSA” tab near the upper right hand corner. Scroll down to the drop down menu to pay online. OR… you may visit our on site location at 1005 Airport Blvd Columbia SC, 29205 and sign up there using check or credit card.

Introduction to Permaculture: Harmonious Design for People and the Planet

Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural systems.  It is a harmonious integration of landscape and people that provides for human need in a sustainable way.  Originally conceived by ecologists in the 1970s, it has grown into a global grassroots environmental movement that is solutions-oriented.  It’s been called “a revolution disguised as gardening.”

This course will introduce principles and application of permaculture design and will include hands-on group projects as well as interactive presentation and discussion.  This class is not a full design certification course but is intended to give students the tools to pursue the concept further, whether they go on to seek design certification or simply want to get started transforming their own landscapes.

To learn more, or to register online, please visit our website at:  http://saeu.sc.edu/conted/catalog/courses.php?subarea=72  or call our office at 777-9444.

This week at the market we will have spinach, mustard greens, kale, collards, lettuce, turnips, beets, broccoli, herbs, and microgreens.

Do you hear the people sing

Singing the song of merry men

It is the music of a people

Who will not be down again

When the beating of your heart

Echoes the beating of the drums

There is life about to start

When Mardi Gras comes!

Okay, so I’m no Broadway lyricist (or French novelist for that matter). But that’s not the point. The point is that Mardi Gras is almost here. A mere nine days from now there will be a parade full of beads, kazoos, feathers, and various other noisy and colorful accouterments. A full day of music is planned for on farm entertainment. Good food from many of our favorite local restaurants will be available, including Bone-In BBQ, Pawley’s Front Porch, and Drip Coffee. What makes all this even better is that proceeds from ticket sales go to support both The Animal Mission and Doko Farm. Festivities begin at noon on February 18th. The parade starts at thee at City Roots. You can buy your $10 tickets at the farm. For a full line-up of entertainment, visit the Krewe-de-Columbi-yaya website.

Crazy out loud frivolity not your cup of tea? Next Thursday’s Harvest Dinner is for those of you who’d like to enjoy the farm in a more intimate and subdued setting. While I’d love to whet your appetite with the menu for the dinner, I’d be spoiling the surprise! Each dinner has a unique menu that’s not announced until the day of. In the past there has been everything from Curry Spiced Roasted Beets with Creme Fraiche to Pecan Smoked SC Black Grouper. You can find out more and make reservations, visit the Harvest Dinner’s website.

Okay, so what if you’re a real homebody and want to just hunker down through till spring? If you can manage to get yourself to the farm, you can buy everything you need to make a soup worthy of hibernation. I’ve made this Basic Green Soup and some variations several times since I found it on The Splendid Table. It’s great for those days when you both feel the need to eat more vegetables and want comfort food. It takes time, but when you’re hibernating you have plenty of that, right? So put on your comfy slippers, check your email (or facebook, or pinerest) and start your onions to caramelizing.

City Roots Basic Green Soup

adapted from The Splendid Table for City Roots vegetables

2 Tbs bacon drippings, or cooking oil of your choice
2 large onions, chopped

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs plus 3 cups water (or chicken/vegetable stock)

3/4 cup arborio rice

1 bunch mustard greens

1 bunch kale

2 bags spinach

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (see this site for a way to always have chicken broth at the ready)

Big pinch paprika

1/4- 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs- I like parsley, cilantro, dill, and sage (all available from City Roots!)

juice from one lemon

1-2 Tbs of your best extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat the bacon grease in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about five minutes. Reduce heat the low, add 2 Tbs water, and cook. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, then occasionally, always replacing the lid. Do this until the onions are greatly reduced and are deeply caramel colored, about 25 minutes. (This is the part where you check your email.)

2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups water (or chicken stock) and another large pinch of salt in a Dutch oven. Add the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Pull out the tough ribs of the mustards and kale. (Save them for another use- like stir fry or future batches of stock!) Coarsely chop the mustards and kale.

3. When the rice has cooked, stir in the greens (except the spinach). Return to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the onions to the rice along with the spinach, broth, and paprika, and herbs. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes.

4. Puree the soup with an immersion blender in the pot, or in batches in a regular blender. (Return it to the pot.) Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Garnish each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with more lemon wedges if you’d like.

Eat well,

Jana

This week at the market we will have collards, kale, beets, microgreens, cilantro, parsley, and bok choy.

A few of you have asked how you can help with the Mardi Gras celebration that’s coming up on February 18th. To see what needs to be done and when, visit the eventbrite page here. You can sign up for the tasks that interest you or the time slots that fit your schedule.

I wanted to leave you with a recipe that I’ve been enjoying this winter that makes use of the seasonal citrus and our arugula sprouts:

Fennel, Blood Orange, and Avocado Salad

1 fennel bulb
3 blood oranges (or your favorite citrus)

2 avocados
1 package City Roots Arugula Microgreens
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp powdered mustard or 1 tsp from a bottle
salt and pepper

Using a fine grater, remove the zest from the orange. Reserve. Remove the stalks from the fennel and discard (or use in making stocks!), but save the feathery leaves. Cut the bulb in half down the middle. Slice each half into lengthwise quarters. Then make slices across all four quarters. (Or chop it up however you see fit. You just want to end up with bite sized pieces.) Place in a large bowl. Peel the oranges, removing as much white pith as possible. If you want to get fancy and officially segment the orange, go for it. Otherwise, just chop it up willy nilly, removing any seeds. Put it in the bowl with the fennel. Do the same thing with the avocado. Put the oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and reserved zest in a small jar with a lid. Shake to combine. Pour and mix with the fennel, orange, and avocado. Serve the salad on a generous bed of arugula sprouts.

Eat well,

Jana

This week at the market we will have carrots, spinach, collards, kale, and microgreens.

The dark days to seem to have finally descended on us. Cold weather is here and, though we’ve past the winter solstice, the days are still frightfully short. As a special treat for you all in these dark days, We have invited Crust, a local mobile bakery, will be at the farm on January 10th during our CSA pick-up hours (3-7pm). So  even if you aren’t a part of our winter CSA, come the extra few blocks to the farm to pick up some crisp veggies and fresh bread.

With row covers now permanently in place, our fields look as if they’ve turned into an ocean. They make me see the wind in a new way as it billows through the covers, looking for all the world like waves breaking next to the greenhouse.

Speaking of greenhouses, our new greenhouse is pulling it’s own weight now. It’s filled to the vents with ripening tomatoes, basil, more microgreens than you can shake a knife at, and countless baby herbs we are nursing to be able to sell to you this spring. If you’d like to see a specific herb grown, let us know now so we have time to start it before planting time. While some things don’t do well in our Southern clime, we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Eat well,

Jana

Bring in this New Year with the diet to prosperity. Traditionally eaten on New Years day, consuming cooked collards will bring you great wealth in 2012 (based on their appearance of folded cash) depending on how much you eat ( more collards= more cash). Although I’m a couple days past this great New Years Tradition, I am going to share a creamed collard recipe.  This recipe may not bring you great wealth, but will ensure a happy belly.

Collard Greens Recipe Ingredients

• 2 tbsps butter, preferably from grass-fed cows (see sources)
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 bunches collard greens, stems removed, trimmed and chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream, not ultrapasteurized (see sources)
• freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• unrefined sea salt, to taste

1. Melt butter in a skillet over a moderately high flame until it froths, then toss in sliced yellow onion, frying in melted butter until fragrant and a bit caramelized around the edges.
2. Add chopped collard greens to the skillet, stirring until slightly wilted, about two minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in one cup heavy cream and simmer for about five to six minutes, until the cream is largely reduced.
4. Season with freshly grated nutmeg and unrefined sea salt as it suits you and serve hot.

This week at the market we will have mesclun mix, butterhead lettuce, arugula, carrots, beets, collards, kale, microgreens, and nasturtiums.

I know the holiday season tends to get packed tighter than pickles in a mason jar, but don’t forget about the Holiday Harvest Dinner. Instead of a sit-down dinner like previous ones, this is a more casual affair, giving you the opportunity to wander around the farm and meet other local farmers. The chickens especially are excited to meet you all. Our tom turkey has been practicing strutting and showing off his plumage just for you. For you Groupon-y people, there is currently a Groupon offer for two tickets for $35 (50% off or buy one get one free, depending on how you look at it).

I know many of you came out to the farm to dress up your Thanksgiving salads a few weeks ago. We loved seeing you all so much that we have decided to continue our Pick-your-own lettuce special! Choose any two heads from our field for $5! We also still have nasturtium flowers to add some color during this dreary part of the year. After all, just because Thanksgiving is over, doesn’t mean that delicious salads can’t be yours every night of the week!

If you’ve been meaning to sign-up for the next CSA season, don’t worry, it’s not to late! We even still have space in our winter season (Dec 14 – Feb 1). The spring/summer/fall seasons also still have openings, but the gap is closing fast. If I didn’t already work here, I’d be pinning after a membership… as a Christmas gift perhaps?

Eat well,

Jana

Join us in the most unique dining experience Columbia has to offer…

Get tickets now for the Harvest Dinner Holiday Cocktail Party on Monday, Dec. 12, at City Roots urban farm. Besides the obvious draw of specialty cocktails from @116 State bartender Ryan Dittman (plus beer and wine, if that’s more your speed), you can tour the farm (the new greenhouse is pretty neat), sample locally sourced foods cooked up by @116 State’s Ryan Whittaker, and listen to Whiskey Tango Revue. The festivities run from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $35; get them at harvestdinnersc.com.

This week at the market we will have lettuce, mesclun mix, carrots, and microgreens.

Even though we didn’t get any of the freak snow this week, winter is fast approaching. But never fear! We are employing many season extension devices to make sure you get fresh local vegetables for as long as possible. The tomatoes in our new greenhouse are doing really well and are about thigh-high now. We are also using row covers in the fields to cover the tender greens like lettuces when it frosts. And then of course there are those vegetables that thrive in the cold, like collards and other cabbagey type plants.

The holiday event season has officially begun! Tonight the All Local Market is hosting a Singles Night. Tickets are $10 and include a wine tasting and a chance to win prizes from market vendors. If you want details about this event, you can check the Market’s website here.

Next in the event line-up is our Harvest Dinner Holiday Cocktail Party. Like always, it’s hosted at the farm. Chef Ryan Whittaker of @116 will be making holiday cocktails and Whiskey Tango Revue will be playing music. This jolly event is on December 12, from 5:30 to 11pm. Tickets are $35– get them while you can, because our Harvest Dinners normally sell out fast!

The last event is really more of an opportunity– the farm has done so well this year that we are offering a winter CSA share. It will run from Dec 13 to Feb 1 and include things like lettuce, carrots, collards, and radishes. For a full list of what we plan to have in season (and other details), you can download the pdf from our website.  As always, there is a discount for signing up for more than one season at once. (For those of you who’ve signed up before, please note that there are a few extra options to decide on this year- including share size.)

Eat well,

Jana