Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #6
June 29-July 4, 2015

If needed, please contact Richard Andres & Deb Lentz at 2510 Hayes Rd. Chelsea, MI 48118 e-mail: tantrefarm@hotmail.com phone: 734-475-4323 website: www.tantrefarm.com.

In our newsletter, we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box; however, since the newsletter is published before the harvest, we may sometimes substitute some vegetables for others. The information provided here is also published each week on our website.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE

FAVA BEANS: also called faba bean, horse bean, or broad bean; the pod is inedible raw and looks like a large bean pod; the bean seed resembles a lima bean with a tart, pungent flavor; fresh fava beans should be shelled from pod if skin seems tough, but bean seed can be eaten raw. The pod, when cooked, is edible. See recipes below.
-To skin fava beans: Blanch for 1 minute, then drain and cool. With your thumbnail, pull open the sprout end and squeeze the bean out of its skin.
-How to use: Stew skinned beans in a little butter, oil or cream seasoned with savory, thyme or sage. Sauté with other vegetables and toss with pasta. Good in soups. Lots of recipes on the Internet. This link shows 5 ways to prepare favas: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-fantastic-ways-to-cook-fava-beans-190674
-How to store: Store fresh, unshelled beans in the refrigerator up to a week; once shelled, blanched and skinned, favas can be frozen in plastic containers for longer storage; shelled beans are best used within a few days. See “Beans” for recipes in the A to Z Cookbook, if you have it, and also this newsletter. Delicious!

RED BEETS & GREENS: smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and medium-tall, red-veined green leaves. *The beet greens are especially delicious right now, and can be used like spinach.
-How to use: greens can be substituted for spinach and chard in recipes; roots good in soups, stews, roasted, boiled, steamed, excellent grated raw into salads or baked goods.
-How to store: separate roots from leaves and store unwashed in plastic bags in hydrator drawer of refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; store greens wrapped in damp cloth in plastic bag for up to 1 week.

FRESH GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, bolstering the immune system, lowering blood pressure and preventing heart disease, used as an expectorant or decongestant, and at least some people believe that it can ward off vampires and insects.
-Cooking tips: To mellow garlic’s strong flavors opt for longer cooking; to enjoy its more pungent flavors and increased medicinal benefit, use it raw or with minimal cooking.
-How to use: minced raw in salad dressings, sautéed and added to stir-fries, meats, vegetables; make garlic butter with 1/2 cup of softened butter mashed with four minced cloves of garlic; try roasting garlic by cutting off tops of garlic bulb, so cloves are exposed, brush with olive oil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, squeeze garlic out of skins and spread on a good, crusty bread.
-How to store: fresh garlic can be stored in an open, breathable basket in a cool, dark place for many months; if cloves begin to get soft or moldy, break off bad clove and chop up others and pack into small jar filled with olive oil; then refrigerate (great gift idea!).

FRESH HERBS: In general, store herbs upright with cut stems in 1 or 2 inches of water and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or wrap in slightly dampened cloth and store in refrigerator.
You may CHOOSE ONE from the following:
-Black-stemmed Peppermint–forest green leaves with deep purple veins and stems, purple flowers; leaves are good as a hot or iced tea; adds a delicious flavor when minced and added to cooked peas, carrots, potatoes, salads, and fresh strawberries.
-Chives—mild, onion-flavored herb with long, slender, hollow leaves; can be added to potato salad, baked potatoes, soups, salads, omelets, dips and spreads, pastas and sauces.
-Dill– feathery green leaves that go well with fish, potatoes, beets, carrots, and yogurt sauces; considered a good luck symbol by early Romans.
-French Sorrel–slightly tart, lemon-flavored green; excellent for salads, soups, and sauces; can be used in omelets, breads, or cooked as a side dish; leaves are shaped like spinach, but paler green in color; refrigerate in plastic bag for up to 3 days.

KALE (Lacinato): dark green, noncurled, blistered leaves, but heavily savoyed.
-How to use: for salads, soups, and light cooking in stir fries
-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator for up to 1 week

LETTUCE: You will receive 2 heads of lettuce, which may include Panisse (large, lime-green, lobed oak leaves with excellent flavor) along with possible Green Leaf, Red Leaf or Romaine.
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or use in soups
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.

GREEN & RED ONIONS (also called “Scallions”): young shoots of Green and Red onions with long green stalks and milder tasting than large bulb onions; full of great fiber and antioxidants, high in potassium and source of vitamins C and B-6.
-How to use: the bulb, flowers, and green leaves are edible; can be cooked, grilled, roasted whole as a vegetable; chopped in salads, soups, & other dishes for flavor.
-How to store: refrigerate in damp towel/plastic bag for 5-7 days.

SHELLING PEAS: small, round green seeds in easy to shell pod with delicious flavor for fresh eating and freezing. Pull stem end down the side to open pod like a zipper.
-How to use: Add shelled peas to soups, stews, sautés, or stir-fries. Blanch or steam for 2-4 minutes only until color is bright green.
-How to store: Refrigerate in plastic bag for 4-5 days. If kept too long, their sweet flavor and crisp texture diminishes.
=How to freeze: Peas freeze well, but will lose their crunchy texture. Blanch for 2 minutes (shell peas must be shelled first), rinse with cold water, drain, and pack into freezer containers.

SWISS CHARD: close relative of garden beets; very small, multi-colored, large veined, semi-crinkly, dark green leaves; mild flavor; good source of vitamins A, E, & C, as well as iron & calcium.
-How to use: greens can be prepared like spinach or beet greens; good steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, and in soups.
-How to store: wrap in damp cloth in a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 2-4 days.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. U-PICK STRAWBERRIES AT THE FARM: You may come to u-pick any day this week, but email us or call Deb 734-385-6748, so we know you are coming. $5/qt. for members and $6/qt. for nonmembers. You can pick into our quart baskets to measure them, but to take them home, please bring your own containers or transfer them into donated plastic containers at the Distribution Shed.

2. 4th of July VACATIONS or OUT OF TOWN: Please remember to contact us at least by Saturday to make changes in pick up days or locations, especially with vacations coming up. All changes can be made yourself on our website under a Membership Actions link on the CSA tab on our website. Any last minute changes after Saturday need to be made administratively, so email Deb. If you can’t pick up for some reason on Friday or Saturday this coming weekend, because you forgot about the 4th of July, please let us know, and we will either NOT harvest a share for you or make some changes with Friday or Saturday pick up. It will be too late though to make a Wed. pick up. Also keep in mind that changes need to be made within the same week (Sun.-Sat.), not into the following week of distribution.

3. “MEDICINAL HERBS” CLASS: Local forager, Rachel Mifsud, will be leading this class at Tantre Farm on Sun., July 12. We will spend the afternoon in the farm’s summer kitchen using lawn weeds and common garden herbs to produce medicines. This is your chance to learn how to make salves, liniments, tinctures, and healing teas. This class will not include a plant walk. All plants will be pre-harvested, so that we can focus on learning the techniques. Tentative products (subject to change): 1) Bug Bite Butter 2) Headache Tincture 3) Tummy Tea 4) Sleepy Tea 5) Ache Liniment. Cost: $20 for CSA members, which includes instruction, foraged tea and snacks, and 5 herbal products. This is an excellent value! Similar medicinal products would be worth at least $30 if you were to purchase them. RSVP REQUIRED until the class is full. Please include your Name, Email Address and Phone Number in the body of your email.

4. SUMMER WORK PARTY/OPEN HOUSE Sunday, July 19 between 1-4 p.m. This day often tends to be hot and sunny, but not sure about THIS summer! However, we’ll have lots of water play for the kids and shade-related activities for the adults, such as cleaning garlic. For those more adventurer-gardener types, we will be weeding the herb and flower garden and other patches in the fields, and maybe even some harvesting! Members are encouraged to bring family and friends to Tantré Farm to see the farm decked out in its summer finery, for wagon ride farm tours, and for getting to know fellow community members. This is a completely voluntary event, so you can also come just for the fun, such as listening to live music, picking a pint of raspberries, which would go nicely with our plans to make fresh, hand-cranked, home-made ice cream! These are further incentives to encourage folks to come out to see the farm. As usual a potluck is included, so please feel free to bring a snack or refreshment. Also, if anyone wants to help “set up” at 11 or 11:30 AM or bring a musical instrument, while our other musicians take a break, please let us know. We look forward to showing you the farm! More details to come!

5. NEW ORDER OF “A TO Z COOKBOOK” HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! Some of you have been waiting for the new shipment of cookbooks to arrive. Well, they are here! Each distribution site will have a few more cookbooks for sale for $15. If we need more, and they are not at your site, send us an email, so we can set one aside for you the next week with your name attached.

6. WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We have plenty of weeds to pull, especially after this rain. If you are interested in helping out–even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes before you pick up your box at the farm, come join us. Please contact us any day of the week or evenings until dark. Thanks for volunteering!

7. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)–7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 12 PM
Farm (Wed.)–10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –6 P.M. to 8 P.M.
Farm (Fri.)–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Community High School (Sat.) –7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)–8 A.M. to 12 P.M.

RECIPES

**Keep in mind a very easy way to find recipe ideas for almost any combination of share box ingredients is to type the items into your preferred “search bar” with the word “recipe” after it, and many recipe ideas will pop up. Have fun searching! Lots and lots of ideas!

FAVA BEAN SALAD (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website)
1 lb. Fava beans, shelled
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley OR cilantro
pinch ground pepper

Boil the beans in slightly salted water until tender. Drain and cool. Blend oil and vinegar together with salt and pepper. Stir in onion and garlic. Place Favas in serving dish and pour oil and vinegar dressing over them. Sprinkle with chopped herbs.

HERB BLENDER DRINK
Wash and remove leaves from 1 bunch of peppermint or other herb. Blend leaves in blender with 6-8 ice cubes and about 2 to 4 quarts of water. Drizzle sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup) to taste. Strain through a sieve into a pitcher. Add some whole ice cubes to a glass. Very refreshing! We HIGHLY recommend it!

GADEER’S FAVA BEAN RECIPE (a traditional Mediterranean recipe) **Adjust ingredients to taste.
2 quarts fava beans with pods
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2-cup lemon juice, fresh or bottled
1/4-cup olive oil

Prepare fava pods for cooking, but remove “string” on edge of pod by grasping stem part with a knife and pulling “stringy” part of the pod off. Chop beans in 1-inch chunks (shell and beans together). Heat olive oil in pot and add the beans. Stir occasionally on low heat. When the beans begin to water, add garlic, cilantro, and lemon. Beans are ready when they turn a more brownish-green. Enjoy!

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