Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #20
Oct. 8-14, 2017
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. **Also, if you’re having trouble identifying any unfamiliar produce, please look for “Veggie ID” with additional information on our website under CSA INFO or under RECIPES.
We try to keep the printed newsletter to a 2-page maximum, which means that we won’t list all the share items’ descriptions every week, but refer you to previous newsletters for information on items that have already appeared in your shares.
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
RED ACE BEETS AND GREENS: round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and medium-tall, red-veined green leaves; keep in mind the greens can be substituted for Swiss chard or spinach in many recipes. See Week 6 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
BROCCOLI: deep emerald green, tiny buds that are clustered on top of stout, edible stems; high in vitamins A, C, calcium, potassium, and iron; known as an anti-cancer vegetable. See Week 4 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
CARROTS (Hercules): sweet, orange, cone-shaped roots; good eating quality and stores well. See Week 6 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
CAULIFLOWER (Amazing): medium-sized, white heads with domed, solid curds.
-How to use: raw for salads and dips, steamed, sauteed, or roasted.
-How to store: sweetest and best when used within a week when stored in the refrigerator, but can last up to 2 weeks.
GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, and bolstering the immune system. See Week 5 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
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 bunch (NOT one bunch of each) from the following 4 options:
–Rosemary—pine needle-like leaves used with potatoes, bread doughs, risottos, mixed vegetables, and meat dishes, as well as in sweet dishes such as lemonade, creams, custards, and syrups.
–Marjoram–a small and oval-shaped leaf, which is light green with a grayish tint. When fresh it is spicy, bitter, and slightly pungent with camphor-like notes, so often added to fish sauces, salad dressings, tomato-based sauces; goes well with vegetables including cabbages, potatoes, eggplant, and beans.
–Curly Parsley—curly, dark green leaves, often used as a garnish, but can be used interchangeably with flat-leaf parsley; has a strong parsley/celery flavor; especially good in omelets, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soups, pasta and vegetable dishes, as well as, sauces.
–Black-stemmed Peppermint–superior fragrance and flavor; forest green leaves with deep purple veins and stems; leaves are good as a hot or iced tea, and adds a delicious flavor when minced and added to cooked peas, carrots, potatoes, and salads.
KALE (Green Curly): well ruffled green leaves; great for kale chips, in a salad, roasted, and in soups. See Week 2 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
ONIONS: You will receive Mars Red (purple-red skinned onion with sweet flavor. Our red onions have started getting soft spots in the center stem, so they are not storing well; just pop out that segment and chop up the rest of the onion. Very easy to freeze: just chop onion and put in freezer bags) and Cippolini (a traditional Italian onion known for its flat, oval shape and delicately mild, sweet flavor; ranges in size from 1-3 inches; used for pickling and to season a wide variety of dishes and especially good grilled on a skewer). See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
SWEET PEPPERS: You will receive Green Bell Peppers (large blocky cells with fruity, sweet flavor) and Carmen (6 inch long, tapered fruit that ripens from green to a deep “carmine” red; sweet taste in salads and when roasted and fully red-ripe). See Week 13 for usage and storage tips.
POTATOES: You will receive Dakota Red (red potato with white flesh that is good for baking, boiling, or frying) and Carola (yellow potato from Germany; smooth, creamy texture that is good for baking or frying). See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
BABY RAPINI: also called “Broccoli Raab” or Rabe or Rape; leafy green with 6- to 9-inch stalks and scattered clusters of tiny broccoli-like buds (most of ours don’t have buds yet, so just the leaf); traditional Italian specialty combining qualities of broccoli and mustard greens.
-How to use: used for salads or light cooking; to cook simply: clean rappini with water, oil pan, add garlic and brown. Add 1 cup of water. Put in rappini, season to taste. (Lemon may be used if desired.) Cover pan and steam for thirty minutes. Pepperoni or sausage may be added to rappini after it is fully cooked.
-How to store: wrap in dampened cloth in plastic bag for up to 1 week.
SWISS CHARD: close relative of garden beets; multi-colored, large veined, semi-crinkly, dark green leaves; mild flavor and can be substituted for spinach in many recipes. See Week 5 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
TOMATOES: You will receive some of the following: Geronimo (newer variety but already one of the most widely used beefsteak varieties; fruits are firm, nice red color and good taste) and San Marzano (early, large classic Italian Roma tomato; delicious, balanced acidic flavor and meaty flesh makes for good sauce and paste). See Week 9 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
WINTER SQUASH & PIE PUMPKINS: Everyone will receive Sweet Dumpling (small 4-inch diameter, coloring is like the “Delicata”, but round, flat-topped shape; makes a great bowl for stuffing with rice, breading, or soups), Sunshine Kabocha (red-orange, flat-round fruit with dry, sweet, bright orange flesh; excellent for baking, mashing, and pies), and Baby Bear Pie Pumpkin (deep orange, 1 1/2-2 1/2-lb. fruits are about half the size of a normal pie pumpkin.) See Week 16 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. LAST WEEK OF THE SUMMER CSA: That means Oct. 11 (Wed.), Oct. 13 (Fri.), and Oct. 14 (Sat.) are the last distribution days for our Summer Shares.
2. BRING BAGS! Please bring bags (cloth for yourself and/or any “grocery-size” plastic and paper to share with others), a cooler, or a box to receive your produce this week, so you can leave the share box behind if we won’t see you again this fall.
3. STILL SPACES FOR THE “EXTENDED FALL CSA” SHARES: This 3-week share runs from Oct. 15 through Nov. 4 for $105 celebrating all the bounty of the fall vegetables! The link for online registration is http://tantrefarm.csasignup.com. Please sign up by this Saturday, Oct. 14, so you won’t miss any of those 3 weeks of produce. Please go to our website for more information. We are prorating these shares as well, so if you need to miss a week of the Extended Fall CSA, just send us an email, and we will register you for the weeks you will receive a share. Hope to share more of this abundant fall harvest with you throughout October! Tell your friends and family!! Due to outside exposure of potentially cold-damaging temperatures in October, we will not have Fall Shares at the Chelsea Farmers Market or at MOVE, since we have no way to protect these shares, so please find alternate pick up locations.
4. THANKSGIVING CSA REGISTRATION on November 18 is OPEN! You can also read more details about the Thanksgiving Share on our website under “CSA Info”. This share is a one time pick up of 60 to 80 pounds of produce for winter storage or to stock up on vegetables before the holiday for $120. This share will be available for pick up on the Saturday before Thanksgiving at the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market from 7 AM to 12 PM, at Tantré Farm from 2-5 PM, and also in Plymouth at Pure Pastures from 9 AM to 7 PM.
5. INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR CSA IN 2018? All members may renew their registration just like usual with online registration. You will all receive a separate email informing you when registration opens. Summer CSA Shares will be available for $650 for 20 weeks from June through mid October in 2018.
6. U-PICK AVAILABLE: Please call ahead if you plan to pick on other days besides Farm Distribution Days (Wed. and Fri.), so we can make sure someone is around to help you.
**U-PICK Flowers– You may pick 1 bouquet of up to 15 stems per household for “free” in the u-pick flower garden on the farm. Please feel free to bring clippers and a vase to take it home. Optional donations of $1 or $2 will help to pay for some seed and labor costs. Extra bouquets will cost $4.
**U-PICK Tomatoes—tomatoes have DISCOUNTED PRICES: Members–$0.75/lb. Non members–$1/lb.
**ALREADY PICKED Tomatoes – $1/lb. Members. Discounted half bushel boxes of Romas at the farm & market for $25.
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.
Pure Pastures (Wed.) –9 A.M. To 7 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
FRESH MINT SALSA FOR GRILLED LAMB CHOPS (from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce by MACSAC)
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
3-4 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 lamb loin chops (or pork tenderloin)
Combine all ingredients except lamb; chill 1 hour. Prepare charcoal or heat outdoor grill. Cook lamb chops to medium rare, 4-6 minutes per side. Top each serving (2 chops) with salsa; serve immediately.
BROCCOLI RABE WITH LEMON AND GARLIC (from cooks.com) Serves 4
1 1/2 lb broccoli rabe (rapini)
2 tsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 tsp fresh grated lemon rind
In a heavy kettle cook the broccoli rabe covered in very little water until stems are tender. Saute garlic in butter over medium heat 3 minutes. Drain the broccoli rabe, toss with garlic mixture, parsley, salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon rind.
GINGER PEANUT SOUP (from How it all Vegan) Serves 4-6
1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes or 4 chopped fresh
5 Tbsp natural peanut butter (or nut butter)
In a large soup pot, saute the broccoli, cauliflower, onions, ginger, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper in oil on medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add the stock, tomatoes, and nut butter. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
***Thank you for a wonderful Summer Season filled with gratitude, community building, and a bountiful harvest. We would especially like to express our heartfelt appreciation to our farm crew for all their hard work and long hours this past season. If you get a chance to thank them please do. Please feel free to contact us throughout the rest of fall and winter for any fall storage produce at the Farm or come visit us at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market every Wed. (until December) and Sat. (year round), Chelsea Farmers Market (every Sat. through Oct.), Argus Farm Stop on Liberty or on Packard, and the People’s Food Coop throughout the winter. Thank you for being a member of the Tantre Farm Summer CSA!! Hope to share our harvest with you again for our Fall/Winter 2017 CSA’s or the Summer 2018 CSA.
–Deb, Richard, and the Tantre Farm Crew