Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #20
Oct. 7-13, 2018
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.
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. If you are new to our CSA, since you signed up with a prorated share, you can find all past newsletters on our website under the NEWSLETTERS tab.
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.
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
ARUGULA: also known as “wild rocket” with more deeply lobed leaves and a more pungent flavor; an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor. See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
RED ACE BEETS AND GREENS: round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and medium-tall, red-veined green leaves. See Week 7 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
CARROTS (Romance): blunt-tipped, deep orange roots with impressive flavor for a summer-harvested carrot. See Week 10 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 1 week or wrap in slightly dampened cloth or plastic bag and store in refrigerator. You may CHOOSE ONE bunch (NOT one bunch of each) from the following:
*Cilantro: the flat, delicate, lacy-edged leaves and stems of the coriander plant, which look a lot like flat-leaf parsley, but has a distinctive, almost citrus fragrance that lends itself to highly spiced foods, such as tacos, salsas, soups, stews, and salads.
*Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley: Flat leaf or Italian is used primarily in cooking because of its more robust flavor; flat, glossy, dark green leaves have a strong parsley/celery flavor for use dried or fresh; high in vitamins A and C, and other minerals, such as iron; especially good in omelets, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soups, pasta and vegetable dishes, as well as, sauces.
KALE (Green Curly): well ruffled green leaves; great for kale chips, in a salad, roasted, and in soups. See Week 4 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
LETTUCE: You will receive lettuce, which may include Green or Red Leaf or Romaine. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
ONIONS (Copra): medium-sized, dark yellow-skinned storage onions; excellent storage onion staying firm and flavorful after most other varieties have sprouted; highest in sugar of the storage onions; same sulfurous compounds that draw tears inhibit rot, so the more pungent the onion the longer it will store. See Week 10 for usage and storage tips.
MUSHROOMS (Oyster): white, golden, or gray oyster-shaped cap with a mild, anise, earthy odor. *If you don’t care for mushrooms then leave them for someone else or give them to a friend. For the rest of us, this is such a treat on the last Summer share!!
-How to use: brush off dirt to clean or wipe with damp cloth, do not wash or submerge in water; good grilled, sauteed, steamed, in soups, and in sandwiches.
-How to store: place in paper bag or wax bag and keep in refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
PEPPERS: You will receive Green Bell Peppers (large blocky cells with fruity, slightly sweet flavor with green skin), 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), Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh), or Cupid (snack size fruits are blocky to slightly pointed and particularly sweet when red or yellow). See Week 14 for usage and storage tips.
POTATOES: You will receive Yukon Gold (yellowish brown skin with yellow dry flesh and pink eyes; long storage and good tasting) and Mountain Rose (rosy-skinned inside and out, these versatile, all-purpose spuds are deliciously moist, but not waxy textured; extra nutritious, and high in antioxidants; excellent baked, mashed or fried). See Week 7 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
PIE PUMPKIN (Baby Bear): bright orange skin with dry, sweet flesh. See Week 19 for usage and storage tips.
U-PICK RASPBERRIES (only available on the farm): The sweet fall red raspberries have been ripening again with the rain and warmer weather, so you may pick 1 pint as part of your share, if you are able to come out to the farm and pick it yourself. Extra pints are $4/pint.
WINTER SQUASH: Everyone will receive Sunshine Kabocha (red-orange, flat-round fruit with dry, sweet, bright orange flesh; excellent for baking, mashing, and pies) and Delicata (small, oblong, creamy colored with long green stripes, only slightly ribbed; pale yellow, sweet flesh; edible skin; best eaten within 4 months of harvest). See Week 17 for usage and storage tips.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. LAST WEEK OF THE SUMMER CSA: That means Oct. 10 (Wed.), Oct. 12 (Fri.), and Oct. 13 (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. RICE CAMP AT TANTRE, October 20 & 21: Some folks from Will Forage for Food will be processing wild rice using traditional techniques at the farm on Sat. Oct. 20 from 12 – 5 PM and on Sunday from 11 AM – 3 PM. All are welcome to come watch, learn, and participate. Free of charge. Just come behind the Main House into Tantre Farm’s back yard.
4. KIMCHI PRESERVING WORKSHOP at the Washtenaw Food Hub on Thursday, Oct. 25, from 6-8 P.M.: Fermentation revivalist, Melissa Robinson, will demonstrate how to make kimchi, a spicy and pungent Korean condiment served at almost every Korean meal. The workshop will cover lacto-fermentation, a method utilized to brine and preserve vegetables, using produce from Tantre Farm. Participants will take home a jar of kimchi made during the workshop. Please register by email with your NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER. $10 fee for materials and other ingredients.
5. STILL SPACES OPEN for the “EXTENDED FALL CSA” SHARE: This 3-week share runs from Oct. 14 through Nov. 3 for $108 celebrating all the bounty of the fall vegetables! The link for online registration is http://tantrefarm.csasignup.com . Please sign up by this coming Saturday, Oct. 13, so you won’t miss any of the 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.
6. THANKSGIVING CSA REGISTRATION on November 17 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 $125 (INCORRECTLY LISTED AS $120 LAST WEEK!). 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 or Tantré Farm from 2-5 PM.
7. INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR CSA IN 2019? All members may renew their registration just like usual with online registration. You will all receive a separate email informing you when registration opens within the the next month. A slight change that we are considering is the Summer CSA will run for 18 weeks from June through the end of September in 2019. Then our Extended Fall CSA will be for the whole month of October for a slightly longer fall share, but a slightly shorter summer share.
8. U-PICK FLOWERS AVAILABLE: You may pick 1 bouquet of 16 stems per household for “free” in the u-pick flower garden on the farm one last time or the first time, if you haven’t made it out to the farm until now. Extra bouquets – $4.
9. 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.) (limited site) –9 AM to 7 PM
Farm (Fri.)–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (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.
NEW! Argus-Packard (Sat.) (limited site)–10 A.M. To 12 P.M.
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN….
The cranes are gathering. The geese are flying. The bees collect nectar as if it were still summer. These first days of autumn have been filled with the sounds of migration. The hills are alive with the sound of music! These days have been rather balmy and summer-like keeping things green and verdant. The raspberries have become plump and sweet with these mild, humid, rainy days. Last weeks’s rain brought a heavy flush of mushrooms as well, which seem to be a good, parting gift as we end our Summer CSA this last week.
It really feels like we have an “extended summer”, instead of just about to start the Extended Fall CSA next week. We are looking forward to an abundant fall harvest with carrots, squash, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. Please feel free to join us for our Extended Fall CSA, especially if you have not been overwhelmed with too many vegetables as the bounty continues to grow. If you need a break, please join us for our Thanksgiving CSA instead. Thank you for making Tantre Farm such a great community by being a part of it! 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. Hope to share our harvest with you again for our Fall/Winter 2018 CSAs or next Summer CSA for 2019.
RECIPES
ITALIAN PARSLEY AND ARUGULA SALAD WITH MUSHROOMS
1 cup parsley leaves, loosely packed, washed, spun dry
1 cup arugula, loosely packed, washed, spun dry
3 firm mushrooms; sliced thin
Dash salt
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup thinly-sliced onions, soaked in ice water 15 minutes, drained
Parmesan cheese, shaved in thin curls
In a large bowl toss the parsley, arugula and mushrooms with the salt. Add the oil and toss well. Add the lemon juice and toss well. Season to taste with the black pepper. Divide the salad among plates and add to each portion some of the onions and Parmesan curls.
BEET BURGERS (from America’s Small Farms by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein)
2 cups grated beets (about 3/4 lb)
2 cups grated carrots (about 1/2 lb)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup grated onion (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup oil
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Ground red pepper (cayenne), to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a rimmed baking sheet. Combine beets, carrots, rice, cheese, sunflower seeds, eggs, sesame seeds, onion, oil, flour, parsley, garlic, soy sauce, and red pepper. Form mixture into patties and bake 25-30 minutes or until firm and vegetables are cooked through.