Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #13
Aug. 16-22, 2020

	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.   You can always find past newsletters on our website at http://www.tantrefarm.com/newsletters/! 

	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

GENOVESE BASIL: ALL SHARES will receive basil this week, an herb with sweet, spicy, shiny, green leaves. It will last up to a week or 2 when stored in a jar, vase, or glass of water on your counter or table top. Do NOT refrigerate! 

GREEN BEANS (Jade):  long, slender, deep green, filet bean with sweet flavor.  See Week 11 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

CARROTS (Romance): blunt-tipped, deep orange roots with impressive flavor for a summer-harvested carrot. See  Week 6 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

SWEET CORN (Potawatomi): yellow kernels with excellent sweet flavor.   * We don’t treat our organic corn with pesticides, so you may find some earworms enjoying the corn too; just cut off the damaged part and cook the rest of the ear.  Delicious!! See Week 11 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

EGGPLANT: You will receive 1 or 2 Nadia (slender, purplish-black, glossy-like, bell-shaped fruit), Rosa Biana (an Italian heirloom; round fruit streaked with white and violet), or Orient Express (dark purple Asian type with long, slender, glossy fruits, which are tender, delicately flavored, and quick cooking). See Week 11 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

U-PICK FLOWERS (only available on the farm):  Every summer we plant a variety of flowers for drying or fresh bouquets.  We welcome  you to the farm to pick your flowers on any day of the week, but please contact us if it will be on other days besides Wednesdays and Fridays, so we can make sure to be around to show you where to go.  This week you can pick up to 10 stems per household NOT per share.  You may want to bring a vase/jar to keep your flowers fresh going home, but we will have donated yogurt containers to fill with water as well.  Your bouquet is part of your share, although it is always greatly appreciated when you make a donation to pay for seeds and labor.  Extra bouquets cost $5/bunch.

GARLIC:  a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, and bolstering the immune system.  See Week 7 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

KALE (Green Curly): well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip”.  See Week 5 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

KOHLRABI: delicious bulbous member of the cabbage family, that grows above ground; purple or green skin and crisp, apple-white flesh tubers. Most people enjoy taking the skin off and eating them raw, like an apple with a taste and texture somewhere between cabbage and broccoli stems.  See Week 5 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

ONIONS: You will receive Ailsa Craig Exhibition (a sweet, mild, yellow-skinned, heirloom onion) or Cipollini (a traditional Italian onion known for its flat, oval shape and delicately mild, sweet flavor), or Red Long of Tropea (specialty variety of tall, elongated, red bulbs traditionally grown in Mediterranean Italy and France).  

PEACHES (or PEARS on Fri/Sat): a rosy-orange skinned peach with firm, creamy yellow flesh; mature peaches will continue to ripen when set out.   See Week 11 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

PEPPERS:  You will receive Green Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green pepper with sweet flesh) and/or  Shishito (sweet, mild, slender Japanese chiles about 2- to 4-inches with squarish end.  It is said that 1 in 6 are hot!) and/or Poblano Chili (a mild variety of chili pepper known as “poblanos” when dark green; popular in southwestern recipes; heart-shaped fruit, which is mildly pungent with a lightly sweet, medium-hot flavor). See Week 12 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

POTATOES:  You will receive a mix of All Blue (an heirloom potato with deep blue skin and flesh; moist texture; perfect in salads, baked, or boiled. Most blue fleshed cultivars contain 90 times more antioxidants than white tubers) and Yukon Gold (yellowish brown skin with yellow dry flesh and pink eyes; long storage and good tasting; perfect baked, boiled, mashed or fried).See Week 8 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

PURSLANE: a fleshy-leaved trailing plant with red stems and small, tear drop-shaped, green leaves; often thought of as a weed but eaten as a delicious potherb or in salads with a slightly sour edge and a hint of a mucilaginous quality as a succulent herb; contains five times higher omega-3 fatty acids than spinach, which helps those with with cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
=How to use: use it in salads, as greens in a sandwich, or as a topping for tacos and soup; sauté gently since overcooking will make it slimy.
=How to store: refrigerate in a plastic bag, up to 5 days; wash thoroughly just before using

SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI:  You will receive some variety of the following: Zucchini (gourmet golden or green zucchini with uniform, cylindrical fruits), Patty Pan (tender, rounded scallop, bright yellow squash with a green tip; nutty flavor), or Slick Pik Summer Squash (long, yellow straight neck with good flavor).  See Week 9 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

TOMATOES:  You will receive any of the following: Sakura (bright-red, shiny, medium-large cherry tomato with sweet tomato flavor),  Sungreen (green-ripe cherry tomato that is sweet with a tangy kick), Sun Gold Cherry (exceptionally sweet, bright tangerine-orange-cherry tomato; less acidic than the red cherry tomato, so slightly less bland in flavor), Gold Nugget (round to slightly oval cherry tomato with deep yellow color; well-balanced flavor), Tomatoberry (unique strawberry-shaped, deep red colored fruits with firm, meaty texture and excellent sweet flavor), Clementine (tangerine-colored, oval-round fruits; appealing, sweet-tart flavor; exceptional when halved and roasted), or Cherry Bomb (vivid red fruits of cherry size; firm, sweet, and well-balanced).  See Week 11 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. FAMILY FARM HIKE on FRIDAY, Aug. 21:  Come at 1:30 PM, 3 PM, or at 4 PM for one or all three fun and physically distanced farm activities on Friday, August 21,   CSA member, Alisse Portnoy, who teaches at the University of Michigan, and her daughter, Jessica, are in their eleventh year of once-a-week, long visits to the farm, and they will guide our usual monthly family farm hike around our original farm at 4 PM, which typically lasts about 45 - 60 minutes.  Before then, at 1:30 PM, you have the option to join us in walking ¼ mile down the road to tour some of our farm land, where this year's corn, tomatoes, melons, peppers, and more -- plus pigs and cows -- are thriving. At 3 PM you may join us in roasting and then eating some of what we harvested in our outdoor earth oven, and spend some time independently exploring, swinging, or just resting in the shade. This series of events replaces our annual Kid Farm Day for 2020. There is no fee for participating, and registration is not required, though if you RSVP by emailing Deb (tantrefarm@hotmail.com) for one, two, or all three events ahead of time we'll know to keep an eye out for you. Please bring a mask (though when we're spread out outside it will not be required). Hand sanitizers, an outdoor sink, and a refreshing place to refill your water bottle will be available. 

2. WANTED: TOMATO PICKERS!!   Is there anyone interested in helping us pick tomatoes any weekday morning for the next few weeks, but especially on Tuesday and Friday mornings?   We are a little short-handed, so please contact us. 

3. WANTED: HERB WEEDERS!!   Do you like the aroma or flavor of parsley or mint?  Is there anyone interested in helping us weed a few of the herbs that are getting overrun with invasives.   We will give you a free bunch just for helping, so please contact us. 

4. IMMUNE BOOSTER CSA:  As some of you know we started a collaborative CSA with several local farms and food businesses that you can opt in or out of each week called the Immune Booster.  If you are interested, please go to our website to sign up every Monday - Wednesday night.  Pick up is from 9 AM to 12 PM every Saturday at the Washtenaw Food Hub:  http://www.tantrefarm.com/how-does-our-immune-booster-csa-work/.  Still time to sign up this week!

5. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER: **Volunteers will be at each site during designated times below.  We recommend that all come to each distribution site with a mask and gloves to pick up your shares.  We will have hand sanitizer at most sites as well. 
*Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)—7 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF for check-in from 7-9 AM)
*MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—CHANGE IN TIME: 8 AM to 10 AM (SARA for check-in the whole time)
*Farm (Wed.)—10 AM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF checking off names from 10 AM-12 PM and from 2-4 PM)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) --6 PM to 8 PM (LIZZIE for check-in the whole time)
*Pure Pastures (Wed.) (limited site) —9 AM to 5 PM (JESSICA for check-in from 9 AM – 11 PM)
*Farm (Fri.)—2 PM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF for check-in from 2 to  4 PM)
*Community High School (Sat.) —7 AM to 12 PM (SHANNON & FRAN for check-in for the whole time)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 AM to 12 PM (PETER & RYAN for check-in for the whole time)
*Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)—8 AM to 12 PM (DEB for check-in the whole time)
*Argus-Packard (Sat) (limited site)—12 PM to 3 PM (ARGUS STAFF for check-in the whole time)
*RoosRoast-Rosewood (Sat)--9 AM  to 11 AM (JONATHON for check-in the whole time)

RECIPES 

KALE AND KOHLRABI SALAD (http://canolaeatwell.com/recipe/kohlrabi-and-kale-slaw)
4 cups kale, chopped
1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled and julienned
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans
Dressing
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
	Combine kale, kohlrabi, carrots, dried cranberries and pecans in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Mix dressing with salad until well coated.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. 

GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL (from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce by MACSAC)  Serves 4-6
1 1/2 lbs green beans, cooked
1 garlic clove, diced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tomatoes (or several cherry tomatoes), coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp of dried basil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
	Cut beans into 1-inch lengths; set aside.  Saute garlic and onion in oil in skillet until soft.  Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes.  Stir in basil and green beans.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in parsley, and serve immediately.

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, PURSLANE SALAD (https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomato_cucumber_purslane_salad/print/)
1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed and discarded, then chopped
1 medium tomato or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch purslane, thick stems removed, leaves chopped
1 minced seeded jalapeno chile pepper (or 2 shishito pepper or 1 poblano)
2-3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste
	Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl. Salt to taste.  Especially good served with grilled seafood!