Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #17
Sept. 13-19, 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/! 
3-16
	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

AMARANTH, ARUGULA or SPICY GREENS: You will receive either  Amaranth (known as “Callaloo” in the Caribbean; medium-green, oval to heart-shaped leaves with splashes of burgundy-red; tastes like spinach and can be prepared like spinach. See Week 8 newsletter for usage and storage tips.), Arugula (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 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.) OR Spicy Greens (gourmet-quality, peppery greens for quick cooking or a salad; includes Kale, Tatsoi, Hon Tsai Tai, Green and Red Mustard. See Week 7 newsletter for usage and storage tips).

GENOVESE BASIL (with Root attached): ALL SHARES will receive basil this week, an herb with sweet, spicy, shiny, green leaves. This week it is with root attached, so it will last up to a week or more  when stored in a jar, vase, or glass of water on your counter or table top. Do NOT refrigerate! Used commonly in tomato sauces, pesto, and salad dressings.  It partners well with almost any summer vegetable, but especially tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and squash.  

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.

U-PICK FLOWERS (only available on the farm):  This week you can pick up to 16 stems as part of your share.  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.  You may want to bring clippers and a vase/jar, but we will have clippers and donated yogurt containers to fill with water as well.  Donations are appreciated to help pay for seeds and labor.  Extras - $5/bouquet

FRESH 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: You will receive 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.

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 newsletter for usage and storage tips. 

CHILI PEPPERS:  You will receive 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 Peppers (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.

SWEET PEPPERS:  You will receive Red/Yellow Cornitos (exceptionally sweet, smaller versions of Carmen sweet pepper, but can be bright yellow or red when ripe; “bull’s horn” pepper type and tasty any way you eat them — raw, cooked, sliced, diced, sautéed, stuffed, grilled, and especially fire-roasted, which caramelizes the sugars and elevates them to a whole new level of delicious!) See Week 12 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

POTATOES (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 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),  including Green Zebra (ripe as a green fruit with a yellow blush and darker green stripes; delicious, tangy salad tomato; beautiful sliced into wedges for salads), New Girl (medium-size fruits offer an ideal size for slicing onto sandwiches or cutting up into salads), and Rose (deep pink, heirloom, medium-sized tomato, which is meaty and flavorful).  See Week 11 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

WINTER SQUASH (Delicata):  This is one of the favorite first squashes by far at the farm with skins that are thin and edible!  The favorite way to prepare them is to roast them, so see recipe section.   These are 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 16 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. ENDING SUMMER CSA DATES:  The end is drawing near.  This is just a reminder that our summer shares are ending next week.  That means Sept. 23 (Wed.), Sept. 25 (Fri.), and Sept. 26 (Sat.) are the last distribution days for our Summer Shares.

2. “EXTENDED FALL CSA” SHARE REGISTRATION IS OPEN:  This is a 4-week share, which runs from the week of Sept. 27 – Oct. 24 for $140 celebrating all the bounty of the fall vegetables!  The link for online registration is http://tantrefarm.csasignup.com.  Please sign up before Saturday, Sept. 26 for all 4 weeks, using PayPal, check, or VENMO (this is a free app and you use @Deb-Lentz to pay with 6748 as the last 4 digits of phone number, if needed).  Please go to our website for more information.  Hope to share more of this abundant fall harvest with you throughout October!  Tell your friends and family!!  We are removing a few of the usual Summer CSA distribution sites, so please sign up for what is available.  

3. DETOUR OUT TO THE FARM STARTING SEPT. 14: Starting in this week, the Washtenaw County Road Commission will replace the culvert over Letts Creek on a small section of Old US-12 between Sylvan Road and the I-94 ramps, so those of you coming from Chelsea and Ann Arbor area need to find an alternative way to the farm. That section of the road will be closed until early October.  If you are traveling via I-94 and you don't mind gravel roads, my suggestion is to get off at the Kalmbach exit (Exit #156) and go left on Kalmbach Rd. (turns into gravel), then right on Garvey, then left on Hoppe, then right onto Old US 12, then left on Hayes Rd (which is Tantre Farm's road).  Here is the detour for those wanting to stay on pavement:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=19YbcuI8Ra6FwjaUVWkBbTzIN-hK3CplF&ll=42.28631441987225%2C-84.08817914561767&z=15

4. FAMILY FARM HIKE on FRIDAY, Sept. 25 at 3:30 PM & 4:30 PM:  Our last Farm Hike was so much fun that we decided to offer something similar again.  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 us around the farm at 4:30 PM, which typically lasts about 45 - 60 minutes.  Before then, at 3:30 PM you may join us in roasting and eating a variety of freshly picked items from the farm in our outdoor earth oven, such as sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, winter squash, etc. and spend some time independently exploring, swinging, or just resting in the shade. There is no fee for participating, and registration is not required, though if you RSVP by emailing Deb (tantrefarm@hotmail.com) for both 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. 

5. ALREADY PICKED TOMATOES AVAILABLE FOR SALE:  We have several tomato varieties available for preserving, whether canning, dehydrating, or freezing.  It is very easy to freeze all tomatoes:  For slicers, just wash and cut out around the core and put in freezer bags whole.  For cherry tomatoes, just wash and plop in freezer bags for excellent tomato soup or other dishes. Please email us your preferred type, amount, and pick up location ONLY at the Markets, the Food Hub, or the Farm. 
*Cost for Slicers & Cherry tomatoes - $25/half bushel box
*Cost for Romas (extremely limited!) - $35/half bushel box

6. 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. 

7. 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.  Thanks so much to those who have helped us so far!  IT HAS BEEN SO, SO, SO HELPFUL!  

8. 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!

9. 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 

EASY ROASTING DELICATA SQUASH  (from https://www.rachelcooks.com/2017/10/30/how-to-cook-delicata-squash/)
 1 delicata squash 
 1 teaspoon olive oil 
 1/4 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste) 
 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste) 
	Preheat oven to 425°F. Scrub the outside of the squash with a brush until very clean. Cut ends off to create two flat edges. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices, keeping the size of the slices consistent. Rub, toss, or spray with olive oil so both sides of each slice are coated with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer.  Place in preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. Flip each slice over and roast for another 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  Enjoy immediately.  (Optional:  add other spices such as curry, cinnamon, basil, etc.)