Ext. Week 1: October 12 – October 18, 2014

TANTRÉ FARM CSA NEWSLETTER
“Extended Fall CSA Share”
WEEK 1
Oct. 12-18, 2014

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 usually try to give you a pretty accurate listing of the produce in your box, but since the newsletter is published before the harvest, sometimes we may substitute some vegetables for others.

We also try to keep the formatted newsletter to 2-pages, which means that we don’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. Keep in mind the internet is overflowing with information, including pictures of almost everything that we grow.

**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 (Sylvetta): 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
-How to use: add to salads, soups, and sautéed vegetable dishes
-How to store: very perishable, so use up quickly; store in plastic bag with a paper towel in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

FRESH SHELLING BEANS (Tongue of Fire): round, ivory-tanned, red-streaked Italian heirloom shelling beans. Remove bean from pod to boil or put in soups. Makes a great hummus.
-How to use: Fresh, shelled beans are good in soups, stews, and casseroles, but also delicious simply boiled until tender, and served with a little butter or olive oil, salt/pepper or herbs.
-How to store: refrigerate fresh beans in a tightly covered container for up to 5 days.

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.
-How to use: use raw, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, in casseroles, soups, pizzas, etc., roasted
-How to store: store loosely in plastic bag for up to a week

CARROTS (Bolero): excellent long-term, storage carrot with medium-long, thick, blunt, orange roots.
How to use: used raw as carrot sticks, grated in salads or juiced; steamed or sautéed in stews, soups, casseroles, stir-fries
How to store: Remove greens from roots and refrigerate dry and unwashed roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks; stores best in very cold conditions around 34 degrees and 95% humidity; greens may last up to a week refrigerated in plastic bag

FENNEL BULBS: specialty European vegetable with fresh, anise-flavored bulb and small feathery dark green leaves like dill.
-How to use: used in salads or soups, excellent grilled, sautéed, steamed, or baked, can be used raw for dipping; feathery leaves are tasty as an herb on fish or in a salad.
-How to store: Detach leaves from bulb, wrap leaves in moist towel and store bulb in plastic bag in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves;
Cooking tips: To mellow garlic’s strong flavor 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
-How to store: fresh garlic can be stored in an open, breathable basket in a cool, dark place for many months

KALE (Lacinato Kale): dark green, noncurled, blistered leaves, but heavily savoyed; Kale is high in vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber, calcium and iron and has the highest protein content of all cultivated vegetables.
-How to use: for salads, soups, and light cooking
-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator for up to 1 week

LETTUCE MIX (All Star): a beautiful blend of balanced color and balanced texture of Green and Red Oakleaf, Green & Red Romaine, Lollo Rossa, and Red Leaf lettuces.
-How to use: raw in salads or (believe it or not!) use in soups
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.

ONIONS: You will receive Yellow Spanish: (a sweet, mild flavored onion with a yellow skin) or Mars Red (purple-red skinned onion with sweet flavor.
How to use: great for salads, soups, sandwiches, slices, onion rings, & other dishes for flavor
How to store: once cut, wrap in damp towel or plastic bag in fridge for 2 to 7 days; if not cut, store in dry, well-ventilated place.

HOT PEPPERS: You will receive Serrano (cylindrical chili pepper with excellent, very hot flavor).
-How to use: Some folks like to handle hot peppers with gloves, and cut on glass plate. Often roasted, chopped, and used to season corn bread and cheese dishes; good for stuffed appetizers, jams, salsa, and pickles.
-How to store: For fresh peppers, store in refrigerator. For drying peppers, place string through the stems and hang in cool, dry, well-ventilated spot.

SWEET PEPPERS: You will receive 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) or Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh).
-How to use: can be added to soups, stews, omelets, quiches, stir-fries, etc.; excellent stuffed.
-How to store: refrigerate unwashed in drawer for 1-2 weeks.

POTATOES: You will receive Carola (yellow potato from Germany; smooth, creamy texture that is good for baking or frying) and All Blue (an heirloom potato with deep blue skin and flesh; moist texture; perfect in salads, baked, or boiled)
*Interesting note: Most blue fleshed cultivars contain 90 times more antioxidants than white tubers, and the antioxidants in potato tubers are enhanced by cooking them.
-How to store: Keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag

RADISHES: You will receive Pink Beauty (pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor) or Amethyst (bright purple skin and crisp, mild white flesh).
-How to use: raw, roasted, used in soups, sliced in salads, sandwiches, or stir-fries, grated in slaws; Radish greens (excellent source of vitamins A, C, and the B’s) delicious in soups or stir-fries.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.

SPINACH: crisp, dark green leaf—rich source of antioxidants & many nutrients, such as vitamins A, E, K, & C; delicious flavor when juiced.
-How to use: toss in fresh salad, add to sandwiches, sauté, steam, braise, or add to crepes, quiche, lasagna, and soups.
-How to store: refrigerate with a damp towel/bag for up to 1 week.

TOMATOES: Believe it or not, we still have them in our some of our 8 hoophouses to provide you with a season extension of summer! You will receive Geronimo (newer variety but already one of the most widely used beefsteak varieties; fruits are very large, firm, nice red color and good taste) or San Marzano (early, large classic Italian roma tomato; makes for good sauce and paste).
-How to use: sauté, bake, broil, or grill; eat raw in salads or add to soups, stews, or sauces
-How to store: keep at room temperature for up to 1 week

WHITE HAKUREI TURNIPS and GREENS: A white salad turnip with round, smooth roots that have a sweet, fruity flavor with a crisp, tender texture.
-How to use: Roots are good in salads and soups. Greens are slightly sweet and can be boiled, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, and since hairless, are good in salads.
-How to store: separate greens from roots and store each in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 7 days.

WINTER SQUASH/PIE PUMPKIN: You will receive the following: Butternut (light, tan-colored skin; small seed cavities with thick, cylindrical necks; bright orange, moist, sweet flesh), Baby Bear Pie Pumpkin (deep orange, 1 1/2-2 1/2-lb. fruits are about half the size of a normal pie pumpkin), Spaghetti (3-5-pounds, pale yellow, oblong, smooth, medium size, only mildly sweet with “spaghetti” (stringy) flesh; bake like squash or boil and fork out the flesh, topping the “spaghetti” flesh with your favorite sauce; mildly sweet) 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). *Tip: Easy way to cut squash is to partially bake it for 15-20 min. Then cut in half, scoop out seeds, and continue baking, boiling, or roasting.
-How to use: boil or steam chunks for 15-20 minutes, or until tender; mash cooked squash with butter; or add uncooked chunks to soups or stews; roast in oven with olive oil or water for 30-40 minutes.
-How to store: Keep for several months in a dry, moderately warm (50-60 degrees), but not freezing location with 60-75% humidity; will also store at room temperature

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. VACATION HOLD or PICK UP RESCHEDULE: If you know that you are not able to pick up or need to reschedule pick up days during these coming 3 weeks for any reason, you can make those changes yourself by going into this link http://tantrefarm.csasignup.com and choosing “Schedule vacations or Pick Up Location Changes” under the “Member Actions” box on the left. You will need to do this a week ahead of time, if you know that you will not be picking up your share or you want to change your pick up date or location. Please make a strong effort to PICK UP ALL OF YOUR SHARES over the next few weeks. If you miss a share pick up, it is available at the farm ONLY for that day and 1 day after, but please have the courtesy to contact us ASAP, so we know what to do.

2. THANKSGIVING SHARES Registrations Open Next Week! A more detailed description about this will come out to you next week or look it up on our website. A registration link will also be available on our website under “CSA Info” and the “Intro” page, when we open next week. We are offering a distribution in November for you to stock up on vegetables before the holiday or for winter storage for $115. This share will be available for pick up only on Nov. 22, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, at the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market from 7 A.M. until noon or at Tantré Farm from 2-5 P.M. Non-CSA members are welcome to register.

3. INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR CSA IN 2015? Summer CSA Shares will be available for $640 for 20 weeks from June through the middle of October. We will be offering “online registration” for Summer Shares as well, but first we would like to sort through the Fall Share registrations, which are open currently. You will all receive a separate email in a few weeks informing you when registration opens, so we can work through one type of registration at a time. We welcome new members!!

4. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)–7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
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.) — 10 A.M. to 12 P.M.

THE AUTUMN’S FADING LIGHT
By Richard and Deb

October rains and sunshine produce the very best vegetables with the cool nights and warm days. The leaves can grow tender, and the roots can grow into the moist earth with complete abandon before the cold eminence of winter arrives.

Welcome to Tantre Farm’s Extended Fall Share! This is the best time of year to truly taste leaves, stems, and roots in the Midwest. It is a time to celebrate the excessive growth at the end of summer, and a time to traditionally stock up the harvest treasures and extremely large quantities of produce for winter storage into the root cellar, into the dry squash barn storage, and into the home freezer. Please feel free to come out to the farm to u-pick, to glean, and to volunteer with the harvest of these last 3 weeks of October and enjoy the autumn’s fading light.

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”, and many recipe ideas will pop up. Also check out our Recipes on our website at www.tantrefarm.com.

GYPSY SOUP (from Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen)
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. Spanish paprika
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tsp. turmeric
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
dash of cinnamon
1 stalk celery, chopped
dash of cayenne
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 pepper, chopped
1 Tbs. tamari
2 cups chopped, peeled winter squash
3 cups stock or water
15-oz can garbanzo beans (or substitute Tongue of Fire beans)

In a soup kettle, sauté onions, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add seasonings, except tamari, and the stock or water. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and beans. Simmer another 10 minutes or so – until the vegetables are tender. Add tamari and serve.
*Tip: This soup freezes well. You can also throw in greens at the end, such as TURNIP GREENS or KALE or SPINACH.

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