TANTRÉ FARM CSA NEWSLETTER
“Extended Fall CSA Share”
WEEK 3
Oct. 30- Nov. 5, 2011
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
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.
BROCCOLI: deep emerald green, tiny buds that are clustered on top of stout, edible stems.
See Week 1 newsletter for storage & usage information.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS: tiny, green cabbage heads with mildly pungent, mustard-like flavor.
How to use: Boil or steam for 5-10 minutes without overcooking, so they are still bright green; toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, or a pat of butter; excellent roasted or stir-fried.
How to store: Refrigerate for up to a week or more unwashed in a plastic bag in hydrator drawer.
How to freeze: Blanch for 3-4 minutes, rinse in cold water, drain, and store in air-tight bags or container.
CARROTS (Napoli): a specialized variety with a sweet taste; 7” roots are cylindrical, smooth, and blunt with edible, green leaves.
See Week 1 newsletter for storage & usage information.
CAULIFLOWER: You will receive Romanesco (lime green, spiraled heads with pointed, spiraled pinnacles; crisp and mild) or Amazing (medium-sized, white heads with domed, solid curds).
See Week 1 newsletter for storage & usage information.
GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves. See Week 1 for storage and usage ideas.
SWEET ONIONS (Mars Red): purple-red onion with sweet flavor.
See Week 1 newsletter for storage & usage information.
HOT PEPPERS: You will receive Krimzon Lee (sweet and hot paprika-type pepper with thick, red skin; holds its heat in its ribs; excellent for roasting, grilling, salsa, and adventurous salads), Poblano (known as “poblanos” when black-green and popular in Southwestern recipes; heart-shaped fruit, which is mildly pungent with a lightly sweet, medium-hot flavor) or Serrano (cylindrical fruit with excellent, very hot flavor; usually eaten fresh green in sauces, condiments, or as a key ingredient in fiery Mexican dishes).
See Week 1 newsletter for storage & usage information.
RED CHOI (Asian Green): a type of Pac Choi that changes from dark green leaves with maroon veins to dark maroon leaves with green undersides; crisp, crunchy, slight mustard flavor.
How to use: delightful addition to stir-fries, soups, noodle and meat dishes, and salads
How to store: Wrap in a damp towel or plastic bag in the refrigerator lasting for up to 1 week.
KEEFER (or Kieffer) PEARS: crisp, juicy, white flesh with a coarse texture. These pears come from Graciem Organics, a one acre fruit tree farm in Ann Arbor, certified organic by Global Organic Alliance. These are the last harvest from the fruit farm, which throughout the summer has peaches, apples, pears, nectarines and apricots available. They can be purchased through Lunasa, www.lunasa.us, an online local Farmers Market. Pears still may be ordered in larger quantities by contacting cmways@aol.com.
How to use: excellent for pear preserves or cooked pear sauce
How to store: Ripening can occur either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator several days before eating.
SWEET GREEN PEPPERS: You will receive Apple Pimento (cylindrical, lobed-end fruits with mild, juicy, sweet flesh) or Green Bell (large blocky cells with fruity, sweet flavor).
See Week 1 newsletter for storage & usage information.
POTATOES (Red Dakota): red potato with white flesh that is good for baking, boiling, or frying. See Week 1 for storage information.
RADISHES (Easter Egg): a beautiful mix of red, purple, pink, and white round radishes; crisp and mild flavor. See Week 2 for storage and usage information.
SALAD MIX: a custom mix of red and green lettuces, Asian greens, etc.
How to use: used for salads and sautéing–cooks up quickly
How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 2 to 4 days.
SPINACH: crisp, dark green leaf with green stem or red stem—rich source of antioxidants & many nutrients, especially vitamins A, E, K, & C; delicious flavor when juiced. See Week 1 newsletter for storage & usage information.
SCARLET QUEEN TURNIPS: large, flat-round, sweet, crisp, white flesh with spicy, red skin.
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.
SWEET POTATOES (Beauregard Sweet Potatoes): large, edible root related to the morning-glory family that has dark red-orange skin with a vivid orange, moist, sweet flesh; high in vitamins A & C.
See Week 1 for storage & usage information.
WINTER SQUASH/PUMPKIN: You will choose from: Acorn (small, green ribbed squash with pale yellow flesh, Carnival (a multicolor Sweet Dumpling with colorful patches and flecks of dark and light green, orange, and yellow; sweet flesh and edible skin),
Confection Kabocha (gray, flattened, buttercup-size fruits; dry taste directly after harvest, but outstanding sweetness and texture after curing for a few weeks; good for long storage), 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), or Pie Pumpkin (bright orange skin with dry, sweet flesh). See Week 1 for storage and usage information.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. LAST DISTRIBUTION THIS WEEK! Please return any forgotten boxes from past weeks, since this is the final week of the Extended Fall Share. You may bring bags, a cooler or other containers to transfer your produce from the boxes at your Distribution Site.
2. HARVEST AT THE FARM: Please call ahead if you plan to u-pick or pick up on other days besides Farm Distribution Days (Wed. and Fri.), so we can make sure someone is around.
U-pick Broccoli—$0.50/lb. Good time for freezing.
U-pick Cauliflower–$1/lb. Good time for freezing.
U-pick Shelling Beans–$1/lb. Christmas Lima, Black Turtle, & Tongue of Fire.
U-pick Turnips–$1/lb. White Hakurei & Scarlet Red (Good time for lacto-fermenting)
3. THANKSGIVING SHARE AVAILABLE! We are offering a Thanksgiving share for pick up on Nov. 19, 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. It will be $100 this year. Please request a form at Distribution Sites or call or e-mail us. Full payment needed by Nov. 12 for you to be registered. Non-CSA members are welcome to register.
4. INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR CSA IN 2012? Shares will be available for $575 (Farm) and $600 (Ann Arbor or Chelsea) from June through the middle of October for CURRENT MEMBERS only at this time. We will be accepting $100 deposits (with $25 nonrefundable) to reserve your share for 2012 starting now until the end of December. Please ask for a registration form at the distribution sites if needed, or it can be sent online and through the mail. Any interested new members should sign up on our website to be on our Contact List for 2012. You will be contacted at the end of January.
5. TANTRÉ FARM CSA SURVEY will be coming soon. We will be sending an e-mail notice when the online survey is finalized and ready. Please take a few minutes to respond with your comments or suggestions. Those without e-mail access feel free to drop us a note in the mail.
6. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER
Farm on Wed.–10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Farm on Fri.–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)–7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Community High School (Sat.)—7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
OCCUPYING PLACES
By Richard and Deb
The cold weather is freezing all the tender greens every night and adding sweetness to the spinach, lettuce, turnips, carrots, cauliflower, kale, and broccoli. Maybe the cold, stagnant economy will magically sweeten our lives toward a more stable, sustainable economy. The winter is close to our door. We have the root cellar, the greenhouses, and the warm, dry storage areas for an abundant and diverse winter supply of squash, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, spinach, kohlrabi, beets, cabbage, etc., if anyone happens to get hungry this winter.
This is the end of our season. We have occupied our lives and land with many vegetables. We hope this has given you good health, good spirits, and a sense of good taste. We would further like to occupy our winter with on farm work, including inoculating mushrooms, milking cows, repairing buildings, cutting firewood, and maintaining friendships ….in other words occupying the place that we are becoming native to by building relationships and sustainability between people, animals, plants, and our earth.
Recently thousands of people across the nation have occupied urban centers in solidarity with the “occupy Wall Street” movement as we watch the world economy stagnate. What is the genesis of a new, stable, world economy? This movement raises questions regarding sustainable economy, culture, ecology, and social justice. The genesis for a new and better world needs to rectify these questions. In the meantime maybe we can continue to grow some good food and feed each other.
RECIPES
*Keep in mind-Cooks.com, Epicurious.com, Recipes.com, and especially www.tantrefarm.com for more recipe ideas.
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND CAULIFLOWER WITH ORANGE (Bon Appétit, December 2004)
1 cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets
1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts, thawed and patted dry, halved if large
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallot (or 1 medium onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. grated orange peel
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Orange slices
Additional chopped fresh Italian parsley
Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Spread vegetables on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until lightly browned and almost tender, stirring once, about 12 minutes. Pour orange juice over. Roast until vegetables are tender and juices evaporate, about 8 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped parsley. Transfer to serving dish; garnish with orange slices and chopped parsley.
FRESH APPLE OR PEAR CAKE (from www.cooks.com)
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 apples (or pears)
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. nuts
Combine dry ingredients. Add chopped nuts. Add apples (or pears), peeled and finely chopped. Add eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Fold well. Bake in tube pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
GARLICKY BOK CHOY SAUTÉ (Farm-Fresh Recipes by Janet Majure)
3 Tbs. peanut oil
1 tsp. salt
1 bunch bok choy (or pac choi)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Heat wok or skillet over high for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat. When it is very hot (on verge of smoking), add salt, garlic and bok choy. Stir-fry until bok choy is wilted, about 3 minutes. Serve as a side dish.