Week 19: September 28 – October 4, 2014

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #19
Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 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.

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.

We also try to keep the formatted 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.

**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: an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor, which is rich in iron and vitamins A and C. See Week 1 for usage and storage information.

DRIED SHELLING BEANS (Tongue of Fire): round, ivory-tanned, red-streaked Italian heirloom shelling beans. Makes a great hummus.
-How to use: cook the beans and 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: let dried bean pod sit in basket or paper bag for about a week to really dry out before shelling and putting in glass jars.

BEETS: You will receive Cylindra Beet (A uniquely-shaped 6” cylindrical beet with especially sweet flavor; this heirloom is a favorite with chefs due to uniform slices and ease of peeling) or Golden Beets (orange skin with rich gold interior; mild, sweet flavor when cooked). See Week 6 for usage and storage information.

CARROTS (Bolero): excellent long-term, storage carrot with medium-long, thick, blunt, orange roots. See Week 10 for usage and storage information.

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.

U-PICK FLOWERS (only available on the farm): A bouquet per household of up to 15 stems will be part of your share, if you are able to come and pick it.

FRESH HERBS: In general, store herbs upright with cut stems in 1 or 2 inches of water and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or wrap in slightly dampened cloth and store in refrigerator. *You may choose ONE from the following Herbs:
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.
Italian Flat-leaf Parsley—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: You will receive Red Russian Kale (the stems are purple, and leaves are deep gray-green, purple-veined, flat, non-curled, and tooth-edged). See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage information.

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. See Week 3 for usage and storage information.

MUSHROOMS: It’s the season for a nice flush of mushrooms!! You will receive Shiitake (flower-like cracking pattern on brown cap; edible mushroom native to East Asia; good in sandwiches and cooked; many medicinal qualities too; grown on logs) or Oyster (white, golden, or gray oyster-shaped cap with a mild, anise, earthy odor). See Week 14 for usage and storage information.

ONIONS: You will receive Big Daddy (large Spanish type yellow onion, delicately textured flesh is superb raw, and makes magnificent French onion soup; may last 8-10 months in storage) or Mars Red (purple-red skinned onion with sweet flavor. See Week 10 for usage and storage information.

HOT PEPPERS: You will receive Serrano (cylindrical chili pepper with excellent, very hot flavor; usually eaten fresh green in sauces, condiments, or as a key ingredient in fiery Mexican dishes) or Joe’s Long Cayenne (long, slender cayenne with medium heat; bright red, 8-10″ long, thin-fleshed fruits taper to a skinny point; excellent for homemade hot sauce and dry well for ristras and delicious, dried hot pepper flakes). See Week 12 for usage and storage information.

SWEET RED PEPPERS: You will receive Ace (medium-sized green-to-red bell pepper), Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh), or 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). See Week 14 for usage and storage information.

POTATOES: You will receive All Blue (an heirloom potato with deep blue skin and flesh; moist texture; perfect in salads, baked, or boiled) 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 for storage information.

RADISHES: You will receive Pink Beauty (pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor) or Amethyst (bright purple skin and crisp, mild white flesh). See Week 1 for usage and storage information.

U-PICK RASPBERRIES (only available on the farm): The sweet fall red and golden raspberries are still here in limited quantities. 1 pint is part of your share this week, if you are able to come out to the farm and pick it yourself. $4 for any extra pints picked.

TOMATOES: You will receive slicer tomatoes such as 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 Rebelski (Bright red, shiny, ribbed fruits average 7-8 oz.; developed for the French market that appreciates lightly ruffled tomatoes). See Week 12 for storage and usage information.

WINTER SQUASH/PUMPKIN: You will receive a choice of 2 of the following 3 items: Butternut (light, tan-colored skin; small seed cavities with thick, cylindrical necks; bright orange, moist, sweet flesh; longest storage potential of all squash), Heart of Gold (a sweet dumpling hybrid acorn squash; outer skin is cream colored with dark green stripes covering a fine-grained inner flesh that is orange when ripe; sweet rich flavor and can be baked, mashed or steamed), or Baby Bear Pie Pumpkin (unique size and shape, and is often called “the perfect mini pumpkin” by growers; deep orange, 1 1/2-2 1/2-lb. fruits are about half the size of a normal pie pumpkin.) See Week 17 for usage and storage information.

WHITE HAKUREI TURNIPS and GREENS: A white salad turnip with round, smooth roots that have a sweet, fruity flavor with a crisp, tender texture. Use the greens as well, sautéed or braised. See Week 3 for usage and storage information.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. ENDING SUMMER CSA DATES: The end is drawing near. This is just a reminder that our summer shares are ending in just a week. That means Oct. 8 (Wed.), Oct. 10 (Fri.), and Oct. 11 (Sat.) are the last distribution days.

2. EXTENDED FALL CSA SHARES: This share runs for 3 weeks from Oct. 12 through Nov. 1 for $100 celebrating all the bounty of the fall vegetables! There is plenty of room, since we still have a lot of vegetables in the fields. We are still sorting through the CSA Management program, which will really save a lot of time, but just takes a lot of time to set up, along with everything else we are maintaining. We really appreciate your patience. We will be sending out a separate email notice when registration is active, so you will not miss out! Non-members are welcome, so encourage others to register too. **Chelsea Farmers Market will not have a distribution on Saturdays though for the Fall Shares. The other distribution sites and days are the same.

3. THANKSGIVING SHARES! 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. A more detailed email notice with online registration should come out by next week. Please feel free to email us if you want to make sure to get the information on the Thanksgiving share. Also, look at past newsletters from previous years to see what is in the share. Non-members are welcome, so encourage others to register.

4. THANKS FOR COMING TO THE TOMATO PRESERVING WORKSHOP! During the workshop our enthusiastic participants managed to put up almost 100 quarts of canned tomatoes and 8 trays of dried Juliet tomatoes during our 3 hour workshop. This is an incredible amount of help from our community of CSA members for our winter preservation and the 4 to 20 farm crew that we feed throughout the seasons! All went home with 1 jar of canned tomatoes. Thanks to Kristen Uthus, who facilitated the workshop and all the hardworking participants, who now will have at least 1 jar of tomatoes put up for the winter. Many went home with their own box of tomatoes to preserve as well. Happy canning!!

5. HARVEST AT THE FARM: Please call ahead if you plan to pick on other days besides Farm Distribution Days (Wed. and Fri.), so we can make sure someone is around to help you.
–U-pick Golden/Red Raspberries (running low)—1 pint free.
–U-pick Flowers–You may pick 1 bouquet of up to 15 stems per household for “free”. Extra bouquets will cost $4.
–Already Picked Tomatoes—limited amounts available. Very easy to freeze!
-Members– $1/lb. for “perfect” (no blemishes) tomatoes and $0.50/lb. for “2nds” (cracks, bruising, very ripe, but good parts).
-Non members–$1.25/lb. perfect tomatoes & $0.75 for 2nds.
–U-pick Tomatoes—Quantities are running low.
-Members–$0.50/lb. -Non members–$0.75/lb.
–U-pick Shelling Beans–$2/lb. Christmas Lima (a large, flat bean of a light cream color with maroon splashes; this favorite heirloom has a butter-like texture and a subtle chestnut-like flavor; simply enjoyed with a drizzle of olive oil and a few grates of dry goat cheese) & Tarbais (very thin, white skin and a subtle taste; cooked beans can be tossed with lemon and fresh herbs, is paired nicely with fish, meat or poultry; a classic for French cassoulets of lamb and vegetables).
–U-pick Tongue of Fire Beans–$1/lb.

6. MUSHROOM GROWING CLASS: Rachel Mifsud, who taught our Forage and Preserve class in July, is offering a class about mushrooms in Ann Arbor on Oct. 11 from 1-4 PM. She will share basic information about the mushrooms that share our habitats, how to grow them indoors and how to inoculate logs with mushroom plugs for outdoor growing. Class meets in the Common House at Sunward Cohousing Community. The cost is $35/person, 12 and under half-price with a paid adult, plus you can purchase either a $5 or a $20 oyster mushroom kit to grow at home. The small kits fruit only once and are excellent for science fair project, home school activities, and beginners who just want to see how mushrooms grow. The large kits can produce multiple flushes over several months. Must register in advance for the $20 kit. Call/text Rachel at 248.514.6365.

7. BAGS, BAGS, BAGS & Yogurt Containers!! We still could use some if you have some, but only grocery size please, NOT bread bags or small sizes. We also are low on quart size (ONLY!) yogurt containers for taking flowers home on the farm.

8. 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.
Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)–8 A.M. to 12 P.M.

RECIPES

FENNEL MASHED POTATOES (from Bon Appétit, Feb. 2006) Serves 6.
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered, cored, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup (or more) milk or cream

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced fennel bulb and crushed fennel seeds and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until fennel is tender but not brown, stirring often, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Place potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pan; cook over medium heat until no liquid remains. Mash potatoes. Add 1 cup milk/cream to fennel mixture and bring to simmer. Working in 2 batches, add fennel mixture to potatoes; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over medium heat, adding more milk, as needed if dry.)

ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA
3 red Bell peppers or red Carmen peppers
2 tablespoons pine nuts (optional)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
Flat leaf parsley, finely minced
Fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
1/2 to 1 pound pasta: orecchiette, penne, fusilli, etc.

Roast red peppers, then place in a Ziploc bag to allow to sweat. Peel the charred skins from the peppers, then removed seeds. Set aside. Lightly toast pine nuts in a skillet. Set aside. Puree peppers with pine nuts. Set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a skillet or pot over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add diced onions and garlic and cook until soft. Pour in pepper puree and stir together. Add plenty of salt. Pour in cream and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Add cooked pasta, and then stir together. Place pasta into a bowl, top with chopped parsley and plenty of shaved Parmesan cheese.

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