Week 19, September 30-October 6, 2012

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK 19
Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2012

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.

Keep in mind that the internet is overflowing with information, including pictures of almost everything that we grow. Also, we have two sections on our website to help you identify unfamiliar produce with color images including descriptions of appearance, taste, nutrition, uses, storage, and seasonal information. You can find this under “CSA Info” on the “Veggie ID” page and also under “Recipes”, the section is called “Produce Information Organized by Plant Part”. We already have some ideas on how to make it easier for you to use (especially an alphabetical tag list of produce), but it’s as good as it gets for this season. Please feel free to pass along any ideas you may have to make it more user friendly.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE

GREEN BEANS: You will receive Northeaster (also known as Italian or Romano beans; huge, wide, flat, buttery, 8 inch long pods) or Fortex Green Beans (extra long, stringless, round, dark green pods; tender and delicious). See Week 7 newsletter for storage information.

BEETS (without tops): You will receive Red Ace (round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor). See Week 3 for storage and usage information.

GREEN CABBAGE: a sweet green cabbage; cabbage has a good amount of vitamins A & C, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. See Week 8 for usage and storage information.

KALE (Green Curly): well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip”. See Week 1 for usage and storage information.

SWEET CORN (Montauk): small, fancy, bicolor kernels on 8” long ears with superior, sweet flavor. Remember to break off the tips of the corn if damaged with the corn borer or the corn earworm. See Week 12 for usage and storage information.

GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, See Week 5 for usage and storage information.

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: Parsley–flat or curly, dark green leaves, Black-stemmed Peppermint–leaves are good as a hot or iced tea, and add a delicious flavor when minced and added to cooked peas, carrots, potatoes, salads, and fresh strawberries, French Sorrel–slightly tart, lemon-flavored green; excellent for salads, soups, and sauces; can be used in omelets, breads, or cooked as a side dish, Thyme– tiny green leaves used in meat and vegetable dishes and most casseroles, soups, stews, and medicinal teas, which soothe sore throats, or Oregano–member of the mint family and is similar to marjoram, but not as sweet and more pungent flavor and aroma; good in soups and tomato-based dishes.

SWEET ONIONS (Mars Red): purple-red skinned onion with sweet flavor.

HOT PEPPERS (optional): You may choose from Jalapeño (small and conical pepper, ranging from green to red with medium hot flavor) Korean Red (small, curved, greenish-reddish shape; very hot), Serrano (cylindrical fruit with excellent, very hot flavor), Padron (heirloom pepper famous in Spain; 2 to 3 inch long green/red fruit, which are hot), or Shishito (sweet, mild, slender Japanese chiles about 2 to 4 inches with squarish end; often used in stir-fried dishes, salads, or as a pickled condiment). See Week 10 for storage & usage information.

POBLANO PEPPERS (known as “poblanos” when black- green, but becomes an “ancho” when brick-red and fully dry; popular in Southwestern recipes; heart-shaped fruit, which is mildly pungent with a lightly sweet, medium-hot flavor). See Week 10 for storage & usage information.

SWEET BELL PEPPERS: big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh. See Week 11 for usage and storage information.

POTATOES (Russian Banana Fingerling): an heirloom potato with small, banana-shaped tubers with yellow skin and light yellow flesh; used by chefs for its delicious flavor and smooth “waxy” texture that doesn’t fall apart when cooked; good baked, boiled, or in salads.
How to use: good baked, boiled, roasted or in salads
How to store: Keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag.

RADISHES: You will receive D’Avignon (also called, “French Breakfast”; traditional variety from Southern France; 3-4 inch long root that is part red with a white tip and tapered to a point) or Amethyst (bright purple skin and crisp, mild white flesh). See Week 1 for usage and storage information.

RAPINI: also called “Broccoli Raab”; leafy green with 6 to 9 inch stalks and scattered clusters of tiny broccoli-like buds (some of ours don’t have buds yet, so just the leaf); traditional Italian specialty combining qualities of broccoli and mustard greens. See Week 18 for usage and storage information.

SALAD MIX: You will receive a bag of mixed salad greens—arugula, tatsoi, and baby green and red leaf lettuces. See Week 1 for usage and storage information.

SWEET POTATOES (Beauregard): 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 and C.
How to use: Bake in 400 degree oven until tender, about 45 minutes; use like potatoes—baked, boiled, sautéed, fried; can be made into pies, waffles, pancakes, breads, & cookies
How to store: should be spread out in a warm, humid place for about a week to cure. Once cured, store in a cool, dark place like winter squash. *Do not store in plastic or in fridge, unless cooked.

TOMATOES: You may choose from a variety of tomatoes, which may include some of the following: San Marzano, Mountain Magic, Buffalo Ruby Red, Geronimo, or Brandywine. See Week 11 for usage and storage information.

U-PICK FLOWERS (only available on the farm): The flowers are thinning out, but you still may be able to find enough flowers for a 10 stem bouquet to take home as part of your share.

WINTER SQUASH: You may receive Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin (medium-sized golden russet color with finely netted skin and flesh is very thick, sweet, sugary, and deep golden in color; makes a delicious, velvety pumpkin pie; good keeper for winter storage) or Butternut (light, tan-colored skin; small seed cavities with thick, cylindrical necks; bright orange, moist, sweet flesh; longest storage potential of all squash). See Week 16 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 few weeks. That means Oct. 10 (Wed.), Oct. 12 (Fri.), and Oct. 13 (Sat.) are the last distribution days.

2. THANKS FOR COMING TO OUR FALL WORK PARTY AND POTLUCK on Sept. 30. We managed to weed in the herb garden, fill about 6 jars with dried herbs, harvest 100 pounds of potatoes, cleaned/clipped 20 crates of garlic, and gleaned 1 bucket of native plums. All members were able to go home with a squash or a pumpkin and a flower bouquet if they wanted. We also enjoyed many good potluck dishes. We really appreciate getting to know so many of our Tantre Farm community and especially all the ways you all pitched in to help the farm.

3. FROZEN LOCAL FRUIT AND VEGGIES SHARES FROM “LOCAVORIOUS” AVAILABLE: Some of you may have limited freezer space or haven’t had time to preserve as much of the harvest as you would like for winter. Tantre Farm member and Locavorious community freezer owner, Rena Basch, wants to let everyone know that Locavorious provides locally grown, delicious, frozen fruits and vegetables in the winter months, and there are still shares available for winter ’12-‘13. Locavorious members receive 4 deliveries of local frozen fruits and veggies, including Tantre’s Carmen red peppers, green beans, sugar snap peas, and tomatoes. Shares are $210. Contact Rena for more information at rena@locavorious.com or 734-276-5945 or visit www.locavorious.com.

4. LUNASA MARKET (www.lunasa.us): An opportunity exists in our area to continue purchasing Michigan products and supporting Michigan producers (including Tantre Farm) all year long! It’s like an online farmers market. During two shopping windows each month, Lunasa members purchase items online from local producers and pick them up at the Lunasa Warehouse (4175 Whitmore Lake Road Ann Arbor, Michigan). Shopping windows open on Thursday mornings and close at midnight on Saturdays preceding Market Days on two Tuesdays each month. See the website for specific dates and times. For questions please contact Jane Pacheco (jane@lunasa.us).

5. EXTENDED FALL CSA SHARE AVAILABLE FOR 2012: We are offering an Extended Fall CSA Share for $96 for 3 weeks from Oct. 14 through Nov. 3. If you’re interested, please let us know. Registration and payment due by Oct. 13. Non-members are welcome, so encourage others to register now.

6. THANKSGIVING SHARES! We are offering a distribution in November for you to stock up on vegetables before the holiday or for winter storage for $108. This share will be available for pick up only on Nov. 17, 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. Full payment is needed by Nov. 10. Non-members are welcome, so encourage others to register.

7. PLASTIC OR PAPER GROCERY BAGS NEEDED, if you would like to donate some to the farm or at markets.

INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR SUMMER CSA IN 2013?
If you are able and willing to support Tantré Farm CSA again next summer, we would love to hear from you. Our prices have stayed the same for the past few years, so this year we will need to raise the price a bit to account for rising seed costs, gas prices that keep going up, etc. Shares will be available for $600 (FARM-Wednesdays & Fridays) and $625 (Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market and Washtenaw Food Hub-Wednesdays, Chelsea Farmers’ Market, Community High School and Washtenaw Food Hub-Saturdays) from June through the middle of October. We will be accepting $100 deposits ($25 of that deposit is nonrefundable if you choose to cancel your share) to reserve your share for 2013 starting now. Registration forms and Payment envelopes will be at every distribution site starting this week.

We encourage you to sign up sometime within the next few months, because we are opening up our membership to non members as well at this time. Ideally it would be great if you were able to pay in 2 or 3 installments, but keep in mind that if you pay in $100 amounts each month starting now, you can have your share paid off before the payment deadline on May 1. This works well with automatic payments from your bank, so you don’t forget to send a check. Also, several members actually postdate checks with monthly payments ahead of time, which works very well for us too.

Please ask for a Registration Form at the Distribution Sites, and it will be sent online later this week. We would like to encourage some kind of financial commitment this fall, if you are able, so that we may better plan for next season. Thank you for your continued support this season, and hope you enjoy these last few weeks of bounty.

RECIPES

SWEET POTATO, BROCCOLI, AND TOMATO STEW (from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables by John Peterson) Serves 4.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1- 28 oz. jar stewed tomatoes (or 3 to 4 cups cut up fresh ones)
2 cups cooked or canned garbanzo beans, drained
1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound, cubed)
1 medium broccoli or cabbage, cut into large chunks (about 2 cups)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, stock, and sweet potatoes. Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli, cover, and simmer until the sweet potatoes and broccoli are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BROCCOLI RAAB WITH LEMON & GARLIC (from COOKS.COM)
1 1/2 lb. broccoli raab (rapini), wash & discard coarse stem ends
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 tsp. fresh grated lemon rind

In a heavy kettle cook the broccoli raab covered in very little water until stems are tender. Sauté garlic in butter over medium heat 3 minutes. Drain the broccoli raab, toss with garlic mixture, parsley, salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon rind.

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