2017: Week 15, September 3-9

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #15
Sept. 3-9, 2017

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. **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.

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.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE

GENOVESE BASIL: ALL SHARES will receive basil this week, an herb with sweet, spicy, shiny, green leaves. We supply it with root attached, so it will last up to a week or 2 when stored in a jar, vase, or glass of water on your counter or table top. Do NOT refrigerate!

SWEET CORN (Vision): exceptionally tender, super sweet, yellow ears; great for fresh eating and freezing. See Week 11 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, and bolstering the immune system. See Week 5 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

NO HERBS this week: Due to a sudden shrinkage of our Tantre crew for various expected and unexpected reasons, we are too short-handed this week to harvest herbs besides Basil. If you would like a fresh herb bunch and you are at the farm and willing to pick it yourself, we could help you find it. IF ANYONE HAS TIME TO LEND A HAND WITH THE HARVEST OR WEEDING, WE SURE COULD USE THE EXTRA HELP FOR ANY AMOUNT OF TIME! Just email us, so we know what day you are coming. Our day starts around 7 AM with lunch at 12:30 PM (you would be fed!) and ends at 5 PM. Come for an hour or all day!

KALE (Green Curly): well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip”. See Week 2 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

KOHLRABI: delicious bulbous member of the cabbage family, that grows above ground; green skin and crisp, apple-white flesh tubers are good sources of vitamins C and A, [potassium, and calcium.
-How to use: good steamed and then mashed with potatoes, added to soups or stews, or delicious sliced and eaten raw with dip.
-How to store: store in refrigerator for up to a month.

LETTUCE: You will receive lettuce, which may include Green or Red Leaf or Romaine. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

ONIONS: You will receive Mars Red (purple-red skinned onion with sweet flavor). See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

SWEET RED 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).
-How to use: eat raw for best nutrient retention; can be added to soups, stews, omelets, quiches, stir-fries, etc. Excellent roasted!!
-How to store: refrigerate in hydrator drawer for 1-2 weeks.

POTATOES: You will receive Carola (yellow potato from Germany; smooth, creamy texture that is great for baking or frying). See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

TOMATOES: You will receive some of any of the following: Nova (beautiful orangish-yellow grape tomato with excellent sweet flavor; firm and meaty), Geronimo (newer variety but already one of the most widely used beefsteak varieties; fruits are firm, nice red color and good taste), San Marzano (early, large classic Italian roma tomato; delicious, balanced acidic flavor and meaty flesh makes for good sauce and paste) Sun Gold Cherry (exceptionally sweet, bright tangerine-orange cherry tomato; less acidic than the red cherry tomato, so slightly less bland in flavor; popular as a garnish, in salads, or as a cooked side dish that can be sautéed with herbs), or Mountain Magic (bright red, round tomatoes with very sweet flavor; excellent in salads), Nova (beautiful, bright orangish-yellow grape tomato with excellent, sweet flavor), Sakura (early, delicious, bright red medium-sized cherry tomato with sweet flavor), or 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). You will also receive a few large Heirloom tomato varieties. We pick heirloom tomatoes slightly green sometimes to prevent splitting and damage, while transporting. Heirlooms are softer and more perishable when ripe, but the flavor of each is very memorable. Best to store upside down at room temperature until completely ripe. Very easy to can, freeze, and dehydrate for tomato flavors all season long!
-How to freeze: Core the big ones and cut smaller if you like, but just wash and pop the smaller tomatoes right into freezer bags. See Week 9 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

WATERMELON: You will receive Little Baby Flower (small, 2-4 lb. round fruit; bright green stripe pattern on shell and dark pink flesh that is sweet and crisp with a high sugar count) or Sorbet Swirl (tasty sweet flesh has beautiful pastel swirls of red and yellow; average 10 pound fruits are round to oval with 8-inches diameter). See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. TOMATO PRESERVING WORKSHOP at Tantre Farm: This workshop is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 10 from 1 to 4 PM. Former Tantre intern, Noelle Dronen, will teach mostly how to can tomatoes, but also some information will be on dehydrating and freezing them. There will be active participation and “take-home” samples for those attending. Plan on bringing a Quart Size Canning Jar. Please register with your Name, Phone Number, and E-mail Address in the body of the email to us. There will be a small $5 fee for materials. Bulk tomatoes will be available for you to buy. This is a great time for canning, freezing, or dehydrating!

2. FARM TO TABLE TROLLEY TOUR on SEPT. 17 from 4 to 9 PM: The Agrarian Adventure invites you to a trolley tour of three local farms and Tantre Farm is one of them! Each stop will feature a different chef and a different farm and include a short tour. Specialty cocktails will be available with our guest bartender Jude Walser from the Alley Bar.

*Appetizers at Fluffy Bottom Farms with Chef Chris Huey (Mediterrano)

*Entree & Salad at Tantre Farm with Chef Chris Chiapelli (Ross School of Business, Black Pearl)

*Dessert at Albers Orchard (chef to be announced soon)

The Agrarian Adventure is a local non profit that provides Farm to School experiences and supports local School Gardens, and Deb has served on the board for the past 7 years. This “progressive dinner” is a fundraiser to help continue to enrich students’ connections to the foods they eat, their personal health, and through the local community around them. For ticketing and more information visit: agrarianadventure.org.

3. FALL WORK PARTY/END-OF SEASON POTLUCK will be Sunday, Sept. 24, between 1-4 P.M. Our end-of-season potluck will also be at this time, so please bring an hors d’oeuvre, snack, or refreshment to pass. Members are invited to bring family and friends to help harvest squash, pumpkins, and potatoes before the first frost. You may also come just to enjoy the farm and walk around to see the produce and the animals, listen to music, or just eat at the potluck anytime between 1 and 4 PM. All who come will be able to take something home with them, such as a pumpkin or a winter squash and a flower bouquet.

4. U-PICK AVAILABLE: 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 Flowers– Some of the flowers are ready in the u-pick flower garden. You may pick 1 bouquet up to 10 stems per household for “free” in the u-pick flower garden on the farm. Whenever possible if you can donate $1 or $2 that will help to pay for some seed and labor costs, since we don’t charge for “feeding the soul” bouquets! Extra bouquets will cost $4.
**–U-pick Tomatoes—many tomato varieties are ready for picking. Members–$1.00/lb. Non members–$1.50/lb.

5. PLASTIC OR PAPER GROCERY BAGS NEEDED, if you would like to donate some to the farm or at markets. We are running low.

6. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)–7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 12 PM
Farm (Wed.)–10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –6 P.M. to 8 P.M.
Pure Pastures (Wed.) –9 A.M. To 7 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.)—9 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)–8 A.M. to 12 P.M.

IS AT AN APPLE? IS IT A JICUMA? NO, IT’S KOHLRABI!!
When is a root vegetable not a root vegetable? When it’s a small bulbous member of the cabbage family called kohlrabi, that’s when. For all intents and purposes, kohlrabi appears to be a root vegetable in the same company as turnips, radishes, and rutabagas. However, the bulbous shape of kohlrabi is caused by a swelling of the plant’s stem near the ground. In that sense, kohlrabi is more of a tightly packed version of its cousin, the cabbage. In fact, the name “kohlrabi” is derived from two German words: “kohl” meaning cabbage and “rabi” meaning turnip. It is not unusual to hear the term “turnip cabbage” to describe kohlrabi.

Despite its connections to cabbage and turnips, steamed or boiled kohlrabi is said to taste more like broccoli or Brussels sprouts. Indeed, kohlrabi is in the same general category, the Brassica oleracea Gongylodes group, as the broccoli it resembles in flavor. It can also be used in lieu of cabbage in many of the sausage and cabbage dishes favored in German cooking.

A raw kohlrabi can also be eaten like an apple, although it contains far less sugar. Some people find the taste of raw kohlrabi to be an acquired one, but many people who were raised in largely German communities in the Midwest grew up eating kohlrabi whenever it was in season. One town in Illinois even held annual festivals in honor of the Kohlrabi, so don’t be surprised if one of our small towns in Michigan decides we are due for a celebration of Kohlrabi.

RECIPES

KOHLRABI VEGETABLE STEW (from The Rolling Prairie Cookbook by Nancy O’Connor)
2-3 medium kohlrabi, bulbs and greens
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, cut in slivers
3 medium carrots, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 medium potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 cup peeled chopped tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp molasses

Separate leaves from kohlrabi bulbs. Peel bulbs and cut into large chunks. De-rib leaves and cut into thin strips. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute for several minutes. Add kohlrabi bulb chunks, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, molasses and mustard. Turn up heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until veggies are not quite tender. Add kohlrabi leaves and simmer, uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until veggies are just cooked.

KALE AND KOHLRABI SALAD (http://canolaeatwell.com/recipe/kohlrabi-and-kale-slaw)
4 cups kale, chopped
1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled and julienned
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Dressing
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Combine kale, kohlrabi, carrots, dried cranberries and pecans in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix dressing with salad until well coated. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

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