Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #4
June 18-25, 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.
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
GREENS ADVICE for the entire season: Please keep in mind that greens are especially prominent during this early part of the farm season, so basically, “It’s salad time!” If you’re not sure how best to enjoy your green, taste it. Greens can be eaten raw in a salad or lightly steamed or sautéed with garlic, green onions, or butter in order to mellow their flavor. They can also be tossed into a dish (such as soup or a smoothie) for an extra nutritional and flavorful boost.
ASPARAGUS: You will receive a bunch of green, purple, or white variety; each contains vitamins A, B, and C, as well as iron.
– How to use: serve raw, chopped in salads, or with dips. You can also steam, roast, grill.
– How to store: wrap in damp cloth and plastic bag, then refrigerate. Alternatively, bundle spears with rubber band and place upright in container with an inch of water.
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, sauteed, stir-fried, in casseroles, soups, pizzas, etc.
-How to store: store loosely in plastic bag for up to a week.
NAPA CABBAGE: crinkly, thickly veined leaves, which are cream-colored with celadon green tips; unlike the strong-flavored waxy leaves on round cabbage heads, these are thin, crisp, and delicately mild; good source of vitamin A, folic acid, and potassium.
-How to use: use raw, saute, bake, or braised; common in stir-fries and main ingredient in traditional kimchi; also eaten raw as a wrap for pork or oysters; the outer, tougher leaves are used in soups.
-How to store: refrigerate, tightly wrapped, up to 5 days.
GARLIC SCAPES: This popular and highly delectable flower top of a garlic plant has a slender green stem with a slight bulge at the bottom (resemble chives, except for the bulge and often curled); tender and milder in flavor than mature garlic, but can be substituted for garlic cloves in recipes.
-How to use: mild garlic flavor, so delicious chopped in salads, roasted, and sautéed.
-How to store: put in refrigerator in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks.
NO HERBS THIS WEEK! Due to the lack of rain on our farm, our herbs are taking longer to grow back, so we are letting our smaller patches of herbs recuperate this week.
KALE: You will receive Lacinato Kale (dark green, noncurled, blistered leaves, but heavily savoyed)
-How to use: for salads, soups, and light cooking in stir-fries
-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
LETTUCE: You will receive a few heads of lettuce, which may include Green Leaf, Red Leaf or Romaine.
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or use in soups
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.
GREEN ONIONS (Baby Red Onions): young shoots of red bulb onions with long green stalks and milder tasting than large bulb onions; full of great fiber and antioxidants, high in potassium and source of vitamins C and B-6.
-How to use: the bulb, flowers, and green leaves are edible; can be cooked, grilled, roasted whole as a vegetable; chopped in salads, soups, and other dishes for flavor.
-How to store: refrigerate in damp towel/plastic bag for 2-5 days.
SPICY SALAD MIX: You will receive a mixed bag of Arugula (an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor) and Spicy Greens (an amazing, mildly spicy, leafy salad mix of greens and reds with a wide variety of leaf shapes and sizes).
-How to use: used for salads and sauteing–cooks up quickly.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 2-4 days.
SPINACH: You will receive a bag of this crisp, dark green leaf– best eaten raw or with minimal cooking to obtain the beneficial chlorophyll, as well as vitamins A & 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.
STRAWBERRIES: red, conical fruit with tiny white flowers. This week each share will receive 1 or 2 quarts of this member of the rose family. We also will be offering u-pick this week. See Announcements.
-How to use: excellent raw, juicing, jam, pie, sorbet, in desserts
-How to store: Do not wash until you are ready to consume them. Place them on a paper towel in a tightly-covered container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. 4th of July VACATIONS or OUT OF TOWN: Please remember to contact us at least by Saturday to make changes in pick up days or locations, especially with the 4th of July vacations coming up. Also keep in mind that changes need to be made within the same week (Sun.-Sat.), not into the next week of distribution. All changes can be made yourself on our website under the sign up link under Membership Actions on the registration page.
2. U-PICK STRAWBERRIES AT THE FARM IN CHELSEA: You may come to u-pick this week on Wednesday (10 AM- 7 PM), Saturday (3 PM – 7 PM), and Sunday (9 AM – 7 PM). We will be around all day on Wed., so no need to let us know you are coming, but it would be helpful to email, text, or call Deb 734-385-6748 so we know when you are coming on Saturday or Sunday, so we will be around the house or backyard. Reminder: It’s $4/qt. for members and $5/qt. for nonmembers. Please bring your own containers or transfer them into donated berry containers at the Distribution Shed.
3. WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We have plenty of weeds to pull. If you are interested in helping out–even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes before you pick up your box at the farm, come join us. Please contact us any day of the week or evenings.
4. 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.
REFLECTIONS ON THE FARM
by Deb and Richard
The days are so much longer now, as they provide a luxuriant amount of light as we creep closer to the Solstice. We can get up earlier in the morning now to harvest asparagus and strawberries in the cool, early morning light, and we’re able to stay up several hours later to take care of special evening projects on the farm. The deer have been coming out from the woods at night to nibble the beet and carrot tops and a little bit of the lettuce—those tender, sweet vegetables become a delectable moonlight dessert. The past several weeks have afforded many clear nights of moonshine, which seem to drug the hills with a special grace. When we wake up at 3:30 AM to pack the truck for deliveries, it makes it very bright to walk the path past the chicken coop and peach trees to the Packing Shed. In contrast to the searing heat of the daylight sun, the gray light of the moon feels calm and welcoming.
We really haven’t had much rain for the past four weeks. Thankfully we have 4 wells, 3 ponds, and our faithful Chizo and his helpers, who are willing to set out and rearrange the hoses, the sprinkle pipes, and the drip lines. He has been monitoring the tomatoes, the peppers, the summer squash, the carrots, the strawberries, the asparagus, etc. to make sure that all the vegetables on the farm have just enough fresh, clean water. Thankfully he has kept this important project managed and organized, so that there are an abundance of tender, sweet vegetables for our share boxes. Last week it looked like we would get rain every day according to the weather forecast. It was as if our hopes for hydration had been answered! Then just as magically these predicted storms disappeared like a fancy card trick. So it seems that we just continue to dance through a particularly dry June, which is not altogether distressing. Although it requires extra work in watering, it has also allowed us less work in managing the weeds and given us extra time to neaten and tidy areas up on the farm.
We have returned to another season of familiarity: familiar projects and familiar weather patterns, some familiar community members and some familiar returning farm crew. For the past couple of years, we have observed a familiar family of foxes that reside in the hill of the stream bank. It’s been fun to watch the young ones grow and run along the paths and newly plowed fields of the farm hunting the rabbits. The appearance of these animals feels like a special gift. The turtles (and toads and frogs) are making their way out of the swamp mud to head for high ground to lay eggs. The people on the farm coming from many distant regions have also found their place to dig into the farm life–setting their roots, if only for a short time. Some come from the south. Some come from the north. Some come from the west. Some come from the east. They are trying to make the mysterious, magic dance of the farm begin again–this great journey around our most favorite star.
It is right, it should be so;
Man was made for Joy and Woe;
And when this we rightly know
Thro’ the World we safely go
Every Night and every Morn,
Some to Misery are Born,
Every Morn and every Night,
Some are Born to sweet delight.
Some are Born to sweet delight,
Some are Born to Endless Night.
–William Blake
RECIPES
SPINACH AND ASPARAGUS FRITTATA (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website) Serves 4
Filling:
1 bunch spinach, washed and drained, with stems removed
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic or garlic scapes, minced or mashed
Egg mixture:
8 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp whipping cream or water
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
Olive oil, to coat skillet
Preheat broiler. Mix ingredients well and pour into a greased 8-inch skillet and stir until set (about 5 minutes). Place under broiler for 2 minutes until top is golden brown. Cut into slices.
NAPA CABBAGE SALAD (from www.allrecipes.com) Serves 6.
1 head Napa cabbage
1 bunch minced green onions
1/3 cup butter
1 (3 oz) package ramen noodles, broken
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Finely shred the head of cabbage; do not chop. Combine the green onions and cabbage in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the crunchies: melt the butter in a pot. Mix the ramen noodles, sesame seeds and almonds into the pot with the melted butter. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake the crunchies in the preheated 350 degrees oven, turning often to make sure they do not burn. When they are browned remove them from the oven. Make the dressing: in a small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and let cool. Combine dressing, crunchies, and cabbage immediately before serving. Serve right away or the crunchies will get soggy.
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