2018: Week 1, May 27 – June 2

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #1
May 27-June 2, 2018

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

ARUGULA (Sylvetta): also known as “wild rocket” with more deeply lobed leaves and a more pungent flavor; an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor
-How to use: add to salads, soups, and sautéed vegetable dishes
-How to store: very perishable, so use up quickly; store in plastic bag with a paper towel in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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.

STORAGE CARROTS (Chantenay): shorter than other cultivars, but have greater girth with broad shoulders and taper towards a blunt, rounded tip; most commonly diced for use in canned or prepared foods. These carrots have been stored for the winter, so some may have spots to cut off, but are still good to use, but every once in awhile, a rubbery or mushy carrot will have escaped our crew’s watchful eye. Please feel free to make soup stock or compost out of the carrots that are considered “ugly” or “unfit”. See feature article on “Food for Thought”.
-How to use: best used for cooking in stews, soups, casseroles, or stir fries, since may have a stronger carrot flavor from being stored for several months in cold storage.
-How to store: refrigerate roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks

FRESH HERBS: With all this rain and heat all at once,the herbs are growing and flowering or getting ready to flower, so we have several herbs to choose from this week. In general, store herbs upright with cut stems in 1 or 2 inches of water and refrigerate for up to 1 week or wrap in slightly dampened cloth or plastic bag and store in refrigerator.
**You may CHOOSE ONE bunch (NOT one bunch of each) from the following 5 options:
–Chamomile— These small, daisy-like flowers are best known for making a soothing tea; also the flowers make a pretty garnish and a flavorful addition to salads. The whole bundle can be used fresh or dried upside down for a week or two, and then the flowers plucked and put into a jar for a restful, calming, sleepy time tea for the winter.
–Lovage: celery-flavored herb, good in vegetarian soups and stews, especially potato or tomato dishes; use sparingly, since it does have a strong flavor; hollow stems can be candied and used as straws in Bloody Marys.
–Chives—mild, onion-flavored herb with long, slender, hollow leaves; can be added to potato salad, baked potatoes, soups, salads, omelets, dips and spreads, pastas and sauces.; purple, onion-flavored blossoms add an attractive garnish to soups or salads (stems attached to blossoms are often discarded due to toughness).
–Thyme– tiny green leaves used in meat and vegetable dishes and most casseroles, soups, stews, and medicinal teas, which soothe sore throats. Some of the thyme has gone to flower, so the leaves are small, but the flowers are dainty and delicious and can be chopped up along with the leaves.
–Oregano—This member of the mint family is similar to marjoram, but not as sweet and more pungent, spicy flavor and aroma; good in soups and tomato-based dishes.

LETTUCE: You will receive 2-4 heads of Red and Green Leaf lettuce.
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or use in soups
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.

GREEN ONIONS (also called “Scallions”): young shoots of 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, & other dishes for flavor. Green leaves are excellent in stock.
-How to store: refrigerate in damp towel/plastic bag for 5-7 days.

PARSNIPS: long, cylindrical, creamy-white roots with sweet flavor; contain small amounts of iron and vitamin C. These parsnips were harvested midwinter during a thaw, so they are frost-sweetened, but have been stored for several months. See feature article on “Food for Thought”.
-How to use: can be baked, boiled, sauteed, steamed; our favorite way to prepare them is to roast with olive oil and fresh herbs.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks.

POTATOES (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. You will receive these “old buddies” potatoes that have been over-wintered in our timber frame root cellar; possibly slightly less firm than a new potato, but good for cooking in any way suggested below. See feature article on “Food for Thought”.
-How to use: good baked, boiled, roasted or in potato salads
-How to store: keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag; ideal temperature is 38-40 degrees with 80-90 percent humidity; a basement or very cool closet will work.

SPICY GREENS (Stir-Fry Mix): gourmet-quality greens for quick cooking; includes Kale, Tatsoi, Hon Tsai Tai, Green and Red Mustard.
-How to use: used for salads, quick sauteing/braising, and stir fries.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 2-4 days.

SPINACH: You will receive a bag of this crisp, dark green leaf; high in beneficial chlorophyll, as well as vitamins A & C
– How to use: juiced, 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.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. ANY CHANGES in your address, phone, e-mail, or of misspelled names on any mailings or Pick Up Lists at Distribution Sites? Please let us know as soon as possible.

2. MISSED PICK UP: If you don’t pick up or forget to come, your share will be brought back to the Farm, and you will have one day to get your share before it will be taken apart or donated after any distribution. Always please call or email immediately, so we know what happened and what to do with your share.

3. CSA COOKBOOKS: We will have a handy cookbook for sale this season called “From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce”. This $16 book includes an easy-to-follow format with vegetables listed from A to Z. We will have a limited number of these cookbooks available, so if you are interested in purchasing these books, and they are no longer at your site, please let us know, so we can make another bulk order. Some of our sites are tricky to leave cookbooks, since we will not be able to pick up your payments and leftover cookbooks each week, since it is just a drop off site. Please contact Deb to arrange getting a cookbook at Pure Pastures, Argus, or MOVE, and we will try to work something out.

4. WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: With all the rain and heat 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, we sure could use the extra hands. Please contact us any day of the week or evenings.

5. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:
**If you need to switch to different pick up sites throughout the season that usually works for all but the “limited sites”, using the Membership Actions section on the registration page. These sites have less space to drop share boxes at, so are considered “limited”. Please always email ahead to see if they are at capacity before making any switches on your own.
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.) (limited site) –9 A.M. To 7 P.M.
Farm (Fri.)–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Ann Arbor Farmers Market (There is NO Community High School distribution site this year due to Construction on 5th St.) (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.
New! Argus-Packard (Sat) (limited site)–10 A.M. To 12 P.M.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Over the winter we sometimes have a few extra moments to read and wonder as we sit by the wood stove, and sometimes our minds consider issues that go beyond our impact locally. As we begin our new summer season this week we wanted to give you a few facts to ponder, and consider a thoughtful look at our perceptions of food on a personal scale, but also on a global scale. We all may consider how we are part of the problem of food waste as farmers and consumers, but also more importantly how we can be part of the solution.

Here are some statistics to consider:
*About a third of the planet’s food goes to waste, often because of its looks. That’s enough to feed two billion people.

*Fruits and vegetables, plus roots and tubers have the highest wastage rates of any food.

*At a retail level, large quantities of food are wasted due to quality standards that over-emphasize appearance.

*Even if just one-fourth of the food currently lost or wasted globally could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people in the world.

*In medium- and high-income countries food is wasted and lost mainly at later stages in the supply chain. Differing from the situation in developing countries, the behaviour of consumers plays a huge part in industrialized countries. The study identified a lack of coordination between actors in the supply chain as a contributing factor. Farmer-buyer agreements can be helpful to increase the level of coordination. Additionally, raising awareness among industries, retailers and consumers as well as finding beneficial use for food that is presently thrown away are useful measures to decrease the amount of losses and waste. (sourced from http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/en/).

Other related articles below:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/03/global-food-waste-statistics/

https://www.npr.org/tags/395584998/ugly-produce

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2018/01/11/a-new-market-for-old-and-ugly-fruit-and-vegetables-takes-shape

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 green onions, 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.

BRAISED MUSTARD GREENS (from Mad Mares Cookbook) Serves 6
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion or 4-6 green onions, chopped
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp stock, chicken or vegetable
2 lbs mustard greens, arugula, or spicy greens
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
Heat oil over moderate heat in large pot. Saute onion, shallots, and garlic until golden, about 8 minutes. Add stock. Place greens, torn into pieces, on top. Cover and cook until tender, turning greens about 20 minutes. Toss in lime juice, salt, and pepper.

LOVAGE VINEGAR (by Brenda Hyde)
1 qt cider vinegar
2 large sprigs lovage
Place into a bottle or jar with a lid. Keep in a cool, dark place for 3-4 weeks. Use in dressings, or stews.

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