Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #18
Sept. 23-29, 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.
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. If you are new to our CSA, since you signed up with a prorated share, you can find all past newsletters on our website under the NEWSLETTERS tab.
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 or SPICY GREENS: You will receive either Arugula (known as “wild rocket” with more deeply lobed leaves and a more pungent flavor; an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor) OR Spicy Greens (gourmet-quality greens for quick cooking; includes Kale, Tatsoi, Hon Tsai Tai, Green and Red Mustard). See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
YELLOW BEANS (Isar): beautiful, yellow, fillet bean with excellent flavor. See Week 10 for usage and storage tips.
BROCCOLI: deep emerald green, tiny buds that are clustered on top of stout, edible stems; known as an anti-cancer vegetable. You will either receive these as heads or as florets depending on availability. See Week 6 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
CARROTS (Romance): blunt-tipped, deep orange roots with impressive flavor for a summer-harvested carrot. See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
SWEET CORN (Potawatomi): yellow kernels with excellent sweet flavor. * We don’t treat our corn with pesticides, so you may find some ear worms enjoying the corn too; just break off the damaged part and cook the rest of the ear. See Week 12 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
EGGPLANT: You will receive Nadia (slender, purplish-black, glossy-like, bell-shaped fruit) or Rosa Biana (an Italian heirloom; round fruit streaked with white and violet). See Week 13 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
FRESH HERBS: 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:
French Sorrel: slightly tart, lemon-flavored green shaped like spinach; excellent for salads, soups, and sauces; can be used in omelets, breads, dressings, or cooked as a side dish.
Marjoram: a small and oval-shaped leaf, which is light green with a grayish tint; often added to fish sauces, salads and dressings, tomato-based sauces, grilled lamb and other meats; goes well with vegetables including cabbages, potatoes, eggplant, and beans. Traditionally, it was used in tea to cure headaches, head colds, calm nervous disorders, and to clear sinuses.
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, such as tacos, salsas, soups, stews, and salads.
Italian Flat-leaf Parsley: flat, glossy, dark green leaves have a strong parsley/celery flavor for use dried or fresh; especially good in omelets, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soups, pasta and vegetable dishes, as well as with fish, poultry, and pork.
Bronze-leaf Fennel – anise-flavored, feathered foliage; can be used for garnish or flavor enhancer for salads, soups, and egg dishes; rich in vitamin A and contains calcium, phosphorous, and potassium.
BABY LETTUCE MIX (Wildfire): a beautiful bag of dark reds and vibrant greens including Green and Red Oakleaf, Green and Red Romaine, and Redleaf lettuces; your lettuce has been rinsed once, but needs washing.
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or use in soups.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.
ONIONS (Red Zeppelin): medium to large, globe-shaped bulbs with deep red color and will store for six months or more under proper conditions. See Week 10 for usage and storage tips.
HOT PEPPERS (Red Ember): Fruits are sweet with moderately warm heat for a cayenne pepper. “Pepper heads” can eat Red Ember fruits whole, while others craving a touch of heat can slice it thinly for salads. Makes excellent powder or flakes; also nice for hot sauce. See Week 16 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), Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh), Cupid
(fruits are blocky to slightly pointed, snack size, and are particularly
sweet when red). or Lipstick (sweet, cone or heart-shaped peppers with juicy, thick flesh; delicious in salads and salsas, but also great for roasting). See Week 14 for usage and storage tips.
POTATOES: You will receive All Blue (an heirloom potato with deep blue skin and flesh; moist texture; perfect in salads, baked, or boiled) *Interesting note: Most blue fleshed cultivars contain 90 times more antioxidants than white tubers, and the antioxidants in potato tubers are enhanced by cooking them) and Kerr’s Pink (very pale skin and cream flesh; mealy, cooked texture, so makes a good specialty/salad potato variety; good roasted, mashed, or in salads). See Week 7 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
RADISHES: You will receive Pink Beauty (pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor) or Bacchus (stunning, purple, round radish with white inner flesh. Very good flavor and not too hot). See Week 17 for usage and storage tips.
TOMATOES: The tomatoes are finally dwindling down to just a few stragglers for you this week, so you will just receive Tiren (classic San Marzano shape developed in Italy; produces meaty fruit; great flavor for sauce). See Week 9 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
WATERMELON (Dark Belle): dark-green skin, bright-red flesh, oblong 5-7 lb. fruit with thin rind, and very sweet flavor. See Week 11 for usage and storage tips.
WINTER SQUASH: Everyone will receive Spaghetti Squash (3-5-pounds, pale yellow, oblong, smooth, medium size, only mildly sweet with “spaghetti” (stringy) flesh) and Delicata (small, oblong, creamy colored with long green stripes, only slightly ribbed; pale yellow, sweet flesh; edible skin; best eaten within 4 months of harvest). See Week 17 for usage and storage tips.
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 for our Summer Shares.
2. COOKING CLASS with Chef Allison on October 3 from 6 to 9 PM: Tantre Farm’s seasonal farm shares allow for so much creativity in the kitchen. But don’t be stumped by all of the possibilities! Personal Chef Allison Anastasio Zeglis, from www.lastbitechef.com will show you how to approach a CSA box to cook for yourself & your family. Get hands on experience preparing a meal using fall produce in a way that you can recreate in your own kitchen. Then stay to enjoy a delicious fall produce inspired meal! Please register with OCTOBER COOKING CLASS in the Subject Line and your NAME, PHONE, and EMAIL ADDRESS. Please bring $15/person, but if financial difficulties, please let us know. More details coming!
3. THANKS FOR COMING TO OUR FALL WORK PARTY AND POTLUCK on Sept. 23. We managed to break apart about 5 crates of garlic for seed, weeded several beds in the herb garden, and harvested some winter squash and a pile of pumpkins after our wagon ride. Throughout the day we filled our bellies full of delicious food and enjoyed the musical talent of Max and Bella from AIM High School in Farmington Hills. All members were able to go home with a squash or a pumpkin, a pint of raspberries, and a flower bouquet. 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!
4. “EXTENDED FALL CSA” SHARE REGISTRION IS OPEN: This 3-week share runs from Oct. 14 through Nov. 3 for $108 (this amount has been corrected from a previous week, which incorrectly said $110!) celebrating all the bounty of the fall vegetables! The link for online registration is http://tantrefarm.csasignup.com . Please sign up by Saturday, Oct. 13, so you won’t miss any of those 3 weeks of produce. Please go to our website for more information. We are prorating these shares as well, so if you need to miss a week of the Extended Fall CSA, just send us an email, and we will register you for the weeks you will receive a share. Hope to share more of this abundant fall harvest with you throughout October! Tell your friends and family!! Due to outside exposure of potentially cold-damaging temperatures in October, we will not have Fall Shares at the Chelsea Farmers Market or at MOVE, since we have no way to protect these shares, so please find alternate pick up locations.
5. HARVEST KITCHEN PREPARED FOOD CSA: Also, be sure and check out Harvest Kitchen’s website at http://harvest-kitchen.com, if you’re interested in fresh, delicious, farm to table meals delivered right to your door or some other convenient location. Just check on the various meal plan options or gift cards.
6. 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 Fall Raspberries – 1 pint FREE if you can make it out to the farm and pick it. They are just starting to be plentiful. Extra $4/pint
–U-pick Flowers – You may pick 1 bouquet of 16 stems per household for “free” in the u-pick flower garden on the farm. Extra bouquets – $4.
7. 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.) (limited site) –9 AM to 7 PM
Farm (Fri.)–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (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.
RECIPES
BROCCOLI, RED PEPPER, AND CHEDDAR CHOWDER (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website)
1 head broccoli
6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)
1 large boiling potato
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup heavy cream
Discard tough lower third of broccoli stem. Peel remaining stem and finely chop. Cut remaining broccoli into very small (1-inch) florets. Cook florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 2-3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain. Reserve 3 cups cooking water for chowder. Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook potato, onion, bell pepper, broccoli stems, thyme and garlic in butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8-10 minutes. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and mustard and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cheese and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper. Puree about 2 cups of chowder in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Add florets and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.
HOW TO BAKE DELICATA SQUASH CRESCENTS/HALF MOONS
Slice in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and then slice the long pieces in half moon slices about half inch wide. Place crescents in baking pan and brush both sides with oil and a little salt. It will need to bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until top is turning golden brown and fork tender. The skins are edible and melt in your mouth!