Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #5
June 23-29, 2019

    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.  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.

    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.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE

ASPARAGUS:   green or purple spears; each contains vitamins A, B, and C, as well as iron.  See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

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.
See Week 4 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

GARLIC SCAPES: slender green stems with a slight bulge at the bottom (resemble chives, except for the bulge and often curled); the flower top of a garlic plant; tender and milder in flavor than mature garlic, but can be substituted for garlic cloves in recipes.  Use this link for garlic scape recipes: http://sfc.smallfarmcentral.com/dynamic_content/uploadfiles/3774/GARLIC%20SCAPES%207%20Great%20Ideas.doc
See Week 4 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

NO HERB BUNCH THIS WEEK!  Most of our herbs are taking longer to grow back, so  we are letting our smaller  patches of herbs recuperate.

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 about the size of a golf ball to tennis ball size with greens attached; green skin and crisp, apple-white flesh tubers and leaves. Most people enjoy taking the skin off and eating them raw, like an apple with a taste and texture somewhere between cabbage and broccoli stems.  See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

LETTUCE:  You will receive Green or Red Leaf lettuce and/or Romaine lettuce.   See Week 2 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

RED SCALLIONS: young shoots of red 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.
See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

STRAWBERRIES: red, conical fruit with tiny white flowers; member of the rose family with excellent source of Vitamin C.  
-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.  

WHITE HAKUREI TURNIPS: white salad turnips with round, smooth roots that have a sweet, fruity flavor with a crisp, tender texture.  No tops this week.  See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. STRAWBERRIES AT THE FARM:  It has been a great strawberry season so far!  We picked almost 600 to 800 quarts of strawberries for your CSA shares and for sale in the last week.  This week you may come to the farm for “already picked” strawberries or to “pick-your-own” this week on Wednesday (10 AM- 7 PM) and Friday  (1:30 PM – 7 PM) by just showing up.  We will be around on Wed. and Fri. during those hours, since they are normal distribution days at the farm, so no need to let us know you are coming.  Also we will be open for u-pick on Thursday and Sunday too, but it would be helpful to email, text, or call Deb 734-385-6748, so we know when you are hoping to come,  so we will be around the house or backyard. Please bring your own containers to transfer strawberries into or return quarts and flats back to the farm.  
U-PICK for members: $5/level qt and $35/flat (8 quarts).
ALREADY PICKED for members (at the Farm only): $6/qt and $42/flat

2. 4th of July VACATIONS or OUT OF TOWN: Please let us know of changes in pick up days or locations for next week, especially with the 4th of July vacations coming up. Also keep in mind that Pick Up Rescheduling needs to be made within the same week (Sun.-Sat.). All changes can be made yourself on our website under the sign up link under Membership Actions on the registration page or you can email us with your request using specific dates and locations.  Here is a link to our website on what to do if you can’t pick up your share on your usual day:  http://www.tantrefarm.com/faq/#oot

3. FAMILY FARM HIKE on July 5: Come join us for a guided monthly exploratory walk around Tantre Farm on Friday July 5 at 2:30 PM. We’ll use all our senses as we take an approx. 45 minute hike with CSA member, Alisse Portnoy, who teaches at the University of Michigan. She and her daughter, Jessica, are in their tenth year of once-a-week, long visits to the farm. They look forward to sharing some of its treasures and treasure spots with you. Meet at the picnic tables behind Main House at 2:30 PM. No RSVP necessary, but if you email that you plan to attend, then we know to wait for you.

4. 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 until dark. Thanks for volunteering!

5. CSA COOKBOOKS: We will have a handy cookbook for sale at some of the distribution sites 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. This a great resource for NEW CSA MEMBERS, and makes a great gift.  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.

6. PLANT WALK SERIES June 26 from 6-8 PM (Last Wednesday of every month May through October)
We are offering a monthly plant walk at Tantre Farm with the guidance of our local foraging expert, Rachel Mifsud. On these leisurely walks we will be looking for edible, medicinal, and otherwise useful plants and mushrooms that are ready for harvest. The cost is $15 for Tantre CSA members or $20 for nonmembers. You may bring cash, check or pre-register at https://squareup.com/store/willforageforfood.  Please let us know if you’re interested in coming, so we wait for you. We will meet behind the house at the picnic tables.

7. 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 A.M. to 12 P.M.
*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) —10 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.
*Argus-Packard (Sat) (limited site)—10 A.M. to 6 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
**Keep in mind a very easy way to find recipe ideas for almost any combination of share box ingredients is to type the items into your preferred “search bar” with the word “recipe” after it, and many recipe ideas will pop up.  Have fun searching!  Lots and lots of ideas!

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 or garlic scapes
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.

SAUTEED GARLIC SCAPES WITH BROCCOLI  (from http://www.chatfieldcsa.org/recipe/sauteed-garlic-scapes-with-broccoli)
5-10  garlic scapes
1 head broccoli
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper (just a sprinkle of each)
Fresh parmesan cheese

    Cut the scapes into 2 to 3 inch pieces so they almost look like green beans. Cut the broccoli up into small florets as you would do for a stir fry. Heat oil in a skillet and add broccoli and cut scapes. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until the broccoli turns a bright green (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and serve right away. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan if you so desire.

BASIC ASPARAGUS RECIPE:
Simple preparation: place in a tall, covered pot with an inch of water.  Stand asparagus upright and steam for 5 minutes.  This cooks the tougher stalks, while lightly steaming the thinner tops.  Feel free to add the following toppings:  brushed with lemon juice, brushed with olive oil or butter and tossed with sesame seeds.