Ext. Week 2: October 21 – 27, 2018

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
Extended Fall CSA Share
WEEK #2
Oct. 21-27, 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 often before the harvest, we may sometimes substitute some vegetables for others. **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

RED ACE BEETS AND GREENS: You will receive 1 bunch round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and medium-tall, red-veined green leaves and 1 baby bunch beets with delicious greens.
-How to use: greens can be substituted for spinach and chard in recipes; roots good in soups, stews, roasted, boiled, steamed, excellent grated raw into salads or baked goods.
-How to store: separate roots from leaves and store unwashed in plastic bags in hydrator drawer of refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; store greens wrapped in damp cloth in plastic bag for up to 1 week.

CABBAGE (New Jersey Wakefield): considered a beneficial digestive aid and intestinal cleanser; can be cooked or eaten raw in slaws or salads; although different varieties have varying nutritional strengths, cabbage has a good amount of vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
-How to use: good steamed, stir-fried, or chopped raw into salads or coleslaw.
-How to store: refrigerate for up to 1 month.

CARROTS: You will receive Purple Haze (bright purplish-red roots with bright orange interior and a sweet flavor; cooking will cause the color to fade) and Hercules (sweet, orange, cone-shaped roots; good eating quality and stores well).
-How to use: can be used raw as carrot sticks, grated in salads or juiced; steamed or sautéed, in stews, soups, casseroles, stir-fries
-How to store: refrigerate dry, unwashed roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks

GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, & boosts the immune system.
-How to use: minced raw in salad dressings, sautéed and added to stir-fries, meats, vegetables
-How to store: fresh garlic can be stored in an open, breathable container in a cool, dark place for many months.

KALE (Green Curly): well ruffled green leaves; great for kale chips, in a salad, roasted, and in soups.
-How to use: for salads, soups, braised, and light cooking
-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator

SWEET PEPPERS: You will receive a rainbow mixture of Aura (golden yellow, tapered, thick-walled fruits, that are deliciously sweet and fruity), Glow (bright orange, tapered, thick-walled, sweet and fruity), Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh) and Carmen (6 inch long, tapered fruit that ripens from green to a deep “carmine” red; sweet in salads and when roasted and fully red-ripe), or Green Bell Peppers (large blocky cells with fruity, slightly sweet flavor with green skin).
-How to use: eat raw for best nutrient retention; can be added to soups, stews, omelets, quiches, stir-fries, etc.; excellent stuffed.
-How to store: refrigerate unwashed in hydrator drawer for 1-2 weeks.

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).
-How to store: Keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag

DAIKON RADISH (Alpine): the smooth, attractive roots are white with green shoulders; looks like an overgrown green carrot, but with a slightly mild radish taste; crunchy and sweet texture; good macrobiotic root that is good for the gut; the most common type grown in Korea.
-How to use: for fresh use, pickling, and storage; greens are also edible and can be used like any other green.
-How to store: not as hardy as you may think, so store wrapped in plastic to keep them crisp for up to 2 weeks.

WINTER SQUASH/PIE PUMPKIN: You will receive some of the following: 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), Butternut (light, tan-colored skin; small seed cavities with thick, cylindrical necks; bright orange, moist, sweet flesh; longest storage potential of all squash), and Baby Bear Pie Pumpkin (unique size and shape, and is often called “the perfect mini pumpkin” by growers; deep orange, 1 1/2-2 1/2 pound fruits are about half the size of a normal pie pumpkin).
-How to use: Slice in half, scoop seeds out and bake with a little water in baking pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender; boil or steam chunks for 15-20 minutes, or until tender (peel skins off “before” or “after“ cooked, but “after” is easiest when it’s cooled); mash cooked squash with butter; purée cooked squash for creamy soup, or add uncooked chunks to soups or stews; add small amounts to yeast breads, muffins, cookies, pies, oatmeal, etc.
-How to store: Keep for several months (depending on the variety) in a dry, moderately warm (50-60 degrees), but not freezing location with 60-75% humidity; will also store at room temperature.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. KIMCHI PRESERVING WORKSHOP at the Washtenaw Food Hub on Wednesday, Oct. 24 (corrected date!), from 6-8 P.M. Fermentation revivalist, Melissa Robinson, will demonstrate how to make kimchi, a spicy and pungent Korean condiment served at almost every Korean meal. The workshop will cover lacto-fermentation, a method utilized to brine and preserve vegetables, using produce from Tantre Farm. Participants will take home a jar of kimchi made during the workshop. Please register with “KIMCHI” in the subject line by email with your NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER. $10 fee for materials and other ingredients. Still a few spaces left, so please register by noon

2. 4th Annual AGRARIAN ADVENTURE’S HARVEST BRUNCH Fundraiser on Sun. Oct. 28 from 10 AM until 1 PM at Great Oak Cohousing Common House (500 Little Lake Dr., Ann Arbor). Deb has been a board member for the past 8 years, and continues to visit classrooms for the “Farmer in the Classroom” program. The Agrarian Adventure (www.agrarianadventure.org) also provides other programming for school gardens, and afterschool garden clubs. Tantre Farm donates a lot of the produce every year to this awesome, family-friendly fundraiser. The menu below prepared by Chef Chris Chiapelli of the UM Ross School of Business & Black Pearl looks awesome:
***Tantre Farm Heirloom Veggie Hash with or without Old Brick Farm Duck Eggs, Goetz Farms Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Pepper Hash with Tantre Farm Grilled Sweet Corn Succotash, Black Oaks Farms Pork Belly confit with a dollop of Brinery Kimchi on top and an Old Brick Farm Duck Egg, Plymouth Orchards Quinoa Oatmeal and Apple Compote with fall dried fruits and smoked brown sugar on top, Maple Fall Berry Compote with Ernst Farms Grits, Green Tea Pancakes with Powdered Sugar and Calder Dairy Whipped Cream on top. Vegan and gluten-free options available. Many other farms and food artisans have contributed as well! Suggested donation of $15/adults and $5/kid, but no one will be turned away. Tickets can be purchased on the website www.theagrarianadventure.org or show up at the door. Also, it is helpful for you to know that parking is on the street. Hope to see you there this coming Sunday!

3. BASKET MAKING CLASS, Nov 4, from 1-4 PM at Tantre Farm: Weave your own basket from cattails or bittersweet. Or both! Local foraging expert, Rachel Mifsud, from Will Forage for Food will talk about how the materials are harvested and prepared for use. Students will learn a few different weaving patterns, and then you will create a basket of your own design. All ages are welcome. $25 per student. Register at: www.willforageforfood.com. Space is limited. You must pre-register to reserve your spot.

4. THANKSGIVING CSA Registration is OPEN! A more detailed email notice about this will come out to you soon. You can also read more details about the Thanksgiving Share on our website under “CSA Info”, and sign up on our website. This share is a one-time pick-up of 60 to 80 pounds of produce for winter storage or to stock up on vegetables before the holiday for $125. This share will be available for pick up on Nov. 17 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) at the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market from 7 A.M. until Noon and Tantré Farm from 2-5 P.M.

5. PLEASE RETURN SHARE BOXES & BRING EXTRA BAGS! Please return any forgotten boxes from past weeks. You may bring bags, a cooler or other containers to transfer your produce from the boxes at your distribution site, especially next week, which is your final week of Ex. Fall Shares. We also can use any EXTRA PAPER OR PLASTIC BAGS (Grocery Bags ONLY).

6. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDERS:
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)–7 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.
Farm (Fri.)–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Ann Arbor Farmers’s Market (Sat.) –7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Pure Pastures (Wed)–9 A.M. To 7 P.M.

ODE TO THE ROOT CELLAR
by Richard and Deb

The west wind has been blowing strong and cold for the last week bringing the end to the sultry, summer temperatures. The cranes and geese call from high above soaring on the strong, billowing, western gusts. Their voices carry over the horizon as if there were some magic ventriloquism with this wind. The old scarecrow stands among the dead stalks of summer; her clothes tattered and her button eyes popped out. The wind asks her final question, the only thing that remains: What can we do? Succumb to the mania and madness of the wind? Embrace the wild spirits? What can we do? With our own tattered clothes and muddy shoes pushing through the autumn wind we diligently carry bins and crates of squash, potatoes, carrots, winter radishes, beets, and cabbage. Heaving them onto trucks, wagons, and carts. Pushing against the wind and hauling them to the quiet, cool warmth of the root cellar, stacking them higher than we can normally reach. This requires so much lifting with our legs, our arms, and our backs making us strong and warm against the wind. We fuel ourselves in our flurry with the same foods from our harvest; these dense, starchy carbohydrates, which we store in our root cellar.

Ahead of the coming cold, crystalline desolation that the winter spirits shall endow and soon freeze the soft, brown earth, we store away all the fall harvest. This is the time of year when the root cellar is swollen and busting with hundreds of potato and squash crates higher than we can reach. We open the windows or door a crack to subdue the winter sprouting of too much warmth on the root vegetables. We pour buckets of water on the floor to keep the cold flesh of these roots crunchy and crisp with enough humidity in the air. So here we are taking comfort in the knowledge that our root cellar, filling up on sweet carrots and starchy squash along with so many other vegetables, will provide tons of food for many of our community all winter long.

RECIPES

ETHIOPIAN CABBAGE DISH (from http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/152937/ethiopian-cabbage-dish)
1/2 cup olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15-20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20-30 minutes. Serves 5.

STIR-FRIED DAIKON (from Rolling Prairie Cookbook) Serves 3.
1 Daikon radish
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sweetener of your choice
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Scrub Daikon and cut in thin slices. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add Daikon and toss to coat with oil. Sprinkle sweetener and salt over radish slices. Cook, stirring often, until radishes are just tender–about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Toss in parsley. Serve immediately.

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