Ext. Week 3: October 13 – 19, 2019

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
Extended Fall CSA Share
WEEK #3
Oct. 13-19, 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.

    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.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE

ARUGULA:  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.

RED ACE BEETS AND GREENS:  round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and beautiful, medium-tall, red-veined green leaves.
-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.

CARROTS (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 and unwashed roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks

CAULIFLOWER, ROMANESCO: lime green, spiraled heads with pointed, spiraled pinnacles; crisp and mild.
-How to use: raw for salads and dips, steamed, sauteed, or roasted.
-How to store: sweetest and best when used within a week when stored in the refrigerator, but can last up to 2 weeks.

CELERY: tall, crisp, glossy green stalks and leaves with a strong, celery flavor; contains vitamins A, C, B-complex, and E with some other minerals; also high in fiber and sodium. *Organic celery tends to be a darker green, since it’s unblanched like commercial celery. The darker green color indicates more minerals and vitamins, but also is a bit stronger, so you may want to use a little less than you normally would.
-How to use: typically eaten raw and used in salads; ribs and leaves can be added to casseroles, soups, stews, and stir-fries.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks; can be frozen in slices on a cookie sheet and then packed into freezer bags; celery leaves can be dehydrated and added to soups or stews.  

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.

U-PICK FLOWERS (only available on the farm):  The frost has come, so some of the flowers didn’t hold up as well like zinnias and celosias, but there are some frost-hardy varieties, so you are welcome to see what you can find.   Please contact us if it will be on other days besides Wednesdays and Fridays, so we can make sure to be around to show you where to go.  A bouquet per household of up to 20 stems will be part of your share for your last bouquet of the season.  You may want to bring a vase/jar to keep your flowers fresh going home, but we will have donated yogurt containers to fill with water as well.  Your bouquet is part of your share, although you may always feel free to make a donation to pay for seeds, if you like.  Extra bouquets are $5.

ONIONS:  You will receive Red Zeppelin (medium to large, globe-shaped bulbs with deep red color) and Copra (medium-sized, dark yellow-skinned storage onions; excellent storage onion staying firm and flavorful after most other varieties have sprouted; highest in sugar of the storage onions).   
-How to store:  will store for six months or more, if kept in a cold, dark place, but remove any ones starting to go soft from the others.

SWEET PEPPERS:  You will receive Cornitos (exceptionally sweet, smaller versions of Carmen , but can be bright yellow or red when ripe; “bull’s horn” pepper type), Green Bell Peppers (large blocky cells with fruity, slightly sweet flavor with green skin), or Poblanos (a mild chili pepper; dark gray-green, heart-shaped fruit, which is mildly pungent with a lightly sweet, medium hot flavor).
-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 in hydrator drawer for 1-2 weeks.

POTATOES (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

RADICCHIO:  This beautiful, gourmet, salad vegetable is often called “Italian chicory”;  colorful, white-veined, red leaves with appealingly bitter, nut-like texture; bitter and spicy taste which mellows if it is grilled or roasted.
-How to use: raw in salads, roasted, grilled, sauteed; excellent side dish for rich dishes; pairs nicely with beef roast or stews.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.

RADISHES (Bacchus):  stunning, purple, round radish with white inner flesh. Very good flavor and not too hot.
-How to use: raw, roasted, used in soups, sliced in salads, sandwiches, or stir-fries, grated in slaws; radish greens are delicious in soups or stir-fries and are an excellent source of vitamins!
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.

SPICY SALAD MIX (Spectrum): an amazing, mildly spicy, leafy salad mix of greens and reds with a wide variety of leaf shapes and sizes with ingredients such as Yukina Savoy, Golden Frills, Ruby Streaks, Tokyo Bekana, and Red Komatsuna.  
-How to use: used for salads and sauteing–cooks up quickly.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 2-4 days.

TATSOI: an Asian green with small, spoon-shaped, thick, dark-green leaves with tangy, sweet flavor.
-How to use: commonly eaten raw in salads, but can be cooked in stir-fries/soups.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag or wrap in a damp towel for up to a week.

WINTER SQUASH: You will receive each of the following: Carnival (multicolor Sweet Dumpling with colorful patches and flecks of dark and light green, orange, and yellow; sweet flesh and edible skin) and Delicata (small, oblong, creamy colored with long green stripes, only slightly ribbed; pale yellow, sweet flesh; edible skin), and Spaghetti (3-5 pounds, golden-yellow, oblong, smooth, medium size with “spaghetti” (stringy) flesh; bake like squash or boil and fork out the flesh, topping the “spaghetti” flesh with your favorite sauce; mildly sweet)
-How to use: boil, steam, saute, roast, grill;  good in soups or stews; add small amounts to yeast breads, muffins, cookies, pies, oatmeal
-How to store:  Keep for several months (depending on the variety) in a dry, moderately warm (50-60 degrees); will also store at room temperature.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. NEXT WEEK IS LAST WEEK OF EXTENDED FALL CSA:  This means Oct. 23 (Wed.), Oct. 24 (Fri.), and Oct. 25 (Sat.) are your last distribution days for our Extended Fall Shares, but please feel free to continue with our Thanksgiving CSA.  See details below. 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.  

2. THANKSGIVING CSA Registration is OPEN with New Pick Up Locations at AGRICOLE and PURE PASTURES!   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. 23 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) at the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market from 7 AM-12 PM, at Tantré Farm (Chelsea) from 2-5 PM, at Agricole (Chelsea) from 9 AM-5 PM, and Pure Pastures (Plymouth) from 10 AM-5 PM.

3. 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.
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.
Argus (Sat)– 10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Agricole (Sat)—8 A.M. to 5 P.M.

REFLECTIONS ON THE FARM
by Deb and Richard

    As the west wind blows in gusts all day, the yellow leaves are driven to the hedge rows. The native plums drop to the cool, damp earth, and the golden orange persimmons drop as well under their waving tree limbs.  An awakening of the tongue to the tart, sweet delight of indigenous sustenance!  The seeds to be scattered over the lawn and garden in hopes of more fruiting trees.  At this time of year we are also seeing a few hazel nuts after 3 years of waiting for the trees to get big enough.   The paw paw tree is dropping large, ovarian-shaped fruits to the delight of the young and the old, the insects, the raccoons, the opossums, and the ants.  The last of the summer peppers are bending their little stems down to the ground filled with sweet, tender, bold red flesh.  All of the squash has been carefully packed away into wooden crates and brought to the timber frame squash room atop the root cellar.  This is a true site to behold with crates stacked to the ceiling with shades of orange, red, yellow, green, and apricot peaking between the slats.  The radishes are growing better than they have grown all season with this cool, wet weather.  Fortunately not too many flies are able to lay their eggs into the crunchy radish delight.  Finally the flea beetles have slowed down their defoliation allowing the bok choy, arugula, and tatsoi to flourish unhindered, to grow fat and sweet without being eviscerated.

    And so it goes, the end of a wonderful Summer season and the beginning of a new one in this Extended Fall share.  And within this context we look forward to a slower season of great celebration and feasting for all that has been planted.  We especially are looking forward to testing out our newly renovated Earth Oven that was sculpted with a new covering on Sunday with the help and expertise of Brendan from Earth L’oven.  Thanks to the many hands that mixed the sand, clay, and straw, especially Eileen, who had the original idea to renovate. Many homemade farm pizzas will continue to feed our hungry farm crew, friendly CSA members, and many farm to table guests with produce from the Fall season. And as the seasons pass from one to another and the wild spirits find their ways to distant lands, we are grateful for all those who come to join us at our hearth to be fed and warmed by the fire of this supportive community.

RECIPES

WHOLE ROASTED ROMANESCO WITH LEMON-THYME VINAIGRETTE (http://community.epicurious.com/post/whole-roasted-romanesco)
1 Romanesco cauliflower
1 lemon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
pinch of salt
1 tsp. thyme
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut the back off the Romanesco, rinse and air dry, laying it flat on a sheet pan. Drizzle with several tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes until very tender, and browned at tips.  Whisk the juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves. Drizzle over the top of the roasted romanesco, and roast for another 5 minutes.Pull away individual florets to serve.

CELERY SALAD WITH ROASTED PEPPERS AND MOZZARELLA (from Farmer John’s Cookbook by John Peterson)  Serves 4-6
1 bunch celery
2 roasted red peppers, cut into strips
4 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into strips
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, hard-cooked, sliced
    Combine the celery, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and basil in a large bowl.  Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Pour the dressing over the salad; toss to coat.  Cover the bowl and chill for at least 2 hours.  Toss again before serving.  Arrange the egg slices decoratively around the salad.

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