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 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, peppery greens for quick cooking or a salad; includes Kale, Tatsoi, Hon Tsai Tai, Green and Red Mustard).
-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.
BASIL (Prospera Italian Large Leaf): an herb with a sweet aroma with notes of anise in its green leaves; traditionally used in pesto. This tropical herb does not store well in a refrigerator, so it will last longer when stored in a jar, vase, or glass of water on your counter.
GREEN BEANS (Jade): long, slender, deep green, filet bean with sweet flavor.
-How to use: raw in salads, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, etc.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for up to 1 week.
GREEN CABBAGE: a sweet green cabbage; considered a beneficial digestive aid and intestinal cleanser; 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.
EGGPLANT: You will receive some variety such as Nadia (slender, purplish-black, glossy-like, bell-shaped fruit), Rosa Biana (an Italian heirloom; round fruit streaked with white and violet), or Orient Express (dark purple Asian type with long, slender, glossy fruits, which are tender, delicately flavored, and quick cooking).
-How to use: may be salted to remove bitterness from old fruit; can be baked, boiled, fried, grilled, or can be sliced into rounds for grilling or broiling, and cut into cubes for stews and stir-fries
-How to store: best fresh, but can be stored for up to 1 week.
U-PICK FRESH HERBS (at the farm): Due to a shortage in staff and reduced herb production, we are offering 1 free bunch of herbs for you to pick at the farm this week. You may choose from the following selection: purple or green basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, rosemary, sage, oregano, French sorrel, or thyme. You may come on Wednesday or Friday during normal distribution times (See Announcements #5) or please prearrange times on other days until Sunday, so someone is around to show you the Herb Garden.
-How to store: 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.
U-PICK FLOWERS (only available on the farm): Every summer we plant a variety of flowers to share with you until the first frost. These flowers are still available for the Extended Fall CSA members, so plan on coming to the farm if you are able and you may pick 16 stems per household. Please email 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. We will have clippers and donated yogurt containers for you to use. Your bouquet is part of your share, although it is always greatly appreciated when you make a donation to pay for seeds and labor. Extra bouquets – $5/bunch.
GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, and the immune system.
-How to use: salad dressings, sautéed in 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.
LETTUCE MIX (Wildfire): a bag of dark reds and vibrant greens including Green and Red Oakleaf; your lettuce has been rinsed once.
-How to use: raw in salads or use in soups.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.
MUSHROOMS (Shiitake): flower-like cracking pattern on brown cap; edible mushroom native to East Asia; good in sandwiches and cooked–see below; many medicinal qualities too; grown on logs. If you don’t care for mushrooms, then leave them for someone else or gift to someone!
-How to use: brush off dirt to clean or wipe with damp cloth, do not wash or submerge in water; good grilled, sauteed, steamed, in soups, and in sandwiches.
-How to store: place in paper bag or wax bag and keep in refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
SWEET PEPPERS: You will receive Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green or changing to red pepper) and/or Italian Sweet (8 inch long, conical, thick walled, red sweet peppers.
-How to use: can be added to salads, soups, stews, omelets, quiches, stir-fries, etc.; excellent stuffed.
-How to store: refrigerate unwashed in fridge for 1-2 weeks.
POTATOES: You will receive both Crimson King (attractive, oval tubers with red skin and red flesh; good for baking, boiling, roasting, or frying) and Adirondack Blue (round to oblong, slightly flattened tubers with blue skin and deep blue flesh; moist, flavorful flesh is superb for mashing or salads; very high in antioxidants!).
-How to store: keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag.
RADISHES (Pink Beauty): a pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor.
-How to use: raw, roasted, used in soups, sliced in salads, sandwiches, or stir-fries, grated in slaws; radish greens are delicious!
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.
U-PICK RASPBERRIES (only available at Honey Bee U-pick in Ann Arbor): Fall raspberries are beginning to slow down at Honey Bee U-pick site (5700 Scio Church Rd.), but still enough to pick 1 pint as part of your share for FREE on Wed (10/6), Sat (10/9), or Sun (10/10) this week. If you are less able-bodied with an injury or the inability to bend or walk very well, please PREORDER your 1 pint to pick up at the Honey Bee U-pick or at the Farm in Chelsea on Fri. afternoon or at the Ann Arbor or Chelsea Farmers Market on Saturday. To see updates go to https://www.tantrefarm.com/tantre-farm-raspberry-u-pick. Extra U-pick pints – $4/pint or extra Already Picked pints — $6/pint.
SWISS CHARD: close relative of garden beets; multi-colored, large veined, semi-crinkly, dark green leaves; mild flavor.
-How to use: greens can be prepared like spinach, and stalks like asparagus; good steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, and in soups.
-How to store: store in a plastic bag in fridge for up to 2-4 days.
WINTER SQUASH (Sunshine Kabocha): red-orange, flat-round fruit with dry, sweet, bright orange flesh.
-How to use: excellent baked, roasted, added to soups or stews and pureed in yeast breads, muffins, cookies, pies, etc.
-How to store: Keeps for several months at room temperature.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. VACATION HOLD or PICK UP RESCHEDULE: If you know that you are not able to pick up or need to reschedule pick up days, you can make those changes yourself by going to your Member Dashboard before Sunday of every week or email us to make changes. Please make a strong effort to PICK UP ALL OF YOUR SHARES in the next few weeks. If you miss a share pick up, it is available at the farm for the missed day and 1 day after, but please let us know ASAP, so we know what to do with your share and then we won’t have to call or text you.
2. PLANT WALK ON SUNDAY, Oct.10, from 12-2 PM: We are hosting a leisurely plant walk at Tantre Farm with our local foraging expert, Rachel Mifsud from “Will Forage For Food”. Her discussion will include information about identification, methods of harvest, preparation, and use of around 15 edible, medicinal, or otherwise useful plants and mushrooms. Unlimited class size, drop ins are welcome, and cost is $25. To register ahead of time or find more information, just go to her website at https://willforageforfood.square.site/
3. THANKSGIVING CSA on November 20: This CSA is NOT open for registration just yet, but we wanted to have you “save the date”, since it will open soon. A more detailed email notice will come to you soon. 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 with pick up on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Plymouth.
4. IMMUNE BOOSTER CSA: We will continue offering this CSA throughout the winter. This weekly CSA is a collaborative CSA with several local farms and food businesses that you can opt in or out of each week. A new menu is updated every week on our website with registration open Mon – Wed. Pick up is from 9 AM to 12 PM every Saturday in Ann Arbor and Chelsea: http://www.tantrefarm.com/how-does-our-immune-booster-csa-work/. Still time to sign up today until midnight!
5. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDERS: **Volunteers will be at each site during designated times below.
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)—7 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time)
*MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 10 AM (SARA will be there the whole time)
*Farm (Wed.)—10 AM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there with some self check-in)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.)–6 PM to 8 PM (LIZZIE will be there the whole time)
*Pure Pastures (Wed.)—9 AM to 5 PM (PURE PASTURES STAFF will be there with some self check-in)
*Farm (Fri.)—2 PM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there with some self check-in)
*Ann Arbor Farmers Market (Sat.) —7 AM to 12 PM (SHANNON there the whole time)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 AM to 12 PM (RYAN and Staff there the whole time)
*Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)—8 AM to 12 PM (DEB and staff there the whole time)
*Argus-Packard (Sat)—12 PM to 3 PM (ARGUS STAFF there the whole time)
*RoosRoast-Rosewood (Sat)–9 AM to 11 AM (DEBRA is there the whole time)
REFLECTIONS ON THE FARM
by Richard and Deb
A swirly whirlpool of clouds stood over Michigan these past few days spinning counterclockwise, eventually dumping many warm showers of rain and flooding our little farm and woods with puddles in the moist, soft soil. Conditions were ripe in the woods for tiny mycelium to reach their crescendo and begin pushing mushrooms out of a good many logs that we had inoculated in the spring. It was only a matter of days before tiny little buttons became great flopping mushrooms–some of them as big as our hand or a small dinner plate with fat gills! Our afternoon yesterday became a giant surprise as we harvested thousands of shiitake mushrooms in the coolness of the forest.
We also noticed a good many squirrels and chipmunks scampering among the mushroom logs and red elderberry bushes. It is good to see animals at home busily working to plant the continually bursting load of hickory, acorn, and beechnuts that punctuate the time of this season with the random rhythm of the clunking and knocking of nuts upon the dried leaves and branches decaying into the soil. And so it is the squirrels and the chipmunks, carry their food to their family or bury it in the forest floor to grow more trees and more squirrels. Such an interconnection with the trees growing tall and the squirrels carrying nuts to bury to grow more families of squirrels. What a wonder to observe this interconnection of all beings! What a delight to know the place of things and its purpose! To look upon and see both cooperation and competition in the forest in the fall.
What a wonder also to walk out of the forest with our back straining, as we lift and carry hundreds of pounds of shiitake mushrooms and share this health and flavor with our human family! We hope that you will have good health and a healthy sense of well-being from these nutrient dense foods in the days ahead. Thank you for being a part of our extended share and our extended family!
RECIPES
MUSHROOMS WITH BASIL (from https://www.marthastewart.com/907432/mushrooms-basil)
10 oz. mushrooms
1 Tbsp. olive oil
torn fresh basil
salt and pepper
Place mushrooms on a large piece of parchment-lined foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold into a tight packet and grill over medium-high until mushrooms are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.