TANTRE FARM CSA NEWSLETTER
Midwinter Morning’s Dream Share
February 14, 2015
Please contact Richard Andres & Deb Lentz at: 2510 Hayes Rd. Chelsea, MI 48118 tantrefarm@hotmail.com 734-475-4323
WELCOME TO THE MIDWINTER MORNING’S DREAM SHARE!
We find ourselves dreaming of a new growing season of small, green sprouts pushing through the moist, fertile soil as we spend these cold winter days in the glowing lights deep between the stacks of root cellar vegetables: carrots laden with beta carotene and anthocyanins, rainbow-colored potatoes, green crunchy cabbage, crispy red and white radishes, and golden rutabaga. It is within this context that we find many days spent in the middle of piles of last year’s roots and the dream of this year’s future garden. It is from this genesis that we bring to you this month’s food of the season with the collaboration of our good friends at Garden Works, the Brinery, Juicy Kitchen, El Harissa, Locavorious, and the Washtenaw Food Hub. There will be extra items for sale from each of these businesses with some discounts for CSA members, so plan on getting more to enjoy later. We also will have some other farms’ frozen, local chicken, beef, pork, and eggs for sale. Hope you enjoy this community effort of food goodness!
**PLEASE READ THIS!! We will be distributing all the vegetables for this share in a “BUFFET STYLE”, which means ALL vegetables will be in bulk containers, such as boxes or crates. It is set up as a self-serve situation with labeled amounts to take, so you can hand pick, what size, shape, or texture of each item you desire, so plan on an extra 15-20 minutes for you to weigh, count, and load up. This means that you need to BRING YOUR OWN BAGS, COOLERS, OR BOXES. We will have some boxes or bags available, but we would like to encourage you to provide your own. You will need to check off your name on the Pick up List when you arrive at the Washtenaw Food Hub from 9 AM until noon and Tantre Farm from 2 to 5 PM. Please ask for help if you need any help loading, since we will have extra farm crew to help. Also, please make sure that your final payment goes into the Payment Envelope at each distribution site on Saturday, if you haven’t paid for your share yet.
If you are still interested in squash, potatoes, radishes, turnips, rutabaga, onions, garlic, etc. after this share is eaten, please contact us at Tantre Farm or the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. We will continue to set up at the Market every Saturday, as long as it’s not so cold, but market starts at 8 AM and ends at 2 PM for these “winter hours”. If you have “liked” us on Tantre Farm’s Facebook page, you will know when we are coming and what we are bringing, since we try to keep you updated. The People’s Food Coop, Busch’s, and Argus Farm Stop of AA also continue to carry many of our vegetables throughout the winter and early spring.
If you are interested in our Summer CSA shares for 2015, please sign up on our online registration at www.tantrefarm.com. Our Summer CSA Season runs for 20 weeks starting the last week of May. You can find out more about our CSA program on our website under “About CSA”. Keep in mind that if you registered online for this share already, you are now considered a “Returning Member”, so select that link when you sign up. Please let us know if you have any problems, and we will help you figure it out.
Thanks for sharing our midwinter dream with you as we prepare for the warmth of spring.
–Deb and Richard
WHAT’S PART OF YOUR SHARE
FROZEN BLUEBERRIES (10 oz): Rena Basch, owner of Locavorious (a locally-grown, frozen Vegetable/Fruit CSA in Ann Arbor), sourced these blueberries from Pleasant Hill Organic Farm or Leduc Blueberries. Eat frozen berries right out of the bag. Add them to pancakes, muffins, & cobblers. Drop them into hot oatmeal. Make savory sauces like barbeque and chutney, or sweet condiments like jam and compote. Add to grass-fed beef hamburgers! Contact Rena for more information at rena@locavorious.com or visit www.locavorious.com. Extra frozen items will be for sale at a discount rate of $7/bag on Sat.
BYESAR WHITE BEAN DIP (1 pint): This traditional Tunisian recipe made with fava beans is a deliciously savory, high-protein dip for appetizers, guests, or a healthy snack provided by El Harissa (www.elharissa.com). El Harissa is a market and cafe located on 1516 North Maple Rd. in Ann Arbor featuring the foods of North Africa and Mediterranean Europe. Their specialties include Tunisian couscous and Moroccan tagine. Their Market stocks ingredients and spices from this region. In addition, they serve 20 flavors of artisan, Michigan-made, Italian gelato ice cream. Extra pints of bean dip will be for sale on Sat.
BREAD (Potato Rosemary): prepared and baked by Chef Dan Vernia at the Washtenaw Food Hub with multigrain flour from Westwind Milling up in Linden and potatoes from Tantre Farm. Extra bread will be for sale on Sat.
CABBAGE (Kaitlin): large, late-season cabbage that is excellent for kraut with a very white, rather than green, interior after storage; stores well into December or January.
-How to use: steamed, stir-fried, chopped into salads or coleslaw.
-How to store: It is best to store cabbage with its protective outer leaves until ready to use, so that it will last in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. When ready to eat, just peel off a few layers until you get to the crispy, clean leaves that will make it ready for eating.
CARROTS (Orange and Purple): You will receive these topless, frost-sweetened carrots–Bolero (orange, tender, excellent long-term, storage carrots with medium-long, thick, blunt roots) and Purple Majesty (deep purple roots; excellent grated raw or cooked; taste very similar to their orange cousins and should be embraced for their nutritional powerhouse benefits such as extra antioxidants, which help prevent blood clotting and heart diseases; anti-inflammatory as well as anti-bacterial properties).
-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; stores best in near freezing conditions around 32 degrees and 95% humidity.
GARLIC: You will receive Russian Red Garlic; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, and bolstering the immune system). The garlic and onions are combined in a netted bag.
-How to use: Excellent in all cooking; make garlic butter with 1/2 cup of softened butter mashed with four minced cloves of garlic
-How to store: store for several months in a cool, dark, dry, well-ventilated place; if cloves begin to get soft or moldy, break off bad part, chop, and pack into small jar filled with olive oil, then refrigerate (great gift idea!).
MICRO-GREENS: You will receive ¼ pound of pea shoots (which are extremely high in vitamins A & C and calcium) and ¼ pound of sunflower shoots from Garden Works Organic Farm. They are a certified organic 4.5 acre truck garden and greenhouse farm in Ann Arbor operating year-round with several types of heirloom vegetables, and wheatgrass, sunflower shoots and other microgreens available throughout the year. Visit Rob MacKercher at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market year round or contact gardenworksannarbor@yahoo.com for more information.
-How to use: use as a salad, blended with chopped radishes, turnips, and cabbage, excellent garnish as a soup, so yummy and tender!
-How to store: store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
ONIONS: You will receive Copra (medium-sized, dark yellow-skinned storage onions). The garlic and onions are combined in a netted bag.
-How to use: good in French onion soup, great for salads, soups, sandwiches, slices, grilled.
-How to store: can last for 10 to 12 months if kept in a cold, dark place, but remove any ones starting to go soft from the others.
POTATOES: You will receive the following varieties of potatoes including Adirondack Blue (round to oblong, slightly flattened tubers have glistening blue skin enclosing deep blue flesh; moist, flavorful flesh is superb for mashing or salads; very high in antioxidants!), Mountain Rose (rosy-skinned inside and out, these versatile, all-purpose spuds are deliciously moist, but not waxy textured. Extra nutritious, and high in antioxidants. Excellent baked, mashed or fried), German Butterball (a round to oblong tuber with lightly netted golden skin that wraps around deep yellow flesh. Slightly dry flesh, this is good for everything – frying, baking, mashing, soups), and Russian Banana Fingerlings (an heirloom potato with small, banana-shaped tubers with yellow skin and light yellow flesh; used by chefs for its delicious flavor and smooth “waxy” texture that doesn’t fall apart when cooked; good baked, boiled, or in salads).
-How to store: keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag; ideal temperature is 40-50 degrees with high humidity (80-90%). A basement, very cool closet, or semi- heated garage will also work. If too warm or stored with onions or apples, they will shrivel and sprout; light turns them green. Don’t refrigerate, since the starches turn to sugars.
RADISHES: You will receive 2 kinds of storage radishes: Daikon Radish (looks like an overgrown white carrot, but with a slightly mild radish taste; crunchy and sweet texture; good macrobiotic root that is good for the gut) and Watermelon Radish (an heirloom Chinese variety; large, 2-4”, round radishes with unique dark magenta flesh and light green/white skin along with a sweet, mildly spicy, delicious taste).
-How to use: soups, stews, steamed, roasted, eaten raw in salads, pickled, excellent julienned and tossed with favorite dressing.
-How to store: Store dry and unwashed in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; can last for 2-4 months if stored in cold, moist conditions like beets.
ROOT CELLAR SALAD: The Brinery has assembled a specially made salad of freshly shredded orange carrots, daikon radish, watermelon radish, rutabaga, cabbage, and raisins that is lightly dressed with a small amount of apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and olive oil with a sauerkraut flair. This is a salad laden with nutrition and probiotics!
-How to use: use as a delicious, crunchy salad, paired with your favorite holiday food; spread it on a sandwich, toss it as a garnish on your soup.
-How to store: best used fresh, but should store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
RUTABAGA: purplish, golden skin with yellow flesh; thought to be a cross between a cabbage and a turnip and resembles a large turnip about 3 to 5 inches in diameter.
-How to use: Bake, steam, or boil so it cooks up to a creamy texture as nice addition to mashed potatoes, can be substituted or added to pumpkin or squash pies, or baked in a root bake, and often a key ingredient in making pasties.
-How to store: Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 1 month; keeps at room temperature for 1 week; long term storage
SAUERKRAUT: We are pleased to offer a savory, deeply flavored jar of the Brinery’s Sauerkraut enriched with vegetables exclusively from Tantre Farm. Ingredients include green cabbage, Hakurei white turnips, kale, carrots, onions, and a sprinkling of sea salt. The Brinery is a local foods business, specializing in naturally fermented local vegetables and operated by long time Tantré farmer, David Klingenberger. For more information, please visit www.thebrinery.com. Extra discounted Brinery products will be for sale on Sat.
-How to use: use as a condiment with any dish, especially meat dishes, salads, roasted veggies, or sandwiches.
-How to store: Must be REFRIGERATED up to 3 months or longer depending on how you like the flavor, since it will get stronger with more age. *NOTE: This sauerkraut jar has NOT been canned, so store in refrigerator.
WHITE TURNIPS (Hakurei): a white salad turnip with round, smooth roots with a sweet, fruity flavor and a crisp, tender texture
-How to use: Boil, steam, bake, add to soups and stews, mash or scallop just like potatoes, excellent roasted.
-How to store: Keeps up to 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator in a plastic bag; can last for 4-5 months, if stored like beets, preferring cold and moist conditions.
WINTER SQUASH: You will receive the following varieties:
Jester Acorn (about the size of Carnival squash, but with better eating quality; an oval, ivory-colored squash with green striping between the ribs that is tapered on both ends with small to average ribs)
Buttercup Kabocha (green, blocky, with a gray “button” on the blossom end; thick, dry, deep orange flesh; medium-dry and sweet; very dry at harvest, sweeter after a few weeks; dry storage)
Black Forest Kabocha (smaller size kabocha; dark green, flat-round fruits; buttercup size with no button on end; orange flesh is medium-dry & sweet)
Sweet Dumpling (small 4-inch diameter, coloring is like the “Delicata”, but round, flat-topped shape; makes a great bowl for stuffing with rice, breading, or soups)
-How to use: Bake, steam, boil, sauté, roast.
-How to store: Keep for several months (depending on the variety) at 45-60 degrees with 60-75% humidity; will also store at room temperature.
-How to freeze: If you notice a squash is getting soft or a spot starts to rot, cook it immediately, and freeze it in freezer bags.
HOT AND SOUR CABBAGE SOUP (1 quart): This deliciously flavored vegetarian soup was prepared from scratch for you at Juicy Kitchen (www.juicykitchen-a2.com) located at 1506 N. Maple Rd. in Ann Arbor. Their mission is to nurture people with healthy, creative, flavorful food prepared with love, through their cafe, prepared meals to-go, & custom catering. They use locally sourced and organic produce whenever they can and they use their own vegetable stock. Extra soup will be for sale until it runs out.
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 “recipes” at the end, and many recipe ideas will pop up. Have fun searching! Lots and lots of ideas!
TANTRÉ FARM SLAW (A simple, easy salad!) Serves 4.
2 medium beets, grated
3 large carrots, grated
2 turnips, grated
1 watermelon radish, grated
2-3 scallions or 1 onion, chopped (optional)
sesame or sunflower seeds, toasted
olive oil or toasted sesame oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Grate vegetables into a bowl. Chop scallions, if desired, and add to bowl. Toast sesame or sunflower seeds. Add when cooled. Add olive oil and lemon juice as a salad dressing to suit your taste. Be careful of too much liquid. The tartness of the lemon should be prominent. Serve immediately or marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator.
TANTRE FARM OVEN-ROASTED HARVEST VEGETABLES (Keep in mind, any combination of the following root vegetables will work. Roasted veggies are standard at many Tantre Farm meals.)
1 c. Brussels sprouts, cut in halves
1 c. carrots, quartered or chunks
1/2 lb. unpeeled multi-colored potatoes, cut into chunks if large
1 watermelon radish, julienned
3-4 onions, sliced
1 rutabaga, cut into chunks
1 c. white turnips, cut into chunks
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. winter squash, cut into chunks
3-4 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. chopped sage or rosemary
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine any combination of vegetables above in large bowl, except parsley. Drizzle oil over. Sprinkle with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper; toss gently to coat. Bake for 30 minutes in 1 or 2 roasting pans or until vegetables are beginning to slightly brown. Turn the vegetables 2 or 3 times during cooking to prevent burning. Then increase heat to 425° and add chopped parsley (or may be added as a fresh garnish at the very end), toss vegetables, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Makes 6-8 servings.
PURPLE CARROT AND GINGER SOUP (from www.greatist.com) Serves 2.
4 large purple carrots
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 scallions
2 shallots
2-inch nob fresh ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
4 dashes dried coriander
Up to 1 cup of warm water (or warmed vegetable stock)
Peel and roughly chop the carrots, and finely chop the scallions, shallot, and ginger. In a small pot, combine the carrots with 1 cup of water. Bring heat up to medium and cover. Let the carrots boil in the water until they are cooked through but not entirely mushy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, in a pan over medium heat melt 2 teaspoons of unsalted butter and add the scallions, shallot, ginger, salt, and pepper. Cook until the shallot begins to soften and turn transparent. Transfer the boiled carrots (with the cooking water) and cooked veggies to a food processor. Add the coriander and up to 1 cup of warm water or warm vegetable stock to reach desired consistency. Process until smooth. (I personally like mine on the thicker side, almost like a pudding, so I don’t add much extra liquid, but make it as think or as thin as you like!) Serve garnished with a few extra scallions and a slice of ginger, and enjoy!
ETHIOPIAN CABBAGE DISH (from http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/152937/ethiopian-cabbage-dish) Serves 5.
1/2 cup olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon 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 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
WATERMELON RADISH SALAD (http://www.inerikaskitchen.com/2011/01/watermelon-radish-salad-recipe.html)
2 large watermelon radishes
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt
Peel the very outer layer off the radishes – not too much, because you still want the outer layer to look green. Grate or shred the watermelon radishes using the Kyocera julienne slicer mentioned above, or the largest holes of a box grater, or your food processor. In a large bowl, toss the watermelon radish shreds with the lemon juice and olive oil, and add a pinch of salt. Taste and add more salt if you like. Serve chilled.
CREAMY GARLIC MASHED POTATOES (Serves: 10 to 12 servings)
3 1/2 pounds potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
6 cloves garlic, crushed
6 ounces grated Parmesan
3 pounds rutabaga, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (optional)
Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork. If cooking the rutabaga, boil in salted water for 30 minutes and then take off heat and drain. Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash potatoes and rutubaga and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.
ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP (from www.allrecipes.com) Servings: 8
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
1 pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
cooking spray or oil
1 small butternut or kabocha squash – peeled, seeded, and chunked
3 rutabagas, peeled and cubed
4 parsnips or carrots, thickly sliced
4 potatoes, halved
10 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons white truffle oil (optional)
With a mortar and pestle, grind together rosemary and kosher salt. Pour in olive oil and continue to mash until the oil starts to turn a darker green. Set aside for about an hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray or brush with oil. Place the squash, rutabagas, parsnips and potatoes in a large bowl. Pour the olive oil mixture through a fine-mesh strainer over the vegetables and toss them with oil to coat. Evenly spread vegetables on the prepared pan and roast 30 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through. While the vegetables are roasting, simmer stock in a large pot over medium low heat. When the vegetables are done add them to the simmering stock and simmer together for about 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot, or puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Add extra broth or water if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warmed bowls, garnishing each serving by drizzling a quarter teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and a quarter teaspoon of white truffle oil over the soup.
INDIAN STYLE TURNIPS OR RADISH
1 bunch turnips or 1 bunch radishes (well washed and chopped)
1 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. mustard seeds
1-2 Tbs. oil
chili powder to taste
salt to taste
1 tsp. coriander powder
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
In sauté pan, heat oil on high heat. Add turmeric, mustard seeds, chili powder, coriander powder, salt. Stir over med-high heat for 2-3 min. Add turnips (root) and coat well with oil/spice mixture. Cook over med-high heat for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook on med-high heat for a couple of minutes. Turn heat down to low and cover for 5 min. Cook until desired consistency for turnips is achieved (some like crunch, some like soft). Serve as side dish or main meal for one person.
SAVORY-SWEET RUTABAGA PUDDING (from Farmer John’s Cookbook by John Peterson) Serves 6 to 8
1 large rutabaga (about 2 pounds), peeled, diced into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
butter for greasing the baking dish
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins, plumped in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rutabaga and 1 teaspoon salt, partially cover, and cook until the rutabaga is very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. (You will need to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.) Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with butter. Beat the eggs and egg yolk in a medium bowl. Stir in the cream, bread crumbs, maple syrup, and nutmeg. Drain the rutabaga, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Mash the rutabaga thoroughly with a potato masher or run it through a food mill. If the mixture seems dry, add a little of the reserved rutabaga water as you mash. Add the egg mixture, raisins, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of pepper; stir to combine. Transfer the rutabaga pudding to the prepared baking dish. Smooth the top and dot with butter. Bake until lightly golden on top, about 45 minutes. Serve hot.
CARROT AND DAIKON SLAW
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/8 in. julienne (matchsticks)
1 six-inch daikon radish, peeled & cut into julienne
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp. unsalted rice vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
Combine all ingredients in bowl, cover and let stand at least 1/2 hour. Season to taste, and serve. Makes 2 servings.
GARLIC CROUTONS (from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables)
Ingredients: garlic cloves (peeled, top sliced off), stale bread, olive oil, salt
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Brush both sides of the bread with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the bread on a baking sheet and sprinkle tops lightly with salt. Bake until lightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes, checking frequently to make sure bread doesn’t burn. Remove the bread from the oven and rub all over with the cut side of the garlic cloves. Cut the bread into smaller pieces if desired. The bread is ready to be used or stored.
RUTABAGA PUFF (From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm-Fresh, Seasonal Produce by Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition—1st edition) Serves 2-3.
2 cups mashed, cooked rutabaga
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. ground mace
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. butter, in small pieces
Combine mashed rutabaga with bread crumbs, sugar, mace, ginger, and salt. Beat milk and egg together; stir into rutabaga mixture. Pour into greased casserole dish and dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees until top is lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Serve.
FRESH CARROT JUICE (Simple Food for the Good Life by Helen Nearing)
1 pound carrots
1/2 pound apples
2 beets, sliced and peeled
Core the apples, but do not peel. Cut them in quarters. Put carrots, apples and beets through juicer or blender. Chill and serve.