THIS WEEK’S SHARE

RED LEAF AMARANTH GREENS: You will receive a bunch of these vibrant burgundy-red streaked green leaves, which have a tender, nutty flavor; considered a nutritional powerhouse rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. Amaranth leaves are eaten all over the world in many cuisines and under many names, such as “Red Callaloo” in the Caribbean, “Quintonil” in Mexico “Saag” in India, “Vlita” in Greece, and known as pigweed, green amaranth, redroot amaranth, careless weed, and tumbleweed in the Americas. For more details read this article: https://www.bbg.org/article/weed_of_the_month_pigweed   

-How to use: use in soups or as a cooked green like spinach in pies, stews, or salads

-How to store: refrigerate for up to 1 week.

ARUGULA: You will receive a bag of Arugula (an aromatic, bright green, salad green with a peppery mustard flavor; rich in iron and vitamins A and C).

-How to use: add to salads, soups, and sautéed vegetable dishes.

-How to store: very perishable, so use up quickly; store in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

ITALIAN BASIL or LEMON BASIL: You will receive either Prospera Italian Large Leaf Basil (sweet aroma with notes of anise in its green leaves; traditionally used in pesto, tomato sauces, pesto, and salad dressings; originally from India where it was traded in ancient times via the spice routes) OR Lemon Basil (narrow, ovate, light green leaves producing lemon scent or strong citrus flavor; use fresh or dried in vinegars, fish, chicken, vegetables and soups; common herb found within Thai, Laotian, Indonesian and several Middle Eastern region cuisines; excellent informational link for lemon basil: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Lemon_Basil_152.php ). 

-How to store: store herbs upright with cut stems in 1 or 2 inches of water on your counter or table top. This herb does not store well in a refrigerator, since it does not like cold temperatures.

GREEN BEANS: You will receive Jade (long, slender, deep green, filet bean).

-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 (Tendersweet): midsize, flat heads; tender leaves are very thin, sweet, and crisp

-How to use: perfect for coleslaw or stir-fries

-How to store: refrigerate for up to 1 month

ORANGE CARROTS WITH GREENS (Hercules): sweet, orange, cone-shaped roots; good eating quality and stores well. Carrot leaves are very nutritious with lots of protein, minerals and high levels of vitamins, especially ‘C’ and ‘K’.  

-How to use: can be used raw as carrot sticks, grated in salads or juiced; steamed or sauteed, in stews, soups, casseroles, or stir-fries; great in Carrot Top Soup

-How to store: refrigerate roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks; greens may last up to a week refrigerated in plastic bag.

SLICING CUCUMBERS: long, cylindrical, green-skinned fruit of the gourd family with mild, crisp flesh; the thin skin doesn’t need peeling, unless waxed for longer shelf life in stores.  

-How to use: raw or pickled in salads or sandwiches, can also be julienned, sauteed, or baked.  

-How to store: store them in a sealed plastic bag in refrigerator crisper drawer for up to a week; use up leftovers as soon as possible.  

SUMMER ONIONS MIX (yellow, red, or cipollini): Summer onions have thin, light-colored skins, higher water content, and a milder, sweeter flavor than storage onions; shorter shelf-life than a storage onion. You will receive a young Ailsa Craig (a sweet, mild, yellow-skinned, round, heirloom onion), Red Long of Tropea (specialty variety of tall, elongated, red bulbs traditionally grown in Mediterranean Italy and France), or Cipollini (a traditional Italian onion known for its flat, oval shape and delicately mild, sweet flavor; ranges in size from 1-3 inches; used for pickling and to season a wide variety of dishes and especially good grilled on a skewer).

-How to use: ideal for slicing thinly into summer salads, burgers, and sandwiches; great for light sautés or grilling, as their high sugar content caramelizes beautifully; greens can be chopped into a salad or frozen for making stock

-How to store: wrap in damp towel or plastic bag in fridge for 2-7 days.

NEW POTATOES (Yukon Gold): New potatoes are just young potatoes that haven’t had time to convert their sugar fully into starch and often have a crisp, waxy texture and thin, underdeveloped wispy skins. You will receive Yukon Gold (yellowish brown skin with yellow dry flesh and pink eyes; long storage and good tasting).

-How to use: perfect baked, boiled, mashed or fried 

-How to store: refrigerate new potatoes if not used within 2-3 days, but use up sometime during the 1st or 2nd week of receiving them; these potatoes have not been cured, so will not last as long as “cured” potatoes, which should not be refrigerated, since low temperatures convert the starch to sugars and may turn dark when cooked. 

RADISHES (Pink Beauty): pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor; Excellent source of vitamins A, C, and the B’s!

-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 

-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.

CHERRY or GRAPE TOMATOES: You will receive any of the following: Five Star Grape (bright-red, sweetest, grape tomato with excellent, sweet flavor and firm, meaty texture with few seeds and little juice), Clementine (tangerine-colored, oval-round fruits; appealing, sweet-tart flavor; exceptional when halved and roasted), Cherry Bomb (vivid red fruits of cherry size; firm, sweet, and well-balanced), Sun Gold Cherry (exceptionally sweet, bright tangerine-orange-cherry tomato; less acidic than the red cherry tomato, so slightly less bland in flavor), Tomatoberry (unique strawberry-shaped, deep red colored fruits with firm, meaty texture and excellent sweet flavor) OR Verona (similar to Juliet, but with even tastier, somewhat plumper, deep red “cocktail plum” fruits; good in sauces and in salads), AND Heirloom Tomato –Brandywine (large, heirloom, beefsteak tomato–often over 1 lb–with a deep pink skin and smooth red flesh).

-How to use: saute, bake, broil, or grill; eat raw in salads or add to soups, stews, or sauces.

-How to store: keep at room temperature for up to 1 week.

WATERMELON (Red OR Yellow): You will receive one or two of any of the following Mini Love (sweet and firm, oval-round fruits avg. 5–7 lb and distinctive, bright green rind with dark green stripes and dense, bright red flesh), Natsu Cocoa (very uniform fruit with exceptional sweetness and dark green, tiger-striped rind; the epitome of summer—natsu means “summer” in Japanese), OR Sureness (superior yellow flesh watermelon with attractive dark green skin with narrow, dark green stripes and sweet, bright yellow flesh).

-How to use: slice, dice and serve as drinks, salads, or salsa.

-How to store: if melon seems not quite ripe, store at room temperature until sweet smell is coming from the soft, stem end; then store in the refrigerator.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

1. COMMUNITY TABLE: “MAKING BOTANICAL BATH BOMBS” with VIOLET WHITNEY at the WASHTENAW FOOD HUB on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5 at 6 PM to 7 PM: Join Violet Whitney, owner of Tiani Body Care, for a family-friendly bath bomb decorating activity with natural plant powders, herbs, and dried flowers. Learn about clean, plant-based ingredients and the local farms that grow the botanicals used in their thoughtful products.

*Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-table-botanical-bath-bombs-tickets-1993624432344

**You can check out our Food Hub calendar for all future events here: https://www.thewashtenawfoodhub.com/events/washtenaw-food-hub-events/

***If you are interested in sharing your skill or talent related to food/farming, sustainability, or community, please contact us at sunflowerfarmmarket@gmail.com. Although we may not be able to engage everyone’s skills, we welcome your ideas.

2. RETURN BOXES AND PLASTIC HALF PINTS: We are missing many share boxes, so before we have to order more boxes, we ask you to return your boxes this week, so we can reuse them. We also could use any plastic half pints that your tomatoes come in. Please save them and bring them back. Thank you!

3. TOMATO HARVESTERS OR WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: If you are interested in helping out on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays, we could really use the help, especially to harvest tomatoes in the morning between 7 AM and 11:30 AM. We will even feed you a homecooked lunch! Just email us with the Subject line saying TOMATO HELP or WEEDING HELP, so we know what you are interested in, and what days and times you are available. Thank you!

4. ROAD CONSTRUCTION ON OLD US 12 ON THE WAY TO TANTRE FARM: Starting Wednesday, July 29, the Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) started milling and resurfacing on Old US-12 between Rank Rd and Pierce Rd in Sylvan Township. The road will not be closed to traffic, but delays are likely due to intermittent lane restrictions. The asphalt resurfacing is expected to take approximately three weeks. All dates are tentative and subject to changes due to weather conditions. Please contact us if you get delayed or need to delay picking up your box for a day, so we know what happened if you have any problems getting to the farm.

5. HONEYBEE U-PICK (5700 Scio Church Rd., Ann Arbor): We are open Saturday from 8 AM until 12 PM with extra Tantre Farm produce and local honey at our farm stand for purchase. The blueberries are pretty much over, but you are always welcome to check for any when you come on Saturdays. No raspberries either this year, since we mowed down the old patch and planted a new crop for next year. Check our website daily if we are open. Sign up to be on our mailing list, so you know times, prices, weather-related closings, etc. here: https://www.tantrefarm.com/honey-bee.

6. ROAD CONSTRUCTION NEAR HONEYBEE UPICK: They are putting a roundabout in at the corner of Scio Church Road and Zeeb Road with construction supposedly lasting for the next 2 months. There are several alternate routes if you are coming from the East. 1) You can take Zeeb and turn west on Liberty (gravel) and then turn south or left onto Parker Rd (paved), and then turn left or east on Scio Church (paved) to HoneyBee. 2) Also, if you don’t mind gravel roads take Liberty Rd. (gravel) west to Strieter Rd (gravel), turn left or south on Strieter, and then turn left or east on Scio Church to HoneyBee. 3) If you’re coming from further south, you can travel west on Waters, then turn right or north on Strieter, take Strieter to Scio Church turning right or east and then take a left into HoneyBee. Get a map out to check out these options. If you’re coming from the west on Scio Church Road, you shouldn’t have any problems. Keep updated here: https://www.wcroads.org/wcrc-project/scio-church-rd-at-zeeb-rd-roundabout/

7. FARMERS MARKETS: If you need to supplement your share with a few extra items, we are set up at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market on Wed. and Sat. starting at 7 AM. We will also be at the Chelsea Farmers Market on Saturdays from 8 AM-1 PM. On top of that, our Sunflower Farm Market at the Washtenaw Food Hub Market is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 to 8 PM and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM to 5 PM, so please feel free to purchase all your basic local needs and a few extra treats at any of these markets. We will have a small farm stand at the HoneyBee U-pick during our CSA pick up times especially from 8 AM to 12 PM on Saturdays. Also every second Wednesday of May through August, we will be attending the Grass Lake Market, which is a monthly, downtown-wide event in Grass Lake, Michigan, offering a variety of local vendors, fresh produce, artisan goods, live music, food trucks, and family-friendly activities. It takes place on the second Wednesday of each month from May through August running from 4 to 8 PM.

8. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:

*Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)—7 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time)

*MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 9:30 AM (SARA there the whole time)

*Farm (Wed.)—10 AM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there with some self check-in)

*Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –4 PM to 8 PM (Come inside the new Sunflower Farm Market to pick up your share. STAFF there the whole time)

*Pure Pastures (Wed.) —9 AM to 11 AM (JESSICA there most of the time)

*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 5 PM (Come inside the new Sunflower Farm Market to pick up your share. STAFF there the whole time)

*Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)—8 AM to 12 PM (DEB there the whole time)

*Argus-Packard (Sat) — 9 AM to 3 PM (STAFF there the whole time)

*RoosRoast-Rosewood (Sat)–9 AM to 11 AM (LIZ there the whole time)

*HoneyBee U-pick (Sat)–8 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time)

WHAT’S AN HEIRLOOM?

by Joel Heeres – 2001 Tantre Alumnus

It’s not a loom for your heirs, as you might think. Heirloom fruit and vegetable varieties are hundreds and sometimes thousands of years old. Heirlooms differ in shape, color, size, flavor, and storability, but they all share one characteristic– their seeds can be saved one season to plant in the next. Heirloom varieties have been bred by local farmers and gardeners over many generations and have been established as stable varieties that grow “true to seed“. These varieties are special, because they have been adapted to certain climates over a long time. Today some of you will be receiving an old favorite– a round slicer heirloom tomato called “Brandywine”.

Heirloom vegetables are often more flavorful than hybrid vegetables. Hybrids are bred for high productivity, disease and pest resistance, drought resistance, and hardiness. While these traits are undeniably helpful, they often come at the cost of flavor. In addition, farmers cannot save seed from hybrid crops, as they are unstable crosses from two different varieties.  

In summary, heirloom crops are beneficial to small farmers and home gardeners, because their seeds can be saved to plant again. They have better flavor and are more unique than hybrids, although they can be less hardy and prone to diseases.  

At Tantré Farm, we grow both hybrid and heirloom crops. Some of the crops we grow from heirloom seeds are tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, winter squash, potatoes, onions, kale, beans, turnips, and radishes. Sometimes we will have some varieties of heirlooms only on the market tables, since we may not have a lot of them available. We’ll try to let you know when you are getting heirloom produce in your share box in the produce descriptions. 

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!

CUCUMBER, MINT AND WATERMELON SALAD (from http://andloveittoo.com ) Serves 6-8

2 medium or large cucumbers, cubed

4 cups watermelon (1 small or 1/2 medium), cubed

Juice from 1 lemon or 2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp crushed mint

1 cup raw cashews

In large serving bowl, mix together cucumbers and watermelon. Set aside.  In small mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, palm sugar and crushed mint, until palm sugar is completely incorporated.  Pour lemon-mint dressing over cucumbers and watermelon, refrigerate until ready to serve.  Immediately prior to serving, toss in raw cashews.  Serve cold.  

ARUGULA, EGG, AND TOMATO SALAD

1 bunch arugula

4 tomatoes

2 hard-boiled eggs

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

6 Tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp chopped parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash and spin off excess moisture. Remove tough stems. Cut tomatoes into 1-inch cubes. Peel and quarter eggs. Combine all ingredients and mix. Saute in olive oil for only 5 seconds and toss with pasta, if desired.

GREEN BEAN AND ROASTED TOMATO SALAD (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website) Serves 2 

4 tomatoes, each cut lengthwise into 4 slices 

1/4 tsp (heaping) Dijon mustard 

1/4 lb green beans, trimmed 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

2 Tbsp fresh orange juice 

1 tsp minced garlic 

1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice 

1 cup mixed salad greens (arugula, amaranth greens, etc.)

1/4 tsp freshly grated orange zest   

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes in one layer on baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until edges are browned, and cool. While tomatoes are roasting cook beans in salted boiling water 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. In a colander drain beans and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain beans and pat dry. In a bowl whisk together juices, zest, mustard, oil, shallot, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange tomatoes, overlapping them, on 2 plates and mound mixed salad greens and beans on top. Drizzle salads with vinaigrette. 

BRAISED CABBAGE AND POTATOES (adapted from https://thehungrybluebird.com/braised-cabbage-and-potatoes  /)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

3 slices bacon, diced

½ pound potatoes, cut in half length-wise

1 small cabbage, cored and shredded

2 small carrots, peeled and finely diced

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

½ cup chicken broth or stock, preferably homemade

In a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add bacon, onion and jalapeños, stir and cook until the bacon and onions start to brown, about 5 minutes. Push bacon/onion mixture to the side and add halved potatoes in the center of the pan. Let cook a minute or two and then stir and combine with other ingredients. Continue cooking and stirring for another 3 or 4 minutes until just starting to brown and get tender. Add cabbage, carrots and salt. Stir to combine and pour chicken stock into pan, reduce heat and simmer and cook, stirring often until cabbage is wilted and potatoes are tender, about 20 more minutes. Careful not to burn, adding more stock or water if needed. Taste for salt and serve with Carrot Ginger Soup. Maybe even garnish with Pea Shoots.

CUCUMBER SALAD (from Simple Food for the Good Life by Helen Nearing)

4 small unpeeled cucumbers, thinly sliced

6 young radishes, thinly sliced

Bunch of green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh dill weed

1 tsp fresh chopped thyme (*try substituting fresh basil)

1 cup sour cream

Combine the cucumbers, radishes, green onions, dill seed and thyme. Serve the mixture dressed with the sour cream.

LEMON BASIL TIPS: Chop lemon basil and puree with fresh blueberries and water, then serve as a cold soup. Blend fresh lemon basil with cream, then warm and serve over pasta. Add chopped fresh lemon basil to lemon cookie dough. Puree lemon basil leaves with 1/4 cup water, then mix with sweetened yogurt and freeze and serve frozen yogurt with grilled nectarines. Make lemon pesto and use any pesto recipe.

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