THIS WEEK’S SHARE

GREENS ADVICE for the entire season: Please keep in mind that there are a lot greens at this early part of the farm season, so basically, “It’s salad time!” If you’re not sure how best to enjoy your greens, taste it. If it’s too strong-flavored for a salad, then cook it. Greens can be eaten raw in a salad or lightly steamed or sautéed with garlic, green onions, or butter in order to mellow their flavor. They can also be tossed into a dish (such as soup or a smoothie) for an extra nutritional and flavorful boost. 

BROCCOLI or GREEN CABBAGE: You will receive either Broccoli (deep emerald green, tiny buds that are clustered on top of stout, edible stems; high in vitamins A, C, calcium, potassium, and iron; known as an anti-cancer) or 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: use raw in salads, steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, in casseroles, soups, pizzas, etc.

-How to store: store loosely in plastic bag for up to a week.

BEETS with GREENS: You will receive a mix of Red Ace (round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and medium-tall, red-veined green leaves) or Chioggia (Italian variety with leaves all green and pink-striped stems; root has cherry red, candy-striped flesh and has a sweet, mild flavor) or Golden (orange skin with rich gold interior; mild, sweet flavor when cooked).

-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.

ORANGE CARROTS WITH GREENS (Mokum): a very sweet, slender, “pencil carrot”. 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.

-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. 

GREEN CURLY KALE: well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip” and kale salad.

-How to use: Boil or steam until color brightens; great in omelets, quiches, lasagna, casseroles, soups, stews, salads, and smoothies.

-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks. 

RED LETTUCE or LETTUCE MIX: You will receive Cherokee Lettuce (a red Summer Crisp with medium-sized, red heads with thick, crisp leaves that have some green with dark red color streaks; crisp texture and mild, nutty flavor; rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C) OR Wildfire Lettuce Mix (a beautiful bag of dark reds and vibrant greens including Green and Red Oakleaf, Green and Red Romaine, and Redleaf lettuces; your lettuce has been rinsed once).

-How to use: raw in salads or (believe it or not!) use in soups.

-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days..

SUMMER ONIONS (Ailsa Craig): Summer onions have thin, light-colored skins and attached edible green top, 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, heirloom onion).

-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 RED NORLAND POTATOES: 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 Red Norland (an early-maturing, waxy potato characterized by a smooth, red skin and bright white flesh; great baked, boiled, or roasted).

-How to use: good boiled or pan-roasted, but particularly suited for potato salad, since they hold their shape well after being cut and cooked.   

-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. 

ZUCCHINI (Golden or Green): gourmet golden and green zucchini with uniform, cylindrical fruits. 

-How to use: use in salads, dips, grilled, casseroles, stuffed, or mashed with butter and seasonings.

-How to store: store in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. COMMUNITY TABLE: “LIGHTBRIDGE ACADEMY” with STEPHANIE FIELDS at the WASHTENAW FOOD HUB TODAY (JULY 15) at 6 PM to 7 PM: Lightbridge Academy of Ann Arbor, a new early childhood education center opening this fall, will share information about its high-quality childcare programs, community-centered values, and plans to incorporate local foods from Harvest Kitchen at the Washtenaw Food Hub into student’s lunches. Families can enjoy a hands-on activity for children, while parents learn more about the program and connect with staff.

*Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-table-lightbridge-academy-tickets-1991515158449

**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. PLANT & MUSHROOM WALK on WED JULY 15 – 6 to 8 PM at TANTRE FARM: Please join local foraging expert, Rachel Mifsud, to learn about plants and mushrooms. Plant walks are an excellent learning opportunities for those with beginning to intermediate foraging skills, and for anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of the local flora. Our discussion will include information about identification, methods of harvest, preparation, and use. We will explore the area and chose around 20-25 edible, medicinal, or otherwise useful plants and mushrooms to focus on. Kids under 12 are free with paid adult. Walks are almost never cancelled due to weather (one time in 16 years), so dress accordingly. We will be mostly on trails, no need to dress for bushwhacking. You may want to bring a notebook, camera, and water. No other gear is required. Just meet in the front driveway of the main house. Register here for $25: https://www.willforageforfood.com/store/p/walks

3. 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. We have a limited number of blueberries for u-pick, but they are ripening up nicely. It is unlikely that we will have already picked blueberries available, unless we get some volunteers to help out on Friday or Saturday. 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 .

4. 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/

5. WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: If you are interested in helping out–even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes before you pick up your box at the farm, come join us. We definitely could use the help!! Please email us any day of the week or evenings until dark with WEEDING in the Subject Line. Thank you!

6. 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 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 also have a small farm stand at the HoneyBee U-pick during our CSA pick up times especially from 8 AM to 12 PM this weekend. 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.

7. 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)

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!

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 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 head cabbage (or broccoli), shredded

5 potatoes, 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. 

ZUCCHINI CUCUMBER SOUP (from Gourmet, August 2006)

1 lb zucchini or summer squash variety, chopped

3/4 lb seedless cucumber (about 2 cups) or scoop seeds out

1/3 cup chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 tsp chopped fresh hot green chile

1 1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 cup creme fraiche (4 oz) or plain yogurt

Garnish with fresh cilantro, dill, or parsley, chopped

Puree zucchini, cucumber, onion, vinegar, water, chile, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon coriander in a blender until very smooth. Whisk remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon coriander into creme fraiche or yogurt. Serve topped with dollops of creme fraiche or yogurt and cilantro or parsley. 

BEET, CUCUMBER, AND SWEET ONION SALAD WITH DIJON-HONEY DRESSING (from Bon Appetit, July 2002)

6 medium beets, trimmed 

1 large cucumber, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

1/2 sweet onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced 

4 tsp honey

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/3 cup corn oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each beet in foil, enclosing completely. Place on rack in oven and bake until beets are tender when pierced with fork, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool in foil. Peel beets, then cut each into 6 slices. Arrange beets, slightly overlapping, on half of large platter. Arrange cucumber slices on other half. Scatter onion in center. (Can be made 4 hours ahead; chill.) Whisk honey, vinegar, and mustard in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over vegetables.

SCALLOPED KALE AND POTATOES (from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin)

1 lb kale

5 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese

6 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt 

1 1/4 cups milk

Clean and pull the stems from the kale leaves. Cook about 7 minutes. Drain and cool. Chop and set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a 10x10x2-inch baking dish or other shallow baking dish. Spread half the potato slices on the bottom of the dish. Spread on all of the kale; then sprinkle on the garlic and half of the cheese, butter salt and pepper. Top with the remaining potato slices, cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Carefully pour in the milk and gently shake the dish to distribute. Bake 50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the top is nicely browned.

EARLY SPRING MEDLEY (from Simple Food for the Good Life by Helen Nearing)

4 Tbsp oil or butter

3 onions, sliced in rings

6 outer leaves of lettuce, chopped

2 cups peas

2 carrots, sliced

1 cup new potatoes, cubed

Heat oil in heavy pot. Add vegetables. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. When carrots are tender, take off heat and serve.

Back to top