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.
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
ARUGULA: an aromatic, bright green, salad green with a peppery mustard flavor; rich in iron and vitamins A and C. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
GREEN or YELLOW BEANS: You will receive Affirmed (straight, attractive, 5–6″, deep-green pods) or Goldilocks Yellow (beautiful bright yellow beans; 5–6″ pods are straight, attractive, and flavorful). See Week 9 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
CARROTS: You will receive Red Dragon (beautiful magenta-purple, smooth, thin skin and broad, Chantenay-type shoulders with orange internal color and yellow core) and/or Mokum (a very sweet, slender, orange “pencil carrot” with edible green leaves). See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
SWEET CORN: You will receive Vison (exceptionally tender, super sweet, yellow ears) OR Montauk (small, fancy, bicolor kernels on 8” long ears with superior, sweet flavor). See Week 12 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
U-PICK FLOWERS (only available for picking AT TANTRE FARM): We welcome you to the farm to pick your flowers on any day of the week, but 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. This week you can pick up to 16 stems per household with up to 3 sunflowers and an unlimited amount of dahlias this week in your bouquet of 16 flowers. Your bouquet is part of your share every week, although it is always greatly appreciated when you make a donation to pay for seeds and labor. Extra bouquets – $6/bunch for 10 stems. We hope you can come.
KALE (Green Curly): well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip”. See Week 2 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
LETTUCE MIX (Wildfire): 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.
STORAGE ONIONS: You will receive Patterson (medium-large, blocky bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks; excellent storage onion) and Redwing (the ultimate red storage onion; globe-shaped bulbs are 3–4 inches across, moderately pungent, very firm). See Week 14 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
SWEET PEPPERS: You will receive Carmen (6-inch long, tapered fruit that ripens from green to a deep “carmine” red; sweet taste in salads and when roasted and fully red-ripe) OR Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh). See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
POTATOES: You will receive Carola (yellow potato from Germany; smooth, creamy texture that is good for baking or frying) or Butte (russet baker that is highest in vitamin C and protein; great baked, mashed or fried). See Week 8 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
RADISHES: You will receive Cherriette (smooth, bright red roots with short green, edible tops and a sweet/hot taste), Pink Beauty (pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor), OR Purple Bacchus (stunning, purple, round radish with white inner flesh. Very good flavor and not too hot). See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
TOMATOES: You will receive a quart of Granadero (bright red, 4-5 oz plum tomatoes with very good flavor; thick-walled fruit are good for fresh tomato sauces, salsas, and salads). See Week 10 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
WHITE HAKUREI TURNIPS and GREENS: You will receive an edible bunch of white salad turnip greens with some small, round, smooth small roots with sweet, fruity flavor and a crisp, tender texture. Both roots (good source of Vitamin C, potassium, and calcium, and delicious raw!) and greens are edible and full of Vitamins A & C! This is the time of year to enjoy the greens!
-How to use: greens good in salads and soups and can be steamed or sautéed with onions; roots can be roasted, steamed, or sautéed.
-How to store: remove greens from turnip root and store separately in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 3 days; roots can last up to 1-2 weeks in refrigerator.
WINTER SQUASH (Acorn): small, green ribbed squash with pale yellow flesh; great stuffed with rice, breading, or soups
-How to use: slice in half, scoop seeds out and bake with a little water in baking pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender; boil or steam chunks for 15-20 minutes, or until tender (peel skins off “before” or “after“ cooked, but “after” is easiest when it’s cooled); mash cooked squash with butter; puree cooked squash for creamy soup, or add uncooked chunks to soups or stews; add small amounts to yeast breads, muffins, cookies, pies, oatmeal, etc.
-How to store: keep for several months (depending on the variety) in a dry, moderately warm (50-60 degrees), but not freezing location with 60-75 percent humidity; will also store at room temperature.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. ROAD CONSTRUCTION ON OLD US 12 TO TANTRE FARM until Sept. 25! Just a heads up for all of you traveling to Tantre Farm in the next 2 weeks, a section of Old US-12 between Liebeck Road and Sylvan Road will be closed to replace a culvert. Your Google Map should show you alternative routes, but if you don’t mind gravel roads, you can get off I-94 at Exit 157 and travel west on Old US 12 and take a left on Sylvan Rd (past the Road Closed sign), then turn right on Heim Rd, and then turn right on Hayes Rd. That will bring you right to our house the back way! There are several other ways to go through GPS.
2. STILL SPACES LEFT! SUMMER’S BOUNTY: COOK A JAPANESE FEAST AT TANTRE FARM WITH KORI KANAYAMA TODAY from 6 – 9 PM Please let us know if you are still interested in signing up for the cooking class on Sept. 13 by NOON today, since we have room for 1 or 2 more. We will cook up a feast with Kori Kanayama of grilled chicken on skewers, super tasty Japanese preparations of familiar vegetables, and a delectable dessert. Come enjoy a special meal for $30 per person to learn, build community, and enjoy feasting on the bounty of the summer through a cultural experience. We are offering a few scholarships at a reduced fee for those who come a bit early for prep support or stay a bit later to help clean up, so please let us know if you are interested in helping. This fee goes to Kori for her time to design and deliver a high quality cooking class with recipes, cooking coaching, and technical and cultural instructions, plus ingredients and materials. Please email us your NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER with SEPTEMBER COOKING CLASS in your Subject Line to register. You may pay with Venmo to @Deb-Lentz or with Cash or Check.
3. SHORT NOTICE! TOMATO PRESERVING WORKSHOP on Sept. 17: With all this cool weather, the tomatoes are slowing way down quickly, so it’s time to preserve tomatoes now, since they may not last much longer. This workshop is scheduled for THIS COMING SUNDAY, Sept. 17 from 1 to 4 PM. Long-time CSA Member, Jessica Read, will teach mostly how to can tomatoes, but also some information will be on dehydrating and freezing them. There will be active participation and “take-home” samples for those attending. Plan on bringing a Quart Size Canning Jar. Please register with your Name, Phone Number, and E-mail Address in the body of the email to us. There will be a small $5 fee for materials. Bulk tomatoes will be available for you to buy. This is a great time for canning, freezing, or dehydrating!
4. U-PICK & ALREADY PICKED TOMATOES AVAILABLE: The tomatoes are going quickly and won’t be around much longer, but we still have sauce tomatoes available for those of you interested in u-pick for preserving, whether canning, freezing, or dehydrating.
-U-PICK ROMAS: $1/lb on Wed AND Fri during CSA distribution times. You may also schedule the time on other days if needed, so we can show you where to pick and what to do.
-ALREADY PICKED SECONDS: $1 to $1.50/lb These tomatoes are pretty ripe and ready for preserving and may require some separating. Please come only on Wed. and Fri. during distribution and pick out tomatoes from the backyard picnic tables or schedule other days by texting Deb at 734-385-6748.
5. YOGURT QUARTS, PLASTIC OR PAPER “GROCERY BAGS” ARE NEEDED, if you would like to donate some to the farm.
6. U-PICK RASPBERRY PATCH OPEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THIS WEEK: We will be open on Sept. 16 and Sept. 17 from 8 AM-4 PM at HoneyBee Upick, so you will find ripe fall raspberries, extra Tantre produce, Elder Farms eggs, HoneyBee honey, and even a few u-pick flowers (dahlias, sunflowers, strawflowers, globe amaranth) for sale. U-pick raspberries are $6/pint and $4/half pint for Already Picked Raspberries. We also have opened a SELF SERVE produce wagon stand with a Payment Box, so you can come all week long to get produce even if our raspberry patch is not open. To keep informed go to https://www.tantrefarm.com/tantre-farm-raspberry-u-pick.
7. ENDING SUMMER CSA DATES: The end is drawing near for our Summer CSA. This is just a reminder that our summer shares are ending in just a few weeks. That means Sept. 27 (Wed.), Sept. 29 (Fri.), and Sept. 30 (Sat.) are the last distribution days for our Summer Shares.
8. EXTENDED FALL CSA REGISTRATION COMING SOON! Some of you have inquired about our Fall CSA’s. Our 4-week Extended Fall CSA will start the week of Oct. 1-7 through the last week of October for $150. You will receive a separate email announcing when registration is open, so you will not miss it. You can always look up general details on our website about each of our CSA programs. Thank you for your patience, while we work out a few more logistics!
9. HIRED HELP NEEDED: We are looking for additional help for the rest of the summer and into the fall. Please email us or fill out an application from our website at https://www.tantrefarm.com/internships/
10. 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 the whole time with some self check-in)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –6 PM to 8 PM (MARIS 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 the whole time 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 (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time)
*Argus-Packard (Sat) — 9 AM to 3 PM (ARGUS 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
AUTUMN MINESTRONE (from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special by the Moosewood Collective) Serves 6-8; makes 12 cups
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed winter squash (such as acorn, kabocha)
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
2 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 cups water
4 cups chopped kale
1 1/2 cup cooked (or 1- oz can) cannellini beans
Warm the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes. Add the squash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and water; cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are almost done. Add the kale and beans (drained) and simmer for another 5-7 minutes, until the kale is tender and the beans are hot.
SAUTEED HAKUREI TURNIPS and BRAISED GREENS Serves 6-8
1 bunch Hakurei Turnips with greens
1 lb greens (such as arugula or kale mix)
2 tsp oil, divide
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup water, apple juice or white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Cut the greens from the turnips. Wash and tear all the greens into large pieces and remove the stems. Cut the turnips into bite sized pieces. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Saute the turnips and onion stirring or tossing occasionally until they are crispy outside and tender inside. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a warm plate. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the washed and wet greens, and add to pan in batches. Stir and mix as they wilt. Add the wine or other liquid and cook until it is mostly evaporated. Lay the greens on a plate and arrange the warm turnips on top.
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