If needed, please contact Richard Andres & Deb Lentz at 2510 Hayes Rd. Chelsea, MI 48118 e-mail: info@tantrefarm.com phone: 734-475-4323 website: www.tantrefarm.com.
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 CSA INFO or under RECIPES.
If you are new to our CSA, you can find all past newsletters on our website under the NEWSLETTERS tab.
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
ARUGULA (Sylvetta): also known as “wild rocket” with more deeply lobed leaves and a more pungent flavor; an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor
-How to use: great in 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.
ASPARAGUS: Also known as “sparrowgrass”, you will receive these green or purple spears; each contains vitamins A, B, and C, and iron.
-How to use: serve raw, chopped in salads, or with dips. You can also steam, roast, grill.
-How to store: wrap in damp cloth and plastic bag, then refrigerate. Alternatively, bundle spears with rubber band and place upright in container with an inch of water.
RED ACE BEETS from Second Spring Farm: These certified organic, storage beets come from Reid Johnston of Second Spring Farm (www.secondspringfarm.net) in Cedar, MI. These round, smooth, deep red roots have a sweet flavor and can be used raw or cooked.
-How to use: 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
NAPA CABBAGE: crinkly, thickly veined leaves, which are cream-colored with celadon green tips; unlike the strong-flavored waxy leaves on round cabbage heads, these are thin, crisp, and delicately mild; good source of vitamin A, folic acid, and potassium.
-How to use: use raw, saute, bake, or braised; common in stir-fries and main ingredient in traditional kimchi; also eaten raw as a wrap for pork or oysters; the outer, tougher leaves are used in soups.
-How to store: refrigerate, tightly wrapped, up to 5 days.
COLLARD GREENS: dark-green, flat, large leaf; may be substituted for kale or other hearty greens recipes; use large leaf rolled up as a wrap and stuff with vegetables or hummus.
-How to use: for salads, soups, and light cooking.
-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
FRESH HERBS: You will be receiving fresh herbs off and on throughout the summer, since harvesting them often means they need a few weeks to recover before we harvest again. Here are a couple of links to help you know more about how to use fresh herbs: https://www.urbancultivator.net/cooking-with-fresh-herbs/. The following is a good link to help you identify your herb with images and descriptions: http://theherbexchange.com/25-best-herbs-to-grow-in-your-kitchen-garden/. 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. You will be receiving one of the following in your box:
1. Lemon Balm: these fragrant lemon-minty leaves make a delicate herbal tea, served hot or cold; good addition to lettuce or fruit salads and ice cream; nicely paired with grilled fish or lamb and tossed with steamed vegetables; also aids in depression, tension, or nausea.
2. Sage: an herb from an evergreen shrub in the mint family with long, narrow, grayish-green leaves; a musky aroma and a warm and spicy taste; used in making herb butter, sausages, stews, breads, pickles and teas. It is used for digestive problems, heartburn, depression, memory loss; used also in smudging negative energy from spaces.
3. Oregano—This member of the mint family is similar to marjoram, but not as sweet and more pungent, spicy flavor and no mint aroma; good in soups and tomato-based dishes; medicinally good for bee stings and made into a tea for indigestion.
KOHLRABI: a delicious bulbous member of the cabbage family about the size of a golf ball to tennis ball size with greens attached; green skin and crisp, apple-white flesh tubers and leaves. Most people enjoy taking the skin off and eating them raw, like an apple with a taste and texture somewhere between cabbage and broccoli stems.
-How to use: good steamed and then mashed with potatoes, added to soups or stews, or delicious sliced and eaten raw with dip; greens are edible and can be prepared just like kale.
-How to store: store in refrigerator for up to a month.
LETTUCE (Skyphos): You will receive either Skyphos (a beautiful butterhead with large, dark red heads and nicely contrasting green centers. Excellent flavor and texture, and rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C) or Tropicana (bright green, frilly, leaf lettuce forming wide rosettes that maintain a sweet flavor and crisp texture).
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or (believe it or not!) use in soups and smoothies.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.
ONIONS (Patterson) from Second Spring Farm: medium-large, blocky bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks; excellent storage onion. Tantre’s onions didn’t store as long this year, so thanks to our former intern (2003)-turned-farmer, Reid Johnston, of Second Spring Farm (www.secondspringfarm.net), he is providing you with his certified organic onions from Cedar, MI. Some of the tops may be a little soft since stored for the past several winter months, so please remember that you can just cut off the bad parts and chop the rest of the whole onions, use what you like, and freeze it in Ziploc bags instead of throwing it away.
-How to use: can be grilled or roasted or chopped in soups, meat dishes, and other veggie dishes for flavor
-How to store: will store for six months or more, if kept in a cold, dark place, but remove any ones starting to go soft from the others.
RADISHES (Pink Beauty): mildly spicy, pink-colored round root
-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 and are an excellent source of vitamins.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.
SPINACH: crisp, dark green leaf; best eaten raw or with minimal cooking to obtain the beneficial chlorophyll, rich in vitamins, iron and a plethora of other nutrients and antioxidants.
-How to use: delicious flavor when juiced, toss in fresh salad, add to sandwiches, saute, steam, braise, or add to crepes, quiche, lasagna, and soups.
-How to store: refrigerate with a damp towel/bag for up to 1 week.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. MISSING NEWSLETTERS: If you or your partner are missing any newsletters, please let us know, since there seem to be some glitchy things happening with those who use comcast.net, sbcglobal.net, yahoo.com, att.net, mac.com, and a few other email providers. Please make sure that you check your SPAM/JUNK folders to see if you are receiving emails, since we can’t always tell on our end. Let us know if you would like any missing newsletters sent to you throughout the season, or if we should add any missing emails for partners. Missing newsletters are also always on our website and posted by the end of the week.
2. STRAWBERRIES ARE JUST STARTING! We are opening on June 11, Saturday morning at 8 AM until 7 PM for strawberry picking for $4/lb or $5/qt at HoneyBee U-pick on the corner of Zeeb Rd. and Scio Church Rd. in Ann Arbor. If you use GPS use 5700 Scio Church Rd. and you will see a newly constructed timberframe barn in the middle of the field. We will provide buckets for picking, but please bring your own containers to transfer strawberries into or we will provide bags or cardboard trays. We will also try to have “already picked” berries there for sale at that location for $6/qt along with picked berries at the farm next week. There will be NO u-pick strawberries at Tantre Farm once again. Please let us know if you have any questions.
3. FAMILY FARM HIKE on FRIDAY, June 24, from 4-5 PM: Come join us for a guided monthly exploratory walk around Tantre Farm with CSA member, Alisse Portnoy, who teaches at the University of Michigan, and her daughter, Jessica. Alisse and Jessica are in their thirteenth year of once-a-week, long visits to the farm. They look forward to sharing some of its treasures and treasure spots with you. We’ll use all our senses as we take an approx. 45-60 minute hike. Meet at the picnic tables behind the Main House.
4. IMMUNE BOOSTER CSA: This is a collaborative, weekly CSA with several local farms and food businesses that you can opt in or out of each week called the Immune Booster. If you are interested in supplementing your share with more veggies and other locally produced and sourced, value-added products, please go to our website to sign up every Monday – Wednesday night. Pick up is from 9 AM to 12 PM every Saturday at the Washtenaw Food Hub and the Chelsea Farmers Market during the summer: http://www.tantrefarm.com/how-does-our-immune-booster-csa-work/. Still time to sign up this week and STRAWBERRIES are in this share! Sign up until midnight tonight. This makes a great gift share!
5. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER: Please use your Member Dashboard to schedule Vacations or Pick up Location Changes. Please let us know if there are any problems with Rescheduling.
*Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)—7 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there)
*MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 12 PM (SARA 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 there the whole time and opening the Hub farm market during pick up time!)
*Pure Pastures (Wed.)—9 AM to 11 AM (JESSICA there the whole time)
*Farm (Fri.)—2 PM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there with some self check-in)
**Community High School CHANGED TO AA 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.)—9 AM to 12 PM (DEB and staff there the whole time)
*Argus-Packard (Sat)**Change in starting time to 10:30 AM to 3 PM (ARGUS STAFF there the whole time)
*RoosRoast-Rosewood (Sat)–9 AM to 11 AM (LIZ is there the whole time)
*HoneyBee U-pick (Sat)–8 AM to 12 PM (Tantre Staff)
RECIPES
STEAMED KOHLRABI WITH LEMON BUTTER (from Farm-Fresh Recipes by Janet Majure) Serves 4
1 bulb kohlrabi
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 or 2 green onions, minced
1-2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1-2 Tbsp minced lemon balm (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Trim kohlrabi, but do not peel. Steam over simmering water, covered, for about 40 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly, then peel and chop. In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. Cook 2 minutes. Add kohlrabi and lemon balm; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Young kohlrabi greens can be cooked like kale or collard greens, so steamed sautéed or shredded into salads.
HERBAL LEMONADE (from Farmer John’s Cookbook by John Peterson) Serves 2-4
4 cups water
6 sprigs (about 5-inches long) fresh sage or lemon balm
3/4 cup sugar (or more, to taste)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot, and then reduce the heat so that the water barely simmers. Add the sprigs; cover and steep for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and remove the herb sprigs. (If necessary, strain the mixture to remove loose leaves.) Add the sugar; stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool. Put the lemon juice into a large plastic or glass container and add the cooled herbal syrup; stir until well combined. Taste the lemonade and sweeten it with additional sugar if desired. Refrigerate until cold. For an extra summery kick, garnish each serving with a sprig of fresh lemon balm.
SPINACH AND ASPARAGUS FRITTATA (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website) Serves 4
Filling:
1 bunch spinach, washed and drained, with stems removed
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 green onions, minced
Egg mixture:
8 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp whipping cream or water
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
Olive oil, to coat skillet
Preheat broiler. Mix ingredients well and pour into a greased 8-inch skillet and stir until set (about 5 minutes). Place under broiler for 2 minutes until top is golden brown. Cut into slices.
SAUTEED COLLARD GREENS WITH RAISINS (from https://www.marthastewart.com/318324/sauteed-collard-greens-with-raisins)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch collard greens (stalks removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise)
1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add collard greens and raisins; cook, tossing occasionally, until collards are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar. Serve sprinkled with toasted almonds.
SHREDDED NAPA CABBAGE SALAD WITH RADISHES, GOLDEN RAISINS, AND DIJON DRESSING (from https://www.marthastewart.com/317154/shredded-napa-cabbage-salad-with-radishes)
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, preferably whole grain
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 small head Napa cabbage (about 12 ounces), cored and shredded (6 cups)
4 or 5 radishes, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup golden raisins1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Toss together cabbage, radishes, golden raisins, and chives. Drizzle dressing over salad. Season with salt and pepper.