Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK 6
June 29-July 5, 2014

If needed, please contact Richard Andres & Deb Lentz at 2510 Hayes Rd. Chelsea, MI 48118 e-mail: tantrefarm@hotmail.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.

We also try to keep the formatted 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.

**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.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE

FAVA BEANS: (also called faba bean, horse bean, or broad bean) the pod is inedible and looks like a large bean pod; the bean seed resembles a very large lima bean with a tart, pungent flavor; fresh fava beans should be shelled from pod if skin seems tough, but bean seed can be eaten raw, skin and all, if young enough.
-To skin fava beans: Blanch for 1 minute, then drain and cool. With your thumbnail, pull open the sprout end and squeeze the bean out of its skin.
-How to use: Stew skinned beans in a little butter, oil or cream seasoned with savory, thyme or sage. SautÈ with other vegetables and toss with pasta. Good in soups. Lots of recipes on the internet.
-How to store: Store fresh, unshelled beans in the refrigerator up to a week; once shelled, blanched and skinned, favas can be frozen in plastic containers for longer storage; shelled beans are best used within a few days. See “Beans” for recipes in the A to Z Cookbook, if you have it, and also this newsletter. Delicious!

RED BEETS & GREENS: smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and medium-tall, red-veined green leaves. *The beet greens are especially delicious right now, and can be used like spinach.

GARLIC SCAPES: This popular and highly delectable flower top of a garlic plant has a slender green stem with a slight bulge at the bottom (resemble chives, except for the bulge and often curled); tender and milder in flavor than mature garlic, but can be substituted for garlic cloves in recipes. See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage information.

FRESH HERBS: In general, store herbs upright with cut stems in 1 or 2 inches of water and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or wrap in slightly dampened cloth and store in refrigerator. You may choose 1 out the following 3 herbs this week:
Black-stemmed Peppermint–forest green leaves with deep purple veins and stems, purple flowers; leaves are good as a hot or iced tea; adds a delicious flavor when minced and added to cooked peas, carrots, potatoes, salads, and fresh strawberries.
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.
Thyme– tiny green leaves used in meat and vegetable dishes and most casseroles, soups, stews, and medicinal teas, which soothe sore throats. The flowers are edible and make nice garnishes

KALE: You will receive Green Curly (well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip”).
See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage information.

KOHLRABI: delicious bulbous member of the cabbage family, that grows above ground; purple or green skin and crisp, apple-white flesh tubers and leaves are good sources of vitamins C and A, calcium, potassium, and fiber.
How to use: good steamed and then mashed with potatoes, added to soups or stews, or delicious sliced and eaten raw with dip
How to store: store in refrigerator for up to a month

SHELLING or SNAP PEAS: You may receive Shelling Peas (easy to shell with delicious flavor for fresh eating and freezing) or Sugar Snap Peas (“round” pod of edible-pod pea). Chew on the pod to test if they are edible pods or tough-skinned shelling pea. See Week 4 newsletter for usage and storage information.

SALAD MIX: a custom mix of baby lettuces, spicy mix, Asian greens, and arugula.
How to use: add to salads, soups, and sautÈed vegetable dishes
How to store: very perishable, so use up quickly; store in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

SUMMER ONIONS (Red or White): slightly larger bulbs (“baby bulb onions”) than green onions, but both bulb and leaves are still edible; can be prepared like cippolini onions. See Week 5 newsletter for usage and storage information.

SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI: You will receive some variety of Green/Yellow Zucchini (gourmet golden zucchini with uniform, cylindrical fruits) or Yellow Crookneck (long, curved neck with a sometimes bumpy, yellow skin; buttery flavor and firm texture) or Patty Pan (tender, rounded scallop, bright yellow squash with a green tip; nutty flavor). *Keep in mind “zucchini” and “summer squash” are basically interchangeable in recipes.
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.

SWISS CHARD: close relative of garden beets; large veined, semi-crinkly, dark green leaves; mild flavor; good source of vitamins A, E, & C, as well as iron & calcium.
How to use: greens can be prepared like spinach, and stalks like asparagus; good steamed, sautÈed, stir-fried, and in soups.
How to store: wrap in damp cloth in a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 2-4 days.
How to freeze: Chard leaves freeze easily. Chop leaves, blanch for 3 minutes, dunk in cold water immediately, drain, and freeze in freezer containers/bags.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. KID FARM HIKE: Come join us for a guided monthly exploratory walk around Tantre Farm on Friday, July 11, at 2 PM. We’ll use all our senses as we take an approx. 45-60 minute hike with CSA member, Alisse Portnoy, who teaches at the University of Michigan. She and her daughter are in their fifth year of once-a-week day-long visits to the farm. They look forward to sharing some of its treasures and treasure spots with you. Meet at the Main House’s Distribution Shed at 2 pm. No RSVP necessary, but if you email that you plan to attend, then we know to wait for you.

2. “F0RAGE AND PRESERVE” CLASS: Local forager, Rachel Mifsud, will be leading this class at Tantre Farm on Sat., July 26. We will spend the afternoon in the farm’s summer kitchen using lawn weeds and common garden herbs to produce medicines. This is your chance to learn how to make salves, liniments, tinctures, and healing teas. This class will not include a plant walk. All plants will be pre-harvested, so that we can focus on learning the techniques. Tentative products (subject to change): 1) Bug Bite Butter 2) Headache Tincture 3) Tummy Tea 4) Sleepy Tea 5) Ache Liniment. Cost: special rate of $15 for Tantre CSA members (non members $30), which includes instruction, foraged tea and snacks, and 5 herbal products. This is an excellent value! RSVP REQUIRED until the class is full. Please include your name, email address and phone number in the body of your email.

3. “LULU” COOKING CLASS ON June 25 was delicious: Thanks to Laenne and Eric for sharing their culinary talents as we created and consumed 5 courses from garlic scape crostini with sheep’s milk ricotta to Pasta with Wilted Greens, Roasted Potatoes, Sage, and Cheese. Thanks to our 16 CSA members who attended and helped with enthusiasm, tenacity, and a hearty appetite!

4. WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: There are always a generous amount of weeds on the farm, especially with all this rain. 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. Please contact us any day of the week or evenings until dark. We could really use the help with the weeds right now. Thanks for volunteering!

5. VACATIONS or OUT OF TOWN: Please remember to contact us at least by Sunday to make changes in pick up days or locations. If someone else is picking up your share while you are out of town, you may want to give them our contact information, so they can let us know if they forgot to pick up or can’t make it at the last minute. Then we will know what to do with the forgotten box.

6. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)–7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Farm (Wed.)–10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –6 P.M. to 8 P.M.
Farm (Fri.)–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Community High School (Sat.) –7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)ó10 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)–8 A.M. to 12 P.M.

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”, and many recipe ideas will pop up. Have fun searching! Lots and lots of ideas!

BAYOU SUMMER SQUASH (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried or 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 lbs summer squash or zucchini, cut in rounds
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
safflower or peanut oil for frying

Combine the salt, spices, and thyme in a small bowl. Sprinkle the squash rounds with a teaspoon of the mix. Divide the remaining spice mix in half and stir one half into the flour and the other half into the cornmeal. Beat together the egg and milk. Heat 1 inch of safflower or peanut oil in a deep saucepan or frying pan to 350 degrees. Using your hands, quickly toss the squash in the flour and shake off excess. Toss in the milk and egg, then dip in the cornmeal to coat, shaking off excess. Deep-fry for about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve at once.

FAVA BEAN SALAD (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website)
1 lb. Fava beans, shelled
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley OR cilantro
pinch ground pepper

Boil the beans in slightly salted water until tender. Drain and cool. Blend oil and vinegar together with salt and pepper. Stir in onion and garlic. Place Favas in serving dish and pour oil and vinegar dressing over them. Sprinkle with chopped herbs.

HERBED GREEN PEA SOUP (from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)
4 scallions or summer onions, chopped
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. fresh thyme
2 Tbs. fresh tarragon
1 pound fresh shelled green peas (about 3 cups)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cups hot water
1 cup milk

In a soup pot, sautÈ the scallions in the oil for a minute.† Add the thyme and tarragon, and sautÈ for another few minutes.† Stir in the peas, nutmeg, salt, pepper and hot water.† Cover and bring to a boil.† Boil for 2 minutes, until the peas are tender but still bright green.† Using a slotted spoon remove about 1 cup of the peas to add back to the pureed mixture.† Blend the rest of the soup and then return to the pot and add the milk and reserved peas.† Gently reheat and serve warm or chill for about 1 1/2 hours.† Makes about 4 cups.

Back to top