Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK 5
June 23-29, 2013
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 don’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
ARUGULA : an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage information.
ASPARAGUS (Due to the end of the asparagus season, this will be the last week of asparagus for Wed./Fri. “On Farm” pick up members ONLY): You will receive green, purple, or white variety. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage information.
BEETS & GREENS: You will receive Cylindra (uniquely-shaped 6” cylindrical beet with especially sweet flavor; this heirloom is a favorite with chefs due to uniform slices and ease of peeling) or Red Ace (round, 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. See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage information.
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 2 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. You may CHOOSE ONE from the following:
Chives—mild, onion-flavored herb with long, slender, hollow leaves; can be added to potato salad, baked potatoes, soups, salads, omelets, dips and spreads, pastas and sauces. You can also chop fresh chives and freeze them with water in ice cube trays to use later when needed.
Italian Flat-leaf Parsley—flat, glossy, dark green leaves have a strong parsley/celery flavor for use dried or fresh; high in vitamins A and C, and other minerals, such as iron. See other “Parsley” recipes in “A to Z” cookbook.
French Sorrel—slightly tart, lemon-flavored green; excellent for salads, soups, and sauces; can be used in omelets, breads, or cooked as a side dish; leaves are shaped like spinach, but paler green in color; high in vitamin A and contains some calcium, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C; refrigerate in plastic bag for up to 3 days.
KALE: You will receive Red Russian Kale (the stems are purple, and leaves are deep gray-green, purple-veined, flat, non-curled, and tooth-edged).
See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage information.
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, but needs washing. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage information.
HEAD LETTUCE: You will receive 1 head of Green Leaf, Red Leaf or Romaine. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage information.
SUMMER ONIONS: slightly larger bulbs (“baby bulb onions”) than green onions, but both bulb and leaves are still edible (leaves are excellent addition to soup stock); can be prepared like cippolinis.
-How to use: can be grilled on a skewer or roasted whole as a vegetable or chopped in salads, soups, & other dishes for flavor
-How to store: wrap in damp towel or plastic bag in fridge for 2 to 7 days.
SHELLING or SNAP PEAS: You may choose Snow Peas (“flat”, crispy, green pods used in stir-fries and salads) or Sugar Snap Peas (“round” pod of edible-pod pea). Both of these peas are meant to eat the pods, so no shelling for these. Just crispy and delicious!!
-How to use: Snap peas can be eaten raw in salads or cooked quickly as in stir-fries or deep fry in tempura batter.
-How to store: Refrigerate in plastic bag for 4-5 days. If kept too long, their sweet flavor and crisp texture diminishes.
RAPINI: also called “Broccoli Raab” or Rabe or Rape; leafy green with 6 to 9 inch stalks and scattered clusters of tiny broccoli-like buds (some of ours don’t have buds yet, so just the leaf); traditional Italian specialty combining qualities of broccoli and mustard greens;
See Week 4 for usage and storage information.
SPICY GREENS MIX (Spectrum): an amazing, mildly spicy, leafy salad mix of greens and reds with a wide variety of leaf shapes and sizes with ingredients such as Yukina Savoy, Golden Frills, Ruby Streaks, Tokyo Bekana, and Red Komatsuna. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage information.
STRAWBERRIES: You will receive 1 quart this week of this member of the rose family; red, conical fruit with tiny white flowers. See Week 4 for storage information.
SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI: You will receive some variety of Yellow or Green Zucchini (gourmet golden or green zucchini with uniform, cylindrical fruits) or Yellow Crookneck (long, curved neck with a sometimes bumpy, yellow skin; buttery flavor and firm texture); great source of vitamins A & C, potassium, and calcium; approximately 94% water, so replaces lost fluids during summer heat. *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; very small, multi-colored, large veined, semi-crinkly, dark green leaves; See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage information.
YUKINA SAVOY (Asian Green): similar to Tatsoi, but larger; thick, savoyed leaves held upright on pale green petioles; delicious steamed or stir-fried. See Week 2 newsletter for usage and storage information.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: There are always a generous amount of weeds on the farm. 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. This rain has been wonderful, but we could really use the help with the weeds right now. Thanks for volunteering!
2. VACATIONS or OUT OF TOWN: Please remember to contact us at least by Sunday to make changes in pick up days or locations, especially with the 4th of July vacations coming up. Also keep in mind that changes need to be made within the same week (Sun.-Sat.), not into the next week of distribution.
3. CSA COOKBOOKS: This handy cookbooks are for sale called “From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce” for $15 and “Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything” for $20. Both cookbooks will be available until we run out.
4. U-PICK AT THE FARM starting this coming Sat. afternoon, June 29: No u-pick available on Sat. mornings, since we are at two Farmers Markets, but starting after 2 PM we’ll be back. Please schedule an appointment for u-pick on any day, unless you come during a Farm Distribution Day next week on Wed. (7/3) or Fri. (7/5).
**Strawberries–$4/qt. for members and $5/qt. for nonmembers. We will not have u-pick for strawberries yet this week, since we need to have enough strawberries for Fri. and Sat. distribution. You can pick into our quart baskets to measure them, but to take them home, please bring your own containers or transfer them into donated berry containers at the Distribution Shed.
**Snow Peas–$1/lb. Come and get peas for freezing.
5. 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.)– 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)–8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
RECIPES
THE VERY FRESHEST GREEN DRESSING (from The Rolling Prairie Cookbook by Nancy O’Connor) Makes 1 ½ cups.
1 ½ cups packed parsley (or sorrel for tangy, lemony flavor)
2 garlic cloves, chopped (or 2 garlic scapes)
1 small shallot (or summer onion), chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
6 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
½ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend to create a smooth sauce. Allow to sit several hours before serving, so that flavors have time to blend. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Although best used when fresh, this dressing will keep for 5 to 6 days covered in the refrigerator.
SUMMER SQUASH AND EGGS (Mad Mares Cookbook)
2 cloves garlic, minced, (or 2 garlic scapes)
butter or olive oil
2 medium squash or zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
3 eggs, beaten
Sauté garlic over medium heat in skillet with olive oil. Add squash before garlic browns, sauté covered for several minutes, flipping squash to cook all sides. Squash should be translucent and soft. Add eggs and scramble with a spoon, until eggs are just cooked; do not overcook. Salt and pepper to taste.
SORREL SOUP (Cuisine Minceur by Michel Guerard)
1 good-sized bunch sorrel leaves, chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic scapes, chopped
2 summer onions
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper
1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock
2 eggs
Heat olive oil in saucepan. Add garlic and let it color slightly. Add chopped sorrel, salt, and pepper. Stir until sorrel wilts. Add stock and simmer 15 minutes. Purée soup in blender, half at a time, for 2 whole minutes. Return to saucepan and keep warm–just under a simmer. Just before serving, whisk the eggs in a bowl until they double in volume. Then, whisking rapidly, gradually add them to the hot soup. Continue whisking until the egg is set just enough to hold without further whisking. Serve hot. Serves 4.
BEET & SUGAR SNAP PEA SALAD (From Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website)
1 lb. beets, scrubbed or peeled and quartered or sliced
1 small red onion, halved & thinly sliced (or 2 summer onions)
1 tsp. ground coriander, lightly toasted
1/2 lb. snap peas, trimmed
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Soak onion in cold water for 10 min.; drain. Whisk together vinegar, coriander, sugar and salt in a salad bowl, then add oil in slow stream, whisking. Toss onion and beets with dressing. Steam peas over boiling water, covered, 2 min. then transfer to ice water. Drain well & toss with beet mixture.
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