Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #4
June 17-23, 2018
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.
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. If you are new to our CSA, since you signed up with a prorated share, you can find all past newsletters on our website under the NEWSLETTERS tab.
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.
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
ARUGULA and/or SPICY GREENS: You will receive Arugula (known as “wild rocket” with more deeply lobed leaves and a more pungent flavor; an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor) AND/OR Spicy Greens (gourmet-quality greens for quick cooking; includes Kale, Tatsoi, Hon Tsai Tai, Green and Red Mustard). See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
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. See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
GARLIC SCAPES: slender green stems with a slight bulge at the bottom (resemble chives, except for the bulge and often curled); the flower top of a garlic plant; 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 tips.
FRESH HERBS: 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.
**At some locations you may CHOOSE ONE bunch (NOT one bunch of each) from the following 5 options. Those with prepacked boxes at limited drop off sites will receive 2 of any of the following herbs. Please keep in mind that there are a limited amount of each herb, so it is first-come, first-serve:
–Bronze-leaf Fennel – anise-flavored, feathered foliage; can be used for garnish or flavor enhancer for salads, soups, and egg dishes; rich in vitamin A and contains calcium, phosphorous, and potassium
–Black-Stemmed Peppermint: superior fragrance and flavor; forest green leaves with deep purple veins and stems, purple flowers; leaves are good as a hot or iced tea, and adds a delicious flavor when minced and added to cooked peas, carrots, potatoes, salads, and fresh strawberries.
–Oregano: member of the mint family and is similar to marjoram, but not as sweet and more pungent flavor and aroma; good in soups and tomato-based dishes.
–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.
–Winter Savory: is a semi-evergreen, perennial herb; its strong spicy flavor goes well with beans and meat; medicinally it has antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, and digestive benefits, as well as relieves bee stings; fresh savory has a strong spicy-peppery flavor and resinous odor similar to fresh thyme
KALE (Green Curly): well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip”.
-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.
BABY KOHLRABI: delicious bulbous member of the cabbage family, that grows above ground; green skin and crisp, apple-white flesh tubers and leaves are good sources of vitamins C and A, calcium, potassium, and fiber. Some of these are very small so range in size from a golf ball to a tennis ball. Most people enjoy taking the skin off and eating them raw, like an apple.
-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.
LETTUCE: You will receive Green or Red Leaf lettuce and/or Romaine lettuce. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
GREEN ONIONS (Baby Red Onions): young shoots of red bulb onions with long green stalks and milder tasting than large bulb onions; full of great fiber and antioxidants, high in potassium and source of vitamins C and B-6. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
PARSNIPS: long, cylindrical, creamy-white roots with sweet flavor; contain small amounts of iron and vitamin C. These parsnips were harvested midwinter during a thaw, so they are frost-sweetened, but have been stored for several months. See Week 1 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
RADISHES: This will be for Fri/Sat. Members only. You will receive Easter Egg Radish (a beautiful mix of red, purple, pink, and white round radishes; crisp and mild flavor) or D’Avignon (also called, “French Breakfast”; traditional variety from Southern France; 3- to 4-inch long root that is part red with a white tip and tapered to a point). See Week 2 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
STRAWBERRIES: red, conical fruit with tiny white flowers. This week each share will receive 2 quarts of this member of the rose family. See Week 3 newsletter for usage and storage tips.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. 4th of July VACATIONS or OUT OF TOWN: Yes, we will distribute as usual on July 4 at all sites, except Pure Pastures site is closed. All Pure Pastures CSA members will need to sign up for other distribution sites and/or days for Week 6 or you can request a Vacation Hold and we will provide your share to a needy family. Please remember to contact us at least by Saturday to make changes in pick up days or locations, especially with the 4th of July vacations coming up. Also keep in mind that Pick Up Rescheduling needs to be made within the same week (Sun.-Sat.). All changes can be made yourself on our website under the sign up link under Membership Actions on the registration page or you can email us with your request using specific dates and locations.
2. STILL ROOM for 3 More–RUSSIAN SUMMER HOUSE FEAST – COOKING CLASS on June 21 from 6-8:30 PM: UM professors and CSA members, Alina and Michael Makin, will facilitate ways to use your early summer produce as a typical meal at the “Russian Summer-House”, which Alina remembers from her early years. Based on the culinary heritage of her native Russia, but making ample use of other culinary traditions, Alina’s meal will showcase the Tantré share with savory and sweet dishes that we will turn into a delectable meal by the end of the night. Please register by email with your NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER. A small fee of $5 will help pay for any materials and extra ingredients. More details will come later in a separate email on Wednesday.
3. FAMILY FARM HIKE on June 22: Come join us for a guided monthly exploratory walk around Tantre Farm on Friday, June 22, at 4 PM. We’ll use all our senses as we take an approx. 45 minute hike with CSA member, Sheila Schueller and her daughter, Renia. You will explore the farm’s fields, wetlands, and forest. Sheila has taught ecology and field biology classes at Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan. Meet by the picnic tables in the backyard at 4 PM. No RSVP necessary, but if you email that you plan to attend, then we know to wait for you.
4. FORAGE AND FEAST Cooking Class on June 27 from 6-8:30 PM: Local foraging expert, Rachel Mifsud, from Will Forage For Food (www.willforageforfood.com) will facilitate a class based on foraging wild edibles around the farm, possibly supplemented with some Tantre ingredients to produce a delectable meal that perhaps you could scavenge from your own backyard. You will learn how to make 4 or 5 dishes that will culminate in a meal together by the end of the class. This class is limited to 8 participants and Tantre CSA members are offered a discounted price of $25/person. Please register by email with your NAME, PHONE, and EMAIL.
5. STRAWBERRIES AT THE FARM : It has been a great strawberry season! We picked almost 800 quarts of strawberries for your CSA shares and for sale in the last 2 days. This week you may come to the farm for “already picked” strawberries or to “pick-your-own” this week on Wednesday (10 AM- 7 PM) and Friday (10 AM – 7 PM) by just showing up. We will be around all day on Wed. and Fri., since they are normal distribution days at the farm, so no need to let us know you are coming. Also we will be open for u-pick on Thursday and Sunday too, but it would be helpful to email, text, or call Deb 734-385-6748, so we know when you are hoping to come, so we will be around the house or backyard. Please bring your own containers to transfer strawberries into or return quarts and flats back to the farm.
U-PICK: $4/level qt and $28/flat (8 quarts).
ALREADY PICKED (at Market, Farm, and the Food Hub): $5/qt and $35/flat (8 quarts)
6. WEEDING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We have plenty of weeds to pull. 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. Thanks for volunteering!
7. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:
**If you need to switch to different pick up sites throughout the season that usually works for all but the “limited sites”, using the Membership Actions section on the registration page. These sites have less space to drop share boxes at, so are considered “limited”. Please always email ahead to see if they are at capacity before making any switches on your own.
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)–7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 12 PM
Farm (Wed.)–10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –6 P.M. to 8 P.M.
Pure Pastures (Wed.) (limited site) –9 A.M. To 7 P.M.
Farm (Fri.)–2 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Sat.) –7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)–8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
NEW! Argus-Packard (Sat) (limited site)–10 A.M. To 12 P.M.
REFLECTIONS ON THE FARM
by Deb and Richard
All of the rain this spring contributed to a great abundance of vegetables, especially the asparagus, lettuce greens, kale, turnips, green onions, etc.). The steady rain has continued to help the summer fruiting crops (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers) to swell and grow in leaps and bounds. The garlic scapes were all picked off the garlic plants by the second week of June, and now we are looking to start our garlic harvest by the end of next week. The strawberries enjoyed a heavy blanket of straw mulch all winter long keeping them warm and cozy. When we uncovered them this spring we had millions of green leaves and stems followed by the dainty white blooms dotting the green. The weather lately has been pretty ideal for the berries. Just enough sun to sweeten and fatten them robustly and just enough rain to help them to swell. We are looking forward to at least another week of berries in your CSA share! We are starting to see some of the late spring/early summer crops (peas, fava beans) getting ready for harvest. We hope to be showing you cucumbers, summer squash, broccoli, beans, cabbage and new potatoes in your boxes in the next few weeks. So far our Summer Season is off to a good start! We have a warm and congenial crew, who work well together. We also really appreciate all the support from our CSA members, and look forward to an abundant year!
RECIPES
GARLIC SCAPE-KALE PESTO Makes about 1 1/2 cups of pesto
1 cup Garlic scapes (about 8-9 scapes) cut into 1/4-inch slices
3-5 leaves Kale
1/3 cup Walnuts, Pecans, or Pine Nuts (toasting these adds a nice twist)
3/4 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper, to taste
Place scapes, kale, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor and grind until well combined and somewhat smooth but not purely pureed. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated but there is still some “chunkiness”. Transfer mix to a mixing bowl. Add Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.