Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
Extended Fall CSA Share
WEEK #3
Oct. 28 – Nov. 3, 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.
In our newsletter, we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box; however, since the newsletter is published often before the harvest, we may sometimes substitute some vegetables for others. **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.
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.
THIS WEEK’S SHARE
ARUGULA: an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor
-How to use: add to 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.
RED ACE BEETS AND GREENS: You will receive topless round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and 1 baby bunch beets with delicious greens.
-How to use: greens can be substituted for spinach and chard in recipes; 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; store greens wrapped in damp cloth in plastic bag for up to 1 week.
FROST-SWEETEENED BROCCOLI: You will receive a small head of deep emerald green (but turns purple with a frost!), tiny buds that are clustered on top of stout, edible stems. **Keep in mind that one cup of cooked broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange and as much calcium as ¼ cup of milk; broccoli is also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, folate, iron, and fiber.
-How to use: use raw, steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, in casseroles, soups, pizzas, etc.
-How to store: store loosely in plastic bag for up to a week.
CARROTS (Hercules): sweet, orange, cone-shaped roots; good eating quality and stores well.
-How to use: can be used raw as carrot sticks, grated in salads or juiced; steamed or sautéed, in stews, soups, casseroles, stir-fries
-How to store: refrigerate dry, unwashed roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks
KALE (Green Curly): well ruffled green leaves; great for kale chips, in a salad, roasted, and in soups.
-How to use: for salads, soups, braised, and light cooking
-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator
ONIONS: You will receive Red Zeppelin (medium to large, globe-shaped bulbs with deep red color) or Copra (medium-sized, dark yellow-skinned storage onions; excellent storage onion staying firm and flavorful after most other varieties have sprouted; highest in sugar of the storage onions).
-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.
SWEET PEPPERS(Green Carmen): 6-inch long, tapered green fruit; slightly sweet in salads and when roasted.
-How to use: eat raw for best nutrient retention; can be added to soups, stews, omelets, quiches, stir-fries, etc.; excellent stuffed.
-How to store: refrigerate unwashed in hydrator drawer for 1-2 weeks.
POTATOES: You will receive Yukon Gold (yellowish brown skin with yellow dry flesh and pink eyes; long storage and good tasting) and Mountain Rose (rosy-skinned inside and out, these versatile, all-purpose spuds are deliciously moist, but not waxy textured; extra nutritious, and high in antioxidants; excellent baked, mashed or fried).
-How to store: Keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag
DAIKON RADISH (K-N Bravo): looks like an overgrown carrot with internal color ranging from pale purple to white with purple streaks; roots average 8- to 9-inches by 2 1/2- to 3-inches with good, sweet, eating quality.
-How to use: excellent julienned or sliced and used in a salad or tossed with your favorite vinaigrette; good eaten fresh, cooked, or pickled; greens are also edible and can be used like any tender green.
-How to store: not as hardy as you may think, so store wrapped in plastic to keep them crisp for up to 2 weeks.
WINTER SQUASH/PIE PUMPKIN: You will receive some of the following: Acorn (small, green ribbed squash with pale yellow flesh; great stuffed with rice, breading, or soups), Delicata (small, oblong, creamy colored with long green stripes, only slightly ribbed; pale yellow, sweet flesh; edible skin; best eaten within 4 months of harvest), Butternut (light, tan-colored skin; small seed cavities with thick, cylindrical necks; bright orange, moist, sweet flesh; longest storage potential of all squash), and Baby Bear Pie Pumpkin (unique size and shape, and is often called “the perfect mini pumpkin” by growers; deep orange, 1 1/2-2 1/2 pound fruits are about half the size of a normal pie pumpkin).
-How to use: bake or roast, mash cooked squash with butter; purée 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% humidity; will also store at room temperature.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. LAST WEEK OF EXTENDED FALL CSA: Please return share boxes & bring extra bags! Please return any forgotten boxes from past weeks. You may bring bags, a cooler or other containers to transfer your produce from the boxes at your distribution site, especially this week, which is your final week of Ex. Fall Shares. We also can use any extra “GROCERY” paper or plastic bags.
2. STILL SPACE LEFT: BASKET MAKING CLASS, Nov 4, from 1-4 PM at Tantre Farm: Weave your own basket from cattails or bittersweet. Or both! Local foraging expert, Rachel Mifsud, from Will Forage for Food will talk about how the materials are harvested and prepared for use. Students will learn a few different weaving patterns, and then you will create a basket of your own design. All ages are welcome. $25 per student. Register at: www.willforageforfood.com. Space is limited. You must pre-register to reserve your spot.
3. THANKSGIVING CSA Registration is OPEN! A more detailed email notice about this will come out to you soon. You can also read more details about the Thanksgiving Share on our website under “CSA Info”, and sign up on our website. This share is a one-time pick-up of 60 to 80 pounds of produce for winter storage or to stock up on vegetables before the holiday for $125. This share will be available for pick up on Nov. 17 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) at the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market from 7 A.M. until Noon and Tantré Farm from 2-5 P.M.
4. INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR CSA IN 2019? Summer CSA Shares will be available for $640 for 18 weeks from June through the end of September. We will be offering “online registration” for Summer Shares very soon, so you will all receive a separate email informing you when registration opens, so please consider signing up for another year. We will be accepting deposits or alternative payment proposals. We welcome new members, so tell your friends and family!!
5. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDERS:
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.
Ann Arbor Farmers’s Market (Sat.) –7 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Pure Pastures (Wed)–9 A.M. To 7 P.M.
FAREWELL and THANK YOU!
by Richard and Deb
We are grateful to the whole Tantre community of members, volunteers, farm workers, the earth, the sun, and the rain for this bountiful harvest. We invite you to join our community of fellow food lovers with our Thanksgiving Share in November, our Solstice Share in December, our Midwinter Dream Share in February, and of course our Summer Shares for the 2019 season. You will receive separate emails about all of these options when registration is open. Please feel free to contact us throughout the rest of fall and winter for more of these storage crops or come visit us at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market (Wednesdays and Saturdays through December and then only Saturdays for January – April), the Chelsea Winter Farmers Market on Saturdays in Nov. and Dec., both Argus Farm Stops, and the People’s Food Coop throughout the winter. Thank you for being a member of the Tantre Farm Extended Fall CSA!!
RECIPES
SOUTHWEST COLACHE (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website)
2 Tbsp oil (veggie or olive)
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
16 oz chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned, undrained
1 sweet pepper, seeded, chopped
14 oz whole kernel corn
1 green chili, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Grated cheese, for topping (optional)
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add squash, onion, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add tomatoes and bell pepper to skillet. Bring to simmer, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer covered, 5 minutes, or until squash is tender. Uncover; increase heat to high and continue cooking a few minutes or until most liquid has evaporated. Top with grated cheese, if desired.
BEET BURGERS (from America’s Small Farms by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein)
2 cups grated beets (about 3/4 lb)
2 cups grated carrots (about 1/2 lb)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup grated onion (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup oil
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Ground red pepper (cayenne), to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a rimmed baking sheet. Combine beets, carrots, rice, cheese, sunflower seeds, eggs, sesame seeds, onion, oil, flour, parsley, garlic, soy sauce, and red pepper. Form mixture into patties and bake 25-30 minutes or until firm and vegetables are cooked through.
DAIKON IN PLUM SAUCE (from Farmer John’s Cookbook) Serves 3-4
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp plum sauce
1 Tbsp minced scallion or onion
3 Tbsp peanut oil
1 Daikon radish, peeled, cut into matchstick-sized strips (could add watermelon and/or black radish as well)
2 Tbsp water
Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir until cornstarch dissolves. Stir in the plum sauce and scallions. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Swirl the oil around the wok so that it covers the cooking area, then add the Daikon; cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the water; cover. Cook until the Daikon is tender, 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and continue cooking, stirring vigorously, until the sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes.
KALE CHIPS
1 bunch kale (any kind will work, but Curly Kale is a favorite)
Olive oil
Sea salt or tamari sauce , to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Destem kale and chop it into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Put in bowl and coat lightly with olive oil and sea salt or tamari (soy sauce). Place on cookie sheet and bake for a 3-5 minutes, then flip leaves over and bake another couple of minutes until crispy, but not brown. Delicious!