TANTRE FARM CSA NEWSLETTER
Extended Fall CSA Share
Week 3
Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 2017
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
BRUSSELS SPROUTS: tiny, green cabbage heads with mildly pungent, mustard-like flavor.
-How to use: boil or steam for 5-10 minutes without overcooking, so they are still bright green; toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, or a pat of butter; excellent roasted or stir-fried.
-How to store: refrigerate for up to a week or more unwashed in a plastic bag in hydrator drawer.
BROCCOLI: emerald green, tiny buds that are clustered on top of stout, edible stems.
-How to use: use raw, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, in casseroles, soups, pizzas, etc.
-How to store: store loosely in plastic bag for up to a week
CARROTS (Purple Haze): bright purplish-red roots with bright orange interior and a sweet flavor; cooking will cause the color to fade.
-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
CAULIFLOWER (Amazing): medium-sized, white heads with domed, solid curds.
-How to use: Raw for salads and dips, steamed, sautéed, or roasted.
-How to store: Sweetest and best when used within a week when stored in the refrigerator, but can last up to 2 weeks.
EGGPLANT: You will receive a few of these last tastes of summer, Nadia (slender, purplish-black, glossy-like, bell-shaped fruit) or Orient Express (dark purple Asian type with long, slender, glossy fruits, which are delicately flavored and quick cooking).
-How to use: can be baked, boiled, fried, grilled, or can be sliced into rounds for grilling or broiling; cut into cubes for stews and stir-fries.
-How to store: best fresh, but can be stored at room temperature or in refrigerator drawer for up to 1 week.
KALE: You will receive Rainbow Lacinato Kale (unique “purple dino” kale has deeply curled leaves in dusky-green with bright purple stems and veins).
-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 Patterson (medium-large, blocky bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks; excellent storage onion).
-How to use: great for salads, soups, sandwiches, slices, onion rings, and other 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.
GREEN SWEET PEPPERS: typical green bell pepper with large blocky cells with fruity, sweet flavor
-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 fridge drawer for 1-2 weeks.
SWEET PEPPERS (Red Knight): a mix of big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red peppers with sweet flesh
-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 fridge drawer for 1-2 weeks.
POTATOES (Russian Banana Fingerling): an heirloom potato with small, banana-shaped tubers with yellow skin and light yellow flesh; used by chefs for its delicious flavor and smooth “waxy” texture that doesn’t fall apart when cooked; good baked, boiled, or in salads.
-How to store: Keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag.
PURPLE DAIKON RADISH: You will receive K-N Bravo (looks like an overgrown carrot with inside flesh pale purple with purple streaks; good, sweet, eating quality).
-How to use: excellent julienned, sliced, used in a salad or tossed with your favorite vinaigrette; good eaten fresh, cooked, or pickled
-How to store: wrap in plastic to keep them crisp for up to 2 weeks
RADISHES (Easter Egg): a beautiful mix of red, purple, pink, and white round radishes; crisp and mild flavor.
-How to use: raw, roasted, used in soups, sliced in salads, stir-fried
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.
BABY RAPINI (Broccoli Raab): leafy green with 6- to 9-inch stalks and without clusters of tiny broccoli-like buds (most of ours grew to maturity without the buds, so just the leaf); traditional Italian specialty combining qualities of broccoli and mustard greens.
-How to use: used for salads or light cooking; to cook simply: clean rapini with water, oil pan, add garlic and brown. Add 1 cup of water. Put in rapini, season to taste. (Lemon may be used if desired.) Cover pan and steam for thirty minutes. Pepperoni or sausage may be added to rapini after it is fully cooked.
-How to store: put in plastic bag for up to 1 week.
WINTER SQUASH: You will receive Butternut (light, tan-colored skin; small seed cavities with thick, cylindrical necks; bright orange, moist, sweet flesh; longest storage potential of all squash) and Blue Hubbard (blue-green, big fruits are tapered at the ends and have a bumpy, hard shell; averages in the 12-15 lb. range with some larger; medium-dry, medium-sweet, yellow flesh).
-How to use: bake, roast, mash or puree cooked squash; use in creamy soups, or add uncooked chunks to soups or stews; add small amounts to yeast breads, muffins, cookies, pies, oatmeal, etc.
-How to store: Keeps for several months (depending on the variety) at room temperature.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. FINAL 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. THANKSGIVING CSA Registration is OPEN! 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 $120. It is available for pick up on Nov. 18 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) at the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market from 7 A.M. until Noon, Tantré Farm from 2-5 P.M., and Pure Pastures in Plymouth from 9 AM – 7 PM. More details can be found on our website.
3. THANKSGIVING TURKEYS: Thanksgiving turkeys are available to order from Two Tracks Acres, a 10 acre farm in Grass Lake, Michigan. These are free-range, broad-breasted bronze turkeys that range 13-25 pounds. Turkeys are $4.50/lb, and are fresh (not frozen) with on farm pickup the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Contact Stephanie Willette at twotracksacres@gmail.com or visit the website www.twotracksacres.com.
4. INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR CSA IN 2018? Summer CSA Shares will be available for $650 for 20 weeks from June through the middle of October. 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.
Community High School (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.
REFLECTIONS ON THE FARM
by Richard and Deb
The bright yellow leaves have all, but a few, blown away on the persimmon trees. Now the tree branches dangle in the wind with wrinkly, burnt orange persimmons like so many apricot-colored, sugar plums. The bees do not come to the edge of their door on the bottom of their bee hive on these cool, fall days. They are all inside clustered around their queen. The cool, almost frozen, nights crystalize the dew and water vapor painting the Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli leaves with thick, silvery frost, sweetening each leaf with a frozen kiss!
The last of the carrots are being pulled from the cool, wet earth, and brought up to the root cellar along with the turnips, radishes, beets, and storage cabbage. Every morning for the past few weeks we spend hours breaking garlic bulbs into individual cloves inside the dimly lit barn before the first light of day. Almost 1300 pounds of garlic are ready to plant in the next couple of weeks. The tomato vines have been cut down with the twine wrapped up and the stakes pulled out for almost one mile of dead, rattling, spent tomato vines. The winter squash and pumpkins have been boxed up into thousands of 50-lb. crates. Onions have been sorted and resorted and stacked in baskets as high as the hands can reach next to the crates of squash in the big red barn.
It seems this mild, fall weather will provide us with an abundant supply of root vegetables for the next 4 to 5 months, which we hope will satisfy our supportive community of members, who may be interested in continuing to receive produce through our November Thanksgiving CSA, our December Solstice CSA, and possibly other opportunities for stocking up on local Tantre vegetables throughout the winter. We also would like to encourage you to help us plan for next Summer of 2018 by signing up early for our Summer CSA with a deposit or full payment to help us purchase seeds, repair equipment, and make plans for the Summer bounty.
We are grateful to the whole Tantre community of members, volunteers, farm workers, the earth, the sun, and the rain for this bountiful harvest. Please feel free to contact us at the farm or come visit us at the Winter Chelsea Farmers Market & Ann Arbor Farmers Market throughout the fall and 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 bell 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.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS, BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE (www.mamachallenge.com) Serves 12
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (or heavy cream alternative)
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, quartered
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into small (1-inch) florets
1 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into small (1-inch) florets
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (divided use)
1 cup white cheddar, cut into small (1-inch) cubes
Salt, pepper and white pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine cream, shallots and sage in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brown bread crumbs (about 2 minutes) then transfer to a bowl to cool. Stir in parsley. Arrange equal mix of of vegetables in the buttered baking dish (13×9 or larger). Then add 1 cup of cubed white cheddar. Arrange remaining vegetables over the first layer. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Pour cream mixture evenly over the vegetables. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove foil from casserole; sprinkle evenly with toasted bread crumbs. Bake uncovered 15 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned.