Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
IMMUNE BOOSTER (Week 10) SHARE
May 23, 2020
If needed, please contact Ryan Poe or Peter Ways at 2510 Hayes Rd. Chelsea, MI 48118 e-mail: immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com phone: Ryan: 949-232-2800 or Peter: 734-216-1795 website: www.tantrefarm.com.
WELCOME TO THE “IMMUNE BOOSTER” (Week 10) SHARE!
Hello All!
We hope this email finds you happy, healthy and hungry! Thank you for your continued support of our Immune Booster CSA. We have a beautiful mix of organic Tantre veggies, freshly prepared foods from our partners at the Washtenaw Food Hub, and a mix of several other items from local businesses. We are grateful for their continued support in our mission to provide locally sustainable food without the carbon miles. Together we are stronger.
***Pick up is 9 AM-12 PM this Saturday at the Food Hub, 4175 Whitmore Lake Rd.***
As we roll out of a cold spring and into a rather fast warm up, the mercury will rise just in time for all of our young plants in the fields. They are long overdue for a good dose of heat to begin their metamorphosis from fragile seedlings to robust canopies that yield a bountiful harvest. Every year it amazes me how the plants are only a few inches tall for several weeks and then, like a switch, the fields are covered in a plethora of colors, strong, determined and ready for our hard-working team to harvest.
This week we have a wonderful spread of local goodies in store for you all. First up we have the tried and true Tantre Farm produce! Items featured in this week’s share include nutrient dense asparagus. There’s just nothing like fresh cut asparagus from field to plate in a day or two. Next up are the beautiful Purplette onions (taking the place of our previously advertised leeks, which were not quite ready for harvest). These onions have a deep purple base and dark green leaves that are perfect for soups, salads or anything that would typically feature spring onions. Speaking of salads, our crisp spinach has been right at home with the cool spring temperatures. The cool weather brings out the buttery flavor on these dense leaves that are hearty and packed with nutrients. This spinach is also great to cook with in pasta, stews, soups or blanched. The last Tantre item is the super food known as potatoes. If we humans had to sustain ourselves on one food source for the rest of our lives, studies show that the potato would be the top contender.
http://www.tantrefarm.com/
Next up we have pea shoots or sunflower shoots from our good friend Rob over at Garden Works Organic Farm. These nutrient dense baby plants pack an abundance of hugely beneficial properties. They can be consumed in boundless ways, so get creative. I personally like them washed and sprinkled on top of my breakfast omelet.
https://www.localharvest.org/garden-works-M5602
Speaking of breakfast, we have a half pint of freshly tapped maple syrup. Kirk at H&H Sugarbush lives and works just outside Chelsea, Michigan and taps roughly 1800 Red, Silver and Sugar Maples on his property each year from February to early April. He has a beautiful, state-of-the-art processing system set up to boil down the sap into a pure amber gem of a maple syrup. Bring on the pancakes!
https://www.hhsugarbush.com/
Now that we have breakfast out of the way, let’s focus on lunch and/or dinner with one of our Washtenaw Food Hub partners. Ginger Deli’s Vegan Lentil Soup marries Tantre Farm organic carrots, leeks and asparagus with Michigan grown lentils, roasted red onions, garlic and olive oil. Te Phan, Ginger Deli’s head chef, has a talent for layering and pairing his flavors, and has a deep knowledge of produce and their textures that guide him through the process of preparing his meals.
http://www.gingerdeli.com/
Since we have the soup, now we need the bread! This week we feature another partner from Washtenaw Food Hub, Nick Raterman with his Multigrain Sourdough Bread. It has been a big hit for our earlier Immune Booster CSA boxes so why not bring it around again? Since the demand for this week’s box was so high, we recruited the baking talent of Keegan Rodgers at The Lakehouse Bakery, Chelsea. Keegan will fill in the rest of our bread demands with his Multigrain Loaves (not sourdough) that are sure to please. I visited his bakery Thursday and was impressed to discover Michigan-grown ingredients are the staple of his business. He serves up crowd-pleasers, from savory pasties to muffins and show-stopper cookies.
https://www.facebook.com/RatermanBread
https://www.thelakehousebakery.com/
Since we have gone this far, we might as well have dessert! What better way than to delve into a pint of Vegan Raspberry Sorbet from Zingerman’s Creamery! This is a splendid dessert from this well-known business that we are grateful to have in our community.
https://www.zingermanscreamery.com/
Now it’s time to get to work, get outside and plant our Genovese Basil plant, brought to you by our friends at Frog Holler Organic Farm. A long-standing local leader for spring fruit and vegetable plant starts, as well as annual and perennial flowers, we are excited to add this plant to your Immune Booster CSA box – a gift that keeps on giving! The plant likes compost-rich soil that is well-drained and full sun. It will grow best sown directly into the ground or in a medium to large pot. Genovese Basil can be used as a garnish on top of soups, pasta or salads and is hands down the best basil plant for making pesto.
https://froghollerorganic.com/
Here’s a link to Tantre’s treasure trove of recipes, where you can get some additional ideas for using this week’s share: http://tantrerecipes.blogspot.com
We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday, May 23rd from 9am to 12 pm at the Washtenaw Food Hub, 4175 Whitmore Lake Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for Sunday night’s email regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 11. We are lining up some special delights for this share!
All the best,
Ryan Poe and the Tantre Farm Team