Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter #2 June 6-12, 2021

Posted on by June 15, 2021

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #2
June 6-12, 2021

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.  **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.
   
If you are new to our CSA, you can find all past newsletters on our website under the NEWSLETTERS tab.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE
ARUGULA (Sylvetta): also known as “wild rocket” with more deeply lobed leaves and a more pungent flavor; an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor
-How to use: great in 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.

ASPARAGUS:  Also known as “sparrowgrass”, you will receive these green or purple spears; each contains vitamins A, B, and C, and iron.
– How to use: serve raw, chopped in salads, or with dips. You can also steam, roast, grill.
– How to store: wrap in damp cloth and plastic bag, then refrigerate. Alternatively, bundle spears with rubber band and place upright in container with an inch of water.

BOK CHOY (Joi Choi): written as bok choi, a traditional stir-fry vegetable from China with a sweet and mild flavor; looks like white Swiss chard with the stems all attached at the bottom; conside red a cool weather crop; part of the cabbage or turnip family.
-How to use: two vegetables in one–the leaves can be cooked like spinach, and the crisp stem can be eaten like celery or asparagus; excellent in stir-fries, soups, sauteed or eaten raw.
-How to store: store as you would any green–in a loose plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

NO HERB BUNCH THIS WEEK!  Our herb patch is much smaller this year, so we will not be able to provide herbs every week. Most of our herbs are taking longer to grow back with this heat , so  we are letting our smaller  patches of herbs recuperate.

LETTUCE (Skyphos):  You will receive either Skyphos (a beautiful butterhead  with large, dark red heads and nicely contrasting green centers. Excellent flavor and texture, and rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C) or Tropicana (bright green, frilly, leaf lettuce forming wide rosettes that maintain a sweet flavor and crisp texture).
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or (believe it or not!) use in soups and smoothies.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.

ONIONS: You will receive either Green Onions  (also called “scallions”; young shoots of 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.) OR Summer Onions (slightly larger bulbs (“baby bulb onions”) than green onions, but both bulb and leaves are still edible; can be prepared like cippolini onions.).
How to use: the bulb, flowers, and green leaves are edible; can be cooked, grilled, roasted whole as a vegetable; chopped in salads, soups, and other dishes for flavor.
How to store: refrigerate in damp towel/plastic bag for 5-7 days.

POTATOES:  You will receive any of the following “old buddy” certified  organic, storage potatoes. From Second Spring Farm in Cedar, MI you may re ceive Dakota Red (red potato with white flesh that is good for baking, boiling, or frying).  On the other hand, Wayward Seed Farm in Ohio provided Yukon Gold (yellowish brown skin with yellow dry flesh and pink eyes; long storage and good tasting; perfect baked, boiled, mashed or fried) or Crimson King (Attractive, oval tubers with red skin and red flesh; good for baking, boiling, roasting, or frying) or  All Blue (deep blue skin and flesh; moist texture; perfect in salads, baked, or boiled) *Interesting note:  Most blue fleshed cultivars contain 90 times more antioxidants than white tubers, and the antioxidants in potato tubers are enhanced by cooking them.  These “old buddies” potatoes  have  been  over-wintered  in optimum storage conditions;  possibly slightly less firm and slightly more sweet than a new potato, but good for cooking in any way suggested below.   
-How to store: keep in cool, dark place in paper bag; ideal temperature is 38-40 degrees with 80-90 percent humidity

RADISHES (Bacchus):  stunning, purple, round radish with white inner flesh. Very good flavor and not too hot.
-How to use: raw, roasted, used in soups, sliced in salads, sandwiches, or stir-fries, grated in slaws; radish greens are delicious in soups or stir-fries and are an excellent source of vitamins.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.

SPICY GREENS (Stir-Fry Mix): gourmet-quality greens for quick cooking; includes Tatsoi, Hon Tsai Tai, Green and Red Mustard.
-How to use: used for salads, quick sauteing/braising, and stir fries.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 2-4 days.

SPINACH:  crisp, dark green leaf; best eaten raw or with minimal cooking to obtain the beneficial chlorophyll,  rich in of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron and a plethora of other nutrients and antioxidants. The appearance of spinach also marks the beginning of spring for many of us farmers/gardeners!
-How to use: delicious flavor when juiced, toss in fresh salad, add to sandwiches, saute, steam, braise, or add to crepes, quiche, lasagna, and soups.
-How to store: refrigerate with a damp towel/bag for up to 1 week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. PAYMENTS DUE:  If you still owe money, please finalize payments as soon as possible during the month of June.

2. MISSING NEWSLETTERS:  If you or your partner are missing any newsletters, please let us know, since there seem to be some glitchy things happening with anyone who uses comcast.net and a few other email providers.  Please make sure that you check your SPAM/JUNK folders to see if you are receiving emails, since we can tell if they were sent to your address, but unopened. Let us know if you would like any missing newsletters sent to you, or if we should add any missing emails for partners.

3. STRAWBERRIES ARE RIPE!  This week you may come to the farm for “already picked” strawberries on Wednesday (10 AM- 7 PM) and Friday  (2 PM – 7 PM) for $5/quart or 40/flat (8 qts).  These are normal distribution days at the farm, so no need to let us know you are coming.  If you come any other time, you will need to schedule it by emailing us, so we make sure we have berries at the farm.  There will be no “you-pick” strawberries at Tantre Farm this year, but rather at a new location.  We will open on June 12, Saturday morning at 8 AM until 7 PM for strawberry picking in Ann Arbor at a new property on the corner of Zeeb Rd. and Scio Church Rd. called “Honey Bee U-pick” for $3.50/lb.  There will be signs to guide you to the driveway of a newly constructed timber frame in the middle of the field.  If you use GPS use 5700 Scio Church Rd., and it brings you pretty close to that location. We will provide buckets for picking, but please bring your own containers to transfer strawberries into or we will provide bags or cardboard trays. We will also have “already picked” berries there for sale  at that location for $5/qt.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

4. FAMILY FARM HIKE on FRIDAY, June 18, from 4-5 PM: Come join us for a guided monthly exploratory walk around Tantre Farm with CSA member, Alisse Portnoy, who teaches at the University of Michigan. She and her daughter are in their twelfth year of once-a-week, long visits to the farm. They look forward to sharing some of its treasures and treasure spots with you. We’ll use all our senses and appropriate social distancing as we take an approx. 45-60 minute hike. Please feel free to wear a mask if it makes you more comfortable, but not required if you are vaccinated.  Meet at the picnic tables behind the Main House.

5. IMMUNE BOOSTER CSA:  As some of you know last year we started a collaborative CSA with several local farms and food businesses  that you can opt in or out of each week called the Immune Booster.  If you are interested in supplementing your share with more veggies and other locally produced and sourced value-added products, please go to our website to sign up every Monday – Wednesday night.  Pick up is from 9 AM to 12 PM every Saturday at the Washtenaw Food Hub and the Chelsea Farmers Market during the summer:  http://www.tantrefarm.com/how-does-our-immune-booster-csa-work/.  Still time to sign up this week!

6. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:  Please use your  Member Dashboard to schedule Vacations or Pick up Location Changes.  Please let us know if there are any problems with Rescheduling.  Some sites have less space to drop share boxes at, so are considered “limited” (see below). Please always email ahead to see if the limited sites are at capacity before making any switches on your own to those spaces.
*Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)—7 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there from 7-9 AM)
*MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 12 PM (SARA there the whole time)
*Farm (Wed.)—10 AM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there with some self check-in)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –6 PM to 8 PM (LIZZIE there the whole time)
*Pure Pastures (Wed.) (limited site) —10 AM to 5 PM (JESSICA there from 9 AM – 11 AM)
*Farm (Fri.)—2 PM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there with some self check-in)
*Community High School (Sat.) —7 AM to 12 PM (SHANNON there the whole time)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 AM to 12 PM (RYAN and Staff there the whole time)
*Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)—9 AM to 12 PM (DEB and staff there the whole time)
*Argus-Packard (Sat) (limited site)—12 PM to 3 PM (ARGUS STAFF there the whole time)
*RoosRoast-Rosewood (Sat)–9 AM  to 11 AM (DEBRA is there the whole time)

RECIPES
**Keep in mind a very easy way to find recipe ideas for almost any combination of share box ingredients is to type the items into your preferred “search bar” with the word “recipe” after it, and many recipe ideas will pop up.  Have fun searching!  Lots and lots of ideas!

 ROASTED ASPARAGUS-CARROT-SPINACH SOUP
1 bunch of Asparagus
3-4 carrots (peeled & sliced length-wise)
2 cups of Spinach (or Bok Choy)
2 cloves of Garlic
Water – to make vegetable stock
Milk (or alternative milk)- about 2 cups
Salt & Pepper to taste
Other spices you wish to add
       Begin by cutting bottom ends off asparagus (don’t throw away).  Peel the carrots (reserve the peels).  Place asparagus & carrots on tray to roast in oven – set @ 450 for appx. 20 minutes, carrots cooked about 5 minutes longer.  Place the asparagus ends, carrot peels, and garlic in pot. Cover with water and season to taste. Bring to boil, then simmer appx. 20 minutes. This will make your stock.  Combine veggies & splash of stock in blender and begin blending. Add more stock & milk as needed to your taste and continue to blend to the consistency you desire. I returned to pot & cooked/kept warm on the stove & added seasoning here.

BROCCOLI AND BOK CHOY STIR-FRY (from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce by MACSAC)  Serves 2
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, julienned (matchsticks)
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 2-inch piece of ginger, grated
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 lb bok choy, shredded
2 Tbsp sherry
1 Tbsp soy sauce
         Heat oil in skillet or wok.  Stir-fry peppers, onions, broccoli, ginger, salt, and pepper until broccoli softens slightly, 3-4 minutes.  Add bok choy and sherry; cook 2 minutes.  Sprinkle with soy sauce.  Serve immediately. 

Please note: If you are not a summer CSA member and you have received this email, it is because you have subscribed to receive our newsletters through the website. Please manage your subscription to stop receiving notifications when we post these newsletters.

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter IMMUNE BOOSTER (Week 62) Share June 5, 2021

Posted on by June 15, 2021
Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter  
IMMUNE BOOSTER (Week 62) Share  
June 5, 2021

Hello fellow Locavores,

Welcome to the Immune Booster Week 62 Newsletter and thank you for signing up to this Mediterranean-themed share. We figured since the weather is finally heating up that we should switch gears and offer some light and flavorful, prepared food along with a nice variety of leafy greens, a few tubers and lots of color all around. So sit back and relax as I walk you through how this local share of plenty all came together for you this week.

This week we have plenty of fresh produce to offer you from Tantre Farm because the fields are ripe for picking! We grow food by the ton on several hundred acres and we have quite the spread to choose from. So first up, we walk down the hill to collect some robust Spinach from Tantre Farm. Spinach is packed with calcium that helps prevent osteoporosis, as well as iron that reduces the risk of anemia. Overall, spinach has a wide range of pro-health benefits and is currently in high production at the farm because it thrives in the mild temps of late spring/early summer. Try a crisp and buttery salad, maybe make a spinach dip or incorporate it into a hearty stir fry.

Just a hop and a skip over to the next field row, we have Lettuce from Tantre Farm. Lettuce was first cultivated in Egypt a couple thousand years ago and here we are today planting it in successions every two weeks at the farm. Why lettuce? It’s great for hydration, reduces bad cholesterol, moderates sleep and anxiety and is a great source of antioxidants. So toss some crisp fresh lettuce in with that buttery spinach for a nutrient-rich salad, add some to your sandwiches, tacos or burritos, or make a lettuce wrap with your favorite fillings from the prepared foods yet to come.

Down the road and over the next hill, we have Arugula from Tantre Farm. This arugula is hoop house grown so it is tender with a slight peppery kick, whoo hoo!  Arugula is a superfood green that has many beneficial impacts on our longevity, especially with heart function and keeping our valves clean and pumping. Arugula boasts essential vitamins and minerals, and it is versatile to prepare, cooked or raw. So maybe mix this into the spinach and lettuce mix for a well-rounded salad, toss it on a pizza before it goes in the oven, add it to your favorite wraps and sandwiches, or even try blending into a pesto. So many great ideas to consume this heart healthy green! 

Round the bend and protected from the wind, we step into another hoop house to pick Joi Choi from Tantre Farm. Now some of you may be wondering how we went from the Bok Choy listed in our menu sign-up, to Joi Choi? Let me fill you in… Joi Choi is the bigger, more robust cousin to Bok Choy, with the same flavor and texture. Since it’s a much larger plant, we figured it would serve you better and take you further in your culinary adventures. Joi Choi is packed with vitamin E, beta-carotene and selenium among other immune-boosting properties. Rinse thoroughly and chop up the stems and leaves alike. Then mix in with your stir-fry ingredients or into a soup. You will be amazed how quickly this amount of veg will cook down. A giant head of Joi Choi will amount to maybe a quarter of its original size once it’s cooked. So go ahead and cook the whole head of Joi Choi in one setting, you will be glad you did because it will bring you so much Joi! Pun intended. Ha!

Moving along to the hoop house next door, we come across ‘two-for-one’ tubers – Hakurei Turnips from Tantre Farm. Two-for-one meaning you get a sweet, white, crisp, hakurei turnip along with a sweet, delicate, leafy green top. Both the leaves and the tuber of this beautiful veggie are edible raw or cooked, so steam them up, consume them as a salad, mix them with the other leafy greens or quick pickle the turnip tuber to make it extra sweet. The greens and the tuber are packed with every vitamin and essential nutrient under the sun so rest assured, these tubers and greens are a top-notch immune boosting.

Heading back up to the packing shed, on the north side of the building we come across row upon row of Green Onions from Tantre Farm. These staunch green onions are loaded with a double dose of vitamin K and vitamin C and are delicious raw or cooked. These green onions are versatile and can be cut with scissors over any hot or cold dishes, soups or salads, roasted whole or gently grilled. They pack a decent zest and a nice dash of color to any plated up meal. So get your green onions on, and maybe get a pack of gum while you’re at it, because these fresh-out-of-the-ground onions are the real deal.

Just below the packing shed, Tantre’s cellar is still holding some tasty Tantre Farm Carrots Mix so we thought we would throw some in your share. You may get a bunch of either multi-colored carrots or one uniform color, as it’s a random lottery this week. One thing for certain is that they will be as sweet and crunchy as ever. Carrots pack a rich dose of beta-carotene and fiber and can be consumed raw, steamed, stir-fried or in a myriad of other ways, including carrot cake. Hint hint!

Pivoting away from Tantre Farm we drive less than a mile to Garden Works Organic Farm for some fine Sunflower Shoots. These nutty, stocky, baby plants are packed with all the nutrition your body craves. In some cases, they are three to four times higher in essential vitamins and minerals as the mature sunflower seeds that would be produced by the same plant in late summer. Best consumed raw, these shoots are great to snack on right out of the container, tossed onto salads, burgers or wraps. Enjoy these shoots quickly and give your inner anatomy a huge boost of vital nutrients.

Skipping the traditional loaf of bread that we typically feature each week, and in keeping with this week’s Mediterranean theme, we feature a local Pita Bread from Al-Nour Bakery in Dearborn. These fresh pitas are baked Friday afternoon and are perfect for stuffing some of the fresh produce and prepared foods from this share into them. So load them up and gobble them up. You will be glad you did!

Kicking things off in the prepared food arena for this week’s share, we get things rocking and rolling with a striking magenta Roasted Red Beet Hummus that is vegan and gluten-free from Juicy Kitchen. Not only is this hummus naturally beautiful and tasty, but it is also extremely healthy for you, composed of red roasted beets, chickpeas, lemon, garlic, tahini, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Don’t let this simple mixture of ingredients fool you – This hummus is delicious! Dip in your Tantre Farm carrots, dollop onto those fresh salads or pair with your pita breads, or why not all three?!

The hits just keep on coming on this Mediterranean share and next up we have a four-pack of Stuffed Grape Leaves from Hummus Falafil, making their debut in the Immune Booster CSA Share this week. These tasty stuffed grape leaves are vegan and gluten-free, and composed of grape leaves, rice, chickpeas, parsley, tomatoes, onion, corn oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Steam them for 7-10 minutes or quickly heat them in the microwave if you’re in a hurry. Steaming them nicely melds their flavors together and evenly heats them up. Either way, they are delicious and fit perfectly with the other prepared foods in the share. Enjoy! 

When I think of a staple Mediterranean food, Tabbouleh Salad always comes to mind. So down that road we shall go, with a tabbouleh salad that is vegan and gluten-free from El Harissa. This tabbouleh salad is bold, beautiful and full of flavor and is composed of parsley, quinoa, pickled red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and a sumac and mint dressing. I had the pleasure of sampling this fine salad earlier this week and I must say it was outstanding and left me wanting more. A perk of offering this salad is that it is a regular staple over at El Harissa and is served there daily, so if you’re hankering for a bit more after you have devoured this share, head on over to El Harissa and tell them Ryan sent you.

Next up and still in keeping with the Mediterranean theme, we have Harvest Kitchen’s Horchata Granola that is gluten-free and contains nuts. The word ‘horchata’ is derived from a Mediterranean tradition of grain-based beverages or syrups. So this granola takes on the syrup based horchata and is composed of oats, puffed rice, almonds, cinnamon, vanilla extract, honey, canola oil and pink Himalayan sea salt. It’s great for adding to cereals, baked goods or right out of the container and into your mouth. Chomp Chomp!

As the Immune Booster week 62 rolls into its last stop, we decided to throw a curveball into the mix with a Michigan Rhubarb Pie from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. Why? Because it’s in season is the reason, and it’s mighty delicious. This super tasty, vegetarian pie is composed of Michigan rhubarb, sugar, organic Michigan wheat flour, butter, water, cornstarch, sea salt, demerara sugar and eggs. This pie would be best served after being reheated in the oven and with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Mmmm! Or if you just can’t wait, why not eat it right out of your share box on the way home – no judgment! 

So there you have it, another week of amazing local goodness all boxed up and ready for you to explore the fresh produce from local farms and the tasty Mediterranean dishes from local restaurants. We are grateful for your continued support of the Immune Booster Share and on behalf of all the local vendors and farmers that make this wonderful project come to fruition each week, we collectively thank you. We look forward to seeing you this Saturday at the pick-up and we hope this newsletter has informed you of where this food was grown and how it all came together in this box of plenty. For now, eat well, do well and be well. 
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  

Follow us on Instagram @immuneboosterbytantrefarm or @tantrefarm to learn more. We are also active on Facebook and Twitter with regular posts of photos and blurbs detailing life on the farm and what is happening in the weekly Immune Booster CSA shares.  

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next email on June 6 regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 63 for pick up on June 12.  Please keep in mind the new Chelsea pick up location for the summer will be at the Chelsea Farmers Market.  You should have received the pick up protocol email today giving you details to that location, as well as it is always on our website.  Please mention at both the Ann Arbor and Chelsea locations that you are picking up an Immune Booster box, since we have Summer CSA members picking up at both locations as well starting June 5.

All the best,

Ryan Poe and the Talented Tantre Farm Crew

**We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others.  Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published.  Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com. 

Please note, if you are receiving a notification of this post, it is because you have subscribed to our newsletters on our website, this newsletter is being posted 2 weeks late. You can unsubscribe from notifications in the settings in the email you received.

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter #1 May 30-June 5, 2021

Posted on by June 3, 2021

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter
WEEK #1
May 30-June 5, 2021

   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.  **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.

   If you are new to our CSA, you can find all past newsletters on our website under the NEWSLETTERS tab.

THIS WEEK’S SHARE

ARUGULA (Sylvetta): also known as “wild rocket” with more deeply lobed leaves and a more pungent flavor; an aromatic, bright salad green with a peppery mustard flavor
-How to use: great in 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.

ASPARAGUS:  Also known as “sparrowgrass”, you will receive these green or purple spears; each contains vitamins A, B, and C, and iron.
– How to use: serve raw, chopped in salads, or with dips. You can also steam, roast, grill.
– How to store: wrap in damp cloth and plastic bag, then refrigerate. Alternatively, bundle spears with rubber band and place upright in container with an inch of water.

RED ACE BEETS from Wayward Seed Farm:  These certified organic, storage beets come from Wayward Seed Farm (http://waywardseed.com) in Ohio. These round, smooth, deep red roots have sweet flavor and can be used raw or cooked.
-How to use: 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;

CARROTS (Purple Elite): You will receive these Tantre storage carrots that have a rich purple skin contrasting nicely with a beautiful yellow core and striations.
-How to use:  delicious roasted, grated in salads or juiced; steamed or sautéed, in stews, soups, casseroles, stir-fries
-How to store:  refrigerate dry and unwashed roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks

FRESH HERBS:  You will be receiving fresh herbs off and on throughout the summer, since harvesting them often means they need a few weeks to recover before we harvest again.  Here are a couple of links to help you know more about how to use fresh herbs: https://www.urbancultivator.net/cooking-with-fresh-herbs/.  The following is a good link to help you identify your herb with images and descriptions:  http://theherbexchange.com/25-best-herbs-to-grow-in-your-kitchen-garden/.  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.  You will be receiving  either Chamomile— These small, daisy-like flowers are best known for making a soothing tea; also the flowers make a pretty garnish and a flavorful addition to salads.  The whole bundle can be used fresh or dried upside down for a week or two, and then the flowers plucked and put into a jar for a restful, calming, sleepy time tea for the winter OR you will receive Oregano—This member of the mint family has a spicy flavor and no mint aroma; good in soups and tomato-based dishes, and helps with indigestion as a hot tea.  

LETTUCE (Skyphos):  A beautiful butterhead  with large, dark red heads and nicely contrasting green centers. Excellent flavor and texture, and rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or (believe it or not!) use in soups and smoothies.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.

ONIONS (Patteron):  medium-large, blocky bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks; excellent storage onion.  Tantre’s onions didn’t store as long this year, so thanks to our former intern (2003)-turned-farmer, Reid Johnston, of Second Spring Farm (www.secondspringfarm.net), he is providing you with his certified organic onions from Cedar, MI. Some of the tops may be soft,
-How to use: can be grilled or roasted or chopped in soups, meat dishes, and other veggie 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.

POTATOES:  These certified organic, storage beets come from Wayward Seed Farm (http://waywardseed.com) in Ohio.  You will receive Yukon Gold (yellowish brown skin with yellow dry flesh and pink eyes; long storage and good tasting; perfect baked, boiled, mashed or fried) and Crimson Red (attractive oval tubers with red skin).  These “old buddies” potatoes have been over-wintered in optimum storage conditions; possibly slightly less firm and slightly more sweet than a new potato, but good for cooking in any way suggested below.  
-How to use: good baked, boiled, roasted or in potato salads
-How to store: keep in cool, dark place in paper bag; ideal temperature is 38-40 degrees with 80-90 percent humidity

RADISHES: You will receive the following –  Pink Beauty (pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor) or Bacchus (stunning, purple, round radish with white inner flesh. Very good flavor and not too hot).
-How to use: raw, roasted, used in soups, sliced in salads, sandwiches, or stir-fries, grated in slaws; radish greens are delicious in soups or stir-fries and are an excellent source of vitamins.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.

SPICY GREENS (Stir-Fry Mix): gourmet-quality greens for quick cooking; includes Tatsoi, Hon Tsai Tai, Green and Red Mustard.
-How to use: used for salads, quick sauteing/braising, and stir fries.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 2-4 days.

SPINACH:  crisp, dark green leaf; best eaten raw or with minimal cooking to obtain the beneficial chlorophyll,  rich in of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron and a plethora of other nutrients and antioxidants. The appearance of spinach also marks the beginning of spring for many of us farmers/gardeners!
-How to use: delicious flavor when juiced, toss in fresh salad, add to sandwiches, saute, steam, braise, or add to crepes, quiche, lasagna, and soups.
-How to store: refrigerate with a damp towel/bag for up to 1 week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. MASK WEARING- We encourage that you all come to each distribution site with a mask if you are unvaccinated, but if you are already vaccinated you are not required to wear masks, especially outside.  Please let our volunteers know if you need help.  We ask that you continue to maintain respectful social distance from each other, and get someone else to pick up your share if you feel sick.  Please treat each other with kindness!

2. ANY CHANGES in your address, phone, e-mail, or of misspelled names on any mailings or Pick Up Lists at Distribution Sites?  Are we missing your share partner’s name? Please let us know as soon as possible.

3. PAYMENTS DUE:  If you still owe money, please finalize payments as soon as possible during the month of June.

4. IMMUNE BOOSTER CSA:  As some of you know last year we started a collaborative CSA with several local farms and food businesses  that you can opt in or out of each week called the Immune Booster.  If you are interested in supplementing your share with more veggies and other locally produced and sourced value-added products, please go to our website to sign up every Monday – Wednesday night.  Pick up is from 9 AM to 12 PM every Saturday at the Washtenaw Food Hub and the Chelsea Farmers Market during the summer:  http://www.tantrefarm.com/how-does-our-immune-booster-csa-work/.  Still time to sign up this week!

5. FARMERS MARKETS:  All  markets are in person this year, so we are set up at the Ann Arbor Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7 AM until 1 or 2 PM.  We also participate a bit in the online sales shopping for the Chelsea Farmers Market, so if you want to avoid the crowds, you can pick up your order at market.  See the website for more details: https://openfoodnetwork.net/chelsea-farmers-market/shop.  Of course, we will also be at the Chelsea Farmers Market from 8 AM-1PM throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall as well.  We have established a Market Stand at the Food Hub during the Immune Booster pick up times on Saturdays from 9 AM-12 PM as well, so please feel free to purchase extra items.

6. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:  Please use your  Member Dashboard to schedule Vacations or Pick up Location Changes.  Some sites have less space to drop share boxes at, so are considered “limited” (see below). Please always email ahead to see if the limited sites are at capacity before making any switches on your own to those spaces.
**Volunteers will be at each site during designated times below, so if you need to come at a different time, please feel free to bring your own pen to check off your name.
Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)—7 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there from 7-9 AM)
MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 12 PM (SARA there the whole time)
Farm (Wed.)—10 AM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time with some self check-in)
Washtenaw Food Hub (Wed.) –6 PM to 8 PM (LIZZIE there the whole time)
Pure Pastures (Wed.) (limited site) —10 AM to 5 PM (JESSICA there from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM)
Farm (Fri.)—2 PM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there from 2 to  7 PM with some self check-in)
Community High School (Sat.) —7 AM to 12 PM (SHANNON there the whole time)
Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 AM to 12 PM (RYAN and Staff there the whole time)
Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)—9 AM to 12 PM (DEB there the whole time)
Argus-Packard (Sat) (limited site)—12 PM to 3 PM (ARGUS STAFF there the whole time)
RoosRoast-Rosewood (Sat)–9 AM  to 11 AM (DEBRA is there the whole time)

REFLECTIONS ON THE FARM
by Richard and Deb

   Welcome to the Summer CSA share of 2021!  This spring has had a little unusual weather–cool and not much rain, although we have had a series of warm spells here and there.  We are looking forward to a number of sweet, tender vegetables coming soon such as snap peas, beets, baby carrots, turnips, greens, asparagus, AND strawberries, which look really productive this year with millions of blossoms under the fresh, healthy spring leaves.  This is the first year that we have planted no strawberries at Tantre Farm, but rather at a property that we are providing folks with you-picking opportunities and ecological restoration on the corner of Zeeb and Scio Church in Ann Arbor.  Next week should be an easy time with you-pick strawberries, since the weather looks very promising.  We will let you know more details next week.  It should be easy to find, since we have erected a new timberframe barn as a gathering place for food, farming and fun, and we will have lots of signs.  Hope to see you in the strawberry patch over the next 4 weeks!

   Thank you for joining the CSA and for the overwhelming support and the amazing response to the CSA share this season.  We also appreciate our farm crew for weathering every storm and temperature fluctuation from 20 degree mornings to 80 degree days during these past few months of planting and harvesting.  They have been happily plucking weeds, harvesting vegetables, and packing your shares. It is another year of realizing the strength and sustainability of supporting our local farmers and our local community.

RECIPES
**Keep in mind a very easy way to find recipe ideas for almost any combination of share box ingredients is to type the items into your preferred “search bar” with the word “recipe” after it, and many recipe ideas will pop up.  Have fun searching!  Lots and lots of ideas!

CHAMOMILE LEMONADE (from www.vegetariantimes.com)
If chamomile is not your cup of tea, this refreshing lemonade is a great new way to give the flower a try.
3/4 cup cane sugar
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
5 Tbsp fresh or dried chamomile flowers, or 6 chamomile tea bags
3/4 cup lemon juice
Lemon slices, for garnish
Combine sugar, lemon zest, and 2 cups water in saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Remove from heat, and add chamomile flowers.  Cool.  Strain chamomile mixture into 2-quart pitcher; stir in lemon juice and 3 cups water.  Serve over ice with lemon slices, or store, covered, in refrigerator up to 5 days.

SPINACH AND ASPARAGUS FRITTATA  (from Capay Organic Farm CSA “Farm Fresh To You” website)  Serves 4
Filling:
1 bunch spinach, washed and drained, with stems removed
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic or  2 green onions, minced or mashed
Egg mixture:
8 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp whipping cream or water
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)
Olive oil, to coat skillet
   Preheat broiler.  Mix ingredients well and pour into a greased 8-inch skillet and stir until set (about 5 minutes).  Place under broiler for 2 minutes until top is golden brown.  Cut into slices.

BASIC ASPARAGUS RECIPE:
Simple preparation: place in a tall, covered pot with an inch of water.  Stand asparagus upright and steam for 5 minutes.  This cooks the tougher stalks, while lightly steaming the thinner tops.  Feel free to add the following toppings:  brushed with lemon juice, brushed with olive oil or butter and tossed with sesame seeds.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS-CARROT-SPINACH SOUP (https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1865971)
1 bunch of Asparagus
3-4 Carrots (peeled & sliced length-wise)
2 cups of Spinach
2 cloves of Garlic
Water – to make vegetable stock (or Ginger Deli Soup)
Milk (or alternative milk)- about 2 cups
Salt & Pepper to taste
Other spices you wish to add
   Begin by cutting bottom ends off asparagus (don’t throw away).  Peel the carrots (reserve the peels).  Place asparagus & carrots on tray to roast in oven – set @ 450 for appx. 20 minutes, carrots cooked about 5 minutes longer.  Place the asparagus ends, carrot peels, and garlic in pot. Cover with water and season to taste. Bring to boil, then simmer appx. 20 minutes. This will make your stock.  Combine veggies & splash of stock in blender and begin blending. Add more stock & milk as needed to your taste and continue to blend to the consistancy you desire.  I returend to pot & cooked/kept warm on the stove & added seasoning here.

GRATED BEET AND CARROT SALAD
3-4 beets, grated
3-4 carrots, grated
1 finely chopped onion (or bunch of scallions or leeks)
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
 Pour over vinegar and honey, mix and let marinate.  

Immune Booster Week 56 Newsletter

Posted on by April 29, 2021

Hello Fellow Locavores!

 Welcome to the Immune Booster Week 56 Newsletter, and thank you for signing up for this week’s share. We have curated a superb box of local goodness, featuring exciting dishes from an amazing lineup of some of the best local restaurants in town, as well as a lush bounty of veggies and fungi from an impressive collective of local organic farms. Let the prepared food dishes inspire the culinary genius in you and try your hand at new recipes with the fresh produce you receive. The culinary world is boundless, and our mission is to keep raising the bar each week as new produce items take over the Tantre Farm fields, and new prepared food vendors and artisans make their appearances in the share. If you know a local beloved restaurant, who may use or be interested in using produce from local farms, please do mention it to me (Ryan) at Saturday’s Immune Booster pick up, and I will be happy to inquire about featuring them in a future box. This project is all about community and sharing the love with as many local businesses as we can. So with that, let’s share some love on what’s in the box this week!

Fresh out of the gate and never late, we get things roaring with organic, hydroponic Lettuce from Sell Farms and Greenhouses. This crisp lettuce is grown in Ypsilanti, travels a couple miles over to the Washtenaw Food Hub and then rides home with you. It’s fresh as can be, with a maximum of nutrients as a result, and perfect for salads in the warmer spring days ahead. Eat clean and green!

Back with a bang, you know it’s a Carrot Mix thang from none other than the one, the only, Tantre Farm. In this mix you will get sweet orange carrots and crunchy purple carrots. Both varieties are great for slicing and dipping in your favorite condiments, roasting, steaming, boiling or mashing. This week, I’m heading down carrot cake lane with the sweet frosting, because sometimes it’s good to be naughty. 

Passing the buck and you’re in luck, we move onto an organic Potato Mix from Wayward Seed Farm. In this mix of spuds, you will get red, gold and sweet potatoes. A triple combo that helps boost your immune system and your taste buds. So many delicious ways to prepare these super veggies! Boil them, mash them, bake them, fry ’em up, par boil and then roast them in olive oil for a roasted potato that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Make sweet potato fries or sweet potato pies. Whatever you choose you just can’t lose, because potatoes are a super comfort food that chases away the blues.  

Next up we roll into round orbs of mildly spicy, organic, Yellow Onions from Second Spring Farm. These robust spheres of awesomeness are super heart healthy and should be consumed daily if possible. Onions can be used in a myriad of ways from stir fries to BBQ grills, soups, stews, pastas, meatloaves, pickles and the list goes on… So rock and roll those onions right on down your neck. Your heart and lungs will thank you. 

Cruising right along, and back by popular demand, we have organic Pea Shoots from Garden Works Organic Farm. These pea shoots are soil-grown in a hoop house just a stone’s throw away from the Food Hub where you pick up your share. They are full of immune boosting nutrients, vitamins, and minerals and are great as a salad in their own right, tossed on the Sell Farms lettuce for added texture and nourishment, sprinkled on cold or hot pastas, wraps, sandwiches, or whatever suits your fancy. One thing for certain is they are extremely good for you, and you should consume them as soon as possible for optimal health benefits before they begin to respire. 

Mystic mushrooms make a triumphant return in a fabulous Mushroom Mix from Detroit Mushroom Company. Grown just outside of Whitmore Lake, these deep local mushrooms are harvested late Friday evening and are heading home with you early Saturday morning. They will be at their peak of nutritional properties and ready for your culinary visions. Varieties that may feature in your box include Lion’s Mane, Blue/Golden/Grey Oysters, Black Pearl, Shimofuri or Maitake mushroom AKA Hen of the Woods. All varieties should be cooked before consumption and never consumed raw. Mushrooms are versatile and they are extremely good for your health in many ways still being discovered by science. I’ll be the guinea pig, no problem!   

Filling up our last produce spot in this week’s share, we have organic Red Enterprise Apples from Almar Orchards and Cidery. These old-fashioned, candy-apple-red globes are great for cooking into pies, tarts or bear claws for the adventurous or just hand to mouth for quick and easy consumption. Super sweet, super crisp and great at keeping your immune system super-charged. You know what they say…. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.    

Breaking into the prepared food, let’s commence by breaking some bread with a Farm Loaf from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. This bread is strikingly beautiful and offers more than just good looks. It is a naturally leavened bread made with organic wheat flour, malted barley, water, sea salt and a sourdough starter. It’s a perfect dance partner for the red curry and soup that are coming up next. It takes two to tango, so slice, dip and smile. It’s good for you and your palate.

Speaking of dipping, get your Farm Loaf ready for a swim in the delightful Lemongrass Vegetable Soup prepared by Ginger Deli for this week’s share. I had the pleasure of sampling this unique and wonderfully flavorful soup not once, but twice. I had to make sure you would like it, of course… wink wink. Rest assured, it’s really darn good! This vegan and gluten-free soup contains Tantre Farm carrots, potatoes, yellow pepper, tofu, lemongrass, garlic, white onion, leeks, tomato paste, Michigan maple syrup, paprika, chili powder, star anise, cinnamon, annatto seed, coconut juice, fresh basil, cilantro and lime. Once again, Ginger Deli has pulled out all the stops in slowly and expertly layering up the flavors in this dish with diverse yet complementary ingredients and methods that result in a one-of-a-kind soup. Impressive!

Next up, we roll out the red carpet with a Red Curry Bowl from Fresh Forage that is vegan and gluten-free, but does contain nuts. This dish is electric with color, super clean and undeniably healthy. Composed of white rice, purple cabbage, baby bok choy, red curry, rosewood tofu, bean sprouts, Tantre Farm carrots and daikon radish, salted cashews and garnished with cilantro, it’s a downright lip-smacker and oh soo tasty. If it leaves you wanting more, head on over to Fresh Forage for round two or to sample more of their tasty dishes, and tell them that Ryan from the Immune Booster sent you.  

Need a little crunch to go with that Red Curry Bowl? Then look no further than Miss Kim’s Assorted Tempura Twigim and Mixed Vegetables, another spectacular vegan and gluten-free dish. Featuring a mixture of fried and battered-then-fried veggies (in rice flour and cornstarch), this dish is composed of potatoes, broccolini, cauliflower and firm tofu with a chili glaze dipping sauce on the side. There will be reheating instructions for you to follow so that the dish tastes like it’s right out of Miss Kim’s kitchen. I guarantee you will want more, so pay Miss Kim a visit and try more of her amazing Korean dishes.

Time to put the cherry on top of this week’s share with a creative and healthy sweet treat from Juicy Kitchen in the form of a Lemon Curd Chia Pudding with Granola Topping. Serving up healthy, clean and creative food is what Juicy Kitchen is all about, and this vegan and gluten-free pudding is definitely going to catch your attention. It’s a staple fan favorite over at Juicy Kitchen’s cafe and after one taste, you’ll understand why. The pudding contains organic chia seeds, fresh lemon, coconut milk, turmeric and fresh blueberries. The granola topping does contain nuts and is a house made vanilla almond granola with rolled oats, cinnamon, Michigan maple syrup, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and salt. This is a combo made in heaven, and we ask that you share it kindly with your household, but we won’t blame you, if it magically disappears on the way home (bring a spoon)! Yummy!

Last but never least, we offer a self-care treat in the form of Orange Clove Lip Balm from Tiani Body Care. Beautifully scented and sure to protect those wind chapped lips from the snow this week, this lip balm offers a spritely fragrant dose of spring as well as nourishment for parched lips. This lip balm is composed of sunflower oil, coconut oil, shea butter, lanolin, cocoa butter, rice bran extract, rosemary extract, sunflower extract, vitamin E and a beautiful blend of essential oils that include citrus sinensis oil from valencia oranges, syzygiumaromaticum oil or also known as clove bud, citrus medica limonum peel oil from lemons, and finally cinnamomum zeylanicum leaf oil. As you can see, this small lip balm stick packs a healthy punch of lip-loving nutrients, so lay it on thick and get those kissy lips perked up. It’s soothing for them and good for your well-being. Tiani Body Care sells their handicraft wares every Saturday at the Kerrytown Farmers Market and we offer their line of bar soaps at the Immune Booster Market Table each week as well. 

So there you have it! Another bonanza of local farm fresh produce, fresh baked bread, local mouth-watering prepared foods from an all-star cast, a pudding sweet treat and a lip-nourishing balm all created within our talented local community. We are blessed to have such a rich community of brilliant businesses and farms, and I am grateful for the opportunity to unite these skilled folks all in one spot – The Immune Booster CSA. My friends, eat well, do well, be well and we look forward to seeing you this Saturday at the Washtenaw Food Hub and Agricole pick up locations.

 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

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next email on April 25 regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 57 for pick up on May 1.  All the best,  Ryan Poe and the Talented Tantre Farm Crew   **We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others.  Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published.  Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan and Zoe with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com.

Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter IMMUNE BOOSTER (Week 55) Share

Posted on by April 20, 2021

Hello Fellow Locavores, 

 
Welcome to the Immune Booster Week 55 Newsletter. This week we have a stellar line up of produce in abundance and some creative, colorful prepared foods for the days you just can’t muster up cooking. This share is designed to fill in those days where you need to take a break and treat yourself to someone else’s fine cooking, thus inspiring you to divulge into something magical with your own fresh produce on another day. This share is also designed to highlight the depth of farmers, chefs and artisans we have in our local community and share their talents with you in our weekly shares. So, let’s share a little adventure together and follow the path it took to round up this local box of immune-boosting wholesome food… 

Setting off on a fine spring day, we head south of Ann Arbor to Goetz Greenhouse and Family Farm to collect some super tender, hoop house-grown Rainbow Swiss Chard. These vibrant, crisp greens are packed with iron, magnesium, vitamins A and K. Delicious as a fresh tossed salad or as a wilted salad, my personal favorite way to prepare Swiss chard is to sauté with minced garlic, sesame seeds, mushrooms, and a splash of soy sauce. Simple, but so tasty! 

Continuing on down the road, a little further south, we head over to Wayward Seed Farm to bulk up our produce for this week’s share. We packed our lunch and came prepared for a busy day of loading up the truck with an array of fresh spring produce and storage crops. First up into our refrigerator truck, we stack crates containing one-pound bags of organic Spinach. This early spring crop packs a serious punch of bone-supporting vitamin K. It is also incredibly beneficial for your skin by helping to heal scars and sun damage, enhancing its radiance and fortifying its natural barrier, perfect for these warmer, sunnier days. This spinach, like the Swiss chard can be consumed as a tossed salad or a wilted salad. It’s also great for throwing into hot pasta sauces just before the sauce finishes cooking, or maybe it’s time for a spinach and artichoke dip, just because it’s YUMMY! 

Next in line and up into the truck are two pallet boxes of iridescent, green globes of organic Green Cabbage. Picked late last fall after a few light frosts that sweetened them up beautifully, these storage cabbages are a good source of dietary fiber and are great for your digestion, with nutrients that keep the lining of your stomach and intestines strong. Also, helpful in lowering bad cholesterol and controlling your blood sugar, these veggies are packed with vitamin C to further promote skin health. These cabbages would most definitely fit the bill for a colorful coleslaw served at a backyard cookout one of these bright spring days. If that’s not in the plans, cabbage is extremely versatile and can be stir fried, steamed, roasted or turned into a savory soup on some of these chillier nights. 

 
Moving on through the Wayward Seed Farm produce, we get started on loading a colorful mix of organic Potatoes next. We have a super mix of red potatoes, golden potatoes, and sweet potatoes for this share. Potatoes are known as a universal superfood and are consumed in unimaginable amounts around the globe each year, because they contain all the essential elements to support a healthy and energetic immune system, plus they are delicious! Fried, mashed, baked or boiled they are easy to prepare, tasty and extremely good for you, especially if you keep the skin on them where much of the nutrition lies. So eat them up and maybe make a potato salad for that spring cookout to go with the ‘slaw’.  

 
Next onto the produce party truck, we load up a fair amount of organic Parsnips from Wayward Seed Farm. Parsnips are loaded with fiber and a good dose of vitamin B6 and they tend to serve best when roasted in the oven with olive oil. Just slice them like you would a carrot, toss them in olive oil and roast them away with the beets and turnips that are coming up next. 

 
Well, we are most definitely breaking a sweat now loading up this bounty from Wayward Seed Farm. The next rounds out of the cellar are organic Dark Red Detroit Beets. These beets are packed with vitamin C, and their high fiber content helps reduce triglyceride levels which means they are a super heart healthy food. So roast them up in the oven, do a quick pickle with red wine vinegar and sugar, or grate them over salads, pastas and soups. Get into the rhythm of the beet and see what other creative creations you can drum up with these robust tubers.  

 
We have come to our last haul of Wayward Seed produce for this Immune Booster visit. Last but not least, we load up organic Purple Top Turnips. Purple on the top and white on the bottom with a good dose of copper, protein and manganese in between. These turnips are great for roasting and that’s just what you should do. Cut them into quarters and bathe them in olive oil, dried herbs, salt and pepper and you’re on your way to a savory roasted tuber with a little kick of zest. Like Deb says, “Turnips are the best!” 

After a few elbow bumps and socially distanced ‘high fives’ we hit the road once again, so heavy the tires might pop! The show goes on, out west to Joe’s Blueberries for flavorsome packs of Frozen Blueberries. Joe has been in the blueberry business for the better part of his adult life and thoroughly enjoys cultivating these fine fruits. Blueberries are an antioxidant superfood. Packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, these berries are also high in potassium and vitamin C. They are anti-inflammatory, lower your risk of heart disease, and reduce DNA damage, which may help protect against aging and cancer. So get your blueberry pancakes on, with a side of blueberry smoothie. Or why not eat them frozen right out of the bag? Little frozen nuggets that taste just like a mini blueberry sorbet and there’s no work involved besides hand to mouth and chew. How easy can healthy snacking get?! 

Since we are close to the shores of Michigan, we take a scenic ride up north to Second Spring Farm for some organic Yellow Onions. Reid, the owner of Second Spring Farm, spent time farming through the ranks of Tantre Farm back in the day and is now up and running his own beautiful farm. These storage yellow onions are robust, pungent and good for you. They help fight inflammation, reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels if consumed regularly. So roast them along with the other roasted veggie ideas above, toss them in soups, slice raw on salads or sandwiches, or just simply caramelize them and serve on top of pastas or salads. An onion a day keeps the doctor away! 

After we bid farewell to Reid and his crew, we once again hit the road and head back to the Washtenaw Food Hub here in Ann Arbor to drop off our bounty and prepare to receive more delights for the share. Among them are about 100 dozen Local Free-Range Chicken Eggs that we have sourced from multiple small local farms and Webbed Foot Pines. Spring is the laying season for all birds, including chicken eggs by the crates full. The handful of partners that contributed the eggs to this share are longtime friends to Tantre Farm, and we support their good stewardship of the land and their animals. Their well-loved hens have been free ranging and consuming the new spring growth, scratching and kicking the old leafy debris aside for some protein to maximize a well-rounded diet. The end result is a happy chicken laying happy eggs that pack a happy dose of immune boosting qualities, like a rich dose of omega-3, high quality protein and an array of vitamins and minerals. Boiled, scrambled, fried, poached… eggs are versatile and delicious however you serve them. How do you make an egg roll? Just give it a little push. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!) 

Kicking things off this week with the prepared foods, we dig into a creative Mushroom Tart from EAT. This pentagon-shaped open-faced mushroom tart is composed of flour, butter, local eggs, water, salt, onion, herbs, parmesan cheese and local Detroit Mushroom Company mushrooms. It’s always great to see two local businesses working together to create a tasty dish and this is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Just pop it into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to reheat it, and then you’re ready to chow down this savory mushroom tart. Enjoy! 

Next up to the prepared food party, we get things popping with a very colorful Vegan Ceviche and Corn Chips from Ginger Deli. Originating in Peru, Ceviche is traditionally a marinated seafood dish that has been adopted and adapted by chefs all over the world. I have had at least 50 different versions of this dish, but this is a new one for me and I can’t wait for you to try it! This particular vegan and gluten-free Ceviche is composed of fresh kaffir (lime leaves), tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, mango, lime juice, paprika, jalapeno, Tofu, The Brinery Tempeh, fresh herbs and cilantro. Accompanied by a pint of corn chips to swoop and scoop this tasty dish into your eager mouth. It’s a refreshing spring dish both aesthetically because it’s so colorful and on the palate because it’s so tasty. Viva El Ceviche! 

Back by popular demand, we feature an El Harissa salad for our final prepared meal in this week’s share. Created especially for the Immune Booster, El Harissa came up with a hearty and extremely colorful Fattoush Salad that is vegan and gluten-free. This splendid North African salad is composed of Tantre Farm carrots, Tantre Farm cabbage, beets, Tantre Farm purple daikon radish, pickled red onion, tomatoes, cucumber and grapes. It comes with a citrus dressing that has sumac and mint to balance out the flavors, and a side of homemade pita chips. (Pita chips are not gluten-free). This salad is bursting with color and flavor and if it leaves you wanting more, just head on over to El Harrisa and get yourself round two. 

Need a little bump on the side to the abovementioned prepared meals? An extra healthy and super flavorful sidekick perhaps? Then look no further than a fine jar of Stimulus Package Sauerkraut from The Brinery that is vegan and gluten-free. This is the perfect dance partner to all three dishes above and gives everything an extra little zing, if you know what I mean. This kraut is composed of Wayward Seed Farm green cabbage, filtered water, caraway seeds and sea salt. Good for your inner gut economy and packed with pre and probiotics, this is a fine fermented food. 

Coming in last, but by no means least in this Immune Booster share, we end things on a delicately sweet note with Apple Pie Granola from Harvest Kitchen. This vegetarian and gluten-free granola is composed of Ferris Organic Farm oats, dry apples, dates, walnuts, cinnamon, honey and canola oil. This is a great trail hiking snack right out of the container, or it can be consumed in a bowl of your preferred milk. Lately I have been using this granola to mix into homemade cookies to give the kiddos a bit of extra nutrition to their chocolate chips. It’s good for them and good for you, so granola up to a healthier you! 

So there we have it, another food bazaar full of life-nourishing nutrition and mouth-watering flavors. We hope you enjoy this local box of wholesome goodness, and we thank you for your continued support of this beautiful project, where many hands in our community pull this share together each week. It’s a labor of love, week in and week out, and we are grateful you have come along for the ride. Supporting the local economy, buying local food and reducing our carbon footprint are key targets to this project and please do stay tuned – We have lots more to offer as the weeks continue to roll out, with new ideas and new talent to be featured. For now, eat well, do well, be well and we look forward to seeing you all at the Washtenaw Food Hub or at Agricole Farm Stop this coming Saturday. 
 

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 

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next email on April 18 regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 56 for pick up on April 24. 

All the best, 

 
Ryan Poe and the Talented Tantre Farm Crew   

**We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others.  Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published.  Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan and Zoe with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com. 

IMMUNE BOOSTER (Week 54) Share

Posted on by April 20, 2021

Welcome to the Immune Booster Week 54 Newsletter

Thank you for signing up for this local, wholesome, immune-boosting CSA share. We have been blessed with a beautiful, early spring and hope that you have been taking advantage of the weather and the great outdoors. How lucky we are to live in a place with endless trails, beautiful parks and waterways that grant us inexhaustible outdoor fun. My favorite place is out on the farm with the sun on my back and my hands in the soil, helping Mother Nature grow robust and beautiful crops to share with you in this fine CSA share. This week we have some super tasty prepared foods on tap, as well as a comprehensive mix of fresh produce for you to test the culinary genius in you. The beauty of food is that it is boundless, and it brings us all together with family and friends. So enjoy this share in the knowledge that you are investing in wholesome, healthy, and real food, reducing your food carbon footprint and supporting our home-grown talents across the local food network. It’s a win-win for all involved! So with that, let’s get to it and see what’s inside this week’s Immune Booster box…

First up, we get things popping with Green Curly Kale from Goetz Greenhouse and Family Farm. This hoop house-grown, curly kale is tender and sweet because it has been sheltered away from the harsh winter, cozily growing in a warm hoop house. Kale is extremely nutrient dense, packed with antioxidants as well as vitamins C and K and is great for lowering bad cholesterol. My favorite way to consume kale is in a wilted salad. First, boil some water and then dip the leafy greens into the water for 20 to 30 seconds, lightly shake the excess water off and cut with scissors into a bowl. It is easier to work with one leaf at a time until you have the desired quantity. Add some toasted sesame seeds, a dash of soy sauce, stir well and you’re in business! Fried shallots, tofu, tempeh, or meat are also great additions for a more robust salad.

Next up, we venture out to my stomping grounds at Tantre Farm to gather up a sweet Carrot Mix of purple and orange carrots, as well as some Purple Daikon Radishes. This week we bagged up bunches of baby carrots for a change. They are sweeter than large carrots and great for snacking whole. Carrots are packed with beta carotene, vitamin K1 as well as a nice dose of potassium. This week my plan is to lightly steam them, then roast and glaze for a beautiful side dish. The Purple Daikon Radish is a last-minute addition to the menu, on the house. These radishes pack a nice dose of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and are perfect candidates for a quick sweet pickle or stir fry. They can also be roasted, steamed or even boiled, mashed, and combined into mashed potatoes for a little zip. So get creative with these not so well known tubers… Who knows, they may one day become as popular as kale!

Rolling right along, we have some spheres that may bring tears – organic Yellow Onions from Second Spring Farm. These orange to grapefruit-sized beauties are robust, filled with zest and great for reducing high blood pressure and improving gut health. These onions are so versatile, they can be used in endlessly different ways. Grill them, sauté them, slice and dice them, sandwiches, soups, stews…  Any way you choose, you just can’t lose. 

Pivoting to some spuds that sure aren’t duds, we have netted up a comprehensive bag of organic Potato Mix from Wayward Seed Farm. You will receive a delightful melody of red, gold and sweet potatoes; a mix that is sure to please those tender taste buds. These spud studs pack a punch of potassium and protein. Potato fries, hash browns, baked, broiled, BBQ’d or mashed, they are a guaranteed superfood hit.

Jumping into some deep local, we are elated to feature Broccoli Microgreens from Garden Works Organic Farm located right here in Ann Arbor. These baby plants are not only tasty, but are also full of powerful antioxidants, an outstanding dose of vitamin E, as well as iron and zinc. The sooner you consume them the better for maximum, immune boosting health benefits. These babies respire quickly and have a relatively short shelf life in the fridge. A delicious addition to pretty much any dish, from salads to pastas and sandwiches to wraps.

Just around the corner, we pay a visit to another deep local farm called Detroit Mushroom Company. This week, they will provide us with a beautiful Mushroom Mix. In your mix, you may discover Oyster mushrooms in canary yellow, blue or grey colors, Shimofuri mushrooms which tend to have a caramel colored cap with white stem, Lion’s Mane which is ball shaped, white and shaggy, or bronze-colored, Chestnut mushrooms that have dime sized caps and come in tight clusters. All varieties of mushrooms boast generous doses of fiber and vitamins B and D, and have been proven to improve the health of your brain. All mushroom varieties in your share should be fully cooked before serving and never consumed raw. So sauté them, grill them, toss them into soups, stews, pastas or risottos or whatever other fantastic dishes you have in mind. They are versatile and freshly picked Friday evening, the day before you pick up your share. 

Wrapping things up in the fresh produce department for this week are Fuji Apples from Kapnick Orchards. Ripened in the last of the summer heat and into last fall, these apples were harvested and stored at just above freezing temperatures to retain their crisp texture and sweet taste. Apples are great for our inner gut function, as well as warding off free radicals and the onset of diabetes. The Fuji apple is great for table slicing and dipping it into a swirl of honey and peanut butter or baking apple tarts for the kids or the kid in you. 

Kicking things off for the prepared foods this week, we start with a fresh baked Fig and Pecan Sourdough Loaf from Raterman Bread. This sourdough is composed of sea salt, flour, water, figs and pecans. The wild collected yeast method used by Raterman Bread is a slow 2-3 day ferment that really brings out the quality in this fine bread that has a crispy crust on the outside with a chewy inside. This bread has a unique flavor thanks to the fig and pecans, and pairs best with salads, breakfast dishes or just toasted as a snack. I’m sure you will also find creative ways to consume this tasty bread, so enjoy those endeavors and if this leaves you wanting more, we sell all varieties of breads offered by Raterman Bread each week on our Food Hub market table.

Fancy a slice of cheese for that bread and maybe toasted in the oven? Um, yes please! Well, you’re in luck, because we have a half pound Mozzarella Cheese Ball lined up for you from Zingerman’s Creamery. This fresh mozzarella cheese is crafted from a cow’s milk curd and then hand stretched into balls. Perfect for the Caprese salad lover in you and great on sandwiches, pizza and manicotti. So cheese it up with a big grin on your face, because that’s just what this cheese will make you do. Yes, it’s that good!

Now that we had a nice appetizer to get things going, let’s take it up a notch and bust out a vegan and gluten-free Mediterranean Bowl from Fresh Forage. Making their debut this week, we welcome Fresh Forage to the Immune Booster. This extremely colorful, salad bowl is composed of green curly kale, red lentil, organic tricolor quinoa, tahini dressing, spinach falafel, sweet potatoes, Wayward Seed Farm red beets made into a hummus, and Za’atar cucumbers. A pita bread is served on the side that is not vegan or gluten-free. I had the pleasure of sampling this salad, and I have to say it was delicious. The taste, texture, color and diversity are all well thought out and very stimulating both visually and taste wise. I can’t wait to see what other tasty dishes come our way from Fresh Forage in future shares based off of this awesome show stopper.

Rounding out the prepared food for this week, we come to the tried and true Ginger Deli with a Vegetable Yellow Curry and Basmati Rice that is vegan and gluten-free. You will receive one pint of vegetable yellow curry and one pint of basmati rice in your share. This tasty dish has a hint of heat and is composed of eggplant, sweet pea, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, fresh basil, fresh cilantro, bay leaves, olive oil, vegetable stock, crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, yellow curry and steamed basmati rice. This dish is a beautiful representation of South-East Asian cuisine, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when sampling it earlier this afternoon. This is healthy, clean food that is well balanced and so flavorful that it leaves you wanting more. 

Closing out our share with a bang, we have set you up with an outrageously sweet treat in the form of a vegan and gluten-free Chocolate Sorbet from Go! Ice Cream. This decadent chocolate sorbet is composed of five simple ingredients: Water, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, sugar and salt. What’s not so simple is that Rob Hess, owner and entrepreneur of Go! Ice Cream, has taken many years to perfect this sorbet and he has done one hell of a job at doing so! Simply too good to be true, it is rich with a heavy-handed chocolate flavor, and so smooth and creamy in texture that it defies the vegan label. What a great way to close out this share and end it on a sweet note with this pint of awesomeness!  

So there you have it. This local food box of love has induced a food coma on us with its bountiful spread. Now that spring is here, summer this week, back to spring next week, maybe share some of this fine food outdoors with a picnic in the park, kayak down the river or just in the backyard with loved ones. Thanks again for signing up to this week’s Immune Booster share, and we look forward to seeing your smiling eyes this Saturday at the Food Hub and Agricole pick up locations. Eat well, be well, do well.

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

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next email on April 11 regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 55 for pick up on April 17. 

All the best,

Ryan Poe and the talented Tantre Crew

**We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others.  Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published.  Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan and Zoe with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com. 

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Tantre Farm CSA Newsletter IMMUNE BOOSTER (Week 53) Share

Posted on by April 20, 2021

Hello Fellow Locavores,

Welcome to the Week 53 Newsletter – Easter Immune Booster CSA Share. We have a splendid mix of fresh produce and colorful prepared foods for you this week. This newsletter is a guide to your local food networks, and delves into detail about the food featured in this week’s share; where it came from, who grew it, and who prepared it. Braided with light humor, meal prep tips and a passenger eye view of how this box of wholesome food comes together, we will take a little journey down the local culinary road to a healthier you and a healthier planet. Hop on in! The Immune Boost is about to depart…

First stop – Ypsilanti – for some fresh cut heads of organically grown, hydroponic Lettuce from Sell Farms and Greenhouses. ‘Deep Local’ is what I call this fine, multicolored lettuce, because it is grown about 10 miles from the Food Hub where you pick up your share. Featured for many weeks in our Immune Booster CSA, this leafy green is always a sure fire winner. So get your spring salad on with this beautiful lettuce that is light and crisp, hydrating, and refreshing. One bag should satisfy your salad cravings for a week or two. Bon Appetit!

Well, it is Spring Break, so why don’t we head down south….. to Florida anyone??? Haha, not quite, because we like to keep the food in this share as LOCAL as possible. So we will have to settle for Ohio, a much shorter trip south to Wayward Seed Farm. This organic, collective farm has partnerships with other smaller, organic farmers in their immediate area. On this particular mission we are collecting a serious bounty of organic Spinach, Green Cabbage, Beets, Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, and Gold Potatoes. A plethora of diverse produce, so let’s dig right into what each fresh veggie has to offer…. Spinach for fresh tossed salads or boiled down for a wilted salad, cabbage and the not-yet-mentioned carrots would be ideal for an Easter slaw, beets for dying Easter eggs (and kids’ fingers, ha!), or the beets roasted, skinned, sliced, and brined for a sweet, quick pickle and the perfect topping for the salads mentioned above. Sweet potatoes for a sweet potato Easter pie, oh my! And finally the red and gold potatoes for that Easter potato salad that will help you use up all those hard boiled Easter eggs, hint hint. Now that we dropped enough ideas to make an Easter brunch feast, we best get back on the road before the wheels on the truck pop with this heavy load of awesomeness. Time to head back up to the Food Hub and unload.

With the produce unloaded and stored in the Food Hub coolers, we head on out to Tantre Farm for some Purple Carrots. What’s up Doc? These purple storage carrots have retained their sweet taste and crisp texture remarkably well this winter, and what’s Easter without purple carrots? Well, maybe not the traditional Bugs Bunny snack, so we’ll head ‘Up North’ to Second Spring Farm for some brilliant, organic Orange Carrots too. Both carrot varieties shredded up with the green cabbage for that Easter Slaw will look epic on your lunch or dinner table. If you’re not into the slaw, then steam, roast, grill, juice or dip these carrots in your favorite condiments that kids and adults alike are sure to enjoy.   

On our way back down south, we stop by Almar Orchards and Cidery to say hello, quench our thirst with a fresh cider off their in-house taps, a fresh donut off the fryer or three for the road and load up the truck with bushels of apples for the share. This week we have organic Fuji and Northern Spy Apples. These apples have been stored in just above freezing temperatures beginning late last summer when they were picked off the trees on their 500 acre farm. This farm is just to the west of Flint and has a fun family-friendly cider mill open year round. So take a little drive on one of these cooler spring days or wait until the apple blossoms are in full bloom, which would definitely be worth a visit. 

Heading farther south, we pass by Ann Arbor just a tad to collect a few more bushels of Fuji Apples from Kapnick Orchards. Why the mix of the same type of apple from another farm? We like to share the love and spread the Immune Booster partnership to as many great local farms as we can handle. These Fuji apples will be super crisp and have a slightly different taste than the Fuji apples from Almar. Does it matter? Nope, not in the slightest. Apples of the same species grown in different groves far away from each other can have their own distinct taste and texture based on many different variables such as water, pollinators and overall soil health. So quiz your taste buds and see which one appeals the most. 

Rounding out the produce in this week’s share we pull up literally right around the corner from the Food Hub to Garden Works Organic Farm for some really deep local, organic Pea Shoots OR Daikon Radish Microgreens. It’s a toss up as to which one you will get in your share, but rest assured these soil-grown microgreens are packed with nutrition and some serious immune boosting properties. Both varieties are great for salads on their own, salad topping, tacos, burritos or right out of the container like my daughters like to eat them. So eat them up and eat them up quick for optimal health benefits. They are best consumed within the first few days of picking up your share.  

Waking up early to get the Easter festivities going? We have the perfect on-the-go “Health is Wealth” Cacao Nib Granola from Harvest Kitchen that is vegetarian and gluten-free. This healthy granola will get your energy levels up for the day’s activities. Made from crushed cocoa beans, cacao nibs are a highly nutritious chocolate product that are exceptionally rich in antioxidants, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. They have the bitter, complex flavor of unsweetened dark chocolate with a firm but chewy texture, and pair well with berries for extra sweetness. This particular mix is composed of organic rolled oats, cocoa nibs, dried mulberries, sesame seeds, turmeric, black pepper and local honey. Serve right out of the container or in a bowl with your preferred milk. Yum!

Moving right along, we have one dozen of Local Free-Range Eggs from Webbed Foot Pines for all your fun and festive Easter egg needs. Get your food dyes ready with that familiar vinegary smell, stickers, wax crayons, glitter, you name it… and get the artist in you (and your family) all fired up. Keep your traditions going and make the best decorated eggs around.  After the big hunt, continue the fun and traditions with homemade potato salad, deviled eggs, egg salad sandwiches… It’s egg-a-palooza time and a great way to use up this dozen.

misskimannarbor.com(opens in a new tab)

Now that we have mentioned all the salads one could ever want, let’s switch things up to a main meal in the form of Tempeh OR Chicken Sliders with all the fixings from Miss Kim. Both slider options will come in a pack of two. The vegan Tempeh Sliders are composed of The Brinery Tempeh, soy sauce, rice, water, garlic, apple juice, scallions, cucumbers, jalapenos, carrots, rice vinegar, sugar, onion, sesame oil and sesame seeds. The Chicken Sliders are composed of  chicken, garlic, jalapenos, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, apples, anchovy fish sauce (no shellfish), scallions, cucumbers and carrot. Both versions of the sliders will be served with Zingerman’s Bakehouse Farm Rolls that are vegan and are guaranteed to be delicious. I am sooo excited to feature these slider gems in the share! Ji Hye, the head chef and owner of Miss Kim is such a pleasure to work with and her innovative food is the real deal… so if you don’t know, now ya know!

Speaking of innovation, let’s move on to Ginger Deli, who have prepared hand-rolled rice noodles from scratch for this share. Offering a creative and flavorful Tofu Salad with Hand-Rolled Noodles that is vegan and gluten-free. It will take less than a minute in the microwave and then another few seconds to drizzle it with the sweet and tangy sauce before you’re volleying that fork from container to mouth with pure delight. That’s what I’m talking about! This salad is composed of fresh handmade rice noodles, cucumber, lettuce, carrot, and a house made tofu patty that has tofu, mixed herbs, spices, onion, garlic and black pepper. Garnished with mint and fried shallot for that extra pop and a side container of sweet and tangy sauce to pull it all together. I had one of these tasty salads for dinner tonight and the tofu tastes just like turkey. Tofurkey is the real deal, haha. Delicious and nutritious!

Since it’s Easter and the bunny is visiting, we can’t have too many carrots. JKC Spicy Carrots from The Brinery will give that bunny a little extra pep in his step! I get asked frequently when these amazing fermented spicy carrots will be in the share again, so now is the time, folks! These well-loved Spicy Carrots are composed of carrots, green jalapeno, garlic, filtered water and sea salt. Mildly spicy with an occasional heat wave, they are great served with pretty much any savory meal across the board or straight out of the jar with a fork. The wide mouth jars are so convenient for the straight out the jar method. Yes, please!

Rounding out this week’s prepared food, we come to the last-but-not-least stop on this Immune Booster CSA ride with a final nod to Easter in the form of Hot Cross Buns from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. A spiced sweet bun usually made with fruit and marked with a cross on the top, Hot Cross Buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday in many countries across the globe, including the U.K., Ireland, Australia, India, South Africa and parts of the Americas. These Hot Cross Buns contain organic wheat flour, milk, honey, eggs, candied citrus peel (lemon, orange, citron), raisins, butter, water, yeast, and sea salt. Best served sliced, lightly toasted and buttered, this four-pack is the perfect ending to our Easter-themed share and we are elated to feature Zingerman’s Bakehouse once again with this delicious seasonal treat. 

zingermansbakehouse.com/

So there you have it! The circle is complete and this week’s Immune Booster tour of the local food scene has rolled to a stop. This week’s share is the result of many collaborations and elbow bumps (COVID high fives!) with our beloved partners. It brings me great joy and honor to represent all of these farms, restaurants, bakers and artisans, and I hope that you will venture out to the businesses outside of the share to see what other great local food they have to offer. I wish you nothing but the best this Easter Sunday. Enjoy your food and time together with family and loved ones. Thank you for your continued support and I will see you all on Saturday at the Washtenaw Food Hub for the folks who pick up in Ann Arbor. For the folks picking up at Agricole in Chelsea, Deb will be there with her usual smile and engaging conversation. When Deb and I get together we have to set time limits, lol. We both like to talk and we are just passionate about what we do!

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

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next email on April 4 regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 54 for pick up on April 11. 

All the best,

Ryan Poe and the talented Tantre Crew

**We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others.  Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published.  Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan and Zoe with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com. 

Immune Booster Week 52 Newsletter – Birthday Share

Posted on by April 20, 2021

Hello Party People!

Welcome to the Immune Booster Week 52 “Birthday Share” Newsletter. Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun growing wholesome food, working collectively with other farmers, and collaborating with some of the best chefs and food artisans that Ann Arbor and our local surrounding areas have to offer. The concept of the Immune Booster came at the perfect time to help local businesses endure the hardships brought about by the COVID outbreak, and give our local community a safe way to buy fresh, sustainable produce and wholesome in-season prepared foods all sourced and created within a 60 mile radius, give or take. The drive-thru, Immune Booster CSA was born and was an instant hit on all fronts. Patrons enjoyed the refreshing mix of produce and prepared foods, discovering new favorite restaurants and supporting local farms and businesses. The Immune Booster collective of farms and vendors loved to contribute their wares each week and became part of a larger mission to promote the local food movement. Win-win. During our breakout year, we have come a long way in fine-tuning and diversifying the share, and we will continue on this path, raising the bar and welcoming new friends into the Tantre fold. The sky’s the limit! So let’s open this week’s Birthday Box and see what gifts we have inside….

First up, we have organic, hydroponic Lettuce from Sell Farms and Greenhouses. This Ypsilanti-grown lettuce is freshly cut on Friday and looking delicious on your plate Saturday afternoon for lunch. It packs a nice spread of essential vitamins and minerals, as well as anti-inflammatory agents. Vibrant and crisp, this lettuce will spring you forward to a salad a day and help chase the last of those winter blues away. 

Next to the birthday party comes our longtime friend and comrade, Goetz Greenhouse and Family Farm with beautiful Rainbow Swiss Chard. These robust, paddle-shaped leaves are nutritional powerhouses, packed with vitamins A, C and K, magnesium, potassium, iron and dietary fiber. Both the leaf and the stem can be consumed, either raw or cooked in a variety of ways. Check out our recipe blogspot link listed at the end of this newsletter for ideas. 

Embracing a broad color palette of fruits and vegetables in your diet ensures that you get all the essential nutrients your body needs. That’s why Tantre likes to offer colorful vegetable mixes in your Immune Booster share. Continuing on the food rainbow, we welcome an organic Rainbow Carrot Mix from Second Spring Farm. You may find yellow, orange, purple and white carrots in this mix, each with their own nutritional twist. These carrots should be gently washed and if you can refrain from peeling, their skin is the healthiest part of the carrot to consume. So steam some up, maybe add a touch of butter and honey, and give your taste buds a treat. 

The party continues with organic Yellow Onions rolling right on in from Second Spring Farm.  Pungent and crisp, these onions contain powerful antioxidants and compounds that fight inflammation, decrease triglycerides and reduce cholesterol levels, all of which help lower the risk of heart disease. Easy to consume in an endless variety of ways, be sure to incorporate them daily into your diet. 

Next, we pivot to Wayward Seed Farm, adding to our birthday food rainbow with an organic mix of Red, Gold and Sweet Potatoes. Again, we feature a colorful mix of potatoes to provide you with the biggest nutritional boost we can offer. This is the Immune Booster after all! A delightful melody of tubers that can be boiled, roasted, fried, shredded, grilled, mashed, baked or caked. The options are endless. A true super food that is super delicious and super duper nutritious. 

Who’s up for some pin the tail on the Purple Daikon Radish from Tantre Farm? Count me in! These zeppelin-shaped, pastel purple tubers are laced with beneficial enzymes that aid in digestion and ward off free radicals. They are great thinly sliced on salads, cubed and steamed, or stir-fried, but my favorite way to consume them is to quick pickle them. There’s a plethora of quick pickling recipes online, so start with one that awakens your taste buds as you read down the ingredients list. Another great cooking tip recently shared with me by a kind Immune Booster customer is to bread and fry up daikon fritters. I had to give it a try, and they are supremely tasty! 

Who let the mushrooms out? Who, who, who, who??? Who let the mushrooms out?? That man happens to be Brian McShane, the proud owner of Detroit Mushroom Company just outside Whitmore Lake, a mere 10 minutes from where you pick up this share. Deep local and picked by Brian and his crew Friday afternoon, this Mushroom Mix will contain any of the following mushroom varieties: Lion’s Mane that is white and resembles a lion’s shaggy mane (hence the name), Golden Chestnut mushrooms that have long and skinny, beige-colored stems and a bright golden cap, Shimofuri mushrooms that tend to be girthy and larger than all the other varieties with thick white stems and a blueish-brown cap, Blue Oyster Mushrooms in tight clusters with smaller bluish-grey caps or Yellow Oyster Mushrooms that are also in tight clusters with a canary yellow cap.  Packed with selenium that helps regulate the thyroid as well as fiber, protein and a plethora of anti-cancer antioxidants, these tasty ‘shrooms’ should always be cooked and never eaten raw. They are great in stir fries, omelettes, soups or stews–a culinary winner whichever way you choose. 

Wrapping things up for the produce portion of this share, we add a sweet note with organic Fuji and Northern Spy Apples Mix from Almar Orchards and Cidery. Both varieties are packed with last summer’s sunshine and are great for regulating gut health and aiding in cancer prevention. The Fuji Apple is predominantly red with white speckles and the Northern Spy Apple has a green undertone with blushes of red. Slice and consume or cook into sweet treats. The choice is yours! 

This week we get the prepared foods ripping and dipping with none other than the Original Sourdough Loaf from Raterman Bread. This loaf is simple, yet satisfying and is the perfect dance partner for the soup and salad or the pesto and pasta still to come. So hold your horses and get ready to dip, swipe, swirl, and twirl this bread across your plates. 

Back by popular demand, El Harissa joins the party, bringing their robust Carthage Salad to the table. Crafting master salads is one of El Harissa’s many undeniable talents, and based on other salads we have featured in our previous shares, you are in for a vegan and gluten-free treat!  Cleverly created for sheer pleasure, this salad is composed of a young leafy green spring mix, tomatoes, olives, roasted chickpeas, poached figs, pomegranates and a dressing (on the side) that is composed of fig jam, pomegranate molasses, mint, balsamic vinegar, nigella seed and lime. A marvelous melody that will both satisfy and leave you wanting more! 

Moving on to a soup to go with our salad, Ginger Deli does not disappoint with a tasty Lentil and Vegetable Soup that is so healthy and hearty, it’s far out! This soup is composed of toasted green lentils, chickpeas, mung bean, Tantre Farm Carrots, celery, yellow onions from Second Spring Farm, garlic, sea salt, cumin, olive oil and topped with a garnish of fresh cilantro, roasted shallot and cherry tomatoes. Pair with the salad and bread for a well-rounded and deliciously satisfying meal. 

Next up, we are delighted to feature a Fresh Basil Pesto that is vegetarian and contains nuts from Juicy Kitchen. This is a number one seller week in and week out for Juicy Kitchen and is a dish we have been eager to feature in the share. Now that we have a tried and true local pasta vendor lined up, we jumped at the opportunity to incorporate it into our birthday share. What a treat! This Fresh Basil Pesto contains fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss up a homemade salad from the fresh produce in this share and slice up that bread, while the noodles are boiling and get ready for a feast!

Proudly introducing Al Dente Pasta Company to the Immune Booster family, we debut a vegetarian Egg Linguine Pasta as the perfect match to our pesto. Al Dente is a thriving pasta company based out of Whitmore Lake, offering an array of healthy and colorful pasta varieties, flavor combinations as well as plant based pastas. The Egg Linguine Pasta is composed of durum semolina flour, eggs and water. Simple, yet delicious! Check out Al Dente’s website link below for more information or to try more pasta varieties from their creative line.  

What’s a birthday without cake? The one thing we have all been waiting for and the perfect end to this week’s prepared foods… a 2-pack of Carrot Cupcakes! This week, we also have the pleasure of welcoming Zingerman’s Bakehouse to our Immune Booster share once again. I was delighted to meet with Amy Emberling, Managing Partner to Zingerman’s Bakehouse, for an impressive tour of the bakery and delicious samples to try out for future shares. We are in for some treats here folks! Perfect for a birthday party, these are carrot cakes with a difference. Made with freshly grated carrots, toasted walnuts, and freshly milled organic soft white Michigan wheat, and iced in a traditional cream cheese frosting flavored with fresh lemon juice. Mmmm! Good luck resisting these little gems on your way home from picking up your share.

Wait… Aren’t we forgetting something? Of course!! We must have a candle to go with our birthday cake! The last featured item in our Immune Booster Birthday Box is a Beeswax Beehive Votive Candle from MX6 Ranch and Honey Bee Yards, also making their debut in this week’s share. Pam Mackinders, owner, operator and candle maker, uses only one hundred percent raw beeswax and a cotton wick to make these beautifully scented candles. Pam has a true passion for perfection and one by one, mold by mold, she created each one of these candles with precision and care. Beeswax candles burn longer and brighter than any other candle, and their honey scent is perfect for the beginning of spring. Make a wish everyone!

We are forever grateful to all the vendors and farms, who contributed this past year to the Immune Booster share. We also thank YOU, our beloved patrons, for signing up each week, believing in our mission and cheering us with your support along the way. This is a local collaborative effort where many hands share the same mission: sustainable, healthy, local food that is better for you and better for our planet. Pouring revenue back into our own community, supporting our local farmers, entrepreneurs, and artisans. We are honored and grateful to represent all of our vendors, and we hope that you venture outside of the box to discover many other delights that they grow and make. 

Don’t forget we have Willy Wonka-style golden tickets hidden in 3 of our shares this week! The lucky winners will receive an extra sweet treat from another one of local food artisans that will be found inside their box attached to the golden ticket. Thank you again for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you at the Food Hub pick up or at the Agricole pick up this Saturday. Eat well, do well, be well!

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

Keep an eye out for our next email on March 28 regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 53 for pick up on April 3. 

All the best,

Ryan Poe and the talented Tantre Crew

**We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others.  Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published.  Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan and Zoe with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com. 

Immune Booster Week 51 Newsletter

Posted on by April 16, 2021

Hello Fellow Locavores,

Welcome to the Immune Booster Week 51 Newsletter. This week we have an alluring spread of local fine fruits and vegetables, scrumptious prepared foods, fresh baked bread, tempeh chorizo, eggs, oats and honey. A bright and healthy spread that complements the becoming of spring here in Michigan, which officially starts this Saturday. With the mild weather we have been busy bees planting seed tray upon seed tray, cutting logs to inoculate oyster and shiitake mushrooms, cleaning up the fruit orchard and clearing off the asparagus patch. Asparagus is one of the first perennial crops to emerge each year, closely followed by rhubarb–two wonderful plants not so far over the horizon now. This week we also had a spring welcome to Tantre’s family with the birth of Paddy, a calf bull who was fittingly named as he was born on St. Patrick’s Day morning. I missed the birth by about 10 minutes, but I did get to see him take his first steps and begin to suckle with his proud mama. So with that enlightenment, let’s switch gears and enlighten those taste buds…

With a hop, skip and a jump, we round up some pungent Yellow Onions from Second Spring Farm. Packed with zest and a bit of bite, as well as antioxidants that decrease inflammation and reduce bad cholesterol, these onions are a no brainer to use as frequently as possible. So slice some rounds for a burger and make a side or two of homemade onions rings. Cha-ching! Money!

Hi ho, hi ho, off to Ohio I go in search of the best Potato Mix, Wayward Seed Farm bound with a hound in tow. Pulling up to the cellar door we have found what we were looking for… Red and gold potatoes galore! Packed with protein and with life nourishing starch, we loaded them up as our long shadows cast an arch. Before long, a farm hand came along with another pallet of nutritious Green Cabbage. We tucked them right in, stacking them in crate after crate before the hour got too late. Just when we thought we had plenty, along came farmer Jenny with a pallet of Parsnips that we hastily loaded into our moon booster ship. Long white tubers packed with vitamin K and folate to save the day. As the sun fades away on this early spring day, Adam the head farmer rolls out the last skip of the day. Robust Red Beets packed with vitamin B, folate, fiber, and manganese, so my one suggestion is make some Borscht please 😉

Back on the road now and heading ‘Up North’ with our bounty and beet red faces from all the loading up, we make a stop at Kapnick Orchards to add to our loot. This week we have crisp Fuji Apples that are packed with vitamin A for Apple and D for Delicious. Great for slicing or baking, thinly sliced on salads, dehydrated or mashed into homemade applesauce. Just to make sure they were all tasty, I had to have a few on the way back to A2.

Back up in the A2, without further ado we present to you, Pea Shoots from Garden Works Organic Farm. Packed with cancer preventative carotene, folate and antioxidants, these clever baby plants are great for your immune system in a paramount way. Serve them up high on salads, sandwiches, or just right out of the container. It’s a great green gateway food for young children and sooo good for them. Eat them up while they are fresh and crisp!

Rounding out the plentiful produce for this week’s share, we have frozen Blueberries from Joe’s Blueberries that are guaranteed to chase the last of the winter blues away. These bulbous berries are the king of antioxidants, reducing DNA damage and warding off free radicals that cause cancer. These blueberries were picked and immediately frozen last summer, while in their prime and are a perfect pairing for the oats and honey coming up next…

Rolling along in with this Immune Booster share, we roll right into Organic Rolled Oats from Ferris Organic Farm. These heart-healthy oats are packed with soluble fiber, help reduce bad cholesterol and are great for your anatomy. I eat oatmeal for breakfast almost everyday and have for years. I buy several oatmeal varieties, mix them all in a container and use frequently in hot oatmeal, cold oats with yogurt and fruit, or for baking projects. These oats are versatile and superior in quality, so get creative and whip them up into something tasty on the hasty with the blueberries and honey.

Speaking of honey, we have a one pound glass jar of Wildflower Honey from Hives on the Hill Apiary to complement the oats and blueberries. This honey was harvested, processed and stored late last summer, just for winter treats like this. The bees have pollinated many types of local flowers and consuming it may help with your allergies as we roll into spring. Honey can be used widely across the culinary world in boundless ways in many drinks, prepared foods or just simply drizzled over a hot bowl of oatmeal and blueberries. This triple combo trio of awesomeness is sure to please in the cool, spring, morning breeze before the long days begin out at the farm.

Need a little toast to complement that bowl of oats? We got you covered with a Cinnamon Raisin Loaf from Avalon International Breads. This bread is loaded up with raisins, cinnamon, spice and everything nice to go with any breakfast dish. My kids love it as an afternoon snack with cream cheese. So get your toast on before it’s all gone!

Looking for something savory to whip up for breakfast or brunch? Then how about a solid dozen of local Free-Range Eggs from Webbed Foot Pines and Old Brick Farm. We split the egg farmers to fulfill this share, because we like to share the love in this current time of chicken eggs-a-plenty. This is the time of year when the chickens are just laying them down by the bucketful. They can sense that spring is in the air and the sun is getting closer, so they are just cranking them out. Both farms have free range birds, clean food and water, and tidy pens. I stopped by Larry Doll’s Old Brick Farm this week to take a tour and I must say these hens were pampered. Plenty of space and living the good life = happy eggs! So scramble them up, make an omelette with some of the produce, craft a quiche, bake a cake, hard boil for that egg salad sandwich you grew up on, the options are endless. These eggs contain omega-3 fatty acids which are great for warding off depression and anxiety, improved eye health and reducing symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

Let’s toss in a little Chorizo Tempeh from The Brinery to really get that savory kick going with those eggs. A match made in heaven. The Chorizo Tempeh is a surefire way to get you loaded up on a clean and healthy, plant-based protein that is flavorful and versatile. I’ve used this product for breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs, cooked it in oil until slightly blackened and tossed it on top of savory soups, pastas and salads, and I’ve also added it to meatballs for a bit of texture and spice. So get creative and whip up a show stopper meal.

Since you’re picking up your share mid morning, why not head home and treat yourself to a Rainbow Root Salad from Harvest Kitchen that is vegan and gluten-free. This dish is loaded up with Tantre Farm carrots and purple daikon radishes, parsnips, beets, a splash of lemon juice, olive oil, toasted sunflower seeds and salt and pepper. It’s a perfect seasonal dish that is extremely healthy and satisfying.

Rolling into our final, featured, prepared food for this week and closing out this week’s share, we offered you a choice of either a Mixed Vegetable and Chicken Kebabs OR Mixed Vegetable and Tofu Kebabs from Ginger Deli, depending on if you signed up for an omnivore share or a vegan share. Both options come with vermicelli noodles and a mix of fresh greens, shredded carrots, and grated pickled veggies. There is also an accompanying housemade sweet and tangy sauce in a side container. This dish is clean, colorful, and made with so much love. It took Ginger Deli’s staff three days to pull this all together. First, marinating the tofu and chicken, then pickling the veggies and on the final day, skewering and charcoal grilling the kebabs. Yessss, pleaseeeee! This dish pairs well with the Rainbow Root Salad and would be the perfect Saturday lunch or dinner after picking up your share. Get ready for some seriously tasty food!

So there you have it, the Week 51 Immune Booster CSA share breakdown has come to an end. We hope you enjoyed your moon boost ride, and we hope you delight in this local, healthy box of food with loved ones, friends, and family. Please keep your eyes peeled for next week’s one year Anniversary Share. We will have accomplished an entire year of Immune Booster CSA Shares, and we have an epic box of food lined up for this very special occasion! So check your email Sunday afternoon and get ready to launch! The stars are aligning. For now, let’s sign off and savor the flavor of this week’s share. As always, we are grateful for your continued support, as are all of our contributing partners. I look forward to seeing you Saturday morning. Be well!

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

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next email on March 21, regarding Tantre Farm’s Anniversary Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 52 for pick up on March 27.

All the best,

Ryan Poe and the talented Tantre Crew

**We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others. Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published. Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends. Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan and Zoe with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com.

Immune Booster Week 40 Newsletter

Posted on by April 16, 2021

January 2, 2021

Happy New Year, fellow Locavores!

Welcome to the Immune Booster week 40 CSA Share – our first box of fresh, locally grown produce and healthy prepared foods to start 2021 on the right path! A new year with new possibilities and promise. 2020 was a life altering year that we are all fervent to see fade away in the rear view mirror. As we look forward to a brighter horizon in 2021, we are hopeful for a somewhat normal return to life with smiling faces and readable expressions, social life and normal schedules. Stepping out of the blender of 2020, we will all reset and focus on greener pastures in the days ahead with new benchmarks and a refreshed vision for the opening up of society. In reflection of the past year’s trials and tribulations, we will remember the struggle of the day in and day out, but feel proud of our endurance, thankful for our health and closer to our loved ones and our community. Although the struggle will continue for a time, it is easier knowing that there are better days ahead and the end of the pandemic is in sight. So let’s re-energize and prepare ourselves to be our best ever version this new year. Be positive, be kind, be safe, eat well, sleep well and do well. The Immune Booster will help you on your way with nutritious, clean and delicious fuel to boost your 2021. The year is off to a great start with this week’s Immune Booster breakdown!  

Rolling right on into the new year, let’s freshen things up straight away with a nice crisp head of Lettuce – either Red Leaf lettuce or Boston lettuce from Goetz Greenhouse and Family Farm. Both of these varieties are greenhouse grown just 30 minutes south of Ann Arbor and these cold winter conditions dense them up with powerful antioxidants, and vitamins A and K to help keep the COVID away. So saddle up and salad up!  

Stepping up to the plate we have a purple and orange Carrot Mix from Tantre Farm. Both varieties are super sweet when cut fresh and served with a condiment, or even sweeter when roasted or steamed. Packed with beta carotene and linked to lower cholesterol, these robust carrots are a no brainer to boosting your immune system, so carrot away to a better day.

Need to practice your grip for the bowling days when lockdown ends? Then look no further than Green Cabbage bowling balls from Tantre Farm. These storage cabbages have stored away the summer sun with vital nutrients that help lower blood pressure and cholesterol to sustain a healthy heart, while also improving the digestive tract. These beauties are a guaranteed strike (X) so ‘slaw’ it up, steam or stir fry; it all tastes great!

Mixing it up, because that’s what we like to do, without further ado, I introduce to you, the Tantre Farm and Wayward Seed Farm Mixed Root Bag. Tubers, tubers, tubers galore, the more you consume the less you will snore. Well, maybe not, but this mix will fill that belly full for a good night’s rest. This hefty bag of Tantre Farm turnips, Watermelon radish and garlic along with Wayward Seed Farms organic Chioggia beets and Detroit Dark Red beets is a sure winner with a roasted chicken or tofu dinner. Hint hint. Nothing like wholesome food roasting away on a cold winter day. I know I’ll definitely be snoring away, zzzzzzz.

Another roasting veggie that would be great to add to the mixed root bag roasting party is the almighty organic Sweet Potato from Wayward Seed Farm. Packed with beta-carotene and Vitamin A, this versatile wonder can be prepared in a multitude of mouth watering ways. From casseroles, to soups, fried or roasted, boiled or mashed, this tasty tater sure has me on blast. They’re good for you and your taste buds, so get creative; you never know, you might find a new way to make this a fan favorite in your house like we have at mine.

Moving right along on our Immune Booster song we have organic Red and Yellow Onions from Second Spring Farm. Both unique with their own little zest, these allium globes are heart healthy, packed with cancer fighting compounds and help cleanse the liver from your New Year’s celebration. They are versatile and can be quickly pickled, sliced for that salad, roasted, minced and fried, steamed or BBQ’d and many other tasty ways. It’s an important staple to include in your daily consumption.

Home

Rounding out the tasty produce in this week’s share we wrap things up with Pea OR Sunflower Shoots from Garden Works Organic Farm. Either one you get in your share is (A) guaranteed a super food, (B) super tasty and (C) extremely packed with nutrients. So eat them up quick while they’re fresh and have not respired and lost nutrients. They are great on pretty much anything and I would eat them raw, never cooked for full health benefits.

Next up, we have a tried and true favorite from Raterman Bread with their Sesame Sourdough Bread. This loaf is sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds, is easy to digest, and is a great probiotic for the gut. Easy to use in any way you choose. Toasted and drizzled with honey or dipped into our first prepared food of the share…

Tomato Curry Soup from Juicy Kitchen! This perfectly balanced savory soup is made up of tomatoes, coconut milk, shallots, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, curry spices, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Vegan, gluten-free and tasty down to the last drop, this light soup takes the pressure off all the holiday binge eating. Slice up some of that tasty sesame loaf and throw together a little side salad with the produce from this share. A healthy, feel-good meal that will boost you to your best.

Our second featured dish this week is Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry with Turmeric Basmati Rice from Ginger Deli. This dish features one pint of flavorful stir fry and one pint of savory, turmeric basmati rice. The stir fry contains fresh pea tip leaves, tomatoes, garlic, Tofu, scallion, olive oil, sesame oil, sea salt and black pepper. The rice portion is composed of basmati rice, fresh turmeric, sea salt, and house-made vegetable broth. This is a dynamite combo and if it leaves you wanting more, you’re in luck… Ginger Deli has recently opened their new eatery in downtown A2 (203 E. Liberty Street). Pay a visit for tasty Banh Mi sandwiches, delicious Pho and fresh Spring Rolls that will satisfy your cravings for good Southeast Asian cuisine.

Shifting gears to Zingerman’s Creamery, we have one of their fan favorites – Pimento Cheese. A play on traditional Southern cheese spread, this cheese contains a fusion of cheddar, roasted red pepper, tellicherry, black pepper, mayonnaise, and cayenne pepper. Delicious on crackers and celery sticks, it can be used to liven up burgers, sandwiches, or even macaroni and cheese.

Our last featured prepared food for this week’s share comes in the form of NY Black Jack 21 Granola from Harvest Kitchen. This granola is a gluten-free blend of blackcurrants, black sesame seeds, dried jackfruit, cashews, cinnamon, honey, canola oil and oats. Consume as a dry snack by the handful, in a bowl of cereal, cooked into oatmeal or incorporated into baked treats. So enjoy the health kick, there’s no gambling here – it’s good for you!

Pivoting to our last featured item for this week, we have Midnight Moon Kombucha from Boochy Mama to wash the share down. This probiotic kombucha is made up of organic black and green tea, organic evaporated cane juice, elderberry concentrate, rose water, juniper extract and live probiotic cultures. A tasty drink with a fizz sure to satisfy, the content will keep your gut and immune system strong and extra healthy. For the Boochy fans out there, Boochy Mama is now offering a monthly winter wellness “Bear Care Box” that includes herbalist-formulated natural immune boosters, including Wildfire Tonic (fire cider), Elderberry Syrup, an herbal tea and tincture, and of course kombucha! The flavors will change monthly and Ann Arbor deliveries can be arranged. Visit the Boochy Mama website for more details and to sign up.

So that’s a wrap for this breakdown of the Immune Booster’s 40th week share! Life begins here with the best in local, farm-to-table, sustainably grown and sourced food. We are grateful for your continued support of this project that has served as a buoy for many local farms and businesses to stay afloat through the turbulent waves of the past year. We look forward to welcoming more partnerships into our fold throughout 2021 to reach further into the community, diversify, and keep you all healthy and hungry! We wish each of you a safe and happy New Year. 

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

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next email on January 3rd regarding Tantre Farm’s Immune Booster CSA Share, Week 41 for pick up on January 9th. 

We look forward to seeing you all this Saturday at the Washtenaw Food Hub OR Agricole Farm Stop!

All the best,

Ryan Poe and the talented Tantre Farm Crew

**We look forward to hearing your weekly feedback on the shares and welcome any suggestions on how to improve. Please understand that we try to give you an accurate listing of the produce in your box each week; however, since this menu is published before we pack the boxes on Fridays, we may sometimes have to substitute some vegetables for others.  Mostly we are able to update you of changes in our Friday newsletter, but sometimes our decisions are made after the newsletter is published.  Please let us know whenever you think you are missing anything, and we will try to find some way to make amends.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we try to keep things as smooth as possible. Please contact Ryan and Zoe with questions or comments at immuneboosterbytantre@gmail.com.