THIS WEEK’S SHARE

ARUGULA: an aromatic, bright green, salad green with a peppery mustard flavor; rich in iron and vitamins A and C.
-How to use: add to salads, soups, and sautéed vegetable dishes.
-How to store: very perishable, so use up quickly; store in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

PURPLE HAZE CARROTS: bright purplish-red roots with bright orange interior and a sweet flavor; cooking will cause the color to fade
-How to use: can be used raw as carrot sticks, grated in salads or juiced; steamed or sauteed, excellent roasted!
-How to store: refrigerate dry and unwashed roots in plastic bag for up to 2 weeks

SWEET CORN (Montauk): small, fancy, bicolor kernels on 8” long ears with superior, sweet flavor
-How to use: ears of corn can be steamed in 1-2 inches of water for 6-10 minutes, or drop ears into boiling water (enough to cover) for 4-7 minutes; ears of corn can also be roasted unhusked in the oven or outside grill for about 20 minutes.
-How to store: refrigerate with husks on, and use as soon as possible to retain sweetness and flavor.

U-PICK FLOWERS (only available for picking on the farm): Every summer we plant a variety of flowers for drying or fresh bouquets. We welcome you to visit the farm to pick your flowers on any day of the week, but please contact us if it will be on other days besides our usual CSA distribution days of Wednesdays and Fridays, so we can make sure to be around to show you where to go and what to do. This week you can pick up to 15 stems per household. If you choose a dahlia, please only take 1 per bouquet. You may want to bring scissors or clippers and a vase/jar to keep your flowers fresh going home, but we will have clippers and donated yogurt containers to fill with water as well. Your bouquet is part of your share, although it is helpful whenever you can make a small donation to pay for seeds and labor when you can. Extra bouquets cost $6/bunch this week.

GARLIC: a bulb of several papery white cloves; believed to help in fighting infections, cancer prevention, bolstering the immune system, lowering blood pressure and preventing heart disease, used as an expectorant or decongestant, and at least some people believe that it can ward off vampires and insects.
Cooking tips: to mellow garlic’s strong flavor opt for longer cooking; to enjoy its more pungent flavors and increased medicinal benefit, use it raw or with minimal cooking.
-How to use: minced raw in salad dressings, sautéed and added to stir-fries, meats, vegetables; make garlic butter with 1/2 cup of softened butter mashed with four minced cloves of garlic; try roasting garlic by cutting off tops of garlic bulb, so cloves are exposed, brush with olive oil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, squeeze garlic out of skins and spread on a good, crusty bread.
-How to store: garlic can be stored in an open, breathable basket in a cool, dark place for many months; if cloves begin to get soft or moldy, break off bad clove and chop up others and pack into small jar filled with olive oil; then refrigerate (great gift idea!).

FRESH HERBS: You will receive either Mojito Mint (this mint has a green stem with large green, crinkly leaves and has a much milder flavor with hints of citrus, which make it good in salads, desserts, smoothies, and even your water bottle; great for muddling in cocktails; aids in digestion) OR Rosemary (pine needle-like leaves used with potatoes, bread doughs, risottos, mixed vegetables, and meat dishes, as well as in sweet dishes such as lemonade, creams, custards, and syrups; very strongly flavored, so use sparingly; considered a memory stimulant and medicinally used for headaches, indigestion, and depression).
-How to store: 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.

KALE: You will receive Red Curly Kale (well ruffled red or green leaves with red stems; gets redder and sweeter after a frost) OR Green Curly Kale (well-ruffled, curly green leaves on green stems; this variety makes a good, roasted “kale chip”).
-How to use: for salads, soups, sauté, and light cooking.
-How to store: keep in plastic bag or damp towel in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

WILDFIRE LETTUCE MIX:  a beautiful bag of dark reds and vibrant greens including Green and Red Oakleaf, Green and Red Romaine, and Redleaf lettuces; your lettuce has been rinsed once.
-How to use: raw in salads, sandwiches, or (believe it or not!) use in soups.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.

SWEET RED PEPPERS: You will receive Green or Red Knight Bell (big, blocky, thick-walled, green-to-red pepper with sweet flesh) OR Red Carmen (6-inch long, tapered fruit that ripens from green to a deep “carmine” red; sweet taste in salads and when roasted and fully red-ripe).
-How to use: can be baked, grilled, and cut into chunks for stews, soups and stir-fries
-How to store: can be stored at room temperature or in refrigerator drawer for up to 1 week.

ADIRONDACK BLUE POTATOES: round to oblong, slightly flattened tubers have glistening blue skin enclosing deep blue flesh; moist, flavorful flesh is superb for mashing or salads; very high in antioxidants!
-How to use: good roasted, mashed, or in salads
-How to store: keep unwashed in cool, dark place in paper bag; ideal temperature is 38-40 degrees with 80-90 percent humidity, but no condensation; a basement or very cool closet will work.

RADISHES (Purple 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 (excellent source of vitamins A, C, and the B’s); delicious in soups or stir-fries.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks.  

BUTTERNUT SQUASH: light, tan-colored skin; small seed cavities with thick, cylindrical necks; bright orange, moist, sweet flesh; longest storage potential of all squash
-How to use: slice in half, scoop seeds out and bake with a little water in baking pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender; boil or steam chunks for 15-20 minutes, or until tender (peel skins off “before” or “after“ cooked, but “after” is easiest when it’s cooled); mash cooked squash with butter; puree cooked squash for creamy soup, or add uncooked chunks to soups or stews; add small amounts to yeast breads, muffins, cookies, pies, oatmeal, etc.
-How to store: keep for several months (depending on the variety) in a dry, moderately warm (50-60 degrees), but not freezing location with 60-75 percent humidity; will also store at room temperature.

TOMATOES: Everyone will receive Tiren Sauce (Italian variety with classic San Marzano shape; meaty flesh that makes for good sauce and paste making it a fast variety to boil down into sauce). Some of you will receive any of the following: Cherry Mix (may include a colorful variety of Sungold, Sungreen, Sakura, Indigo Cherry) AND/OR Heirloom Tomato –Brandywine (large, heirloom, beefsteak tomato–often over 1 lb–with a deep pink skin and smooth red flesh).
-How to use: sauté, bake, broil, or grill; eat raw in salads or add to soups, stews, or sauces.
-How to store: keep at room temperature for up to 1 week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. FALL FORAGE AND FEAST Cooking Class on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 5-8 PM at Tantre Farm: Come to this foraging class and turn our collections into a gourmet meal with local foraging expert, Rachel Mifsud, from “Will Forage For Food”. Plant walks are great, but what do you do with stuff once you get it home? This class is designed to teach you exactly that. We will go out and forage for about an hour, then we will bring our harvest into the kitchen where we will combine it with previously foraged items (from Rachel’s stash), farm fresh ingredients, and some grocery store staples to make a gourmet meal that we will share. Our meal will include a main dish, a couple of sides, a desert, and both an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic beverage, all made with wild ingredients. Note that one or more of the dishes we make may include meat, eggs, dairy, wheat, nuts, etc. So if you have dietary restrictions you should contact Rachel before signing up. Bring your harvesting basket if you have one. It will also be helpful if you bring your favorite kitchen knife and a kitchen towel. And you may want a notebook to jot down recipes as we go. You may also want a notebook to jot down recipes as we go. This class is limited to 8 participants and Tantre CSA members are offered a discounted price of $50/person compared to $75 for nonmembers. Please register at https://willforageforfood.square.site/.

2. ENDING SUMMER CSA DATES: NEXT WEEK is our LAST WEEK for the Summer CSA. That means Sept. 25 (Wed.), Sept. 27 (Fri.), and Sept. 28 (Sat.) are the last distribution days for our Summer Shares.

3. EXTENDED FALL CSA REGISTRATION IS OPEN! We are offering an Extended Fall CSA Share for $160 for 4 weeks starting the week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5 and ending the week of October 20-26. In order to receive all 4 shares, please register online anytime before Sept. 28 at https://www.tantrefarm.com/about-csa/fall-csa/. If you can’t commit right away, then sign up the week before you would like to receive a box for a prorated share. Please go to our website for more information and find the Sign In link. Coming soon, you will receive a separate email with more details about registration. You can always look up general details on our website about each of our CSA programs. Thank you for your patience, while we work out a few more logistics!

4. SUNFLOWER FARM MARKET IS HIRING: Calling all locavores! Sunflower Farm Market (formerly the Washtenaw Food Hub Market) is looking for help running the market Wednesday 3-8 PM & Saturdays 8 AM-1 PM. $10/hr or more + free produce. Perfect for a high school or college student looking for some part time work.  Contact Deb at info@tantrefarm.com for more information with SUNFLOWER FARM MARKET in the Subject line.

5. U-PICK & ALREADY PICKED TOMATOES AVAILABLE: We still have some sauce tomatoes (Roma or Veronas-good for sauce and dehydrating), Geronimo slicers, cherry tomatoes (good for soups, freezing, & dehydrating) available for those of you interested in u-pick for preserving, whether canning, freezing, or dehydrating. The sauce or Roma tomatoes are just starting to ripen due to these cool days and nights. Please feel free to come on Wed AND Fri during CSA distribution times. The u-pick sites will be listed on the map on the distribution shed wall, but it is always helpful for a heads up that you are coming, so please email or give Deb a quick text at 734-385-6748. Please schedule the time on other days, so we can show you where to pick and what to do.
-U-PICK: $0.50/lb for heirlooms, slicers, cherry, or sauce tomatoes. Please schedule the time on other days, so we can show you where to pick and what to do.
-ALREADY PICKED: Minimum orders of $15 for a 15-lb box for sauce or slicer tomatoes in good condition. Lots of Romas available at the farm for Wednesday, if anyone wants to load up for $1/lb. Other varieties may be available as well. Can be brought to Saturday Chelsea and Ann Arbor Farmers Markets and maybe HoneyBee U-pick if ordered by email by Thursday morning with BULK TOMATOES in the subject line.

6. FARMERS MARKETS: If you need to supplement your share with a few extra items, we are set up at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market on Wed. & Sat. this week starting at 7 AM. We will also be at the Chelsea Farmers Market from 8 AM-1 PM. On top of that, our Sunflower Farm Market (formerly known as the Washtenaw Food Hub Market) is OPEN on Wednesdays from 4 to 8 PM and on Saturdays as usual during our CSA pick up times from 9 AM-12 PM, so please feel free to purchase all your basic local needs and a few extra treats at any of these markets. We also have a small farm stand at the HoneyBee U-pick area (more details below).

7. HONEYBEE U-PICK is OPEN ONLY ON SATURDAY MORNINGS: We are open this week from 8 AM until 12 PM on Saturday mornings at 5700 Scio Church Road on the corner of Zeeb Rd. and Scio Church Rd. in Ann Arbor. You may purchase fresh Tantre produce and Elder Farm eggs. There are a few raspberries ready for picking, so if you are a true raspberry lover then we recommend bringing pants, long sleeves, closed toe shoes, and just give it a try! Sign up to be on our mailing list, so you know times, prices, weather-related closings, etc. here: https://www.tantrefarm.com/honey-bee/

8. PICK UP TIMES & LOCATIONS REMINDER:
*Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market (Wed.)—7 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time)
*MOVE Fitness & Wellness Studio (Wed)—8 AM to 9:30 AM (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.) –4 PM to 8 PM (Come inside the new Sunflower Farm Market to pick up your share! STAFF there the whole time)
*Pure Pastures (Wed.) —9 AM to 11 AM (JESSICA there most of the time)
*Farm (Fri.)—2 PM to 7 PM (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time with some self check-in)
*Ann Arbor Farmers Market (Sat.) —7 AM to 12 PM (SHANNON there the whole time)
*Washtenaw Food Hub (Sat.)—9 AM to 12 PM (Come inside the new Sunflower Farm Market to pick up your share. STAFF there the whole time)
*Chelsea Farmers’ Market (Sat.)—8 AM to 12 PM (DEB there the whole time)
*Argus-Packard (Sat) — 9 AM to 3 PM ( STAFF there the whole time)
*RoosRoast-Rosewood (Sat)–9 AM to 11 AM (LIZ there the whole time)*HoneyBee U-pick (Sat)–8 AM to 12 PM (TANTRE STAFF there the whole time)

REFLECTIONS ON THE FARM
by Richard and Deb

The lack of rain has really helped ripen the tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, and winter squash as we sail towards the Fall Equinox in just 3 or 4 days. It seems that we have a good equanimity not only of daytime and night time hours, but of temperatures that rise into the lower to mid 80’s during the day and fall into the mid 50’s at night gently ripening all the annual vegetable crops including the apples, pears, paw paws, persimmons, hazelnuts, and chestnuts of the fall. The black walnut trees have been dropping their heavy, fragrant nuts. The dry weather has allowed us to keep up with the weeding, and add water when all weeding is done, so many of the fall vegetable beds are clean and tidy.

We still have an abundance of u-pick tomatoes, peppers, and yellow beans for preserving for the winter, so please email us your interest and come to the farm to fill up your freezers or your jars! Although our days are full of weeding and harvesting, it is difficult to be stressed with such well-balanced weather and such a cheerful farm community. The animals at the farm, either wild or domestic, are gathering and celebrating this mild weather as well in a variety of vocalizations every morning and evening. Crows and sandhill cranes caw or squawk to each other along with the blue jay’s sharp chirp and the geese honking. Even the smallest birds wake in the morning chattering to each other, while flying in between the vines and branches picking the last of the grapes for a special, bird-sized treat.

As we approach these last two weeks of the share, we hope that you’ve enjoyed this summer’s produce. Each summer holds a slightly different bounty of flavors, as well as each season. Please consider joining us again with the upcoming Extended Fall CSA, the Thanksgiving CSA, or the weekly Tantre Farm Produce Box, which will continue through October.

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 “recipes” at the end, and many recipe ideas will pop up. Have fun searching!

ITALIAN POTATOES WITH ONION AND ROSEMARY (from www.gardenguides.com) Makes 4 servings
2 1/4 lbs potatoes (about 4 potatoes), scrubbed, and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
10 oz onion (about 1 large onion), peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook the potatoes in a microwave oven at full power for 7-8 minutes, until fork-tender. (You can also boil the potatoes for 30-35 minutes in 4 cups of water to which 2 teaspoons of salt have been added.) Set the potatoes aside until cool enough to handle. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. In the hot skillet, combine the onion, garlic, and wine. Stir to combine thoroughly and cook for about 15 minutes, until the onion is very soft. Add the potatoes, parsley, and rosemary. Mix well and mash with the back of a wooden spoon to form a large pancake. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and somewhat crusty underneath. Position a plate upside down over the pan, flip the pancake out onto the plate so that the cooked side is up, and then slide it back into the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes more, until the second side is crusty. Serve hot.

VEGETABLE CITRUS MINT STIR FRY (from http://theexchange.thegrowers-exchange.com/annies-vegetable-citrus-mint-stir-fry)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 garlic chives (or 2 garlic cloves), minced
1 block firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 zucchini, chopped
4 stalks lemon grass, well minced in a food processor
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups packed mint leaves
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
Pre-cooked rice

Saute the garlic, tofu, red pepper, and onion for about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, and continue to cook until the veggies are soft and the tofu is golden brown. Remove from heat. For sauce, place the remaining ingredients (except rice) in a food processor and process until mint is finely minced. Add sauce to the tofu and veggies and reheat, just until hot. Serve over rice.

ARUGULA, EGG, AND TOMATO SALAD
1 bunch arugula
4 tomatoes
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 onion or 4-6 scallions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash and spin off excess moisture. Remove tough stems. Cut tomatoes into 1-inch cubes. Peel and quarter eggs. Combine all ingredients and mix. Saute in olive oil for only 5 seconds and toss with pasta, if desired.

CARROT MINT SOUP (from The Shoshoni Cookbook by Anne Saks and Faith Stone) Serves 4-6
6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped, or 2 tsp dried
2 Tbsp honey or brown rice syrup

 Combine carrots, onion, garlic, and stock in soup pot. Simmer 40 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Remove carrots and puree with a little stock in blender until completely smooth. Return puree to the pot and stir well to combine. Stir in salt, pepper, mint and sweetener. Mix well and adjust seasonings to taste.

ROSEMARY ROASTED BLUE POTATOES Serves 4
1 lb small blue potatoes, unpeeled but washed whole
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp dried rosemary leaves, slightly crushed
1 Tbsp sea salt, slightly crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover bottom of natural finish skillet with heat-resistant handle (cast iron works best) with the oil. Cut potatoes into quarters, add to skillet and toss to coat with oil. Position skillet on middle rack of oven. Roast potatoes for 20 minutes. Turn off oven heat. Stir potatoes and keep them in oven another 10 minutes. Stir potatoes one last time, then transfer to a serving bowl, tossing the rosemary and salt mixture over them.

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