THIS WEEK’S SHARE

GREENS ADVICE for the entire season: Please keep in mind that there are a lot greens at this early part of the farm season, so basically, “It’s salad time!” If you’re not sure how best to enjoy your greens, taste it. If it’s too strong-flavored for a salad, then cook it. Greens can be eaten raw in a salad or lightly steamed or sautéed with garlic, green onions, or butter in order to mellow their flavor. They can also be tossed into a dish (such as soup or a smoothie) for an extra nutritional and flavorful boost.

ARUGULA: 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: add to salads, soups, and sautéed vegetable dishes
-How to store: very perishable, so use up quickly; store in plastic bag with a paper towel in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

ASPARAGUS: Also known as “sparrowgrass”, these green or purple spears each contain 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 AND GREENS: round, smooth, deep red roots with sweet flavor and medium-tall, red-veined green leaves.  * The beet greens are especially delicious right now. See recipe at end of newsletter for greens and beet recipes.
-How to use: greens can be substituted for spinach and chard in recipes; roots good in soups, stews, roasted, boiled, steamed, excellent grated raw into salads or baked goods.
-How to store: separate roots from leaves and store unwashed in plastic bags in hydrator drawer of refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; store greens wrapped in damp cloth in plastic bag for up to 1 week.

BROCCOLI: deep emerald green, tiny buds that are clustered on top of stout, edible stems; high in vitamins A, C, calcium, potassium, and iron; known as an anti-cancer vegetable.
-How to use: use raw, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, in casseroles, soups, pizzas, etc.
-How to store: store loosely in plastic bag for up to a week.

FAVA BEANS: (also called faba bean, horse bean, or broad bean)–the pod is inedible and looks like a large bean pod; the bean seed resembles a very large lima bean with a tart, pungent flavor; fresh fava beans should be shelled from pod, and bean can be eaten raw, skin and all, if young enough. Interesting recipe and ways to preserve: https://www.thespruceeats.com/sauteed-fava-beans-2217303
*To skin fava beans: blanch for 1 minute, then drain and cool; with your thumbnail, pull open the sprout end and squeeze the bean out of its skin.
-How to use: stew skinned beans in a little butter, oil or cream seasoned with savory, thyme or sage; saute with other vegetables and toss with pasta; good in soups; lots of recipes on the internet.
-How to store: store fresh, unshelled beans in the refrigerator up to a week; once shelled, blanched and skinned, favas can be frozen in plastic containers for longer storage; shelled beans are best used within a few days; see “Beans” for recipes in the A to Z Cookbook, if you have it.   

GREEN LEAF LETTUCE: You will receive Tropicana (a green leaf lettuce with large, bright green heads with thick crumpled leaves; good in salads and sandwiches).
-How to use: raw in salads or (believe it or not!) use in soups.
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 3-5 days.

GREEN ONIONS (also called “scallions ” or “spring onions”): young shoots of red or white 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.
-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.

SUGAR SNAP PEAS (only for Wed. members, since Fri/Sat members received them last week as a surprise!): flat-round pod of edible-pod pea; often lighter green than the shelling pea pod; you can eat the pod and the pea!
-How to use: add peas to soups, stews, sautes, or stir-fries; blanch or steam for 2-4 minutes only until color is bright green; snap or snow peas can be eaten raw in salads or cooked quickly as in stir-fries or deep fry in tempura batter.-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag for 4-5 days; if kept too long, their sweet flavor and crisp texture diminishes. 

RADISHES (Pink Beauty):  pink-colored root with mild, spicy flavor; excellent source of vitamins A, C, and the B’s!
-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
-How to store: refrigerate in plastic bag/damp towel for 1-2 weeks. 

SPICY GREENS MIX:  a blend of arugula, Kyona/Mizuna, and red and green mustards.
-How to use: used for salads and sautéing–cooks up quickly.
-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, as well as vitamins A and C; delicious flavor when juiced.
-How to use: toss in fresh salad, add to sandwiches, sauté, 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. 4th of July VACATIONS or OUT OF TOWN: Please let us know of any last minute changes in pick up days or locations if you will be out of town for the 4th of July weekend and need to put your share on hold or donate it to a needy family. Thanks for being courteous and letting us know. Safe travels!!

2. 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 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. Unfortunately our Wed. Sunflower Market will be closed on Wed. this week due to staff shortage.  We also have a small farm stand at the HoneyBee U-pick area (more details below).

3. HONEYBEE U-PICK: We are open this week from 8 AM until 12 PM every morning for strawberry picking at 5700 Scio Church Road on the corner of Zeeb Rd. and Scio Church Rd. in Ann Arbor, but the strawberries are slowing down a bit! We are still finding them, and they are slightly small, but mighty delicious!  Due to the heat wave this week, we will only be open in the mornings.  We will be open at least through the end of this week including Saturday morning,  unless the weather is bad, but this is looking like the last week of u-pick strawberries. Just look for a beautiful, artisanal, timber frame barn in the middle of the field. We will provide buckets for picking, but please bring your own containers to transfer strawberries into, or we will provide bags. We will also try to have “already picked” strawberries and recently harvested blueberries for sale if we have enough staff to pick them. Other u-pick opportunities might be raspberries in August through September, and u-pick flowers from late July through September. Sign up to be on our mailing list, so you know times, prices, weather-related closings, etc. here: https://www.tantrefarm.com/honey-bee/

4. 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)

RECIPES

GADEER’S FAVA BEAN RECIPE
A traditional Mediterranean recipe. Adjust ingredients to taste.
1-2 qts fava beans with pods
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh or bottled
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 green onions, chopped

Prepare fava pods for cooking, but remove “string” on edge of pod by grasping stem part with a knife and pulling “stringy” part of the pod off. Chop beans in 1-inch chunks (shell and beans together). Heat olive oil in pot and add the beans. Stir occasionally on low heat. When the beans begin to water, add garlic, cilantro, green onions, and lemon. Beans are ready when they turn a more brownish-green. Enjoy!

GREEN LETTUCE SMOOTHIES (adapted from Green For Life, by Victoria Boutenko)
Additional note: I started out using these recipes and now I just throw anything into the blender and get creative. You can always interchange the greens to whatever’s on hand. Also, you can interchange water for fruit juice.  Also pitted dates or honey add sweetness. 
OPTION #1 (yields 1 quart):
1 cup strawberries, 2 bananas, 1/2 bunch lettuce, 2 cups water. Blend well.
OPTION #2 (yields 1 quart):  
6-8 leaves red leaf lettuce, 1 banana, 1/4 cup blueberries, 2 cups water. Blend well.

BEET SALAD   Serves 6
4 medium fresh beets
Green leaf lettuce as a garnish
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Lemon Dressing:
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt

Trim the greens off one inch above the beet. Keep the thin tap root. In a medium saucepan cook the whole beets, covered, in boiling water for 40 to 50 minutes. Drain, cool slightly and peel the beets (cooking and peeling can be done the day before). For the dressing combine the olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt in a mixing bowl. Dice the beets into bite-size cubes. Put them in the bowl of dressing. Stir well and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, toast the sesame seeds in a pan on the stove top. Remove when they are golden brown. To serve, line each plate with a lettuce leaf. Stir the beets again, then us a slotted spoon to scoop them onto the plates. Sprinkle the seeds over the top and serve.

SESAME BEET GREENS (from Learning to Eat Locally) Serves 6
Greens of 4-6 beets, cut off 1-inch from root
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 Tbsp soy sauce

 Rinse and dry beet greens. Slice them across the stem into 1-inch strips. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, tilting pan to coat. Stirring constantly with a spatula, toss in garlic, sesame seeds, and about half of the sliced beet greens. Shake on soy sauce and add remaining greens. Continue stirring until all greens have wilted and stems are tender (about 3-4 minutes). Move greens to a serving bowl and serve hot or at room temperature.   

MUSTARD GREENS WITH GINGER AND HOT PEPPER (from Mad Mares Cookbook)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb green or red mustard greens (spicy greens mix/arugula) washed, drained, and cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced (4-5 garlic scapes, chopped)
1 Tbsp fresh hot pepper, finely minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
Salt and pepper, to taste

In wok or large pan, combine oils over high heat, but do not allow to smoke. Add greens and stir briskly for 1 minute or until color changes to bright green. Add garlic, pepper, and ginger; stir and cook another 30 seconds. Add vinegar and honey. Remove from heat and combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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