Sounds like many of you are hitting the road! It is probably a good vacation week if you aren't into the Coast Guard thing. Thanks for making alternate pick-ups easy for us!
FYI - Our "What's in the box" list is the best estimate we can give on the weekend before harvesting for deliveries. It is difficult to know each item that will be ready and looking healthy to harvest until the day we are in the field picking each day. I keep track of what is given each delivery day so I can try and balance things out throughout the season (i.e. Our Monday group didn't get bok choy the last harvest so they will get it for sure this week...)
Blueberries- Special on extra quarts of blueberries this week for$5.00 with 3 quarts max per person for delivery. Thought we could fit in some some extra blueberry picking before our peaches are ripe if you're interested. We have Briggitas this week which is our favorite variety! Email me if interested even if you pick-up at the market so we can plan ahead.
What's in the Box:
Blueberries
Raspberries - Likely - they are already slowing down and we have many bushes filled with crumbly berries that were hit by the late frost we have decided aren't worth picking... Some of our raspberries are the everbearing variety that start up again in September.
Baby Bok Choy - Monday group for sure!
Lettuce Mix
Onions - If you have too many chop and freeze and use this winter in soups and stir fries, etc.
Zucchini and yellow squash - small ones need to be used quickly; great sauted up with our sweet onions, some seasoning salt, and a little chicken broth and or olive oil. Don't overcook!!! If you get a monster zucchini that is best to use in a recipe such as zucchini cake, bread, or cookies.
Cucumber
Basil or Cilantro with hot peppers (Hungarian hot peppers which have medium hotness)
If you get basil this week you will get hot peppers and cilantro next week and vise versa.
Adirondack Blue Potatoes - Good for baked or fried potatoes vs. steamed as they will lose some of their color.
Kohlrabi
Swiss Chard, Arugula or Mesclun Mix? - we are rotating the Mesclun and Swiss Chard
Green Beans - Likely
Tatsoi?
Carrots or beets?
Coming Soon!
More beets - including a yummy heirloom next week
Peaches - next week
Tomatoes - 1-2 weeks:)
Kale - some next week
EASY Recipes Ideas:
Spicy Bean Dip with Cilantro and Hot Peppers - excellent with pita or tortilla chips, and works great as a base for a veggie quesedilla (just add cheese and any other ingredients that sound good)
1/2 cup salsa
1 Can black beans (pinto would probably work also) drained and rinsed
1-3 hot peppers - cut off stems, chop into chunks, remove most of seeds and less you like HOT
bunch cilantro (tough stems removed)
1-2 cloves garlic
Chop garlic and cilantro in the food processor until fine then add hot peppers. Next add in beans and cilantro and puree until it reaches your desired consistency.
Optional: Could stir in a little sour cream
Broiled Zucchini
1) Cut zucchini into rounds about 1 cm width (keep them around the same thickness..)
2) Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with seasoning salt (we used M Salt we got at GH market)
3) Sprinkle with lots of parmesan cheese
4) With broiler on high place on center rack and cook for 5-7 minutes max.
2 DVD's in our collection to pass on-
"The World According to Monsanto" - the documentary Americans will never see: This movie helped put together so many things I have been reading about in the last couple years including dangers of GMO's and major issues surrounding the security of the world's food supply. This is a real eye opener and an absolute must see!!! This documentary came out in March 2008 and has been shown on national television in many European Countries but likely won't make it here anytime soon.
Good summary of the movie: at :http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/monsanto_movie080307
The Real Dirt on Farmer John - Documentary made by an ecentric farmer who started what is now"Angelic Organics, a huge CSA program feeding many families near Chicago. We ordered this one thinking it would focus more on his CSA but it focused more on his life on his family's farm leading up to the start of his CSA. I will just say has a different personality than your average farmer with a very artistic side....
*We would love to let you borrow one of these for a week. I can bring it with your box and will need it back when I pick up your box the following week.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Week 7 News
Baskets are growing! We have fennel this week- The whole plant is edible but most often it is cut an inch above the bulb and is cooked to soften and mellow the flavor. The stalks can be used like celery in soups and stews. It is best used two to three days after harvest. Fennel is new to us and this winter we tried some from Meijer knowing we would be growing it this season. We tried it marinated and broiled, similar to the recipe I posted. It was pretty good but we are excited to try it fresh this week as most fennel at the store is shipped from California. One large bulb makes two to three servings. If you test a good fennel recipe you want to share send it along as we hope to have more early this fall. Much of our second planting of fennel didn't make it through the hard rains early in June but we have a third planting going.
Cookbook/Fresh produce guide - $16
Put together by a coalition of CSA's in Madison, Wisconsin.
I use this one weekly! VERY helpful with storing produce and simple recipe ideas. Also a childrens recipe section, preservation chapter, and information about CSA farming.
All veggies listed in ABC order with information on more than 50 vegetables and herbs. I have quite a collection going of similar books and this is by far the best!
Whats in the box?
Fennel
Mixed Greens
Raspberries
Blueberries - either Spartans or Brigittas this week (both are big sweet berries)
Beans - Italian beans (flat), burgundy beans, and/or regular green beans
Zucchini, yellow squash - if you can't use it up in a few days chop, dice, or grate, and put in the freezer to use later in soup, stir fry, or zucchini bread, etc.
Cucumber - likely (the yellowish/white cukes are supposed to be that color! Heirloom variety)
Onions
Carrots
Snow peas - see potato salad recipe posted passed on from a member for a unique idea.
Arugula or Mesclun mix- mesclun is a spicy salad blend that is also good tossed into stir fry
Beets?
Potatoes - possibly Adirondack blues but they are more likely next week
kohlrabi?
Coming soon:
basil and parsley
peaches - next week?
Adirondack Blue Potatoes
Tomatoes - two weeks we think
Add On Extra Fruit:
Raspberries: 4.00/pint
Blueberries: 3.00/pint or 6.00/quart
*A few new recipe ideas have been added!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I just had to take a pic of my gorgeous salad I had for lunch today after the market. Arugula, beets, locally made goat cheese I got from the Sweetwater Market on Saturday, and a little garlic vinaigrette. YUM!!!! The skins just fall right off the beets after steaming when they are fresh! These three ingredients also work awesome on a sandwich with toasted crusty bread. Really!
Our first carrots! These were planted before the cold weather in May so many of the seeds didn't germinate. But we have some to get us through before the next big batch is ready in a few weeks. The next carrots will include a fun purple heirloom variety called Dragon Carrots. Also, in the background of this picture you can see some of our rows of sweet corn popping up. I can't wait!!!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Week 6 News
Our season is sure coming into full swing! We are coming up on more and more veggies everyday. Green beans, beets, onions, more potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, cucumber, yellow squash, fennel, our first carrots...
The rain and humidity seems to be pushing many things along, maybe a little too much. I checked our purple kohlrabi a few days before writing last weeks note and they were just about the perfect size, then by the time we started harvesting them for Monday deliveries they had grown almost an inch in diameter; many were starting to crack from water overload. We also had this issue with many of our cherries and radishes. But we have plenty of the summer favorites doing just fine so we can't complain too much.
What's In the Box:
Big bag of salad greens - look for the heirloom, Amish Deer Tongue (darkest green in mix)
Baby Bok Choy - try it stir fried with chicken (add it in the last few minutes of cooking)
Sweet white onions and/or red onions
Quart Blueberries (large container) - You will likely get "Blue Jays" this week which are smaller than but very sweet and firm (will last quite a few days just on your counter)
Tart Cherries - Likely
Peas - Sugar, snap, or shell
Dill - Waited a week to harvest the rest of our first row
Green Beans - You may see some burgundy colored beans that turn green when cooked or a larger flat green bean (dutch variety).
Potatoes
Beets- Red and Golden are ready (the golden beets are an orangish color that won't bleed like regular beets and they seem to have a milder taste. I love to just steam them, slice, and refrigerate to add to salads or just eat plain... Excellent in arugula salads! I also here they are excellent sliced in a sandwich with goat cheese and a crusty bread.
Arugula?
Carrots, broccoli, green onions, kohlrabi, zucchini, heirloom cucumber (small white variety), yellow squash - You will receive a couple of these items this week!
Swiss Chard? I will try to get some to those of you that have requested it! We had to cut all the big leaves off already from our row that was just about ready to begin harvesting. The larger outer leaves were mangled pretty bad from the hail last week but we'll have more soon.
Fennel? - If you don't recieve any this week it will come next week
Coming soon!
peaches (still looks like a couple more weeks...)
raspberries
basil and parsley
Adirondack Blue Potatoes
Green Pepper
Recipes added to website: zucchini chocolate chip cookies, kohlrabi and carrots, and grilled marinated fennel.
Extra Fruit this Week: Some of you have been requesting the option to order extra fruit. This week we have time to pick extra blueberries. Please email me the night before your delivery if interested.
Blueberries: $6.00/quart = 2+ lbs (2 quarts max)
~Please send back pint and quart containers! Help keep us from having to use more plastic. The containers have a much higher cost but we love to use them because most of the time they can be recycled. If we don't see many of them return we will have to use more
bags :(
~We can recycle your plastic or paper grocery bags at the market if you have any you want to get rid of! Just leave them with your crate.
The rain and humidity seems to be pushing many things along, maybe a little too much. I checked our purple kohlrabi a few days before writing last weeks note and they were just about the perfect size, then by the time we started harvesting them for Monday deliveries they had grown almost an inch in diameter; many were starting to crack from water overload. We also had this issue with many of our cherries and radishes. But we have plenty of the summer favorites doing just fine so we can't complain too much.
What's In the Box:
Big bag of salad greens - look for the heirloom, Amish Deer Tongue (darkest green in mix)
Baby Bok Choy - try it stir fried with chicken (add it in the last few minutes of cooking)
Sweet white onions and/or red onions
Quart Blueberries (large container) - You will likely get "Blue Jays" this week which are smaller than but very sweet and firm (will last quite a few days just on your counter)
Tart Cherries - Likely
Peas - Sugar, snap, or shell
Dill - Waited a week to harvest the rest of our first row
Green Beans - You may see some burgundy colored beans that turn green when cooked or a larger flat green bean (dutch variety).
Potatoes
Beets- Red and Golden are ready (the golden beets are an orangish color that won't bleed like regular beets and they seem to have a milder taste. I love to just steam them, slice, and refrigerate to add to salads or just eat plain... Excellent in arugula salads! I also here they are excellent sliced in a sandwich with goat cheese and a crusty bread.
Arugula?
Carrots, broccoli, green onions, kohlrabi, zucchini, heirloom cucumber (small white variety), yellow squash - You will receive a couple of these items this week!
Swiss Chard? I will try to get some to those of you that have requested it! We had to cut all the big leaves off already from our row that was just about ready to begin harvesting. The larger outer leaves were mangled pretty bad from the hail last week but we'll have more soon.
Fennel? - If you don't recieve any this week it will come next week
Coming soon!
peaches (still looks like a couple more weeks...)
raspberries
basil and parsley
Adirondack Blue Potatoes
Green Pepper
Recipes added to website: zucchini chocolate chip cookies, kohlrabi and carrots, and grilled marinated fennel.
Extra Fruit this Week: Some of you have been requesting the option to order extra fruit. This week we have time to pick extra blueberries. Please email me the night before your delivery if interested.
Blueberries: $6.00/quart = 2+ lbs (2 quarts max)
~Please send back pint and quart containers! Help keep us from having to use more plastic. The containers have a much higher cost but we love to use them because most of the time they can be recycled. If we don't see many of them return we will have to use more
bags :(
~We can recycle your plastic or paper grocery bags at the market if you have any you want to get rid of! Just leave them with your crate.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Week 5 News
What a week! A big thanks goes out to two of our members, Bruce and Ann Marie, for helping us with some weeding we were falling behind on!!! I wish I had a camera with me. It was a perfect, almost mosquito free day while they were with us then in the afternoon the storms rolled in bringing damaging hail and wind. Some of our greens and young plants were affected :(
3 typs of fruit are coming this week. If you've had enough sweet cherries, pit and freeze to cook up in oatmeal this winter! Tart cherries make a great topping for cheesecake or in other deserts. My mother in-law suggests using a bobby pin to pit the small berries; great job for kids! A yummy tart cherry recipe for cobbler can be found at Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fresh-Cherry-Cobbler/Detail.aspx or on our website.
The blueberries are riper this week and are a humongous variety called Spartans. Our blueberries are grown on a much larger scale and are not organically grown. Though IPM is practiced, where spray is used when necessary verses following a standard spray schedule. Last summer our farm only had 2 pesticide applications while many blueberry farms apply closer to 8 each season. We are looking into a small-scale organic operation for the future... I keep forgetting a few of you don't know all of these things as many of you met us through the markets last year.
Asparagus to Zucchini - the awesome CSA cookbook/fresh produce guide is in. I decided $16 would cover cost and shipping. I can add it to your box if interested and I will have a few copies at markets.
What's in the Box:
Tart cherries - see cherry cobbler recipe above or on website!
Sweet cherries
Blueberries - excellent variety but has short shelf life (use within 3 days)
Lettuce Mix - Likely (seems to be recouping from the hail?)
Arugula - baby or regular (larger leaves are stronger tasting - great for pesto) We have one row getting close and one matured)
Scallions
Potatoes
Peas - snap, snow, or shelling (long pod bulging with peas)
Bunch dill?
Purple Kohlrabi - We are picking it young this week when it tastes the best! You can peel the purple skin off or just peel the bottom and cut slices to eat raw sprinkled with salt. Also great cooked up with other crunchy veggies like carrots or try grated into salad. Like many other veggies, we love it dipped in hummus:)
broccoli?
strawberries?
Tatsoi or beet greens- by request!
Coming Soon!
green beans
onions - white sweet onions by next week
peaches
raspberries
heirloom variety of fingerling potatoes - 1-2 weeks
fennel-next week?
beets
Farmer's Markets
Thursday - Spring Lake Market from 9-at least 1:00
Saturday - Grand Haven Farmers Market 7:30-1? Possibly Sweetwater also with tart cherries?
* Both days we will have blueberries, tart cherries, and any extras from the gardens.
Thanks for sending our containers back to reuse!
3 typs of fruit are coming this week. If you've had enough sweet cherries, pit and freeze to cook up in oatmeal this winter! Tart cherries make a great topping for cheesecake or in other deserts. My mother in-law suggests using a bobby pin to pit the small berries; great job for kids! A yummy tart cherry recipe for cobbler can be found at Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fresh-Cherry-Cobbler/Detail.aspx or on our website.
The blueberries are riper this week and are a humongous variety called Spartans. Our blueberries are grown on a much larger scale and are not organically grown. Though IPM is practiced, where spray is used when necessary verses following a standard spray schedule. Last summer our farm only had 2 pesticide applications while many blueberry farms apply closer to 8 each season. We are looking into a small-scale organic operation for the future... I keep forgetting a few of you don't know all of these things as many of you met us through the markets last year.
Asparagus to Zucchini - the awesome CSA cookbook/fresh produce guide is in. I decided $16 would cover cost and shipping. I can add it to your box if interested and I will have a few copies at markets.
What's in the Box:
Tart cherries - see cherry cobbler recipe above or on website!
Sweet cherries
Blueberries - excellent variety but has short shelf life (use within 3 days)
Lettuce Mix - Likely (seems to be recouping from the hail?)
Arugula - baby or regular (larger leaves are stronger tasting - great for pesto) We have one row getting close and one matured)
Scallions
Potatoes
Peas - snap, snow, or shelling (long pod bulging with peas)
Bunch dill?
Purple Kohlrabi - We are picking it young this week when it tastes the best! You can peel the purple skin off or just peel the bottom and cut slices to eat raw sprinkled with salt. Also great cooked up with other crunchy veggies like carrots or try grated into salad. Like many other veggies, we love it dipped in hummus:)
broccoli?
strawberries?
Tatsoi or beet greens- by request!
Coming Soon!
green beans
onions - white sweet onions by next week
peaches
raspberries
heirloom variety of fingerling potatoes - 1-2 weeks
fennel-next week?
beets
Farmer's Markets
Thursday - Spring Lake Market from 9-at least 1:00
Saturday - Grand Haven Farmers Market 7:30-1? Possibly Sweetwater also with tart cherries?
* Both days we will have blueberries, tart cherries, and any extras from the gardens.
Thanks for sending our containers back to reuse!
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