Week 17 News

Expect FULL boxes these last two weeks. Many items will store very well including the winter squash, beets (remove greens), potatoes, and apples. Others can be frozen very easily if you get more than you can use this week. Any potatoes this week or next will only be brushed off so they will store longer.

A few freezing tips:
~Scallions: just chop, pat dry, and freeze. Will last 3-4 weeks to add into potato soup, etc...
~Lima beans - use within 3 days once shelled or freeze by blanching for 2-3 minutes max, cool in cold water, and freeze.
~Greens: steam in a steamer basket just until wilted and freeze once cooled. Use in lasagna, soups, etc..
~Sweet Peppers: chop and freeze or roast about 6-7 minutes on each side under broiler, let cool, then freeze (you can take skins off or wait until thawed and they will come off easier).

Farmer's Market - We are taking a break from markets right now...


Produce Forecast
Watermelon ~ orange or red
Bosc pears
Apples
Concord Grapes - refrigerate right away! To eat, peel back the outer skin and remember they have a seed (that's the best I can do:)
Lettuce or arugula
1-2 Cooking greens (including kale)
Peppers - red, green, and hot
Beets
eggplant?
green beans - likely
Lima beans - enough to add into soup
sweet or green onions
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes?
Winter squash - Musque De Provence, heirloom known for excellent storage ability and flavor
or acorn squash
Potatoes or rutabaga?
Raspberries? They seem to have bounced back from the rains

~If you prefer fennel over squash let me know as we have some available...

Week 16 News

Well the majority of our apples are finally coming in. Last week I picked a few early golden delicious and Ida reds, so we should be harvesting all of the goldens this week.

Greens are also coming in slowly, but they are coming. Yesterday I was tilling between the rows and I would have to say that the arugula will be in next week with tatsoi and savoy coming quickly.

As for spinach and lettuce, it may be a while:( The rain did in the first summer spinach planting and leveled the lettuce. The lettuce will recover and the second planting of spinach is coming.

Produce forecast for the week:


Apples - mix of golden delicious, granny smith, and ida reds
Plums
Pears
Raspberries?
Carrots
Green beans - Yep, they re-blossomed again and look excellent!
kale and/or swiss chard
Onions and/or scallions
Eggplant - likely
Tomatoes
Peppers - red pepper likely
Rutabaga?
basil or dill - whichever you didn't get last week
potatoes
cherry tomatoes
sun jewel melon - likely this week, a small specialty melon that tastes like honey dew mixed with cantaloupe

Coming next week:

Watermelon, either a yellow flesh or a traditional red.

Squash: This has been an especially hard year for our squash, but it looks as though we'll have enough for at least one delivery

Lima beans - enough to add to a veggie soup. We were experimenting with growing these this year:)

Mutsu apples and also apples available in quantity by next week

Recipe Ideas added to our website this week:

Mashed potatoes with olive oil and kale - great way to enjoy your greens!

Gingerly Carrot Soup - also uses fresh dill and potatoes

Lemon Carrots and Rutabaga - Check this one out! I know it sounds strange....

Week 15 News

A few new fruits from the orchard are coming this week: gala apples, bartlet pears, and our late variety of plums. We picked a bushel of plums on Friday night, some might have been pick a touch early, but we were trying to save them from splitting with all of the rain. Don't worry though, they will ripen up just fine.

Possibly blueberries by the end of the week. We think enough might ripen up once more this season of the late variety called Elliot's. They aren't as sweet but are good firm berries to use for cooking.


This Week's Produce Forecast:

Pears - bartlet
Apples - honey crisp and Gala
Plums
Potatoes - Yukon Gold
Lettuce mix or arugula
Cooking Greens: Swiss Chard, Kale, or Savoy (rotating)
Tomatoes
Sweet corn - Last week
Sweet onions or green onions - sweet onions if they are dried out enough
Beets or eggplant - whichever you didn't get last week
Cherry or grape tomatoes
Green and/or Red pepper - they are starting to turn red
Dill or basil - likely
Rutabaga?
Beans?
Squash???


A few 1/2 bushels of honey crisp available - $25

Tomatoes in quantity - $14/half bushel (22-26lbs) $25 /bushel (~50-52lbs)


Farm Report from Russ:

Everything is turning green again! With all of the warm rain in the last week all of the plants that were lacking water are now looking lush and healthy. I am also hoping that the warm rain has pushed the lettuce, spinach, and other greens that were planted 2.5 weeks ago forward a bit, the hot dry weather stunted these greens, but they should grow out of it. The orchard is looking good. We will be watching the apples and bosc pears this week along with the concord grapes. We plan on checking on our sweet potatoes and parsnips next week.

Tomato, Basil, and Feta Salad from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
6 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber - peeled, quartered lengthwise, and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Week 14 News

The tomatoes keep coming strong! We also have a few new items coming this week and next. I will have a better idea about our list when we get home from the farm tonight and will likely update this weeks list. We may have to start digging all of the root veggies because of the rain last week. When it is dry for sooooooo long and then we get a heavy rain like we did last week root veggies tend to crack. There is nothing wrong with the veggie itself, it is just harder to clean and doesn't look as pretty. Our apples are also possible this week.

Thanks so much for returning bushel baskets and many of our containers! We haven't had to made a second trip to the farmers co-op yet this season.

What's in the Box
Tomatoes

Sweet Corn - Last row is ready! Silver Queen that crossed with peaches and cream :)
Hot peppers
Cherry tomatoes
Carrots
Green onions and/or sweet onions
Green Beans - looks to be the last week
Blueberries or raspberries - if you don't get raspberries this week it will be your turn next week.
some apples - likely just honey crisps and many have hail damage but still taste great
Lettuce - likely
Swiss Chard, Kale, or Savoy...
Radishes - watermelon and/or purple plum heirloom varieties
Beets?
Potatoes or rutabaga

Cucumber?


Coming Soon:
Apples - our apples next week if not this week
Pears

Potatoes - Yukon Gold variety

Rutabaga

Half Bushels of Tomatoes for $14 - An amazing recipe for canning pasta sauce can be found at http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/Tomato%20Sauce.pdf. I made this on the rainy day last week and we tested what was left in the pot. I use the sauce master which peels and strains the seeds and really speeds up the project (found at Gemmens in Hudsonville). $10/ half bushel for 2nds (ripe and ready to go)

Half Bushels of Honey Crisps $25 - Available next week only if interested. Let me know by Thursday this week so we can arrange a pick up with Nate over the weekend. Will deliver with regular box.


A Few Recipe Ideas:

Chocolate Beet Cake
Delicious and very moist, hard to believe beets are used!

5-6 Medium beets - cooked and pureed in food processor
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil - non-gmo:)
2 cups flour - I used white whole wheat and it was still fluffy
3 eggs and 1 white
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
powdered sugar or frosting

Swiss Chard and Potato Frittata

Swiss Chard and Potato Frittata Ingredients
6 large Swiss Chard leaves
6 large Eggs (I do 4 eggs and 4 whites)
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 medium Onion diced
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1-2 Garlic cloves minced
Ground pepper
1 medium Boiling potato peeled and diced finely
1 teaspoon Unsalted butter

1 . Wash the Swiss chard and pat very dry. Cut off and discard the stems, then gather the leaves into a tight bundle and finely chop them.

2. Heat the oil in a 9- or 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic,and saute until the onion turns golden. Mix in the potato and cover the pan.Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the potato is tender and the onions are brown, about10-15 minutes. Remove the cover and pile on the Swiss Chard. Cover again and cook tossing occasionally, until the leaves are wilted, about 5 minutes. Scrape this mixture onto a plate and let cool. Wipe the pan clean.

3. Beat the eggs thoroughly in a large bowl. Beat in the cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cooled vegetable mixture. 4. Melt the butter in the skillet over low heat and swirl it around to coat the sides of the pan. Pour in the egg mixture. After about 5 minutes, when the edges begin to set, help the liquid egg pour over the sides of the frittata by occasionally loosening the edges with a rubber spatula and tilting the pan. It should take about 15 minutes for the frittata to become almost completely set. 5. Preheat the broiler. When the frittata is about 80 percent cooked, slide it under the broiler for a minute or so, until the top is set. (If the handle of your pan isn't ovenproof, wrap a few layers of foil around it before placing it under the broiler.) Let the frittata cool 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges.

Rutabaga Fries -

Easy and very kid friendly! Made this with a group of 6th through 8th graders a few years ago and they approved :) Rutabaga is lower in carbs and calories than potatoes so have a bunch more!

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 pounds rutabagas, peeled
¼ cup canola oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
(sometimes we substitute seasoning salt instead)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Slice the rutabagas lengthwise into “French fry shapes” (½ - inch - wide strips). Put the rutabaga strips in a large bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss well so that each piece of rutabaga is coated with oil. Sprinkle fries with salt and pepper. Place rutabaga strips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. (Watch carefully because rutabagas have more sugar in them than baking potatoes and tend to caramelize faster. If the fries are getting too dark too fast, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F.) Season to taste.

Makes: 4 servings