On Saturday, June 26, we found ourselves in the direct path of a very strong storm system that moved through the Midwest. At our farm and in our various gardens we received 3+ inches of rain in just over an hour, heavy hail, and winds up to 70 mph. We are in the initial process of evaluating the health of our various crops. I would love to tell you that this will not affect what your boxes contain, but that may not be the case. We will do our best to re-establish everything that we can, but please bear with us as we work to nurture what has survived back into health.
Our hoop house managed to survive the ordeal, which is something of a miracle considering the U of M outreach center (which is near us) was completely destroyed. Our thoughts are with them as they have likely lost an entire season of testing various plant growing conditions that help us all be better farmers.
Our thoughts are also with the corn and soybean farmers around us, many have lost acres and acres due to crazy amounts of rain in the last few weeks coupled with the incredible storm over the weekend. Many had just replanted what they had lost from the rain.
We are confident that we will continue the season and see through a successful year with you, but as I stated above it may require a bit of additional patience as we work to restore the health of our plants.
Thank you for your support.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Week 5 Delivery
Week 5 Delivery
This week’s message will be short as we’re getting some technical help from MOM as we don’t have Internet right now.
Here’s what you can expect this week:
Green top gold beets
Green top red beets
Lettuce
Spinach
Rainbow Chard
Radishes – the last of them
Napa Cabbage
Poc Choy
Snap Peas*
Green Beans*
Spring Onions*
Cauliflower*
Herb bunch of Dill, Sage, Cilantro, Parsley
*These are new items this week
Coming soon:
Broccoli
Yellow Summer Squash
Basil
Potatoes
More update later due to technical difficulties.
This week’s message will be short as we’re getting some technical help from MOM as we don’t have Internet right now.
Here’s what you can expect this week:
Green top gold beets
Green top red beets
Lettuce
Spinach
Rainbow Chard
Radishes – the last of them
Napa Cabbage
Poc Choy
Snap Peas*
Green Beans*
Spring Onions*
Cauliflower*
Herb bunch of Dill, Sage, Cilantro, Parsley
*These are new items this week
Coming soon:
Broccoli
Yellow Summer Squash
Basil
Potatoes
More update later due to technical difficulties.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Week 4 Box
Week 4
In the Box:
Green Topped Red Beets
Green Topped Gold Beets
Bunch of young Rainbow Kale
Bunch of Baby Collard / Dino Kale mix
Spinach
Butterhead, Red Leaf &
Romaine Lettuces
French Breakfast & Easter Egg Radishes
Napa Cabbage*
Sugar Snap Peas*
Mulberries*
Dill
Cilantro
Parsley
Sage
*New items this week
Napa Cabbage : The flavor of Napa cabbage is somewhat milder and a bit sweeter than that of regular green cabbage. It is delicious raw or cooked, and can be substituted for regular cabbage in most recipes.
Shredded or finely sliced, Napa cabbage is wonderful in Asian-style cole slaw. Try adding some shredded Napa cabbage to a mixed green salad for a nice crunch and enhanced nutritional value.
For an easy cold salad, whisk together 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/4 cup (60 ml) salad oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Pour over 4 cups (280 g) shredded Napa cabbage, 1/2 cup (60 g) shredded carrots, and 1/4 cup (25 g) sliced green onions and toss to coat. Garnish with toasted slivered almonds.
In our household, we love Napa cabbage in any sort of stir fry. Often, we shred the cabbage and add it to tofu, chicken, or scrambled eggs and all of our favorite veggies. We wok fry all items and add a small amount of coconut milk, soy sauce, and spicy sauce. We put the wok fried items over a bed of rice noodles and garnish with cilantro and lime.
Sugar Snap Peas: Here is an easy recipe taken from Food Networks Website that also allows you to use your parsley. We understand that this week there are less than enough peas needed for this recipe (especially if you are sharing a share), but these will become abundant in the next few deliveries.
• 1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas
• Coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Directions
Place peas in pot and add 1 inch water. Add a little salt, a teaspoon of sugar and a couple of pats of butter to the pot. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until peas are tender but still bright green, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chopped parsley. Transfer peas to a serving dish.
Mulberries: We have quite a few trees that provide the kids hours of mulberry eating joy in spring, and we wanted to share a taste with you. They are great by themselves, on yogurt sprinkled with granola, or over ice cream. Enjoy within a day or two, as their shelf life is very limited.
Happy Eating!
Soon to come…new potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, summer squash (3 different varieties!)
In the Box:
Green Topped Red Beets
Green Topped Gold Beets
Bunch of young Rainbow Kale
Bunch of Baby Collard / Dino Kale mix
Spinach
Butterhead, Red Leaf &
Romaine Lettuces
French Breakfast & Easter Egg Radishes
Napa Cabbage*
Sugar Snap Peas*
Mulberries*
Dill
Cilantro
Parsley
Sage
*New items this week
Napa Cabbage : The flavor of Napa cabbage is somewhat milder and a bit sweeter than that of regular green cabbage. It is delicious raw or cooked, and can be substituted for regular cabbage in most recipes.
Shredded or finely sliced, Napa cabbage is wonderful in Asian-style cole slaw. Try adding some shredded Napa cabbage to a mixed green salad for a nice crunch and enhanced nutritional value.
For an easy cold salad, whisk together 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/4 cup (60 ml) salad oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Pour over 4 cups (280 g) shredded Napa cabbage, 1/2 cup (60 g) shredded carrots, and 1/4 cup (25 g) sliced green onions and toss to coat. Garnish with toasted slivered almonds.
In our household, we love Napa cabbage in any sort of stir fry. Often, we shred the cabbage and add it to tofu, chicken, or scrambled eggs and all of our favorite veggies. We wok fry all items and add a small amount of coconut milk, soy sauce, and spicy sauce. We put the wok fried items over a bed of rice noodles and garnish with cilantro and lime.
Sugar Snap Peas: Here is an easy recipe taken from Food Networks Website that also allows you to use your parsley. We understand that this week there are less than enough peas needed for this recipe (especially if you are sharing a share), but these will become abundant in the next few deliveries.
• 1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas
• Coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Directions
Place peas in pot and add 1 inch water. Add a little salt, a teaspoon of sugar and a couple of pats of butter to the pot. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until peas are tender but still bright green, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chopped parsley. Transfer peas to a serving dish.
Mulberries: We have quite a few trees that provide the kids hours of mulberry eating joy in spring, and we wanted to share a taste with you. They are great by themselves, on yogurt sprinkled with granola, or over ice cream. Enjoy within a day or two, as their shelf life is very limited.
Happy Eating!
Soon to come…new potatoes, cauliflower, green beans, summer squash (3 different varieties!)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
and what is to come...
I am happy to report that our gardens are holding up well to the 4.5+ inches of rain we have gathered in the last 3 days. Some peppers were underwater but bave since soaked in mother natures goodness.
Some pea pods have formed, so we are hoping to impress you with the delicious first spring taste of local peas next week. We also have little cauliflower heads on all of the cauli plants and the napa cabbage are forming their beautiful heads. Green bean plants are bursting with flowers and our specialty hoophouse cukes are growing teeny tiny cucumbers. So, hopefully this and more next weeks.
Also we will give you some new pics next time.
Love and good eating!
Some pea pods have formed, so we are hoping to impress you with the delicious first spring taste of local peas next week. We also have little cauliflower heads on all of the cauli plants and the napa cabbage are forming their beautiful heads. Green bean plants are bursting with flowers and our specialty hoophouse cukes are growing teeny tiny cucumbers. So, hopefully this and more next weeks.
Also we will give you some new pics next time.
Love and good eating!
Week 3 Delivery and Update!
Week 3
In the Box:
Garlic Scapes
Green Topped Red & Gold Beets
Bunch of young Kale, Chard & Collards
Dill
Cilantro
Sage
Spinach
Butterhead, Red Leaf &
Romaine Lettuces
French Breakfast Radishes
Broccoli Rabe
Pac Choi
Free-Range Eggs
Garlic Scapes are the stalk and future flower of the garlic plant. Despite that the garlic is almost solely grown from a vegetative clone (pant a clove) it still goes through the process of trying to reproduce sexually. The scape is cut off before it matures into a flower and while the tissues or still more tender than fibrous. The scape can be lightly cooked like asparagus: grilled, steamed or sautéed. They can be chopped and sprinkled over salads and dishes like green onions.
But they also produce a delectable pesto:
10-12 garlic scapes
½ cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup almonds or pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
Chop the scapes to lengths that will easily go into a food processor. Blend the scapes, parmesan and nuts briefly. Drizzle the olive oil in while blending until you reach a nice creamy consistency. Add salt to taste.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Serve this as a dip for a nice, crusty bread or mix with pasta. You can also mix with red or white wine or balsamic vinegar to make a salad dressing, about one part vinegar to two parts pesto.
A mixed bunch of hearty greens can be used fresh or cooked. Still young and tender, they can be eaten as salad greens. To cook, steam or sauté very lightly and drizzle with butter, tamari or a dressing.
Eggs for Sale
The eggs you receive this week will be the last for the season that come as part of the share. Here after, we are offering eggs by the dozen for $2.00. This will be on a first emailed, first served basis. We will bill you approximately three times throughout the season.
Thank You, KMF
In the Box:
Garlic Scapes
Green Topped Red & Gold Beets
Bunch of young Kale, Chard & Collards
Dill
Cilantro
Sage
Spinach
Butterhead, Red Leaf &
Romaine Lettuces
French Breakfast Radishes
Broccoli Rabe
Pac Choi
Free-Range Eggs
Garlic Scapes are the stalk and future flower of the garlic plant. Despite that the garlic is almost solely grown from a vegetative clone (pant a clove) it still goes through the process of trying to reproduce sexually. The scape is cut off before it matures into a flower and while the tissues or still more tender than fibrous. The scape can be lightly cooked like asparagus: grilled, steamed or sautéed. They can be chopped and sprinkled over salads and dishes like green onions.
But they also produce a delectable pesto:
10-12 garlic scapes
½ cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup almonds or pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
Chop the scapes to lengths that will easily go into a food processor. Blend the scapes, parmesan and nuts briefly. Drizzle the olive oil in while blending until you reach a nice creamy consistency. Add salt to taste.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Serve this as a dip for a nice, crusty bread or mix with pasta. You can also mix with red or white wine or balsamic vinegar to make a salad dressing, about one part vinegar to two parts pesto.
A mixed bunch of hearty greens can be used fresh or cooked. Still young and tender, they can be eaten as salad greens. To cook, steam or sauté very lightly and drizzle with butter, tamari or a dressing.
Eggs for Sale
The eggs you receive this week will be the last for the season that come as part of the share. Here after, we are offering eggs by the dozen for $2.00. This will be on a first emailed, first served basis. We will bill you approximately three times throughout the season.
Thank You, KMF
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Week 2
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Mid Spring
today, molly and I spied the first flower on the pea vines. they hide there buds well, so the little flower is often a true, albeit long-awaited surprise. on the mulberry trees, the teeny fruits are starting to swell. Everything is waiting for a little rain to blow this spring wide-open. We've had a bit of a dry spell lately. the plants get nursed along during these spells, but really pop when mother nature showers down with the real stuff.
In the high tunnel, cauli and broccoli are starting to make tiny buds and tomatoes are putting forth flowers. Everything else is growing like mad; the spinach is very nearly too mad in there and is trying its damnedest to make seeds.
In the high tunnel, cauli and broccoli are starting to make tiny buds and tomatoes are putting forth flowers. Everything else is growing like mad; the spinach is very nearly too mad in there and is trying its damnedest to make seeds.
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