Share # 18, October 15, 2011 - Last share!

Thanks everyone - see you next summer!!


IN THE BOX:

Lettuce - Romaine or Green Leaf

Broccoli

Sweet Peppers

Eggplant - one Italian (dark purple, rounded) and one Oriental (elongated, light purple)

Arugula

Radishes

Scallions

Carrots

Garlic

Potatoes

Winter Squash

Sweet Potatoes

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Did you know there are 126 recipes in the Frog Holler Recipe Box? One of the memorable dishes from this past season was in response to the frustration of sharing too much broccoli with a ravenous groundhog. What to do with all those slightly nibbled heads of broccoli? Make Broccoli and Scallion Quiche!Hopefully you will continue to use the Recipe Box as a resource in the months to come.

And of course there is also the whole wide internet, which has exploded with food blogs over the past few years. Some favorite resources include "gojee.com," that has a feature where you can list what you have , or what you don't like, or what you crave, and it will access recipes according to those guidelines. F'rinstance, typing in "broccoli" in the "I have" slot brought up many mouth watering recipes. Try this simple Marinated Broccoli for starters, and just keep clicking links until you have had your fill!

Vegetarian Times is a magazine and web site loaded with delicious suggestions for cooking vegetables. A search for "broccoli" on the web site led to this intriguing option: Tahini-Roasted Broccoli over Raisin-Studded Bulghur.

The Whole Foods web site has myriad vegetable recipes as well. The "broccoli" search resulted in Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Currants, a simply prepared dish, jazzed up with a dynamite dressing.

As for the rest of the box - easy! Make a celebratory last CSA salad with the lettuce, arugula, grated carrots, sliced radishes, chopped scallions and peppers. It will be beautiful! Then fire up your oven and get roasting! Slice eggplant, toss with olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees. Turn the slices after the first ten minutes and check for doneness after 15 or so minutes. Potatoes and sweet potatoes take well to roasting - winter squash, of course, bakes up beautifully. But you could save those last three veggie options for later on in the month or season. They keep well, and will hopefully offer a reminder of good eating times with your Frog Holler CSA share!

NOTES FROM (THE COMMUNITY FARM OF ANN ARBOR) FIELD:

The Ann Arbor area abounds with new and experienced organic growers and we are happy to be friends with many of them. On Monday of this week we joined forces with the crew at the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, the area's oldest CSA. This is the farm who sent a crew out the day before Holler Fest to help in our fields. We were happy to return the favor on a beautiful day at a peaceful farm with a dedicated and fun-loving group of growers.



Kirstin, Chrissy, Angie and Cathy get instructions from Anne Elder, Co-Team Leader, along with Paul Bantle, at the Community Farm.


Starting to plant the garlic cloves. Each Frog Holler crew member teamed up with a Community Farm worker. It was fun and interesting to see how another farm went about this task. There were some differences but many similarities; you basically have to get the garlic in the ground.



After a delicious picnic lunch, we headed back to the planted garlic fields to cover the rows with a thick straw mulch. This will keep down weeds and hold in moisture throughout the growing season next year.

Almost done!


Hooray! Finishing up a fun and productive day!






Have a great winter everyone! We will contact you after the first of the year to see if you want to join the Frog Holler CSA for 2012. Thanks for your support!

best wishes from....

Cathy, Billy, Kenny and Edwin - the King family

Angie, Kirstin, Chrissy, Evan, Tacy, Emily and Bretton - the Frog Holler Farm crew

Share # 17, October 8, 2011

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: We have enjoyed the gift of these Indian Summer days to work outside in shirt sleeves again. The warm days and cool nights have combined to give us ......
FOG HOLLER! :-)

CSA Evaluation Form at the end of the newsletter!

This is the last share for some of our bi-weekly members. Next week is the last distribution. See further on in the newsletter for "Life after the CSA".


IN THE BOX:

Lettuce

Spinach

Kale (Russian)

Carrots

Winter Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Brussels Sprouts

Onions

Garlic

Potatoes

Parsley

Green Beans! (new patch - very tender!)



NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Everywhere you look there seems to be a squash recipe these days. Here's a delicious Squash-Curry Bisque recipe from the A2Yoga fall newsletter!

The People's Food Coop "Coop Deal" flyer continues the theme of sweet and spicy squash with this recipe for Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash. It could be made with any squash or probably even sweet potatoes.

The Vegetarian Times newsletter was full of pumpkin recipes this month. Again, these could be made with winter squash or sweet potatoes. Try yet another version of the sweet and spicy with this Moroccan Pumpkin Stew.

Or you can go all out sweet and try this delicious Maple-Pumpkin Spice Bread. Yum!

The recipe section of the Whole Foods web site is loaded with tantalizing recipes. Brussels Sprouts can either go savory with nuts and bacon or slightly sweet with apples and shallots.

Looking for a different and delicious contribution to a tailgate party? Try these Cajun Pickled Green Beans and Carrots. You'll have to assemble the spices, but all the veggies can come right out of this week's share box.

LIFE AFTER THE FROG HOLLER FARM CSA

Well, now that you are addicted to fresh, local vegetables, what happens after next week? Fortunately, Ann Arbor is probably unique in the midwest for the number of full-season options available to folks who want to keep their nourishment largely local and their carbon footprint largely light.

First off, the Ann Arbor Farmers Market will be chock full of fall veggies well into November. Your Frog Holler farmers will continue to offer hardy greens, lettuces and salad mix, as well as squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes and onions - and anything else that continues to grow until the frost nips it. Supplies will dwindle but it will be well worth a stop for many weeks to come.

Other growers on the market commit to the winter months. Goetz Farms has been known known to offer kale and hardy greens right through the winter. Brines Farm has been a leader in offering a winter CSA loaded with fresh greens from their hoophouse(s). There are a few spots left; if interested, contact Shannon Brines asap! Tantre Farm is a good friend of Frog Holler and a major player on the local organic growing scene. Look for them at the Farmer's Market throughout the Fall. They also offer a one-time large Thanksgiving share that may be available to non-CSA members. You'll have to check with them, but if you want a large supply of storage vegetables, it's worth it!

Rena Basch at Locavorious started a frozen food CSA to help folks eat locally, even if not freshly, throughout the winter. Here is Rena's description:
FROZEN LOCAL FRUITS AND VEGGIES SHARES FROM “LOCAVORIOUS” WINTER-TIME CSA AVAILABLE: Some of you may have limited freezer space or haven’t had time to preserve as much of the local harvest as you would like for winter. Locavorious provides locally grown, delicious, frozen fruits and vegetables in the winter months, and there are still shares available for winter '11-12. Locavorious members receive 4 monthly pick-ups of local frozen fruits and veggies from several Michigan farms – most within 50 miles of Ann Arbor. Shares are $200. Contact Rena for more information at rena@locavorious.com or 734-276-5945 or visit www.locavorious.com to sign up.

Rena works hard to obtain organic produce for freezing when possible; her quality standards are very high, to be sure!

Mary Wessel-Walker, another friend of Frog Holler, has created a prepared food CSA called Harvest Kitchen. Mary also works hard to source high quality, organic when possible, ingredients for her prepared meals. She also has a stall at the Farmer's Market so you can talk to her there and perhaps sample some of her culinary creations.

These are just a few ideas to help get you through the winter months. And perhaps you have had a chance to freeze some of your extras from this summer. But if not, happily there are many options and choices in this area to keep our diet local and nourishing.

FROG HOLLER FARM CSA EVALUATION FORM

Here is the link to the evaluation form; we appreciate your taking time to let us know how the CSA worked for you this year. As you are considering your CSA experience, you may find this article linked from the Slow Food organization of interest. It provides a general overview about the benefits of joining a CSA; perhaps your experience resonated with the viewpoint of the writer or perhaps you have a different perspective.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has often been described as providing benefit to the members by furnishing a variety of fresh, locally grown produce; benefit to the community by keeping revenues circulating locally; and benefit to the global community by reducing carbon emissions and dependence on long-distance shipping. We do know that as your CSA farmers, we have benefited from your support and willingness to share in the growing adventure with us. We do hope that your experience has been positive, and we're very interested to hear how we can do better!

Have a great week everyone!

Share # 16, October 1, 2011

It has been a wet week, and this little mud buddy showed up to lift our slightly dampened spirits!

Two more shares to go!

IN THE BOX:

Winter Squash - new!

Broccoli Raab (Rapini) - new! (light green, slightly serrated leaves, with a few small broccoli-like buds)

Brussels sprouts - new! (light green miniature cabbages)

Sweet Potatoes

Carrots

Onions

Garlic

Potatoes

Beets

Lettuce

Tomatoes - ripening

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: It has been a week filled with harvesting while dodging raindrops. All of the winter squash has been collected and is curing in the greenhouse. A new patch of beans looks promising for next week, provided we can protect it from another predicted frosty night this Saturday. It's an up-and-down time of year with the weather, but most of our crops are in and the hardy greens just say: Bring it!

winter squash and sweet potatoes curing in the greenhouse where they started out as tiny seedlings in early spring


NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX: Fall is in the air and our taste buds just
naturally turn toward root vegetables and hearty dishes. It has been mentioned before that we like to roast vegetables at Frog Holler and this week's share provides a lovely medley of delicious roasting possibilities. The picture shows brussels sprouts, onions and sweet potatoes all roasting happily together for one of our fall feasts. But you could make any number of veggie combinations for roasting; just make similar sized chunks.

Or you could be a brussels sprouts purist and try this classic Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe. Another food blogger swears that Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts are the only way to eat these little nuggets of cabbage goodness. One thing the bloggers agree on is that you never boil brussels sprouts. This old-fashioned cooking method has apparently caused many folks to despise brussels sprouts, but once they try the roasted recipes, they happily pick up their forks again!

Sweet potatoes add a rich sweetness to many dishes, and combine well with black beans and spices in this delicious and satisfying Black Bean/Sweet Potato Soup. The title of the recipe in the blog ($1.68 organic caribbean black bean and sweet potato soup) comes from an interesting challenge by the Slow Food organization. They suggested that their members create recipes to show that you can eat healthy, nourishing, delicious and often organic meals and you don't have to empty out your wallet. Actually they set the limit at $5.00/meal! You can read more fascinating tips and recipes for how the members met this challenge at the link. The black bean-sweet potato dish came in at a very digestible price, well under the $5.00 limit!

Another suggestion from the Slow Members was the Baked Miso Onions recipe. Simple, but very tasty.

Broccoli Raab, or Rapini, is not such a familiar dish in America but very popular in Italy, as you might guess. Cooks who like the flavorful, slightly bitter greens, have found many ways to cook and enjoy them. This Rapini Idea and Recipe sheet is loaded with inspiration to either get started or expand your rapini horizons. The recipe sheet comes from Mariquita Farm, a large organic CSA in California, whose online newsletter offers lots of interesting information and helpful recipes.



Have a great week and stay dry!

Share # 15, September 24, 2011

What's Bretton holding? Find out in "Digging For Gold"!




IN THE BOX:

Kale - Russian and curly variety

Broccoli

Napa (Chinese Cabbage)

Beets

Celery- new! Michigan celery has super flavor

Scallions

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes - new!

French Sorrel - lemon-flavored salad/cooking herb, green spear-shaped leaves

Tomatoes

Daikon Radish - long white root veggie

Garlic

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Digging For Gold

This week we harvested the sweet potatoes!


First we had to find the rows in a sea of foliage.
Then we had to carefully dig, trying not to spear any of the sweet spuds.


Feeling around for the buried treasure.



Here's a find!



A good "catch" off of one vine!

Billy takes the harvest home.photos thanks to Angie Martin






NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Sweet potatoes! A favorite way to prepare them on the farm is to wash and slice the potatoes into appropriate sizes for roasting. Toss with olive oil, salt, cinnamon and cumin. Spread on a cookie try or roasting pan and roast at 400 degrees, turning the slices every ten minutes or so until done - soft and slightly browned. Delicious! If you're looking for a different approach, you might want to try Curried Sweet Potatoes. Or the Best Of Both Worlds Potatoes Anna offers a hearty fall dish to warm your belly and stick to your ribs!

Another dish reflecting the fall season is this Lentil Vegetable Super Soup.
Pick up some Mill Pond bread at our next door neighbor Farmer's Market stall and you'll be good to go!

Daikon Radishes are often grated and served to accompany tempura and fried dishes, as Daikon is said to help in digesting oily foods. The What's Cooking America web site offers these helpful tips for using Daikon, a not-so-familiar vegetable in the States but one that is the most grown in Japan! We hope you are starting to make an acquaintance with this nutritious and versatile vegetable!

from the web site:

Preparation - This is an extremely versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw in salads or cut into strips or chips for relish trays. It also can be stir-fried, grilled, baked, boiled or broiled. Use the daikon as you would a radish. It may be served raw in salads or grated for use as a condiment (if you don't have a Japanese-style grater, use a cheese grater and grate just before serving), pickled, or simmered in a soup. They are also preserved by salting as in making sauerkraut. Daikon also is used in soups and simmered dishes. To prepare, peel skin as you would a carrot and cut for whatever style your recipe idea calls for. Not only is the root eaten, but the leaves also are rich in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, and iron, so they are worth using instead of discarding.

A Japanese secret to cooking daikon is to use water in which rice has been washed or a bit of rice bran added (this keeps the daikon white and eliminates bitterness and sharpness}.

For Chips, Relish Tray Sticks or Stir Fries - Simply peel Daikon with a peeler and cut crossways for thin chips. Dip thin chips in ice water and they will crisp and curl for a Daikon chip platter with your favorite sour cream or yogurt dip. Cut into julienne strips for relish trays, salads or stir-frys.

Nutrition Information - Daikon is very low in calories. A 3 ounce serving contains only 18 calories and provides 34 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. Rich in vitamin C, daikon contains active enzymes that aid digestion, particularly of starchy foods.

Sorrel is a surprisingly lemony-flavored herb that works well chopped fresh into salads. We also add it along with parsley and mint to tabooli. Sorrel Soup is a traditional recipe and here is one version of this creamy soup with citrus accents:

Sorrel Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 pound sorrel
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups water
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg yolk

Clean and shred sorrel, then chop. In a large heavy pan, heat butter. Add sorrel and cook, stirring, for ten minutes until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Add the water, potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Strain and mash or puree the vegetables. Stir the cooking liquid into vegetables and return to pan. Bring to boil. Stir in milk and yolk. Cook until hot, but do not boil. Serve with French Bread. (from the Mill Pond stall!)


NOTES FROM THE FARM BAND: AKA The Billy King Band

You don't see Billy King at the market much, as he is the go-to guy for most of the tractor operation and maintenance and that keeps him pretty busy out on the farm. But he's handy with a guitar as well as a wrench and will be playing at a few upcoming gigs. He'll be with the farm band - Kenny, Angie and Chrissie for the first gig, and with other musicians for next ones.

The band will be playing at the Westside Farmers Market on Thursday, Sept. 29, around 4:00 PM. Come on over to the "other" farmer's market!

Billy will be playing at The Grand Ole Opera, a benefit for Kat Snips, an organization dedicated to provided low cost vouchers for spaying and neutering cats. Saturday, October 1, time TBA but probably around 4-5 PM. Info and location on their web site. Email the farm to find out when Billy is playing.

Billy will also be playing at the Interfaith Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, October 8. He is one of the "and friends" and will be playing and singing his original tunes and favorite covers. A friendly venue for listening to good music!


Have a great week and Happy Fall everyone!

Share # 14, September 17, 2011

Angie helps to bring in the harvest with style!


IN THE BOX:

Kale

Green Beans

Tomatoes

Garlic

Onions

Beets

Cabbage

Potatoes

Mizuna ( Asian green)

Radicchio

Green/red pepper

Eggplant

Zucchini/Summer squash

Arugula


NOTES FROM THE FIELD:

With predictions of patchy frost for Thursday night, some of the farm crew hopefully protected the tender zucchini and summer squash.
We put sprinklers on other areas, since extra moisture makes the plants less vulnerable to frost.

The newsletter gets written on Thursday night so...we shall see! Only one frosty night is predicted and then warming temperatures for the rest of the month suggest a lot more harvest time is ahead!



NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX

Lots to work with (or play with) in your box this week! Days are numbered for the tender veggies such as tomatoes, green beans, zucchini and eggplant, but the hardy root vegetables and greens are happy as, well, hardy vegetables! But we are still officially in the summer season until Sept. 22, so why not whip up a batch of Ratatouille, a classic French summer dish! Almost all the ingredients are in your share this week; you'll have to supply the herbs from another source - maybe your own herb garden?

We enjoyed a delivery this week from Maan, our Lebanese neighbor who has cooked up authentic Middle Eastern food for the farm crew just about once a week all summer. And that's no small feat for a large group of hungry farm hands! We supply the veggies and Maan cooks the food; this week we snapped green beans for him and received his classic Lebanese Green Bean Dish in return. Lucky us! If you came to Holler Fest and got in on the Lebanese cuisine Saturday evening, you ate Maan's cooking. It didn't last very long; folks line up fast for what has become a Holler Fest tradition!

Radicchio is a new addition to the box this week. There are several varieties of this popular Italian bitter green. This appears to be a variation of the Castelfranco version, not the dark red "Chioggia" heads that you may have seen in the grocery store. The characteristic strong flavor is all there, and it pairs well with other strong-flavored foods. Here are two radicchio recipes that also use the arugula in your box. Buon appetito!

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER SHARE BOX:

There are four more shares after today's share. That means the bi-weekly shareholders will each receive two more boxes; full shareholders will receive four. We will be posting an online evaluation form in the next week or two; we appreciate and value your feedback! The bi-weekly share was a new option this year; we are interested to hear how it went for folks. So stay tuned for the form but most of all, for the next four weeks, enjoy your veggies!

Have a great week!

Share # 13, September 10, 2011

Why we never sit down at Frog Holler...



In the box:

Broccoli

Beans!

Zucchini/Summer Squash

Kale

Onions - red/yellow

Bok Choy

Leek

Pepper

Beets

Carrots

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Basil

Parsley, Cilantro, Dill - choose one

NOTES FROM THE FIELD:

They're cute, aren't they? Well, the raccoons aren't so cute when they are pulling down the corn stalks and taking a few bites out of the corn before moving on to the next one! They also have an uncanny ability to detect just when the corn has ripened; they aren't interested in small or under ripe corn. And they only work at night!

You can probably see where this is going. Last year we lost most of our corn crop to flocks of crows who pulled up the newly sprouted seedlings to get the juicy corn kernels. This year we found a way to deter the crows, but we are losing the mature corn to these masked bandits. Which is worse?

The engineer on the farm crew talks of new and improved fencing to thwart these wily marauders. The practical crew member points out that losing our farm dog last year may have emboldened the critter population. And the farm fatalist says we just can't grow corn anymore!

Well, we're not giving up and we have been able to harvest some ears, but never enough for a distribution. We look forward to finding new ways to coexist with our critter neighbors while still being able to grow this classic American veggie treat!

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Beans abound in the box this week; a new patch has just come in so the beans are fresh and tender. But if you have more beans than you can consume, consider freezing a batch. It's very easy and you'll be glad you did next winter! To freeze beans, wash and snap off ends; break beans in two if you like. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil. When boiling, add the beans. They simply need to blanch; after a few minutes they should change to a bright green. (If you have yellow beans, it's not so obvious - but it only takes a few minutes.) Remove the beans from the pot and place in a large bowl of cold water. This stops the cooking process. After the beans have cooled, remove from the water and drain. Pack in a plastic bag after draining and place in freezer. Enjoy in January!

Roasting vegetables seems to be the preparation method of choice at the farm. Just about any vegetable can be roasted; this week we feasted on roasted broccoli, which came out of the oven characteristically dried and blackened. Not so pretty, but still delicious! Simply slice the broccoli into spears, toss with olive oil, salt and any preferred spices, and spread out on a roasting tray. Folks have different opinions about the best roasting temperature, and it might vary with the vegetable, but anywhere from 375 to 450 degrees will do. Stir occasionally. The hotter the oven, the closer you need to keep an eye on your veggies, of course.

You could even roast the bok choy! Simply cut in half, oil the sides and place in the oven with salt and any spices. For another take on preparing bok choy, try grilling it! If you have the grill going, slice the bok choy in half (some folks recommend soaking in water a bit to remove any sand or grit). Baste the bok choy with olive oil, and grill for 5-8 minutes on a side, depending on the size of the bok choy. When done, sprinkle with soy sauce or teriyaki sauce or any sauce that appeals to you - or eat as is. Grilling adds a smoky earthy element to these tasty greens.

And while you're grilling, you can also grill the Romaine lettuce in your share! Okay, that just showed up as an add-on to the bok choy instructions, but many posts attested to grilled Romaine as an exceptional treat, especially when dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and parmesan shavings. Who knew?

Back to bok choy, from Mariquita Farm, in California, comes this uniquely-flavored Buckwheat and Ginger Salad with Apples. The bok choy is in there, along with some other unexpected elements - very California! And this Sesame Shiitake Bok Choy dish adds an Asian flair to the flavor - delicious!

MEET THE (LAST)INTERN: KIRSTIN POPE

Kirstin is not actually the 'last intern standing', but the last of this year's crop to be featured. You already met Kirstin in the August 9 newsletter when her brother Kai visited. Or you may have met her last year, as she is one of our returning interns. Or you may have met her at the market, although Kirstin has developed an affinity for the Wednesday market this season and has ably managed it for us for much of the summer. If you are a mid-week Farmers Market shopper, you know Kirstin!

Kirstin grew up on a US Air Force base in Germany, so has spent a lot of time either living in or traveling in Europe. She is also familiar with parts of Africa, having spent two years in the Peace Corps in Mali. Kirstin came to Frog Holler in July last year, and decided to return this year to experience the entire season from start to finish.

After joining us in April Kirstin set right to work designing and painting our new market sign. Obviously she had a lot of help from Gus!

Kirstin's creativity with signs continued into Holler Fest, where she created and executed the Second Holler and Holler Fest signs - and did it in the last week before the Fest!

Kirstin's immediate post-season plans take her to England, where her parents are now living. Her destination after that is not yet decided. Although Kirstin's travels may take her to the other side of the planet, she has obviously left her mark on Frog Holler!




















Have a great week everyone - see you at the HomeGrown Festival!

Share #12, September 3, 2011

Holler Fest is over and we'll stop talking about it! The weather smiled on everyone and the whole weekend was filled with happy folks and kids enjoying the music, good food, and beauty of the farm. It was great to see some of the CSA members at the Fest; we hope you enjoyed it!

and now...back to the box:

two kinds of Asian Greens -
Mizuna (spiky green leaves)
Tat Soi (dark green spoon-shaped leaves)

Kale - either Curly (frilly green leaves) or Tuscan (aka Dinosaur Kale; dark green, crinkled flat leaves)

Beets

Radishes

Zucchini/Summer Squash

Beans - either Green Beans or Pole Beans (really long!)

Green or Red Pepper

Tomatoes

Onions

Arugula

Sweet Basil

Watermelon or Cantaloupe - early birds get their choice!

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

It was a back to reality week as we reentered the fields after Holler Fest for harvesting and maintenance. It was good to get back to the garden and market and if all continues to grow well, we see a lot of fall veggies in your future!

It was also a sad week because two of our summer interns left for their next adventures. Tacy Sallen is on her way to a master's program in Finland, and Emily Foley starts an internship with a film production company in New York City. We miss them and wish them well!















Emily and Tacy










NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX

Well, some of you probably know that if you turn your head in the garden, your zucchini doubles in size! Because we missed a picking day with Holler Fest, we weren't surprised by a veritable fleet of frigate-sized zucchini in the squash patch! Intern Bretton Fobes took the largest of them and created Zucchini Boats, a delicious alternative to "deep-sixing" those over sized zukes.


Surprisingly, we have a mini heat wave with us for a day or two. Here are two refreshing summery ways to use the basil in your share, in case you already have your pesto made for the winter! Kick back with some Basil Lemonade
and try a fruit salad incorporating the peaches that are so prevalent in late summer.

And as we head into fall, the greens get happier and happier. Asian greens are known for their hardiness and healthfulness, and this recipe for Asian Spicy Gingered Greens delivers all the nutrition of greens in a very tasty format. Add some tofu or chicken for protein and a little rice on the side, and you'll have a meal that satisfies and energizes without that heavy feeling (unless you can't stop eating because it tastes so good!).

And finally, a long-time friend of the farm stopped by the market on Wednesday and bought some kale. She was inspired to send us this delicious recipe for Kale and Black Bean Tacos.
Looks like a keeper!

COMING UP:

Ann Arbor's HomeGrown Festival. Saturday, Sept. 10. If it's anything like last year, the Farmer's Market will be overflowing with a food-interested community (and the local beer and wine tent will be jumping!). Here is a description in the organizers' words: The HomeGrown Festival celebrates food and community in southeastern Michigan, focusing broad mainstream attention on the people who grow our food and the land that sustains us. We support the benefits (and pleasure!) of eating from our own foodshed to create a virtuous cycle that improves our health, our environment and our economy.

As CSA members, you already participate in the movement to support and sustain the local food economy. You may find it very interesting and affirming to come back to the market in the afternoon/evening of Sept. 10 and see your local food community in full swing!


Have a great week everyone!

Share #11, August 27, 2011

We are in the thick of the Frog Holler festivities and we hope you are joining in on the fun! Either way, we have a fun box for you this week… Even the caterpillars can't keep away!

IN THE BOX:

Russian Kale

Hakurei turnips

French breakfast radishes – new! (lovely pink radishes with glowing white tips)

Green beans

Pak choy (Asian green lighter in color)

Yukina savoy (Asian green darker in color)

Onions

Arugula

Basil

Broccoli

Tomatoes

Potatoes

NOTES FROM THE FARM:

As we celebrate local food and local music at Holler Fest, harvest carries on at full speed. This week we started harvesting from new Asian green and arugula patches (they look beautiful!) and we are getting the first trickle of ripe tomatoes from our outdoor plants (so far the tomatoes you’ve been seeing are from our hoop house). This week we planted a whole slew of lettuce seedlings which should – hopefully! – produce a nice crop of autumn lettuce (lettuce has a hard time growing in the hot summer months). Many more wonderful veggies to come!

On Thursday we had some very special volunteers come to the farm from Community Farm of Ann Arbor. They helped pick up the slack around the farm as the interns bustled around working on Holler Fest tasks. Helping with salad, picking beans, and cleaning up the leeks, these volunteers made a huge difference in our day! Thanks Community Farm!

Picking flowers for salad.

Sharing a delicious picnic lunch.

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

This week we are super excited to have French breakfast radishes in the share! They have a wonderful tenderness, a satisfying crunch, and a delicious zest – not to mention their appealing appearance! Says Tacey, “Do like the French do – butter some bread, slice some radishes, and enjoy!” Want to get more fancy with your radishes? Try these delicious butter-poached radishes. The most tender part of the radish is the white tip, and don’t forget about the radish greens, either. This recipe for Pasta with Dark Greens will turn your radish and turnip greens from waste into the perfect complement to the Italian classic.

This week two of the recipes come from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks, based on recipes from the Ithaca, NY restaurant. The first recipe, Rumpledethumps, is rooted in a Celtic tradition that requires all members of a family “to share the dish or risk offending the agricultural spirit that protects the crop.” The broccoli and potatoes in your box won’t be offended if you fail to make Rumpledethumps this week, but if you do serve it to your family, they surely won’t be disappointed. If you still have the leeks and/or cabbage in your fridge from last week, all the better!

The second recipe is for a Sneaky (Vegan) Lasagna. The combination of the tofu and the mushrooms makes a shockingly authentic lasagna texture, and the veggies layered in make for a tasty and satisfying entrée. For a less-vegan, more-melty option, try adjusting the tofu-to-ricotta ratio until you find the perfect balance of cheesy goodness and tofu-y healthfulness. The best of both worlds!

Last, but certainly not least, is a wonderful recipe for mixed veggie focaccia. Inspired by the delicious focaccia found at our neighboring stall at the market, Mill Pond, this recipe makes use of just about every veggie you find in your box. The bakers at Mill Pond are veggie magicians, turning our Frog Holler produce into savory treats. The focaccia dough used here is more puffy than Mill Pond’s recipe, but perfectly balanced with a generous portion of vegetables.

MEET THE HOLLER FEST HELPER: CHUCK DOHN

Chuck is a superstar in the Holler Fest kitchen. Chopping, steaming, washing, and dicing, he has helped churn out the delicious and nutritious meals being served at Holler Fest this year. A native Floridian, Chuck hails from Pensacola, FL. In Sarasota, Chuck met Tacy and Chrissy while attending New College of Florida, and later met Angie when she was visiting Chrissy.

Chuck loves food. He loves growing food organically, he loves cooking food, and of course he loves eating food as well. For years he worked in various kitchens, and more recently he has worked on a produce farm in Florida and a vineyard in North Carolina. He took cooking classes before college and he is always looking to learn about new foods, new recipes, and new cooking techniques. We are so lucky to have him here!

Chuck helps make a batch of famous Holler Tea.

Chuck uses the food processor to shred onions for gazpacho.

A FINAL NOTE:

If you’re picking up your share at market, don’t forget to get there by noon today – we’ll be packing up early in order to rejoin the festivities on the farm. Thanks for your cooperation!

Share #10, August 20, 2011

Holler Fest is coming! Shirts are in and the crew is psyching up for a great weekend. Hope you can join us!

IN THE BOX:
Watermelon (red or yellow)
Mizuna - new! (green with pointy leaves)
Russian Kale
Asian greens (Asian spinach variety)
Hakurei turnips (white-globed roots with greens)
Beans
Daikon radish (large white long root)
Leek - new!
Celery - new!
Tomatoes
Italian Parsley
Potatoes
Cucumber
Garlic

NOTES FROM THE FARM:

We’re trucking away at the harvest and working on sprucing up the farm for the festival. Sign painting, fixing up the fest grounds, and coordinating galore! Billy, Angie, Kenny, and Chrissy (a.k.a. The Billy King Band) are working on putting together a show that will knock your socks off on Friday night. Hope to see you there!

We are looking for volunteers for the festival, so if you or anyone you know is interested in helping out at the festival, please go to our volunteer page on the hollerfest.com website or come talk to us in person at the market. We love our volunteers and appreciate all of the help they give us in making this beautiful weekend possible!

With the big event coming up next weekend, don’t forget about two fun events happening this Sunday as well. The People’s Food Coop’s Farm Tour Field Day will be stopping at Frog Holler Farm Sunday afternoon in addition to other farms in the area. See where your food comes from! Also on Sunday is the Slow Food Huron Valley’s Picnic Supper at the Farm located at the Waterloo Farm Museum. A delicious feast inspired by the traditions of the 1800s, the menu includes some of your favorite organic veggies from Frog Holler. You might even run into the very same people who bring you your share at market each week, since we’ll be volunteering at the event as well!

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

New to the box this week is mizuna, leeks, and celery. The leeks are just about begging to be combined with the potatoes in your box, such as in this recipe for leek mashed potatoes. The celery looks a bit different than what you might be used to seeing in the supermarket, but the aroma is unmistakable! Michigan celery is a bit skinnier, but full of flavor. Make the classic kids’ treat ants-on-a-log (celery, peanut butter, and raisins) or add it to a recipe like our gazpacho.

Mizuna is included in a vegan, raw wrap recipe inspired by our friends at the Red Pepper Deli in Northville, Michigan. The deli uses collards for their wraps, but the Russian kale in your box will make an equally delicious and nutritious – and beautiful – wrap that is sure to impress. Our recipe features a vegan pate that is a favorite of intern Kirstin. On it’s own or in the wrap, you will be blown away!

Looking for a fresh way to use the greens in your box? Try a wild green salad that combines the mizuna, kale, and Asian spinach in a simple yet zesty summer dressing. Yummy! Want to step it up a notch? Check at the stall for edible flowers that will add a lovely finishing touch to your dish. Beautiful!

Returning to the box this week is daikon radish. A Japanese vegetable, the name literally means “large root” (dai = large and kon = root). Let the daikon join forces with your hakurei turnips and Asian spinach in a tasty, and incredibly nutritious, miso soup.

Last but not least, as our attention turns to Holler Fest, we wanted to share one of the recipes that we’ll be cooking up next week. Gazpacho, a late summer classic, will be the focus of one of the lunches served next week. This variation will utilize not only some of your delectable tomatoes, but green beans, celery, and cukes to boot. Whether you are serving hundreds or just one, it is sure to be a hit!

Good cooking!

MEET THE INTERNS: ANGIE MARTIN

Angie has been a staple at Frog Holler for the past three seasons. Around market, she can be found working the stall, distributing C.S.A. shares with a smile, or floating around the market networking with other vendors in the community. Around the farm, Angie not only takes a leadership role in farm work, but also keeps a full slate of projects in her free time. A beginner bee keeper, Angie has been the steward for the farm’s two hives, keeping them happy and healthy in their inaugural year.

Making kombucha is another hobby of Angie’s. Keeping the farm well stocked in kombucha, Angie experiments with different recipes and inventive combinations. If you’re interested in making your own kombucha at home, come talk to her at market and pick her brain. She’d love to help!

Angie’s love of farming extends to her personal gardening projects. This year she and Kenny have undertaken an extensive relocation and expansion of the herb garden. Many of the tasty herbs you’ve found in your box this season have come out of this very garden. Working with Slow Food Huron Valley, Angie has raised a number of small patches of heirloom crops, including her very first corn patch. The variety, a “country gentleman” variety of corn, has even provided a bit of huitlacoche, more commonly known as corn smut. A tasty fungus that grows on corn, smut can be made into traditional tacos, as Angie sampled earlier in the week. Delicious!

As Holler Fest nears, Angie morphs into yet another role on the farm – kitchen diva. An avid and experienced cook, Angie helps plan and prepare the feasts that are served from the Frog Holler kitchen throughout the festival. She is particularly excited to try her hand at making BBQ tofu, a farm fave.

Sadly, this season is Angie’s last on the farm (for the time being, at least). At the end of the season, she’ll be moving back to Texas to be with her family. While she is incredibly sad to be leaving her farm friends and family, she is grateful for all that she has learned and the experience she has gained over the past three years. This is not the last of Angie that we’ll see, however, as she is working on a plan that will bring her back to the area to start her own organic farm. Best of luck, Angie!

Have a great week! See y’all at Holler Fest 2011!