September 28, 2013 - Share # 12

This heron perched atop our barn one morning this week - looking south!

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

Kale Surprise - either Curly, Tuscan, Rainbow Tuscan, or Russian. All good and you can cook and store them all the same.

Spinach - new for the fall; very tender.

Carrots

Beets

Beans - either Yellow Beans or Romano Beans (flat, meaty variety of green beans)

Celery

Winter Squash - your choice of butternut, acorn, delicata

Garlic

Curly Parsley

Apples! - unless you have had your head under a bushel (tee hee) you know that fruit abounds this year. These Red Delicious apples are from trees we planted thirty years ago but they NEVER produced! These apples are totally organic. In fridge or keep cool.

All items do best in a plastic bag in the fridge, except the garlic and winter squash. Remove tops from beets and carrots for longest storage. Chop leaves off celery for longest storage.

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

With apples and celery in your share, seems like it's Waldorf Salad time. The classic recipe combines creaminess and crunch, but you can raise the crunch factor with this Kale Waldorf Salad or go in a more savory direction with a Curried Waldorf Salad. What's your mood?

NOTES FROM THE COMMUNITY FARM OF ANN ARBOR FIELD:

We are friends with many of the local farms, although during the growing season, when we are all busy with our respective crops, we seem to operate in parallel universes. So it's always a treat when our universes intersect.

We share a long history with Paul Bantle and Anne Elder, the head farmers at Community Farm of Ann Arbor. We have tried to offer mutual support over the years and especially appreciate how the Community Farm folk give us an extra hand around the Holler Fest crunch time. This year Paul, Anne and several members of their crew came out and weeded for a day in the week before Holler Fest, and this was at a time when they admitted their own broccoli patch definitely needed some attention!

The Community Farm crew heads out of the celery patch after a weeding session last August. Notice how they are all carefully looking down so they don't step on any plants - well, almost all!

You may remember when we told you about a benefit for the Community Farm called "Peas Turn Up the Beet"! Well it's coming up on October 6 at the Ark in Ann Arbor and Frog Holler Farm is one of the sponsors. Two stellar Michigan bands will inspire and delight folks with their message and musicianship; all proceeds go to the Community Farm, Michigan's oldest CSA and just darn good folks. Tickets are going fast, so use the link to purchase yours or read more about the farm and the event here.

The stronger all farms are, the stronger the local food community will be and we are happy to support Community Farm in this creative agri-cultural event. See you at the Ark!




MEET THE RETURNEES - COLLEEN PERRIA AND KIRSTIN POPE!




Although "returnee" might sound like "detainee," Colleen and Kirstin returned for another season at Frog Holler of their own volition. Let's get these young women to turn around and see what they've been up to!


















Kirstin, after 3 1/2 seasons at Frog Holler, has developed many specialty crops at the farm. Thanks to Kirstin's interest and persistence, a number of unusual items have regularly appeared at our stall this year. Shiitake Mushrooms, Okra, Bulb Fennel, Husk Cherries, Perennial and Medicinal Herbs, and beautiful flower bunches all largely owe their existence to Kirstin's care.

Kirstin has managed our Wednesday Market Stall for several years. Recently Kirstin has developed a line of Frog Holler organic dried herbs that she has carefully prepared throughout the season. She has also blended a dried version of the famous "Holler Tea" that is served at Holler Fest. Now you can brew your own, either hot or cold, for the other 51 weekends when you can't be at Holler Fest!

Kirstin brings these organic herbs and tea blends to the Wednesday market, so if you're a mid-week shopper, ask Kirstin about them!

Kirstin also offered the Holler Tea blend at Holler Fest, along with organic medicinal salves made from Frog Holler herbs and our own bees' beeswax. In addition she baked and sold containers of the tasty Holler Fest Granola (she makes five gallons for the festival!).

Kirstin shows her dedication to herb harvesting as she plucks a stalk from the Lemon Grass jungle!

Moringa Trees

In terms of specialty crops, Kirstin outdid herself this year with the cultivation of several tropical "Moringa" trees in our greenhouse. Kirstin became familiar with Moringa while in the Peace Corps in Mali. She obtained some seeds, planted them in early spring, and the fast-growing trees have reached the top of our greenhouse.

This blog offers some good reasons for eating Moringa:
Leaves from moringa trees, dried and crushed to powder and added to meals, provide seven times the vitamin C of oranges, four times the calcium and two times the protein of cows' milk, three times the potassium of bananas and four times the vitamin A of carrots. 

Kirstin puts Moringa leaves in smoothies, and has taken some containers of the leaves to the Wednesday market, to the interest and bafflement of Wednesday shoppers!

What next, Kirstin?

Colleen rests on her laurels after the race. You'll see next week who Colleen is petting!

Colleen returned to Frog Holler for her second season this year. She helps out in all aspects of the farm operation and gets satisfaction from doing "the work".

Colleen recently returned to her high school cross-country roots. She trained for two weeks for a local 5K (Run For the Hills) and ended up winning her age group and coming in fourth overall for women!







Colleen had a birthday this week, and, as requested by the birthday girl, we had an egg hunt!

Nervous egg hunters about to start.

The race is on!

Happy hunters with their eggs

A total of 90 eggs were found, which means there are 20 or so still out there and something for the crew to look forward to discovering throughout the week! And oh yes, the birthday girl found the most!

This past winter Colleen volunteered at a Mustang rescue ranch in New Mexico. Mustang Camp 
prepares wild mustangs for adoption. Without any previous experience, Colleen learned to gentle and train horses so that they could be placed in homes around the country. There are several (but not enough) ranches dedicated to helping wild mustangs become adoptable. The folks who run them are passionate about saving horses and generally operate on a shoestring; if you have a chance to help or support them, consider it!

Colleen feeding the horses in New Mexico

Colleen on Amelia - who is older than Colleen!

After her winter with horses, Colleen wanted to continue to learn about horses and training. She found some folks right next door to Frog Holler with several horses and who were open to Colleen continuing to learn with them.

They all took a little ride this week and stopped by Frog Holler on the way home.


















We are fortunate at Frog Holler that so many diverse and dedicated young people choose to spend time working and learning with us. We learn from them as well and especially appreciate that we have shared multiple seasons of work and play with Colleen and Kirstin!

Have a great week everyone!