Share #3, July 2, 2011

Look who's nestled in the garlic scape!

In this week's box:

Spinach
Chard
Russian Kale
Baby Beets
Broccoli
Scallions/summer onions
Garlic Scapes
Radishes
Arugula
Dill or Parsley or Cilantro


Notes from the Box:

Spinach - last time for the summer. The lettuce crop is waning a little, so spinach salad this week! Spinach is a cool weather crop, and although this summer's temperatures haven't been too steamy, spinach will be happier taking a break until fall.

Swiss Chard - Chard, on the other hand, is happy to produce the entire summer. We hope you are making friends with this generous vegetable!

Radishes & Russian Kale - be sure to check the Recipe section for some tips on cooking.

Garlic Scapes - Last of the scapes until next year. We'll be harvesting garlic bulbs soon!

Scallions/summer onions - Scallions, or green onions, also like cool weather. As the summer progresses, they are inspired to realize their inherent bulbous nature. These summer onions are excellent for cooking or adding zip to egg, potato or tuna salad.

Arugula - We are starting to pick a new patch so this arugula is very tender and mild. Adds a sprightly nutty flavor to any salad.

Dill/Parsley/Cilantro - Your choice from one of these bunches. Sorry, we don't have an unlimited supply of these herbs, so early folks will probably get more choice! They're all good!

Broccoli - This broccoli comes to you with the Well-Fed Groundhog Seal of Approval! This year we have shared a lot of our cole crops with these voracious critters and we're not so happy about it. Our yield has been reduced, but at least the groundhogs confirm how delicious the broccoli is!

Anyone want a cute little pet? :-)

Notes From the Field:

This week a large weedy carrot patch literally brought us to our knees. Baby carrots are delicate but the crew stuck with it through several painstaking sessions - and emerged victorious! Those carrots are going to taste so good!



carrot patch - partially weeded, partially weedy

carrot weeding crew - a nose-to-the ground job

carrot patch finished - carrot weeders finished off!

yay - we're done!


Notes from the Frog Holler Recipe Box:
Check out these garlic scape recipes for delicious ways to use your last batch of scapes. Also, visit Diana Dyer's blog for all things garlic. Diana's other very informative blog is 365 Days of Kale. How healthy can two blogs get? Diana's blogs have lots of nutritional information and recipes - very helpful.

You can also learn about or be reminded of delicious ways to use your weekly greens allotment at the Frog Holler Recipe Box. If you haven't made Kale Chips, do check out the recipe on the Kale Page in the Recipe Box and give it a try. Your kale will disappear fast!

Have you roasted radishes yet? Once you do, you might never eat them raw again!

Recipes are great for learning new ways to cook favorite or unfamiliar foods, but sometimes at the farm we are too tired to cook but are still hungry. This minimalist Kale recipe emerged from a desire to eat something healthy with no fuss and in a short time. It has become a staple!






Meet the Interns: Evan Dayringer

Evan comes from a relatively rare tribe: Ann Arbor natives! Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Evan graduated from Community High, and went on to receive a BS in Mathematics from MSU.

Evan's family was a member of Ann Arbor's first CSA farm, The Community Farm of Ann Arbor, while he was growing up. That early exposure to good food and good growing practices led him to an internship at Tantre Farm last year. Evan is continuing his exploration into a livelihood more grounded in reality as he self-educates himself in farming practices. Although ready to leave the abstraction of academic study, Evan appreciates the intellectual challenge provided by farming. There is always something to try and figure out!

While at Frog Holler, Evan can often be seen running the trails through the woods and over the hills. At other times, he might be reading an 800-page tome of classic Chinese literature, The Water Margin. In the photo, Evan is reading a poem from an 18th c. book of Chinese literature titled Story of the Stone. The poem is about burying the blossoms of spring, and Evan shared it with the Friday crew just after the summer solstice. It was sad but beautiful!

Evan divides his work days between Frog Holler Farm and The Brinery, a fine new local business dedicated to creating artisan fermented foods and educating the public to their benefits.

Evan's culinary style lends itself more to process than specific recipes. Here is a Share Box Lunch Dish that Evan recently served up to a very satisfied lunch crew. There are as many variations of this dish as there are vegetables, so enter into it with Evan's spirit of experimentation and discovery and you'll do just fine. As Evan says: When you start with good ingredients, you're very likely going to end up with good food!

Evan is also an organizer of the Michigan Young Farmer Coalition, an organization dedicated to supporting agricultural stewardship, community farming initiatives, and young people getting started in farming. Obviously Evan has contributed to many local food-oriented businesses and organizations in the Ann Arbor area. We're glad that he has brought his dedication and inquiring mind to Frog Holler this season!



Hope to see you at the farm party - have a great weekend and week!