July 27, 2013 - Share # 3

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

Lettuce - "French Romaine," a smaller, tender version of Romaine - grows well in hot weather. Rinse leaves, pat dry or spin, store in fridge in plastic bag 

Kale -  curly variety. Good for saute, soup and kale chips!Store in plastic bag in fridge

Gadzooks - lots of cukes!

Beets - Classic Red  Beets will keep for a long time in the fridge if you remove the greens.

Zucchini/Summer Squash - We grow a distinct variety of summer squash called Zephyr; it look like the ends were dipped in green. Very tender and creamy! Store in plastic bag in fridge

Carrots - Store in plastic bag in fridge

Green Beans - Store in plastic bag in fridge

Slicing Cukes - Long, dark green

 Pickling Cukes - Stubby, light green. Good for snacking and salad as well as pickling.

Garlic - freshly picked, not cured for long-term storage

Purslane! - Each year we try to  distribute this nutrition-packed "wild plant" (weed to some) at least once. Recipes follow!

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Your fall lettuce - can you see it?

 This time of year, we seem to meet ourselves coming and going. We are busy with the summer harvest, deep into weeding and maintaining the crops yet to be harvested, and preparing ground to plant for the later harvest!

The "lettuce patch" in the picture rested under a cover crop until it was recently tilled. The land will be smoothed out for seeding sometime this week. Your share reflects the lettuce we are harvesting now and we just finished thinning and weeding the next lettuce patch. It doesn't always work perfectly, but that's how we try to keep the veggies coming!



NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Hey hey hey  - new (uncured) garlic made the NY Times this week! Check out the article as you sit back and enjoy being a trending CSA member!

Kind of like a mini-jade plant, but tasty!

Okay, purslane. Hopefully you have identified it in your share. Some of you will be happy; some of you will be scratching your heads. But if you Google it, you will find a wealth of information about this nutritional powerhouse,  with a long history throughout the world, and even in America. This NY Times article is a great introduction to purslane appreciation!

A recipe for purslane was even discovered in Martha Washington's recipe book; if George Washington ate purslane, we can too!

Try this cucumber-purslane salad for a refreshing and crunchy side dish. You can substitute other herbs, although the trio mentioned in the recipe gives that traditional Middle Eastern flavor.

Many folks seem to pickle purslane, and here is a quick and tasty Chinese pickle recipe.

At Frog Holler, we include purslane in potato salad, egg salad, or tofu egg salad - it gives a nice crunch and sprightly flavor, especially when celery isn't ready to be harvested.

Speaking of pickles, we had a pickle extravaganza this week thanks to Bretton and thanks to oodles of pickling cukes. We canned the pickles and are looking forward to trying them after they sit for a while, but here is a way to get some quick pickles, and you can use many of the veggies in your share -  beans would be good!

Maan Abdul-Baki, chef extraordinaire!

And speaking of beans, we are fortunate to have a  neighbor, Maan, who loves to cook and loves to feed the hard-working crew at the farm! This week he dropped off a big pot of Lebanese-style green beans. Maan doesn't cook from a recipe and probably wouldn't reveal it if he did :-), but you might want to try this Lebanese green bean dish and approximate one of the delicious dishes we were lucky to enjoy this week!






MEET THE INTERNS - MIA O'BRIEN-COMBS

Mia with garlic!

Mia comes to us from Chicago, where she grew up in nearby Cicero. Mia attended Northern Illinois University and added several life experiences before graduating with a major in English. Mia enjoyed study abroad for a semester in Argentina, worked with the Minnesota Literacy Corps one summer,   and spent additional pre-graduation time in another Americorps position where she helped young people gain life skills in transitioning out of foster care. After graduation, Mia headed to Colombia where she polished her Spanish and enjoyed time with the friends she had made on her first South American visit. Returning to the States, a third Americorps position brought Mia back to Chicago where she worked with the Red Cross in a "Safe Families" outreach program.

During her stay in Chicago, Mia became involved in a community garden in her neighborhood, and that's how she found her way to Frog Holler! She not only enjoyed growing vegetables, but especially appreciated the community-building aspects of the neighborhood garden; she served on the garden's operating committee and participated in the post weeding-day potlucks. She was interested in a farm internship so that she could learn through immersion, and has enjoyed living seasonally and understanding, through the lifestyle, where the food comes from.

After growing up in the city, Mia has also enjoyed the "Tom Sawyer" nature of this summer on the farm. She loves the peaceful setting, the natural sounds, and being dirty with good clean dirt! She is also a super good sport because along with all that nature has come about ten zillion bug bites!

Fittingly, Mia will be coordinating the volunteer team at Holler Fest. Someone who has done so much service knows first hand the value and joy of helping out. Mia encourages all CSA members to get to know Holler Fest from the inside; it will double your fun!

Mia is no slouch as a cook, and recently made a festive sandwich buffet. A combination of veggies were roasted at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Mia then whipped up this tasty Aioli spread and the feasting began!

Vegan Aioli Sauce

1 cup Vegan mayo

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4-6 cloves of garlic (depending on your level of garlic love and/or evening plans)

Salt and pepper to taste

Blend together in a food processor until smooth. 

Assemble sandwich with sauce, roasted veggies, Frog Holler tomatoes (soon to come!), and arugula. Enjoy! 

Roasted veggies, aioli sauce, Mia's homemade bread, sliced Frog Holler tomatoes (just a few early ones!)

 

With a mother who is an English teacher, and a father who studied philosophy, Mia feels that "education is her first love." She plans to pursue a Masters Degree in Public Health where a focus on Community Health would embrace all of her interests: the desire to do health education, to create programs that focus on urban greening to address violence, and to use community gardens as a platform to build community.

We are happy to be part of the "portfolio" that this dedicated young woman is creating and we know that she will take all of these experiences and design a compassionate and purposeful life!


Have a great week everyone and thanks for bringing your boxes back!

July 20, 2013 - Share # 2

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

Lettuce - Romaine Rinse leaves, pat dry or spin, store in fridge in plastic bag 

We found this garlic growing right through an old ring in the field

Kale -  either Red Russian or White Russian, heirloom varieties known as "Raggedy Jack". You can probably see why!Store in plastic bag in fridge

Beets - Classic Red  Beets will keep for a long time in the fridge if you remove the greens. Store greens separately in plastic bag. Greens are very nutritious!

Zucchini/Summer Squash - We grow a distinct variety of summer squash called Zephyr; it look like the ends were dipped in green. Very tender and creamy! Store in plastic bag in fridge

Carrots - Store in plastic bag in fridge

Green Beans - Store in plastic bag in fridge

Slicing Cukes - Long, dark green

 Pickling Cukes - Stubby, light green

Garlic - freshly picked, not cured for storing 

Bunching the garlic for hanging

NOTES FROM THE FIELD:

 We started to harvest the garlic this week. Hopefully the hot dry weather will provide a good environment for curing. We couldn't wait to put some in your share this week so we have included fresh-picked garlic for your immediate eating enjoyment. As you can see from your share, the skins haven't dried yet, but it doesn't affect the flavor. After the garlic cures for a few weeks, the skins will become the familiar papery white and they will be ready to keep for several months.

Colleen hangs the garlic for drying in the shed

 WHAT'S COOKING: Too hot to cook! Check out the Frog Holler Recipe Box for cooking ideas for the veggies in your share. We did eat a lot of salads this week, and here is a delicious dressing we added to shredded kale and carrots:

3\4 cup of sesame oil (toasted), 1\2 cup of tamari or Bragg's, 1\4 cup olive oil, 1\4 cup lime juice, 1 tbs of maple syrup, 2 tsp of chili flakes, 1 tsp sea salt, 1\4 cup chopped cashews.   Soak cashews overnight if you can.  Blend all ingredients until smooth.   Makes a lot - 2 1\2 cups.  Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.

 Despite the heat, the crew finished harvesting the garlic, cleaned up, rolled up their sleeves, and embarked on a five-hour  Chinese dumpling affair, spearheaded by Qiang, who has been teaching us about traditional Chinese food this summer. Qiang made three delicious fillings; everyone helped to roll and fill 160 dumplings, and a very small portion of them was enjoyed that night - everyone was too pooped to eat! They were very tasty and also delicious fried the next day.

No recipe offered for this festive group effort - ask Qiang when you see him at the market!

Qiang starts rolling out the dumplings.

Tasty filling of zucchini, onions and egg going into the dumpling

Just a few of many!

We're done!

Boiled and ready to eat!

 MEET THE INTERNS!  

Our crew paused on a hot day this week for an almost-all-group photo.

Standing, l. to r: Colleen - returning from 2012. She knows the score and she's back for more! Bretton - giving us invaluable help two days a week when she's not at her vet tech job. Mia - after three different Americorps stints, continuing to give service at the farm. Kirstin - on her fourth tour of duty - we lean on her a lot! Natalie - newly minted intern as of last Sunday. That's why she's still smiling!

Seated, l. to r: Qiang - fourth-year Chemistry Ph.D. student "looking for something different". He found it! the King bros, Kenny and Billy - Grew up on the farm and still growing the farm!

Missing: Edwin King and Emily Foley (behind the iPhone)




 

Community Farm of Ann Arbor Kickstarter Update: They made it! We mentioned their project in last week's newsletter and are happy to report that they are fully funded and will be presenting a fabulous farmy evening of music at the Ark in October. We'll let you know the details when we know more!

Have a great week and thanks for bringing your boxes back!

July 13, 2013 - Share #1!

Greetings folks - here we go!

What's in the box:

Lettuce - rinse leaves, pat dry or spin, store in fridge in plastic bag

Chioggia Beet (with rings)

Kale - either Red Russian or Rainbow Tuscan. Store in plastic bag in fridge


Beets - either Classic Red or "Chioggia" (red with concentric white inner rings) Beets will keep for a long time in the fridge if you remove the greens. Store greens separately in plastic bag. Greens are very nutritious!

"Rainbow" Swiss Chard - use those pretty stems! (recipe below) Store in plastic bag in fridge

Carrots - Store in plastic bag in fridge

Spring onions-Store in plastic bag in fridge. These onions are not cured and need to be refrigerated.

Summer squash/zucchini-Store in plastic bag in fridge

Fresh Cilantro - stems in water in fridge, or in a plastic bag in fridge


Fresh Tarragon or Fresh Chives - choose one. For tarragon: stems in water in fridge, or in a plastic bag in fridge. Tarragon can be hung upside down out of direct light to dry. Chives can be chopped and frozen.

Salad Mix - for those who have ordered. In the Mix these days: several kinds of lettuce, chard, endive, radicchio, parsley, chives, garlic chives, sorrel, bronze fennel, arugula, edible flowers (violas, nasturtiums, calendula petals).






Notes From the Field: We don't have to tell you that rain has been the "name of the game" so far this season. Last year in July we were well into a significant drought and our main gardening task was to water - this year it is to weed! Weeds are also loving all the moisture, and the crew has spent a lot of time with their heads down, slowly crawling down the rows to weed, cultivate and hopefully stimulate the garden plants' growth.Often the crew will start at far ends of the field and work toward each other. It's a satisfying moment when everyone comes together at the center to pull out the last weeds. Here is the crew finishing a pesky two-day project in the carrots ( which we just weeded again - that should do it!).

Recipes for Your Share:

New folks will want to check out the Frog Holler Recipe Box where we post many farm and food blogger suggestions for using the veggies in your share - 21 recipes for kale! And there are now 15 recipes for beets with the addition of this Apple and Beet Salad recipe, deliciously brought to our attention by CSA member, Ponda.

Here are two salad dressing recipes using the herbs in your share: Honey Mustard Cilantro dressing
and Tarragon Salad with Citrus-Honey Vinaigrette.

And finally, as promised, a chard stem recipe! We also use chard stems as a crunchy substitute for celery in tuna fish, egg, or tofu egg salad.

Peas Turn Up the Beet!

Frog Holler crew at Community Farm helping to plant garlic - 2011

That's the name of the kickstarter project of the Community Farm of Ann Arbor. You may have heard of the Community Farm but might not know that they were the first CSA in this area and the eighth in the country; they have been sharing the food faith with their members for 26 years! The Community Farm farmers, Paul Bantle and Anne Elder, have both worked and/or  lived at Frog Holler and we continue to share strong connections in work and play.

The Community Farm is asking for support as they raise funds to put on a fantastic evening of music at the Ark in October. They need money to pay the musicians and venue; after they cover expenses any additional funds will go to supporting the Community Farm's long-time commitment to organic, community-oriented agriculture.

We personally know the bands who are playing at the concert (one of the groups will also be at Holler Fest) and we are happy to spread the word about this creative approach to raising awareness as well as funds. Check out the kickstarter page; watch the video or read their compelling description of what they do at Community Farm, and consider donating.

 And we do appreciate the support that you already give to a small-scale organic farm!!

Have a good week!

Giant Jenga moment a the July 6 party - it was nice to see some of you there!