August 2, 2014 - Share #6

Member Patty S. takes a photo of her share each week. This is from two weeks ago. Edible Art! (with kitty)

 WHAT'S IN (THIS WEEK'S) BOX:

BROCCOLI

GREEN BEANS

CARROTS

SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI

CURLY KALE

RAINBOW CHARD

ARUGULA

LETTUCE

ONIONS - NEW!

TOMATOES - NEW!

GARLIC

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: Everything does best rinsed, drained, plastic-bagged and refrigerated - except - tomatoes! Leave them out to finish any ripening. Tomatoes have been a bit grumpy with all this cool rainy weather. They aren't ripening quickly, but they are starting. Onions have not been cured, so best to refrigerate for longer storage. Same with garlic.

EATING SUGGESTIONS: Have at it! We are still picking one of our most productive green bean patches ever - as your shares reflect! This week we parboiled the beans, plunged them into cold water and then drained. We sauteed some garlic in olive oil and then added the beans, sauteeing all together until the beans were tender - didn't take long! Some folks like to finish this dish with a pat or two of butter. It was gone before we could get to it!

We chopped tomatoes, mixed them with salt, a little fresh garlic, and an herb of choice - basil is good - and enjoyed a classic summer salad.

We roasted broccoli - separating the florets, tossing with olive oil and salt, and roasting in a 400 degree oven until tender and slightly charred. We also included the stems, cut into thin slices. With fresh homegrown broccoli, the stems are not a woody throwaway!

Your shares also reflect the cool, wet summer we are having - the greens are very happy - tomatoes, eggplant and peppers are sulking. You may be able to find some fresh peaches, although they might be coming in a little late this summer. If you do find them, try this interesting use of the arugula in your box!

Or here's an Arugula Salad that's a meal in itself!

And when we visited Community Farm of Ann Arbor, we were served this simple summer dish, and were reminded how delicious Zucchini Fritters are!

Onions and garlic - taking "the cure" together! Photo by Beniece.

FARM NOTES: We started the onion harvest this week, as your share reflects. The crop looks excellent and we hope to get a dry spell so the onions cure well for long-term storage. But we couldn't wait to put them in the shares! We finished the potato harvest just ahead of the onions, and are sorting the spuds for storage or immediate consumption. You'll be seeing more of them as well!










 Potatoes and onions are heavy crops - not to mention the carrots that get dug twice weekly.  After a long week of digging, hauling, weeding and bunching, the crew often likes to TGIF with pizza night!

Kirstin, Collen and Angie - happy pizza makers!

 Kirstin usually makes the crusts, and then many hands pitch in for some creative toppings. With so many veggies around, the sky's the limit!

Foreground pizza: Bacon, Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh arugula

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 Back pizza: Black olives, feta, shallots, fresh arugula.

Foreground pizza: Pepperoni, homemade barbecue sauce, summer squash slices, fresh basil. Back pizza: Fresh garlic, homemade pesto sauce, summer squash and tomato slices. All pizza photos by Nhin.

MEET THE INTERNS: KATHRYN PESHKA

Kathryn in the edible flower patch. Photo by Nhin.

Kathryn grew up in Grand Rapids but came to Frog Holler by way of a rather circuitous route. After completing a personal trainer course in Grand Rapids, Kathryn decided to pursue her love of travel and the outdoors by applying to Americorps, where her first assignment was with the Montana Conservation Corps (MCC). Based on the Civilian Conservation Corps model from the 1930's, the Americorps conservation programs place young people, ages 18-24, in service projects throughout the country.

Kathryn's MCC assignment took her to the mountains of Montana, where her job was to build and maintain trails. She worked there through the summer of 2011 and up to November. She was glad it was her last day when she woke up on a November morning and found that the zipper of her tent had iced shut!

So Kathryn really didn't mind when her next  assignment placed her in Arizona. She continued the trail maintenance and control of invasive species around Sedona, AZ, as well as other parks throughout Arizona. Kathryn fell in love with the climate and desert terrain of Arizona, but when a job fell through, she made her way back to Michigan for a short stay until another Americorps position opened up.

This time Kathryn worked for FEMA Corps, in disaster relief, response, and recovery work. First stationed in Missouri to assist with the flood relief, Kathryn next found herself assigned to Queens, New York to assist in the paperwork around Hurricane Sandy assistance. Quite a contrast to the trails of Montana!

Kathryn jokes that she knows the US geography better than that of her home state, as she has traveled very little in Michigan, but obviously a lot in the US! With the end of Kathryn's last Americorps position, she decided to head back to her home state and make use of the Education Award that Americorps grants to those who complete their full term of service.

Before settling into the academic world, Kathryn wanted to spend a little more time enjoying her loves of nature, the outdoors, being around good food, and gaining new experiences. Frog Holler fit the bill, and Kathryn joined us in mid-June. Since coming to the farm she has learned much about how vegetables grow, like seeing for the first time that potatoes grow in clumps underground (not just seeing...digging!). She has also encountered some foods that are new favorites; arugula is a standout - especially on pizza (see above)!

Kathryn will leave the farm in September, seeing friends and doing a little more traveling before settling in to the college routine. Although unsure of her major, one thing is for sure - Kathryn's varied experiences so far will serve her well as she continues to explore, gain skills, and learn!

Kathryn loves cats and one of the farm cats, Gus, is happy to receive her affection! Photo by Nhin.

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