August 30, 2014 - Share #10

Volunteer sunflowers in the herb garden with flowering garlic chives in front.

 WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

 KALE

ZUCCHINI/SUMMER SQUASH

CABBAGE

KOHLRABI - bulbous root veggie; very light green

SWEET PEPPERS

ASIAN GREENS - "tat soi" or "yukina savoy"; tender with a little zip

GARLIC

ONION

LETTUCE

TOMATOES

DAIKON RADISH - long white root veggie

choice of BULB FENNEL OR HUSK CHERRIES: to be explained in next section!

WHAT TO DO WITH IT:

Fields of brassicas - the cole crops are very happy with this summer's weather!

Lots of good eating in there folks! You have the makings of a lovely Asian-flavored stir-fry which we enjoyed in the farm this week. We spooned it over rice, topped it off with Peanut Sauce, and dug in!

Cabbage is new in your box this week and you probably have good ideas for fixing this old favorite. With the holiday weekend coming up, a potluck might be in your future and Coleslaw is a classic dish to take along. But why not jazz it up with a little kohlrabi, for "Kohl" Slaw! Simply peel and grate some kohlrabi into the cabbage and whatever other veggies you use, or try this Cabbage-Kohlrabi Slaw variation.The mild, cauliflower-like flavor and tender crunch of kohlrabi makes it well-suited for dipping into hummus or other creamy creations. Be sure to peel it, then slice and dip away!

Bulb Fennel and/or Husk Cherries are not on everyone's vegetable radar, but that's why we're here folks!  Bulb Fennel is a bit more recognizable and, as "finocchio",  is prized in Italian cooking for its anise flavor. Husk Cherries are also called Ground Cherries - and for good reason - the plants grow low to the ground and picking the little fruits is an exercise in patience and flexibility. But the rewards are many! These sweet little packages deliver a flavor that is almost tropical. Snack on a few, and you're in the islands! Just peel back the husk and there's your treat.

Enjoy this week's eating adventure!

MEET THE INTERNS -  LISA WOLFGANG AND COLLEEN PERRIA -AND SAY GOODBYE!

Lisa at Holler Fest (photo by Nhin -along with all the following photos!)

We have a solid crew who are staying through the season, but we're sorry to say goodbye to two interns this week. Lisa Wolfgang just joined us a few weeks ago, but she fit in so easily that it seems like she has been part of the gang all summer!

Lisa contacted us in July, when she was finishing up her job teaching ceramics at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in northern Michigan. Lisa needed to fill a little time before she started a month-long residency at Art Farm, an organization, and farm, in Nebraska that offers living accommodations and supportive space for artists to create, without any pressure to produce. Although Lisa's background is in ceramic art, she is looking forward to exploring a new artistic direction in a supportive and non-judgmental environment, which is very much what Art Farm is about.

After her residency, Lisa is exploring many options - from working at an olive farm in California to coming back to Frog Holler for October! We wish her well wherever she ends up and look forward to seeing her again.

Colleen at Holler Fest

Some of you may be familiar with Colleen Perria, as this is the third time she has been featured in the CSA newsletter. Colleen first joined us in 2012, and returned in 2013 after a winter out west.
Colleen returned this season, but as a part-time intern. The rest of her time has been spent working on a crew that restores native habitat by clearing land and removing invasive species.

When Colleen was out west in the winter of 2012/13, she worked on a horse sanctuary/farm in New Mexico and did a brief stint as a cook in a hunting camp. The hunting camp called again this year to see if she could cook for two months. Appreciating the chance to get back out west AND make some money, Colleen agreed and off she went!

Colleen plans to return to the area in November, when a lot of the land restoration work is underway. Although we'll be finished with our season, we're sure we'll see her again!

Happy trails, Lisa and Colleen!

And finally - some highlights from Holler Fest. It was nice to see those of you who made it out!

The Kids Parade begins!

Frog Holler farmers Billy King (r.) and Angie Martin (c.) closing out the Main Stage Saturday night. This was just before the horn section arrived!

Closing circle on Sunday

And the circle coming together!

Have a great weekend and week everyone!

August 23rd, 2014 - Share # 9

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Tomatoes
• Green Beans
• Zucchini
• Lettuce
• Asian Greens
• Collards
• Kohlrabi
• Choice of Melon



Cathy King conducting one of our Monday meetings from a golf cart.
She drove about 20 ft to get there. She is behind the notepad and Billy is behind her.

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS:

Onion, garlic and tomatoes can be stored out of the fridge, unless you're going for long term storage. Everything else rinse, drain, and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator in the veggie drawer. Treat kohlrabi like a beet, once you cut into it rub the exposed part with lemon/lime juice or vinegar before storing.
 

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

After a long hard day or just for a quick snack before lunch, we interns often get to enjoy seconded watermelon (yellow and red) and cantaloupe. I get such a great refreshing burst of energy after enjoying these delicious treats, and I'm sure you will too! Ok, I know that's not a serving suggestion, but, "Yay! Melons!" Ok, now seriously, kohlrabi is great as a dipper with hummus, baba ghanoush, or just plain ranch dressing. It also goes well in a salad such as the one pictured below made by Angie Martin a couple hours ago.

Salad made with things we had laying around -
kohlrabi, apple, arugula, carrots, cashews, sunflower seeds, raisins,
dressed with salt, balsamic vinegar, pear vinegar, honey, lemon juice, and harissa oil.

BENEFICIAL CREATURES CONTINUED:

Remember last week when I said I can go on about beneficial creatures? Well, I left out a few that I took pictures of while on this farm.

Bats are the owls of the night when it comes to consuming insects
which consists mainly of wasps, beetles, and moths.

Turtles will eat just about any insect they can catch, which includes
slugs, snails, grubs, crickets, grasshoppers, and flies.

Snakes are known for rodent control, but before they are large
enough for that, they are effective as insect control.



Salamanders and newts have a voracious appetite for insects
and arthropods that are smaller than they are.

Ok, I'm done with this subject now. I hope it was informative and helpful. :)

HOLLER FEST PREP:

We have been quite busy with Holler Fest and everything is in full swing. A new entrance has been paved by Billy King and Tom Hines to alleviate traffic congestion of yore. Tom Huber built a stairway up to the treehouse for residence Angie Martin. Tom Huber has also rebuilt the roof of the main stage to last for many more years to come. Kim O'keefe has been working on painting new signs. There was a hornet's nest that made it's residence behind the main stage. I volunteered to wear a bee suit with the help of Lisa Wolfgang in her mosquito netting headgear to humanely relocate them. Sorry for not having pictures of any of this. We have been so busy that there was talk of not doing Wednesday market. Paul and I volunteered and they actually let us go today!

The setup today at market - Not bad for 2 first year interns.

Everything was going so well during setup until we realized that we had left the cash box behind. Luckily I carry some cash with me and fellow organic farmers at Tantré gave us some change to start out the day. Cathy eventually came to the rescue at around 8am! Everything continued to go smoothly after that. It's midnight now, and I'm ready for bed. Good night everyone and thank you for bringing back your boxes!

- Nhin Luu

 

August 16th, 2014 - Share # 8

 

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

• Potatoes                         
• Asian Greens - New!
• Summer Squash / Zucchini    
• Curly Kale
• Onion
• Sweet Basil
• Garlic                            
• Tomatoes
• Green Beans                  
• Corn
• Celery

One of the many beneficial frogs at Frog Holler

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS:

 

Potatoes, onion, garlic and tomatoes can be stored out of the fridge, unless you're going for long term storage. Everything else rinse, drain, and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

 

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

 

Asian Greens go well in any veggie stir-fry. We interns often make stir-fry with just about any veggies we can get our hands on (aka "seconds"). Seconds are veggies not good enough to sell or for CSA members but not bad enough to considered chicken feed or compost. Yesterday's main course for lunch was a thick and hardy vegetable soup cooked by Paul Burger consisting of garlic, onions, potatoes, curly kale, carrots, daikon and celery. Roasting veggies is also popular here. For the sides of the same lunch, we had roasted potatoes, onions, egg plant, zucchini, zephyr, patty pan, and carrots seasoned simply with olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper. After this lunch, Cathy exclaimed, "I feel like I've just eaten a garden. Thank you guys! :)." I (Nhin Luu) was the other guy she's talking about.

 

BENEFICIAL CREATURES:

 

When people speak of beneficial creatures, the bee is king. They say that, "when the bees die off, we will surely follow." But I doubt that is entirely true. Yes, I understand that bees are responsible for the pollination of many plants, but there are other pollinators out there that most people don't know about. One for instance, are ants. Yes, ants are also attracted to the sweet nectar of flowers, especially the low lying ones found on zucchini and squash plants. Mosquitoes are also pollinators. These pesky insects known for spreading blood born illnesses are actually beneficial for plants. Normally mosquitoes feed on flower nectar and sweet juices, but the females require the iron content in blood to produce eggs. Males can be distinguished from females by their furry antennas.



Imprint of a mosquito (clearly a female)

And now we begin the photo gallery section of beneficial creatures.



 Frogs are known for eating flies but they also eat many other insects.



A green tree frog found while harvesting beans



The grasshopper: even though they are known for
crop devastation, they are beneficial because they
eat weeds like sagebrush and snakeweed.

Dragon flies are considered the hawks of the insect world
because of their great speed and eye sight.




The praying mantis is widely known as a glutton
as they have been observed gorging themselves
until their bellies burst.

Even though birds are bad for berries and fruit, they are
great for insect control especially cut worms.

 

 

I could go on about other creatures and how they benefit horticultural society but I am running out of time and this post is getting long. So I leave you with this.

 

Cats are great for rodent control if they are of the brave outdoor type.
This is Gus striking a thriller pose while sleeping.

 

This concludes picture time for this evening. All the photos were taken by me. I hope you enjoyed it. I will be writing next week's newsletter so stay tuned. Sorry for posting so late and thank you for bringing back your boxes.

- Nhin Luu



August 9, 2014 - Share # 7

New garden pests? Actually it's the cast from "Dark Age", the indie movie being filmed at Frog Holler. Intern Nhin got in this scene!(rt. front)

.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

CURLY KALE

SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI

LEEKS - NEW!

CELERY - NEW!

POTATOES

BEETS - NEW PATCH!

ARUGULA

CARROTS

GARLIC

TOMATOES

SWEET BASIL

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: Potatoes, garlic and tomatoes out of the fridge, unless you're going for long term storage. Everything else rinsed, drained and in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Massaged kale salad (foreground) and Arugula, Potato and Green Bean Salad.

Member Patty S. made the Arugula, Potato and Green Bean Salad that was suggested in the July 26 CSA newsletter. She pronounced it delicious! (Sorry, no green beans for a little while. We are starting a new patch, but never fear, they will return!)

Patty also made a massaged kale salad with orange slices, which is supposed to help deliver kale's benefits, and used the walnut oil from the previous recipe for the dressing. her husband pronounced it delicious! Here's a photo of two beautiful and delicious dishes and we like the touch of a locally-brewed cool frosty to top it all off!

Last week when it was cool we enjoyed Potato and Leek Soup . This is Mollie Katzen's recipe from her cookbook, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Anyone who has been interested in good food for a while knows and loves Mollie Katzen; her first book, The Moosewood Cookbook, has introduced thousands to the delicious pleasures of cooking with whole grains and vegetables. The soup was delicious! And it thickened so well when the veggies were pureed, that no milk was added! perhaps our potatoes are especially creamy!

We didn't have it at the time, but the next time we make Potato Leek soup, we will use the soup stock we made this week. We took tops from the leeks and onions, beet stems, thick broccoli stems - any veggie trimmings we had accumulated over weeks of cooking ( we clean them and freeze them until we have enough to make a large pot of stock. But you can make a small pot of stock as well!). After simmering for several hours, the stock has extracted all the veggie's flavor and is rich and aromatic. The stock is then strained and stored or frozen. Try it! You'll be glad to use every smidgen of your share, and your soups will take on a rich and unique flavor!

HOLLER FEST TIME! Preparations are heating up at the farm and we hope you can make it out. CSA members will receive their passes to Holler Fest over the next two weeks - one or two passes depending on your level of membership. However, if you have volunteered, you're in for the whole weekend plus you get a meal from Holla Carte at the Holler Kitchen. Consider it - we still have some spaces to fill!

Neighbor Tom and grandson Sullivan mowing the Main Holler.

You can read all about the music and activities at hollerfest.com.  Lots of stuff for kids to do plus two kid's concerts and a song singing workshop for families. The Free Store returns to offer an exchange for clothes and items looking for another home - and a chance to find new treasures. A Book Exchange operates alongside the Free Store. Nature Walks, Medicinal Plant Walks and Garden Tours are all on tap. Outdoor yoga classes meet Saturday and Sunday morning.Vendors Silvio's Organic Pizza and Pilar's Tamales will return and, along with the Holler Kitchen farm meals and Holla Carte side dishes and treats, you won't go hungry at Holler Fest! And the whole weekend is chock full of accomplished local musicians from many genres. With all this going on at the festival, you really should consider camping for the weekend and immersing yourself in the spirited  community feeling and beautiful natural surroundings. See you at Holler Fest!

Every year Tom finds a centerpiece log for the giant Holler Fest bonfire. Here's the start for 2014!

Last year's bonfire starting to burn down.

There go Tom and Sullivan finishing the Main Holler mowing!

REMEET THE INTERNS: ANGIE MARTIN!

Well, if you do go to Holler Fest, you'll probably encounter Angie in several ways - either by hearing her sing with the Billy King Band on the Main Stage or in the Cabin, or by having a meal at the Holler Kitchen, which will most certainly have been cooked by Angie!

After graduating from Knox College in Illinois, Angie worked on organic farms in Florida and Pennsylvania. But then,  after spending a summer in Chicago (where she grew up), she was ready to get out of the city and back on the land. She serendipitously chose Frog Holler to call, and although we usually don't add to our crew in August, it happened to be the week before Holler Fest and when Angie asked if we needed more help, we said Sure! And we're sure glad we did!

Angie and sister Chrissy in the Holler Kitchen

Angie joined the crew for the fall of 2009, and returned in 2010 and 2011. Not only was she an experienced hand in the fields, turns out that girl could sing! Angie started to singing with Frog Holler farmer Billy King's band and together they have played many gigs around the Ann Arbor area and state. Well, also turns out that girl can cook! Angie, with her sister Chrissy and other helpers, took over the kitchen crew duties for Holler Fest and served many memorable meals from the Holler Kitchen.

Angie moved to Dallas for 2012 and 2013. She was there to help her family, but she also had some jobs as the garden manager at The Garden Cafe and helping at a plant nursery and at her CSA - trying to keep her hands in the dirt even in Dallas! Angie explored some other areas of learning, such as Permaculture and taking a "tiny house" building workshop, but when it was time to leave Dallas, she thought about Frog Holler. Angie had visited us during her time away, and returned in 2012 and 2013 to cook for the week of Holler Fest, but this year she joined us in early July, and has been adding her energy and enthusiasm to the crew ever since!

Billy King, Angie, Scott Thacher, Kenny King at the Manchester Gazebo Concert.

Angie also easily slipped back into her vocalist role with the Billy King Band, performing at several venues already and gearing up for Holler Fest, with the band closing out Saturday night on the Main Stage, and closing out the festival on Sunday evening at the Main Stage. 

Angie singing in Manchester. July 2014.

Treehouse - view from the ground

With Angie's interest in "tiny houses", we offered her
 "the treehouse" to stay in at the farm and she jumped
 right in! If you come to Holler Fest you'll see it perched
 back near the Holler Kitchen - convenient!

Angie is considering taking a Permaculture intensive in the late fall, but for now she is just happy reconnecting with her friends and the farm life in Michigan. Many of you have probably already met or re-met Angie at the market - it's hard to miss her sunny smile and infectious laugh. She seems to carry that joie de vivre wherever she goes, but she has a special sparkle these days now that she is back at her Michigan farm home.

Angie and the moon - Main Stage, Holler Fest 2013.

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