July 4, 2015 - Share # 2

Frog Holler Farm interns - class of 2015! Mikki, Nhin, Joe, Angie and Tacy - more about them in future newsletters!

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

Carrot love!

RAINBOW CHARD

CURLY KALE

LETTUCE - FRENCH ROMAINE/MIXED VARIETIES

SCALLIONS

GARLIC SCAPES

BROCCOLI

CARROTS

ARUGULA

STRAWBERRIES 


Storage tips: Everything has been dipped, but if any veggies seem dry, give them a quick rinse, drain and store in plastic in the fridge. Except the berries - eat 'em up! This is it, folks, for strawberries, so enjoy each flavorful little gem. Strawberry season: so short and so sweet!

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

In honor of our first carrot harvest of the 2015 season, we offer this curious idea: stewed carrots are the new pulled pork! There's really no reason to do that to fresh young carrots - just clean them up and munch away!But it's an interesting idea for a tasty vegetarian dish and might be fun to try a little later in the season. Or use those embarrassed store-bought carrots that are huddling in the corner of your crisper now that these bright young dandies have come to town!


This time of year, the greens are lush and luscious; we eat them at just about every farm lunch - braised, stir-fried, massaged, in a wrap, or used as the wrap! 


For garlic scapes info and ideas, revisit last week's newsletter.

NOTES FROM THE FARM:

We were inspected this past week for our Organic Certification...and passed!

We have been Certified Organic since 2008, although we have been growing organically since 1972. We really didn't change our growing practices when the new law was passed that required certification in order to use the term "organic".   But the paperwork required has "forced" us to keep more records on paper instead of in our heads, and that is generally helpful.

Inspection consists of a walk-around to every field and then a rather lengthy assessment of farm records.The inspectors come once a year, and they have often been helpful - not looking for someone to "bust" but for ways to help growers learn and improve. This year's inspector was no exception - but we're still glad it's over!



This week we visited a neighboring farm (five miles away - close!) for a Farmers Social gathering. In the past ten years or so, the Ann Arbor area has experienced a renaissance of new growers. Some of the group are trying to meet regularly, taking time from busy schedules to kick back and get social with other growers. It's also very interesting to see other farming operations and a farm tour is always a highlight. We enjoyed our time at Hand Sown Farm and look forward to hosting members of this merry group in the future!

Farmers being social!

Farmers being silly!

And, to really convince you that farmers have fun, here's a recipe for Whiskey Ice Cream that we learned from two of the growers, Kari and Miguel. Of course Kari and Miguel use cream from their own cows and maple sugar from the trees they tap. Well, we think they don't use whiskey from their own still! You without a cow in the backyard can substitute local Calder cream and a maple syrup/cane sugar combo to sub for the maple sugar. We stirred in a few strawberries as well. Enjoy!



Whiskey Ice Cream


1 slightly overfull qt. cream
8 egg yolks
5 T. whiskey
1 c. maple sugar
1 pinch salt

Whisk first two ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients and place in ice cream maker. Get cranking! (or press the button)

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