July 28, 2012 - Share # 3

Three cheers for veggies!

 IN THE BOX: 

Onions - new!

Tomatoes - new! The harvest is just starting.

Beets - use greens or remove if planning to keep beets in the fridge for a while.

Carrots - keep better with the tops removed.

Kale - "Curly" variety; sturdy fringed leaves, bunched.

Zucchini/Summer Squash

Green Beans

Celery - bunched. Our Michigan-grown celery is loaded with flavor!

Arugula -  elongated leaves, peppery flavor.

Basil - bright green, pointed leaves. Aromatic!

Garlic

For best storage, everything rinsed and in a plastic bag in the fridge EXCEPT garlic, onions and tomatoes. These onions are freshly dug and not cured for long-term storage, but they will keep fine outside of the refrigerator for a little while. See last week's newsletter for basil storage suggestions.

 NOTES FROM THE FIELD: We returned to the Wednesday market this week so that meant more harvesting and veggie prep time. Other than that, a regular week of field maintenance, steamy temps, a sip of rain (but we'll take it!) and starting to fence the corn from raccoon marauders. (Members from last year will know why!).

CSA Members Stephen and Kathy Totaro rode up on their bicycles for their farm pickup last Saturday. A first for the group picking up shares at the farm.

Off they go with a backpack full of veggies!

 NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER FARM RECIPE BOX:

It's an all-zucchini channel this week folks! You'll be seeing this generously prolific vegetable quite regularly in your share boxes this summer. The zucchini and summer squash remain undaunted by our higher-than-average temps and lower-than average moisture. Good thing there are so many delicious ways to prepare this ubiquitous veggie!  For starters check out this helpful blog posting titled: "Beyond Zucchini Bread: 15 Fresh Ways to Enjoy the Green Monster Squash"!

You may not have to look much further for additional zucchini ideas, but if you choose not to go beyond zucchini bread, this nicely spiced recipe looks very appealing.

Although slightly labor-intensive, score style points with these Braised Zucchini Wheels with Sesame-Mint Pesto.

Zucchini and feta combine deliciously; try this Greek salad suggestion for flair and flavor! Or hop over to Greece's Mediterranean neighbor for this zucchini/pasta dish with a decidedly Italian emphasis. Ricotta and basil? Buon appetito!

For a non-zucchini recipe, we'll have to...

MEET THE INTERN: SHANNON ZANDEE!

Shannon with "kale poms"

Shannon turned nineteen two weeks after arriving at the farm and has good-naturedly borne the brunt of jokes about being the "baby" on the crew. Shannon started her young life :-) in California; from there her family moved to Petoskey and finally settled  in Grand Rapids where she calls home. But Ann Arbor will soon be Shannon's "home away from home" when she enters the U-M's Program in the Environment this fall.

Shannon's interest in organic food was first piqued in high school through a friend who had a farm and through her own personal studies. After taking a few agriculturally oriented courses last year at the University of Vermont, Shannon decided she could best learn about organic growing practices by actually spending time on a farm before her transfer to U-M.

A highlight for Shannon this summer is how much she has enjoyed eating a largely vegetable-based diet. And she definitely appreciates being able to go out and just pick those vegetables fresh off the vine. AND she really enjoys going barefoot when she heads out to the garden!

Shannon didn't expect her summer on the farm to include volleyball, but when a local team in need of a player got wind of her volleyball experience, they signed her right up!

Shannon serves up an ace

After working indoors all day at Coldstone Creamery during her summers in Grand Rapids, Shannon says she really enjoys the connection to nature and the outdoors that this summer has provided. When  working and practically living outside, she realizes that you have to pay attention to what the natural world is doing, and she enjoys that increased awareness. Shannon does admit that there have been a few days this summer when the ice cream shop definitely would have been preferable!

Shannon has developed an affinity for making vegetable stock this summer, and likes the way soup stock utilizes parts of the vegetables that might otherwise be discarded. There are as many recipes for stock as there are stocks, but Shannon recommends always using some onion, garlic and celery leaves - carrots are good too. From there you're only limited by your imagination and vegetable peelings!

During one of Shannon's cooking turns, she made quinoa using her vegetable stock for the liquid. The stock  added a rich depth of flavor to this mild-flavored grain. Serve it up with one of the zucchini dishes mentioned earlier in the newsletter and you've got a meal!

We appreciate Shannon's openness to new experiences and willingness to pitch in wherever needed. She has cultivated a down-to-earth and responsible attitude in just a few short years! :-)



Have a great week everyone!

Holler Fest: Aug. 24-26. If you're on Facebook, "like" the Frog Holler Farm page and drop in on the Holler Fest event page for updates and more info.



























you

July 21, 2012 - Share # 2

NOTES FROM THE FIELD:

Beans just sprouting

After the garlic, cont'd. The beans are up! You saw them being planted in last week's newsletter - in the patch where we recently harvested garlic (previous newsletter!). The beans germinated well and now we just have to keep them weeded and watered. Hopefully we'll be harvesting these beans in late August or early September. Stay tuned!

Bean rows on their way to September harvest

 This week we cleaned up from last Saturday's Farm Party - which was really fun and we're glad a few of you made it out to see the farm and share some food; we finished harvesting potatoes; we picked zucchini again..and again...and again; we picked beans for the first time; we started harvesting fall onions; we cleaned up some weedy patches; and we watered watered watered.

And then it rained!!

IN THE BOX: Every thing keeps best rinsed, drained, and in a plastic bag in the fridge, EXCEPT garlic - leave out of fridge. Potatoes can be kept outside of the fridge, especially if they are dry, but these potatoes are "new" and not yet cured for long term storage. There are many approaches to the best storage method for basil. Some folks put the bunch in one or two inches of water and store on their windowsill. Others put the bunch in water and then in the fridge. Others put the bunch in water, then in the fridge, but covered with a plastic bag. What do you do??

Beans - New!

Cukes - New!

Celery - New! Michigan celery is exceptionally flavorful! Add it to your stir-fry, cook up a soup stock, or fill the stalks with cream cheese or peanut butter and munch! The stalks are darker green than "store celery" and they are bunched. You can identify it by the rich celery aroma!

Shannon and Kirstin on the herb and flower terrace

Basil  - New! - bunched

Zucchini/summer squash/patty pan - still lovin' the warm weather!

Beets and greens - bunched

A walrus and bunny spotted in the carrot patch

Carrots - bunched

Kale - bunched. Frilled, sturdy leaves.

Pac Choi - Asian green, like Bok Choy. Light green, spoon-shaped leaves. Tender; use leaves and stems in stir-fry.


Garlic


NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

We cook zucchini and summer squash a lot at Frog Holler. They cook quickly and soak up the flavor of any herbs that accompany them. For the Farm Party, we used large zucchini slightly beyond their "size limit" that were reclaimed deliciously as Roasted Herbed Zucchini.

Colleen cleaning a table full of beets

We also served Beet Caviar at the Farm Party. This curiously addictive dish was brought to us from a friend who ate it regularly while serving in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan. Inscrutably delicious - try it! Word from Kazakhstan: spread it on saltines!

One of our lunch dishes this week was chilled Creamy Carrot-Ginger Soup. Very nice during this steamy weather!Note from cook Emily: cook this soup a little longer than the recipe says!

From our friends at Tantre Farm, we have learned of a delicious Potato Salad with Green Beans. A tasty way to use a few items in your share!

And from CSA member Ponda, we have another way to enjoy beets and purslane!
Ponda pronounces this dish "very yummy"! If we don't get purslane into the share this week, just look around in your flower bed or garden; you'll probably find some growing wild!

We have one more recipe using several items in your share box this week, but first we'll....

MEET THE INTERN: SAMUEL PLAMONDON

Samuel hails from Traverse City where he attends the Great Lakes Culinary Institute. In the school kitchens, Samuel noted that the relationship with food seems to start when food comes out of the box and onto the cutting board. So he signed on to the Frog Holler farm crew to gain more of a perspective on where food really comes from.

Samuel also hopes to have his own subsistence farm some day where he will grow and preserve the majority of his food; hopefully his summer on the farm will contribute to the knowledge needed to accomplish that dream.

A revelation for Samuel this summer is how, "across the board, the veggies are better than what you get in a grocery store!" He notes the freshness factor, of course, but also the quality and flavor that come from growing varieties that are not selected for shipping or shelf longevity.

In Samuel's own words, he is "freaking out about the tomatoes" and has never before experienced such a delicious complexity of flavor like the fresh nuggets that he has been eating off the vine (like an apple!).(Ed. note: we are starting to pick tomatoes but don't have enough for shares yet - soon!).

New foods for Samuel this summer are kohlrabi, fresh kale and collards, tat soi, varieties of summer squash such as patty pan and zephyr, different varieties of lettuce beyond the usual leaf and romaine, and roasted radishes and hakurei turnips - a favorite!

Samuel states that this summer has also brought him a new respect for farming and how small-scale intensive growing requires a combination of science, intelligence, observation, and really hard work!

 Samuel has certainly contributed his share to that hard work and has pitched in willingly for extra projects such as rebuilding our swimming raft and cooking up the chorizo burgers at the Farm Party. Samuel is also an accomplished musician - piano and guitar - and has apprenticed with a piano technician, gaining basic skills in that field. But the real claim to fame for this multi-talented fellow is that he can recite the entire first Toy Story movie verbatim!

We couldn't end without a recipe from this budding chef. It uses three items in your share box - beans, basil and garlic - and of course finishes with a wine pairing!

In addition to Samuel's culinary skills, we appreciate his inquiring mind and "let's do it!" attitude; we wish him well in his studies ahead!

Have a great week everyone!

July 14, 2012 - Share # 1

NOTES FROM THE FIELD:

presenting...

the Frog Holler Farm interns - 2012!

l. to r., back row: Colleen, Katie, Samuel. Front row: Kirstin, Shannon, Bretton, Susan. You'll hear more about this hard-workin' crew in the weeks to come!

and Emily! 2011 intern just back for another tour - arrived too late for the group photo.

 This week we: dug our first potatoes (crop looks good so far), skipped Wednesday market again (crops a little off from the drought), tied up a lot of tomatoes (look good so far - some are starting to turn), cleaned up for the party (hope you can make it!), and continued to plant for the fall crops, and the rains that WILL come!

After the Garlic...We're planting green beans in the patch where we harvested garlic last week. As legumes, the beans will "fix" nitrogen in the soil, replenishing some nutrients that the garlic used up.

 IN THE BOX: Everything keeps best in the refrigerator, except garlic. Potatoes can stay out, but since they are freshly dug, they will appreciate cool storage if you don't use them right away.

Carrots - carrots keep best with greens removed; plastic bag keeps them crisp. Bunched.

Beets and greens - rinse, drain and store in plastic bag. Bunched.

Zucchini/Summer Squash - plastic bag keeps them firm.


Pac Choi (Asian Greens)  - light green, smooth, spoon-shaped leaves. Crunchy stalk. All tender and good for stir-fry. Mild, "cabbagey" flavor. Rinse, drain, plastic bag. One head.

Kale - Curly (sturdy leaves, curly edges), Russian (fringed-edge leaves) or Tuscan (dark green, dimpled leaves). Rinse, drain, plastic bag. Bunched.

Potatoes - just dug!

Endive - this very frilly leafy green doesn't seem to mind the extreme hot weather. The lettuce definitely does, and will be in short supply until we get some rain and it cools down. Check out the Recipe Box section for ways to prepare endive. Or let us know what you do! Rinse, drain, plastic bag. One head.

Garlic - no need to refrigerate.

Herbs: Arugula - strong flavor in the heat! Chop fine for salads or see the Recipe Box for more ideas. Large dark green frilled leaves, peppery flavor. Bunched.  Rinse, drain, plastic bag.

Purslane - !? Pink/green stems and leaves. "Succulent" leaves are thick, but tender.We include purslane in the box at least once a year, for its educational value as well as its sprightly flavor and many uses. A popular permaculture element, purslane is a perennial wild plant (okay, sometimes called a weed!) that appears when the weather is warm; purslane does well in drought conditions. Needless to say, we have a lot of it this year. Recipe Box section has ideas for use. Bunched. Rinse, drain, plastic bag.

Perennial herb bunches: you choose from sorrel, rosemary, tarragon, sage or chives. Enjoy! Rosemary, tarragon and sage can be hung upside down to dry; sorrel and chives are best rinsed and refrigerated.

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Okay - for many of you, your first share! Here are some ideas for using all the vegetable bounty. Besides these suggestions, of course there is a universe of food blogs at your fingertips. The Frog Holler Recipe Box compiles some of our favorites from over the years.

Carrots: We roasted carrots this week, once it cooled down and we felt like using the oven! Simply wash and trim carrots; slice the long way in half or quarters; drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt, and your choice of herbs. Spread on cookie sheet and roast at 375 degrees until slightly browned and tender. You can check and stir after ten minutes, then stir occasionally until done.Great snacks!

 Beets: We tend to keep it simple at the farm - some form of grains, veggies and beans makes a filling and nourishing meal, especially when the veggies are fresh, organic, and abundant!. But sometimes it's fun to add a flourish to meal prep, and this Chickpea, Beet and Apple Panini looks festive and flavorful. A golden beet was probably suggested to eliminate the deep red beet color spreading to the rest of the ingredients. But the flavor won't be affected and it might be pretty!Just slice the beet on the thin side.

Zucchini/Summer Squash: Did y'all see the recipe suggestion in last week's newsletter? Anyone try it? Member Patty Swaney suggests foregoing the nifty little parchment packages unless you're making a special presentation. Simply chop your veggies, mix them with the suggested accompaniments (or your modifications - word has it a little beer can be added!), roast in a covered casserole, and dig in when done. Zucchini likes this weather; time to dust off your favorite zucchini recipes. Let us know if you have some winners!

Pac Choi - A tender green, so it fits nicely into a quick stirfry when you don't want to spend a lot of time cooking. Good with garlic!

Kale - sturdier leaves that take a little longer to cook. Kale Chips are a popular way to serve this nutritious green; your bunch will disappear fast!

Potatoes - you probably don't need any suggestions for this favorite vegetable, but if you're making potato salad, try adding some chopped purslane! It will add some crunch like celery as well as a little lemony zip. Or just roast your potatoes with one of your perennial herbs. Sorrel would be the least successful; everything else should be delicious!

Endive - This is a strong-flavored green, not as common in the States as in Europe. But this recipe for grilled endive takes some of the bite out of this robust leafy green.

 Arugula - also packs a punch in hot weather. We tamed it with Arugula Pesto this week. The blanching in the recipe is an extra step, but does take a little of the pepper out of the flavor. We also used walnuts instead of pine nuts - less expensive and the earthy walnut flavor seems to balance the zip in the arugula.

Purslane - although many folks call this wild plant a common weed, it is revered around the world and was known as "Gandhi's favorite vegetable," probably for its abundance AND high nutritional value. Wikipedia says that  "purslane contains more omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid in particular) than any other leafy vegetable plant." Read more about the history and benefits of purslane (or verdolaga) at the wikipedia  entry. The Greek method of preparation sounds the tastiest: fry the leaves and the stems with feta cheese, tomato, onion, garlic, oregano, and olive oil.That should work!

Garlic/perennial herbs - roast with potatoes! If you have chosen sorrel, try this Sorrel Pesto. No need to wait for basil to make a flavorful herb condiment!

See you at the party!

July 7, 2012 - Jumpstart Share #2

 Notes from the field: We took Wednesday off from the market to get the garlic harvested. We dig garlic by hand, taking care to loosen the soil without spearing the garlic! Here is one of the digging shifts and two crew members, Colleen and Katie, dealing with a pile of garlic.And finally, the bunched cloves curing in our truck shed. It was a pretty good crop!

In the box:

Beets - did you know beet greens have a much higher nutritional value than the beets themselves? Check out the Frog Holler Recipe Box for delicious ways to use the greens as well as the beets!

Zucchini/Summer Squash - likes this warm weather!

Lettuce - green leaf, red leaf or romaine. Doesn't like this warm weather!

Endive -  frisee variety. Looks like lettuce but very frilly (frisee!) leaves, robust flavor.

Swiss Chard - rainbow "bright lights" variety. Large flat, slightly "rumpled" leaves with various colored stems and veins. Bunched.

Tat Soi - asian greens. Dark green, round leaves. Use leaves and stem, all tender, slightly spicy.

Arugula - bigger leaves than last week. Elongated, slightly frilly leaves, nutty/peppery flavor. Bunched.

Sorrel - light green,  smooth edges, elongated leaves, lemon flavor. Bunched.

Garlic - fresh picked!

Notes from the Frog Holler Recipe Box:


Too hot to cook? You can make a dynamite salad using almost all the items in your box. Lettuce, curly endive, swiss chard, tat soi, arugula and sorrel are all ingredients in the famous Frog Holler Salad Mix. Chop the stronger flavored greens a little smaller ( endive, chard, arugula, tat soi) and mix for a colorful and flavorful salad. Use some of your fresh garlic to make a Roasted Garlic Dressing and stay cool!


You could also top off the salad with our famous Bluebular Blueberry Dressing, developed by last year intern, Tacy Sallen. Blueberries are abundant at the market right now; here's another way to enjoy this tasty and heart-healthy fruit!

Endive is not served as often in the U.S. as it is "on the continent". If you're new to Endive, try this Curly Endive Salad with Poached Egg to introduce yourself to this full-flavored salad green, with a minimum of cooking and maximum of flair!

Not sure how to use chard stems? Check out Kalyn's Kitchen, a very informative food blog with a delicious chard stem recipe and lots of helpful info about chard - why to grow and eat!

And finally, Frog Holler CSA member, Patty Swaney, directed us to The Boulevard Market Life food blog where she found this recipe for Zucchini Sticks, a delicious sounding twist on zucchini preparation. And as the zucchini and summer squash get ready to flood us with their generous abundance, we need all the variations we can find. Btw, the Boulevard Market is located in Tecumseh and well worth the visit for high-quality and interesting imported food items, their own freshly made cheeses AND their hand made chocolate!

So what's your favorite way to prepare zucchini...or any veggie for that matter? Let us know! We love to hear about and share how our members celebrate the veggies in their box!

Hope to see some (or all!) of you at the Farm Party on July 14! Check out our event posting on Facebook; follow the farm at the Frog Holler Farm Facebook community page for more info.

Have a great week!

June 30, 2012 - Jumpstart share

Hollywood comes to the Holler! Well, not really, but an indie film has been shot at Frog Holler for the last two weeks and the farm crew had a chance to be extras! Here they go for one of their big scenes. Get an autograph when you pick up your share! :-)

In the Box:

Kohlrabi - Light green bulb that, when peeled, reveals a crisp white flesh with a flavor sometimes described as a cross between cauliflower and an apple! Peel and slice for a crudites plate - nice for dipping into hummus or your favorite dipping sauce.

Broccoli -  We had to pick these heads early - broccoli definitely doesn't like this much heat - who does? So you might see some signs of stress but the heads are young and tender and go well in your favorite stir-fries or broccoli salads.

 Lettuce -Green leaf. lettuce doesn't like the heat either, but we just started picking a new patch so these heads are sweet and tender.

Asian Greens - Tat Soi (dark green spoon-shaped leaves). Delicious in stir-fry or chopped into salad for a little spice. Tender.

Russian Kale - large fringed leaves - heirloom variety. Nutritional powerhouse - use in stir-fry or "massaged kale" salads.

Arugula - small leaves, peppery flavor. For salads and sandwiches.

Spring cooking onions - These young onion bulbs will go well in stir-fries or salads.

Garlic scapes - long green bunched shoots. Chop into salads or stir-fry for a fresh garlic flavor. Use the tender part below the little bulblet. Click on the link for an interesting recipe from the Frog Holler Recipe Box.


Recipes abound in the Recipe Box. We will be adding more as the season progresses.

What's your favorite way to prepare the veggies in your share? We love to hear how our members are using their share box veggies; if you have any recipes or ideas to share, send them along!

Thanks for jumping in early - enjoy your share!

Save the dates: Farm party: July 14 and Holler Fest: Aug. 24-26

Share # 18, October 15, 2011 - Last share!

Thanks everyone - see you next summer!!


IN THE BOX:

Lettuce - Romaine or Green Leaf

Broccoli

Sweet Peppers

Eggplant - one Italian (dark purple, rounded) and one Oriental (elongated, light purple)

Arugula

Radishes

Scallions

Carrots

Garlic

Potatoes

Winter Squash

Sweet Potatoes

NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Did you know there are 126 recipes in the Frog Holler Recipe Box? One of the memorable dishes from this past season was in response to the frustration of sharing too much broccoli with a ravenous groundhog. What to do with all those slightly nibbled heads of broccoli? Make Broccoli and Scallion Quiche!Hopefully you will continue to use the Recipe Box as a resource in the months to come.

And of course there is also the whole wide internet, which has exploded with food blogs over the past few years. Some favorite resources include "gojee.com," that has a feature where you can list what you have , or what you don't like, or what you crave, and it will access recipes according to those guidelines. F'rinstance, typing in "broccoli" in the "I have" slot brought up many mouth watering recipes. Try this simple Marinated Broccoli for starters, and just keep clicking links until you have had your fill!

Vegetarian Times is a magazine and web site loaded with delicious suggestions for cooking vegetables. A search for "broccoli" on the web site led to this intriguing option: Tahini-Roasted Broccoli over Raisin-Studded Bulghur.

The Whole Foods web site has myriad vegetable recipes as well. The "broccoli" search resulted in Broccoli Salad with Walnuts and Currants, a simply prepared dish, jazzed up with a dynamite dressing.

As for the rest of the box - easy! Make a celebratory last CSA salad with the lettuce, arugula, grated carrots, sliced radishes, chopped scallions and peppers. It will be beautiful! Then fire up your oven and get roasting! Slice eggplant, toss with olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees. Turn the slices after the first ten minutes and check for doneness after 15 or so minutes. Potatoes and sweet potatoes take well to roasting - winter squash, of course, bakes up beautifully. But you could save those last three veggie options for later on in the month or season. They keep well, and will hopefully offer a reminder of good eating times with your Frog Holler CSA share!

NOTES FROM (THE COMMUNITY FARM OF ANN ARBOR) FIELD:

The Ann Arbor area abounds with new and experienced organic growers and we are happy to be friends with many of them. On Monday of this week we joined forces with the crew at the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, the area's oldest CSA. This is the farm who sent a crew out the day before Holler Fest to help in our fields. We were happy to return the favor on a beautiful day at a peaceful farm with a dedicated and fun-loving group of growers.



Kirstin, Chrissy, Angie and Cathy get instructions from Anne Elder, Co-Team Leader, along with Paul Bantle, at the Community Farm.


Starting to plant the garlic cloves. Each Frog Holler crew member teamed up with a Community Farm worker. It was fun and interesting to see how another farm went about this task. There were some differences but many similarities; you basically have to get the garlic in the ground.



After a delicious picnic lunch, we headed back to the planted garlic fields to cover the rows with a thick straw mulch. This will keep down weeds and hold in moisture throughout the growing season next year.

Almost done!


Hooray! Finishing up a fun and productive day!






Have a great winter everyone! We will contact you after the first of the year to see if you want to join the Frog Holler CSA for 2012. Thanks for your support!

best wishes from....

Cathy, Billy, Kenny and Edwin - the King family

Angie, Kirstin, Chrissy, Evan, Tacy, Emily and Bretton - the Frog Holler Farm crew

Share # 17, October 8, 2011

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: We have enjoyed the gift of these Indian Summer days to work outside in shirt sleeves again. The warm days and cool nights have combined to give us ......
FOG HOLLER! :-)

CSA Evaluation Form at the end of the newsletter!

This is the last share for some of our bi-weekly members. Next week is the last distribution. See further on in the newsletter for "Life after the CSA".


IN THE BOX:

Lettuce

Spinach

Kale (Russian)

Carrots

Winter Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Brussels Sprouts

Onions

Garlic

Potatoes

Parsley

Green Beans! (new patch - very tender!)



NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Everywhere you look there seems to be a squash recipe these days. Here's a delicious Squash-Curry Bisque recipe from the A2Yoga fall newsletter!

The People's Food Coop "Coop Deal" flyer continues the theme of sweet and spicy squash with this recipe for Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash. It could be made with any squash or probably even sweet potatoes.

The Vegetarian Times newsletter was full of pumpkin recipes this month. Again, these could be made with winter squash or sweet potatoes. Try yet another version of the sweet and spicy with this Moroccan Pumpkin Stew.

Or you can go all out sweet and try this delicious Maple-Pumpkin Spice Bread. Yum!

The recipe section of the Whole Foods web site is loaded with tantalizing recipes. Brussels Sprouts can either go savory with nuts and bacon or slightly sweet with apples and shallots.

Looking for a different and delicious contribution to a tailgate party? Try these Cajun Pickled Green Beans and Carrots. You'll have to assemble the spices, but all the veggies can come right out of this week's share box.

LIFE AFTER THE FROG HOLLER FARM CSA

Well, now that you are addicted to fresh, local vegetables, what happens after next week? Fortunately, Ann Arbor is probably unique in the midwest for the number of full-season options available to folks who want to keep their nourishment largely local and their carbon footprint largely light.

First off, the Ann Arbor Farmers Market will be chock full of fall veggies well into November. Your Frog Holler farmers will continue to offer hardy greens, lettuces and salad mix, as well as squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes and onions - and anything else that continues to grow until the frost nips it. Supplies will dwindle but it will be well worth a stop for many weeks to come.

Other growers on the market commit to the winter months. Goetz Farms has been known known to offer kale and hardy greens right through the winter. Brines Farm has been a leader in offering a winter CSA loaded with fresh greens from their hoophouse(s). There are a few spots left; if interested, contact Shannon Brines asap! Tantre Farm is a good friend of Frog Holler and a major player on the local organic growing scene. Look for them at the Farmer's Market throughout the Fall. They also offer a one-time large Thanksgiving share that may be available to non-CSA members. You'll have to check with them, but if you want a large supply of storage vegetables, it's worth it!

Rena Basch at Locavorious started a frozen food CSA to help folks eat locally, even if not freshly, throughout the winter. Here is Rena's description:
FROZEN LOCAL FRUITS AND VEGGIES SHARES FROM “LOCAVORIOUS” WINTER-TIME CSA AVAILABLE: Some of you may have limited freezer space or haven’t had time to preserve as much of the local harvest as you would like for winter. Locavorious provides locally grown, delicious, frozen fruits and vegetables in the winter months, and there are still shares available for winter '11-12. Locavorious members receive 4 monthly pick-ups of local frozen fruits and veggies from several Michigan farms – most within 50 miles of Ann Arbor. Shares are $200. Contact Rena for more information at rena@locavorious.com or 734-276-5945 or visit www.locavorious.com to sign up.

Rena works hard to obtain organic produce for freezing when possible; her quality standards are very high, to be sure!

Mary Wessel-Walker, another friend of Frog Holler, has created a prepared food CSA called Harvest Kitchen. Mary also works hard to source high quality, organic when possible, ingredients for her prepared meals. She also has a stall at the Farmer's Market so you can talk to her there and perhaps sample some of her culinary creations.

These are just a few ideas to help get you through the winter months. And perhaps you have had a chance to freeze some of your extras from this summer. But if not, happily there are many options and choices in this area to keep our diet local and nourishing.

FROG HOLLER FARM CSA EVALUATION FORM

Here is the link to the evaluation form; we appreciate your taking time to let us know how the CSA worked for you this year. As you are considering your CSA experience, you may find this article linked from the Slow Food organization of interest. It provides a general overview about the benefits of joining a CSA; perhaps your experience resonated with the viewpoint of the writer or perhaps you have a different perspective.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has often been described as providing benefit to the members by furnishing a variety of fresh, locally grown produce; benefit to the community by keeping revenues circulating locally; and benefit to the global community by reducing carbon emissions and dependence on long-distance shipping. We do know that as your CSA farmers, we have benefited from your support and willingness to share in the growing adventure with us. We do hope that your experience has been positive, and we're very interested to hear how we can do better!

Have a great week everyone!