July 3, 2016 - Share #2

 Holler Fest is less than two months away - we hope you will join us!
Card designed and colored by Frog Holler intern Daniela Risquez

Intern Stevie Snyder-Barker with one of our super-sized lettuce heads! 

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

LETTUCES

KALE - TUSCAN, AKA DINOSAUR                         KALE

RAINBOW CHARD

KOHLRABI

BEETS

SCALLIONS

ARUGULA

PARSLEY OR BASIL - YOUR CHOICE

GARLIC - FRESHLY DUG, NEW CROP!



NOTES FROM THE BOX:

We are starting to harvest a new lettuce patch so the heads won't all be "out of the box" as in last week's share! Tuscan Kale is also called Dinosaur Kale because the crinkled dark green leaves are said to look like a dinosaur's skin. We promise you they won't be as tough as a dinosaur's skin! The arugula is from a new patch that we are sharing with the flea beetles, hence the little holes. The flavor and tenderness are not affected! Flea beetles are just like their name sounds - small black little flea-sized bugs with a prodigious jump! Kohlrabi is a versatile spring root crop, with a flavor sometimes described as a cross between cauliflower and apple - good roasted or eaten raw. These are the first garlic heads from the 2016 crop, which looks pretty good. They haven't been cured so eat them up or refrigerate.

NOTES FROM THE RECIPE BOX:

Rainbow Chard Stems - pickling!

This week we enjoyed a big pot of Grains n' Greens, which can use the beet greens in your share. Nutritionists always point to the higher vitamin and mineral content in the greens relative to the beets, so this tasty and satisfying dish will give you a nutritional as well as flavor boost. Beets keep longer than their greens so it's good to have some beet green recipes on hand!


Just like it feels good to use the greens as well as the beets, it feels really good to use the stems as well as the chard! Emily made these pickled chard stems this week and we have been enjoying them with many and any meals! They are quick and tasty, and the Rainbow Chard stems are especially pretty. If you Google "Chard Stems" you will find a surprising array of suggestions. Of course you can slice the stems finely and add to any stir-fry, but why not Chard Stem Hummus or Chard Stem Gratin or Roasted Swiss Chard Stems - lots of possibilities!


NOTES FROM AROUND THE FARM:

A stream of water from the well going into the irrigation pond.

Although determined not to complain, your editor must acknowledge, as you all well know, how much we need rain! Actually the USDA drought status weekly report says that parts of southeastern Michigan are "abnormally dry" and very close to drought status. If you look at the map on the link, you will see Jackson County, where Frog Holler Farm is located, smack dab in the middle of the "close to drought" area. Our irrigation pond is getting very low, especially for so early in the summer. Right now we are "watering" the irrigation pond from our well. We keep the stream going overnight, hopefully replenishing the pond so we can keep irrigating the garden. We also use the well for irrigation, but the pond serves more areas of the garden - when it has water!





And the groundhogs are thirsty too! We have seen an uptick in groundhog incursions and our four live traps are constantly busy. Since Frog Holler farmer Billy King is also a musician, sometimes his day and night jobs overlap. Here is one of the many groundhogs we have caught this year being resettled - traveling in the van still full of music gear from the night before. That's a trip the groundhog can tell his children about!

Well, some good news is that we passed our organic certification inspection this week with flying colors - no issues!


And finally, this past Monday evening we joined fellow farmers and good friends, Paul Bantle and Anne Elder, at Community Farm of Ann Arbor. Paul and Anne have been at the helm of one of the country's oldest CSA farms for 17 years. Before that Paul lived and worked at Frog Holler and before that Paul and Anne both worked at Wildflour Community Bakery. They have served the Ann Arbor community well and will be leaving next year for California and a meditation retreat where Paul teaches. But for now, we joined them for a potluck and game night, taking time from worries about groundhogs and drought to enjoy fellowship and silliness in a sweet and peaceful setting.

Community Farm of Ann Arbor farmers Paul Bantle (standing) and Anne Elder (sitting in foreground and about to snuff your editor in a game of Labyrinth!)

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

June 25, 2016 - Share #1

A vegetative work of art!

WHAT'S IN  THE BOX:

Lettuces

Kale

Kohlrabi

Radishes

Beets

Broccoli

Garlic Scapes

Scallions

Parsley

NOTES FROM THE BOX:


Kohlrabi is a light greenish root vegetable that sort of looks like a miniature UFO!? Garlic Scapes are the thin, slightly twirly bunch of veggies that stand in nicely until we harvest our garlic crop. Garlic Scapes are milder than clove garlic, so use liberally! Everything else should be familiar, and delicious!

RECIPE IDEAS:

At the farm this week, we used peeled raw kohlrabi slices as dippers for hummus - fresh and tasty! If you're in the mood for something warm, try this Roasted Kohlrabi variation.

We had a box of "seconds" radishes that had splits in them so we incorporated radishes into many meals. Roasted radishes made their richly mellow radish appearance several times. Poached Radishes were an elegant side dish in one meal; we didn't have the recommended French Breakfast radishes but it worked just fine. And at the same meal we had Radish Sandwiches, with slices of Old World Rye Bread from our farmer's market neighbors, Mill Pond Bakery. The dark earthy bread, rich creamy butter ( we use Calder Farms), and crisp brightly-flavored radish slices make a delicious collaboration! Get the best quality ingredients you can find, and enjoy!

NOTES FROM THE FARM:

A little tour around the early summer farm:

We just planted our late tomatoes in the "hoophouse". Don't look like much, do they?

Here are the early tomatoes, looking pretty good so far!

and here is where the early tomatoes spent most of their spring - under row cover wraps! Now the peppers and eggplant are ready to emerge - and be weeded!

This is a depressing photo of what our entire row of cilantro looks like - chewed up by groundhogs! :-(

Our neighbor Tom Hines, who regularly appears in these newsletters, has spent the week hauling "brown gold" for us - aged manure from a local horse farm.

What's a newsletter without a chicken photo? Here are some of our happy birds eating their salad!

NOTES FROM OFF THE FARM: 

Frog Holler farmer Billy King and Frog Holler intern Daniela Risquez will perform Saturday, June 25, at Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tearoom. Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, organic farmer Billy King shares an evening of his original music and tasteful covers. "Dani", our newest intern who sang professionally in Venezuela before coming to the States, will back up Billy as well as share her own unique vocal styling. A great night of organic music! 8:30 in the Tearoom.

Billy and Dani at The Ark's Open Stage

Have a great week everyone!

One last look at 2015

Greetings in the New Year! Looking back over last year, here are a few interesting items that didn't make it into the newsletter.

 In March, Frog Holler farmer Kenny King attended a live showing of the popular NPR radio show, "This American Life", thanks to friend Leah Hagamen winning tickets through the Ark. The event was in Lansing, and the winning ticket holders were treated to some food and a meet-and-greet with none other than Ira Glass, producer, host and co-creator of "This American Life".

Mr. Glass went around the room, congenially engaging in short conversations with all the attendees. When he arrived at Leah and Kenny and introductions were made, the term "CSA" came up. Response from Mr. Glass, "What's a CSA?"

Uh oh, the host of "This American Life", who has his finger on the pulse of America, has not heard of a CSA?? Looks like we have more work to do. Well he seemed happy to learn something about it and if Mr. Glass comes back to this area, we will be sure to send him a box!

Leah, Ira Glass and Kenny

In the early spring we received a request from Carhartt to have a photo shoot at the farm. The ad director of the project knew one of the King family and was looking for a good setting to feature the four sisters who have started the very cool and popular raw juice business, Drought, in Detroit. Well, actually to feature the four sisters wearing Carhartt!

We said sure and on a warm and sunny day, the ad campaign came out to the farm to feature spring rain gear! With no rain in sight, the magic of advertising took care of the required rain drops and it was a successful shoot. Look for the ads this spring!

Truth in advertising dep't.: There was no rain and we don't supply Drought with any of our greens, and the sisters probably do not harvest their own greens! But they seem like good people, very dedicated to a conscious product and supporting local growers along the way. And Carhartt compensated us for the use of our setting and threw some swag our way as well. Born in Detroit in 1889, Carhartt just established their flagship store last year back in Detroit and seem to be investing in their roots.

The tag line at the end of the feature says: And don’t forget, good food comes from good places and good people. We'll drink (raw juice of course) to that!

The Drought sisters harvesting in our kale patch.

And in the chard patch. (Actual Frog Holler Farm workers can be seen in the background!)

Lots of kale on a sunny day!

Oops where did that rain come from?

Keeping dry on a sunny rainy day! :-)

Shortly before Holler Fest last summer, our neighbor, Matt Merfert, from down the road, contacted us and offered to "solarize" our farm golf cart. Matt works at installing large solar arrays around the world, but he was back home for a short time and had an errant solar panel that he thought would fit perfectly atop the flat roof of our little g-cart. Matt took a few hours one evening to make the necessary adjustments, then flew off to Dubai. We tooted off in the golf cart and have never had to charge it since last August! Thank you Matt! Thank you Sun!!

You may have seen the cart in service at Holler Fest. The sign gives credit to the sun and Matt!

A  little better view of the panel

Our golf cart is a hard-workin' farm vehicle! Here it is loaded with Holler Fest items to stow until next year - Emily at the wheel.

And although we had a lot of our own Holler Fest stuff to put away, our festival guests were very respectful of the land. Here is all of the trash that was left from all of the campsites. But that's not surprising with the Holler Fest community!

Chicken update! Okay, if you have been a regular reader of this newsletter, you may have learned more than you care to know about the Frog Holler chickens! Well, the baby chicks that were hatched in July have grown into nine beautiful hens - oops, six beautiful hens and three handsome roosters! They have joined the flock of their big sisters and all seem to be doing fine. And they just started laying their first eggs!

Birds of different feathers...

This beauty was the last to hatch.

Hello!

And finally, our barn had a baby! This "tiny house" was designed by farmer Edwin's girlfriend, Emily, and built by Tom Huber, good friend of Frog Holler and head carpenter at the Washtenaw Food Hub. The tiny house was built at the Food Hub and it rolled out to the farm in November. Emily's job includes lots of travel but she'll have a cozy nest to stay in when at the farm!

196 sq. feet!

And it looks like the tiny house had a baby! That's the pump house just completed in the fall to insulate the new well.

Okay, that just about wraps up 2015. There were ups and downs but overall it was a good year and we couldn't have made it through the farm and festival season without lots of help and support - thank you!

And as we look ahead to election year 2016, we can't know what the year will bring in terms of weather, crops, or candidates. But we can know that we'll do our best to meet unexpected challenges; we'll find good folks to share the ride with; and we'll take the adventure as it comes!

Happy New Year!

October 10, 2015 - Last Share!

Scariac Celeriac!

WHAT'S IN THE BOX: (Not Celeriac!)


POTATOES

GARLIC

RADISHES

KALE

CARROTS

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

SWEET POTATOES

SWEET PEPPERS

HOT PEPPERS

PASTE TOMATOES

Boo!

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR SHARE: Enjoy it! NPR's Lynn Rosetta Kaspar, on a recent Splendid Table episode titled "Tasting the Dirt", spoke with celebrity chef Mario Batali, who has just published his latest book, America Farm to Table, and tells us, "To make more delicious food at home, celebrate a local farmer."(!) This author of numerous award-winning cookbooks, goes on to say that although people ask him for specific recipes, or techniques, or kitchen equipment in order to create outstanding food at home, Chef Mario replies, "The most delicious things we make are often grown in and around our world. The idea of supporting a local farmer and getting the most tasty, local-specific ingredients in their season - which is almost intuitive to all of us - is where this book wants you to go."
  
And, as CSA members, you know that! And, as your local organic growers, we have tried to provide you with our best shot at a variety of thoughtfully chosen seasonal fare in each share. The flavor is all there in the freshness and "geo-specifity" of the veggies - just use your intuition to combine flavors, textures and colors to create your own personal expression of the season!

Of course Chef Mario does include recipes in his book and if you have a hankerin' to make a Potato and Salami Cheesecake with the potatoes in your share - have at it!

Chef Mario also suggests to not only look for the fruit and produce that is in season, but "...also find someone whose story you love... To taste the specific varietals that (a) family has treasured and held close to their heart, it's tasting the soul of American geology. It's tasting the dirt itself."

The front garden

So what's the story with the dirt of Frog Holler Farm? Nestled in the gently rolling Irish Hills, the first thing you might notice about the land is its beauty. Heavily wooded, with a two-acre pond at its center and very little flat ground, Frog Holler is more of a nature preserve than an agricultural machine.  

To be honest, when a group of idealistic young people purchased the abandoned property in 1972, they asked a county agent for the best agricultural use of the land.  They were told the best use of the land was for recreation! And thus they proceeded to farm.


Or at least to garden. Due to the topography, Frog Holler gardens are comprised more of "patches" than farm-sized fields. The glacial rubble deposited by the glaciers that formed this hilly part of Southeast Michigan has placed an infinite number of rocks in most of these patches - hard on machinery and knees!

Billy King drives by "Down Low" with "The Slope" behind.

The names for these various patches are journeyman titles, also reflecting the topography of the land: The Rocky Terrace, The Slope, The Top of the Hill, Down Low.  It's gardening on a slant, and always with the challenge to draw back up the nutrients and water that gravity pulls down the hill.





But despite these obstacles to an easy pass in farming, the beauty of the land prevails. We farm to appreciate the land; we farm to protect the land and critters thereon ( and sometimes to feed them!); we farm to learn from the land; we farm to share it.

The two-track to the back garden and Holler Fest site

The farm pond

Farm pooch Cinder heading to the pond

And who is "we"?

Ken King

Ken King first came to Frog Holler in 1972, struck by the beauty of the land and compelled by the desire to grow organic vegetables for the natural foods restaurant he and that aforementioned group of young idealists had started in Ann Arbor. Things sorted themselves out and soon it was Ken and Cathy King on the land and learning how to farm. Three strapping young sons came along and Frog Holler, as a family farm, was on its way.

Ken's untimely passing in 2009 left a big hole in the organic community. You can see the tribute that the People's Food Coop has established in Ken's memory on the wall at the Coop. Each year a "Ken King Life as Art" award is given to a local individual, group or couple who have shown fearless determination to live their ideals and contribute in a creative and positive way. We are fortunate that the Ann Arbor community has so many deserving recipients.

After Ken's passing, Cathy King and sons continued to farm and cultivate the seeds Ken had planted. Infrastructure has been added; some new ground has been plowed, but the ideals remain the same: organic, local, human-scale and people-to-people.



Oldest son, Billy King, handles much of the maintenance and tractor work at the farm so is rarely seen at market. He is often seen at musical venues around town, especially in the winter months. A lifelong musician, Billy contributes his musical talents to several bands in the area as well as performing his original material. (Next solo show: Crazy Wisdom, November 9!)

Billy on the tractor

Billy on the mando (at Crazy Wisdom)

Kenny King

Without middle son Kenny's graphic design skills, there would be no Frog Holler web site, no on line forms to access, no Holler Fest program, and maybe even no CSA newsletter. The tech-challenged newsletter editor would probably have to send you all a postcard in the mail! Kenny is a graduate of the College for Creative Studies and also lends his design skills to area non-profits. Kenny plays bass with his brother and the Huber family of musicians ( and CSA members!) in a new band, Eyes Unclouded. Catch them at the Brewery Becker in Brighton, October 15.

One of Kenny's designs

Kenny with bass

Edwin King

Youngest son Edwin is a familiar face at market. He rarely misses a Saturday and his attention to detail and quiet competence keep the table stocked and orderly, the produce accessible and appealing. Edwin manages much of the harvest at the farm; his long history of playing chess helps keep myriad details organized in his mind. During off hours Edwin can be seeing doing damage at area volleyball nets and spending time with his girlfriend Emily, who
helps at the market whenever in town and is also a familiar face to many of you.

Emily with baby chicks

Edwin stocking the market table

Cathy King, l-o-o-ng time resident of Frog Holler, handles the farm correspondence, keeps the books and writes this newsletter. Thanks for reading this far! She also fusses with the chickens and is the designated (by Cinder) chief dog walker. For the past twenty years, Cathy has taught yoga in and/or around Ann Arbor during the winter months.

Time for a walk?

So that's some of the story that goes along with the Frog Holler dirt. And this story is also peopled by the customers and members who have supported us over decades (!) and the energetic crews of interns who have planted and weeded and harvested to bring the produce to market. There would be no story without them and without all of you.

So thank you for being a chapter in this story! Enjoy the rest of fall, have a wonderful winter, and we'll contact you after the first of the year with information on next year's CSA.

Frog Holler Farm