2019 Week 2 CSA Newsletter
July 1-5, 2019 | “B” Week
Week 2 Box: Lettuce, carrots, fresh garlic, zucchini, dill, potted herb, garlic scapes, and cilantro
IN YOUR VEGGIE BOX THIS WEEK:
ORANGE CRACK CARROTS ~ Why do we call them crack carrots? This name was coined by one of our CSA members years ago, because people get addicted to them really fast. Be sure to take the TOPS OFF your carrots within the first day. You can then store the roots in a green bag in your fridge. Keep the tops separate in another bag in your fridge. I like to wait until I’ve collected a lot of them and either
- dry them in an oven for a parsley type herb substitute or
- I make GREEN CUBES out of them. Skip down below to learn how to make and use these for later.
HEAD LETTUCE (2 heads per standard share) ~ I wouldn’t wash this until you’re ready to use it. In the meantime, put your head lettuce in a Debbie Meyer Green bag right away and leave it in the fridge. Use within a week. Lettuce falls into the category of “danger zone veggies” — ie they are in danger of rotting more quickly than other items. So use your lettuce early on in the week for maximum efficiency.
SUMMER SQUASH (2 per standard share) – Summer squash refers to zucchini (yellow or green) or yellow crookneck squash or patty pan (looks like a flying saucer). You could any variety of these in your box. Store squash unwashed in a plastic bag in your fridge crisper for about a week. When you’re ready to eat, wash and cut the tips off. Slice into coins or you can slice them long-ways, remove the seeds with a spoon, and stuff them. These squashes come from Mile Creek Farm, another certified organic farm in our co-op.
POTTED HERB (PICK YOUR OWN) ~ For the second and last time this season, you’ll be given a chance to “pick your own” potted herb on the extras table. You can either re-pot these herbs into a large pot when you get home OR plant them in your garden. Don’t just leave them in the pot they came in forever — or they’ll never grow very big. Place them in the sun. Water them once a week or as needed. Prune them every few weeks and be sure to pluck off the flowers as they form. These herbs come from Mulberry Creek Farms — and they are certified organic.
GARLIC SCAPES (1 bunch) ~ Remember how we told you that we lost all of our garlic crop to the winter freeze? Well, we had a small stand of garlic that survived. This week, you’re getting EITHER a batch of garlic scapes OR a bunch of “green garlic” (see below). Due to our low yields, we don’t have enough for you to get both. So we gave you what we could.
The scape looks like a curlicue stalk, and if left uncut, it will eventually straighten and turn into a flower. We cut the scapes now so that the plant can send more energy to garlic BULB production (not flower production). You can eat the whole scape. Chop it up and use in place of garlic. Some CSA members like to grill them. Or you can freeze them (chop them first) and pull them out as you need garlic.
FRESH GARLIC ~ This week, you will get EITHER a bunch of garlic scapes (see above) or 1 fresh garlic head. Due to our low garlic crop yield, we don’t have enough to give you both, so we are giving you what we can. Fresh garlic needs to be refrigerated and used quickly (within a week) because it is not cured. Put it in a plastic baggie.
DILL (fresh herb) ~ This herb will be located on the extras table, which means it’s NOT pre-packed in your box. You get to pack it yourself. Dill should be stored in a jar of water in your fridge or in a baggie in the fridge. Use it within a week. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays in a bit of water.
CILANTRO (fresh herb) ~ This herb will be located on the extras table, which means it’s NOT pre-packed in your box. You will have to add it yourself. Cilantro is one of those herbs that you either LOVE or HATE. It’s used in a lot of Mexican, Indian, and Asian cooking and salsas. It looks a lot like parsley, but it has a distinctive soapy taste. To store: place the stems into a glass of water and cover with a baggie. Then store in the fridge and use within a week.
FRUIT SHARE
SWEET CHERRIES ~ (Fruit share) The first few weeks of the CSA season will showcase this early summer fruit. This week, as the cherry crop becomes more abundant, you’ll receive 4 lbs. of cherries. Be sure to pit these before eating. If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed by cherries, you can pit them and freeze them on a cookie sheet to enjoy later. Don’t let them go to waste! They are one of the most expensive parts of the fruit share! These cherries come from Quarry Hill Orchard in Berlin Heights, courtesy of Farmer Ben.
NOTE! THERE WILL BE NO PICK UP ON JULY 4TH.
Perrysburg and Port Clinton pick up on FRIDAY, July 5th instead.
Perrysburg and Port Clinton customers who normally pick up on Thursdays will pick up on Friday, July 5th this week.
PBURG: July 5, 5-6:30 PM at Grace UMC parking lot
PORT CLINTON: July 5, 6-6:30 PM at the Sutton Center parking lot in Port Clinton
*If you would rather come out to the farm to pick up your box on Wednesday night or Thursday July 4th, that can be arranged. Simply email us at slfarms2@gmail.com.
WEEK 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Don’t forget to bring back your plastic veggie tote on week 2. We’ll sub it out with a fresh one. Please return any egg cartons. If you bought some strawberries or cherries in one of those wooden baskets, we’d love to have those back.
- Watch our weekly Live Unboxing video this Tuesday around 8 PM inside the private Facebook group. Cadie Jardin, our CSA coach and dietitian, will show you what’s in the box, share storage tips and ideas for how to use your product. You can find the Facebook group at this link.Only CSA members or paying members of the Academy can access this group.
- Perrysburg and Port Clinton customers will pick up their box on FRIDAY next week instead due to the Fourth of July holiday.
- Bring some cash to the pick up. We’ll be selling our insulated bags for $6 each AND we’ll have maple syrup ($10/pint), possibly some cherries and honey too. Tshirts are coming too!
FARMER KURT’S FIELD NOTES ~ SAVING THE WELL
Well howdy everyone! This week, I wanted to spend my field notes section talking about a pretty big project that I’ve been working on for the last 3 months at our farm.
Helping my parents replace their well.
Yup, I know. I see the irony too.
For 5 long weeks, all we talked about was stopping the rain. Now I’m talking about bringing water TO my fields. But as a farmer, I know that it just takes a few hot, dry days, and our crops will be crying out for water.
We’ll need a working well.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the beginning.
Our farm currently sources its water from our parents’ well, located right next door. This well was dug and installed back in 1988. It’s roughly 300 feet deep. And it’s never run dry. It’s powered by a diesel motor. We use it to run water to our irrigation wheel that powers a giant sprinkler head to water our sweet corn. But it also feeds water to all our drip-irrigation lines in a convoluted water-way system made up of aluminum pipes and fireman-hose.
The field crops are watered using this irrigation wheel. It slowly pulls in the sprinkler head and respools the hose.
Normal maintenance on a well is about 10 years. We haven’t done anything in 31 years. So it’s time for a tune-up.
We first started noticing issues the last two seasons. We were having to operate the motor at a higher RPM to get the right pressure. This was a sign that something wasn’t right. The sprinkler kick gun would stick if I didn’t keep my eye on it because there wasn’t enough pressure to run it properly. It was so bad, I used to have to sit out in my truck all night (and set my alarm to check every few hours).
That’s when we decided to start looking into a replacement well pump.
Over the winter, my dad and I did a lot of research. Well pumps don’t come cheap, which is why I’ve been putting it off. And there aren’t too many companies out there that install them. The price tag came in around $30,000 — and that’s just for the well itself.
I talked it over with Corinna, and even though we weren’t in a financial place to be able to pay cash for it, we decided it needed to be done. At some point this season, we’ll be needing water.
Bad.
Knowing this, the last thing I wanted was to find myself in a situation where we tried to turn on the water switch, and the well failed. That would spell disaster. When this happens, you can’t just call a well mechanic to come out and “fix it” in 24 hours.
The well had to be replaced proactively before we had a real problem.
And so– just like that, we were in the market for a well.
The $30,000 price tag will be split between my parents and us. It will cover the actual submersible well pump, the well piping, and a variable frequency drive that varies the pressure and volume of water that comes out. We hired a contractor 4 weeks ago (in the middle of all that rain) to come out and start PHASE 1 — pulling out the old well piping. They brought in a crane that pulled out 10 foot sections of pipe piece by piece and cut it.
The contractor brought out a giant crane to lift out the old piping.
Sure enough, at the very bottom of the pipe, there were 5 large holes — which explained why our well pressure had been so low. Our contractors had done several yield tests before they removed the pipe to determine the amount of pressure and pump we’d need for our new set-up. Once we had this information, I could start to piece together the system and parts we’d need to purchase.
When we pulled the old pipe out, we noticed 5 holes like this.
I wish you could have seen me scribbling out formulas, doing crazy water use math that I hadn’t done in years – water pressure ratios and tables. This was getting complicated. And I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
I also needed to figure out how to run this thing. I couldn’t just run power out from the road to the middle of the field (where our current well is located). That would be totally cost prohibitive. So I had to look into buying a generator too. My contractors recommended a 100 kW size generator. Those don’t run cheap either. All the used generators I could find locally were priced around $10K and to rent one was about the same cost for just the year.
So I started to get creative. What if I could “piece meal” this system together?
After talking our problem over with one of my past bosses at a local irrigation company I found a used generator head on Ebay for around $2900, but it was out near Portland, Oregon.
This is where the story gets cool.
I called my buddy Jon Pietrowski. Jon is a CSA member and he hauls loads all over the country. I asked if he might find a way to carry a load out to Oregon, and then bring BACK my generator in his truck on the return trip.
Two days later, Jon was on a 4 day cross-country mission to pick up my generator head.
We went all the way to Oregon for THIS. The generator head fit snugly in the back of Jon’s truck.
Meanwhile, I still had to find a motor to run this generator head. My neighbor Adam Downs asked his friend Brad Rife, who said, “I think the Emches have an old John Deere motor from an old tomato harvester sitting in their barn. And they want to get rid of it.” (I know.. it’s like a game of 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon).
A few days later… I had my motor. Motor cost: $2700.
Meet the motor that will power the generator. It’s a beast. We might just call this system Lil Jon when we’re all done.
Our next step starting THIS week: stitch all the parts together.
Before I sat down to write this, I just got news that the parts for the well pump have arrived, and the contractors will be at the farm Monday to install them. My dad and our electrician will be finding a way to wire the whole contraption together so that it works.
The “new well” should be operational by the 4th of July.
At a cost of around $38,000 when all is said and done.
I look back at this story and I can’t help but shake my head at how it all came together last minute. (It drives my type A wife Corinna crazy). And not a moment too soon, as the summer temperatures heat up and the weather forecast looks dry.
Here’s a little secret: Farmers lean on our community connections all the time. It’s what makes us resourceful. It’s what we rely on to solve problems. I could never have done this on my own. Not in a million years.
This story of the well is really a story about our awesome community coming together to make something big happen.
If I could run the credits at the end of this movie, I’d have a lot of people to thank who made it all possible….Big Dave, Adam Downs, Brad Rife, Watson Well Services, Yackee’s, the Emch’s, Jack Bradshaw, Chad Blausey, Todd Atkins, Ebay, Power Systems Plus – the generator company in Oregon, and Jon Pietrowski. They each played a critical role, and without them, I’d still be crunching water tables.
To all the players, thanks for coming through for us in a big way. I’ll tell this story for as long as I live. (Because it’s a good one).
~Your Farmer, Kurt
CSA LIFE SKILL: MAGIC GREEN CUBES
I used to get OVERWHELMED with all the greens that came in my CSA box.
- The kale that keeps on giving
- The spinach and the chard
- The broccoli leaves (yes… you can eat those too)
- The carrot tops that never stop (oh my gosh, there are SO MANY!!)
It got worse when I found out that you could eat the tops of beets and radishes and turnips too.
And I started to feel guilty that as a farmer’s wife, I wasn’t setting a good example.
I was composting them.
Here’s the thing: I don’t really like radish tops. (There! I said it!)
Then one day last year Cadie introduced something called “Green Cubes.” I think SHE actually learned about it from a CSA member!
Here’s what they look like. (Warning: Not a beautiful picture)
Drop a few green cubes into your chili and you’ve just added a bunch of veggie nutrition. Best part: no one will even know they’re there!
She basically combines and blanches all manner of greens, purees them down in her food processor, and then turns them into frozen cubes in an ice cube tray. Then she adds them into all kinds of things later — like spaghetti sauce or chili. (If you don’t know how to blanch, here’s a quick tutorial from the Academy).
The best part about Green Cubes is… you don’t really taste them when you add them into stuff!
(Which is a bonus if you don’t like radish tops).
But I feel good about myself because I’m sneaking in some major veggie nutrition into the meals, and nobody even knows they’re there! (And I’m not wasting my food anymore).
If you want a step by step visual training for Green Cubes, you can find this 5 minute how-to video inside the SLFarms Membership Academy. It’s in the Roadmap to CSA Success Training Course.
This vegetable “exit strategy” is DEFINITELY one of our CSA’s favorites. You’ve got to learn it because it will help you find a way to use all those things you normally compost.
Food composting guilt is real. So learn this method and you’ll be SO far ahead.
-Corinna
WEEK 2 RECIPES
Members: You can download these recipes separately as a PDF inside the Membership Academy. Look under the RECIPES course section, Week 2.
Roasted Carrots with Dill
Adapted from The Food Charlatan (www.thefoodcharlatan.com)
Serves 6
In my opinion, crack carrots are the best roasted! Amazing plain or add some dill like this recipe suggests for a fancier spin.
Ingredients:
12 carrots, tops removed
3 Tbs EVOO
1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs minced fresh dill OR 2 tsp dried dill
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Give the carrots a good scrub. If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole. Slice the carrots diagonally into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices, or however big you want them, really. (The carrots will shrink while cooking so big slices are fine. You will just have to up your roasting time.)
Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried dill, if you don’t have fresh.
Transfer to a baking sheet (line with parchment for easy cleanup) and spread out in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until they are brown and fork-tender.
The roasting time depends on how big your carrots are. If you are using fresh dill, toss the carrots with the minced dill after they are roasted, season to taste, and serve.
Carrot Top Hummus
Adapted from Rachel, Teacher-Chef (www.teacher-chef.com)
Makes 2 Cups | Total time 10 minutes Freezer Friendly (1-2 months)
Such a healthy dip to go with other veggies!
Ingredients:
1 bunch carrot tops (approximately 2 cups packed)
1 clove garlic (or more, to taste)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 can chick peas
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp pepper
Olive Oil
Directions:
Clean your carrot tops & chop off any extra stem parts that don’t have leaves attached to them. Add to the bowl of your food processor with your garlic, salt, & lemon juice. Process until pieces have been mostly broken down.
Add in your (drained – but reserve the liquid in case you need it) can of chick peas and your cumin & pepper.
Process until smooth.
Add in some Olive Oil (up to a tablespoon) and/or some reserved liquid from your chick peas if needed.
Continue to run your food processor until smooth. Taste and add any seasonings as needed.
Place into a bowl and serve or refrigerate. As it sits, the flavors will continue to meld and become even more delicious – but this is also perfect to serve right away and is good in the refrigerator for at least a week!
Carrot Salad with Green Onions
Adapted from Epicurious (www.epicurious.com) | Serves 8
This one is well worth getting your food processor out for! Better made a day ahead to let everything marinate. It makes a lot, so adjust as needed.
Ingredients:
2 pounds carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (about 7 cups)
6 green onions, chopped
3 Tbs fresh parsley, minced
3 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 Tbs grated lemon peel
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ cup EVOO
8 whole red cabbage leaves
Directions:
Mix carrots, green onions and parsley in large bowl to blend.
Whisk vinegar, lemon peel and mustard in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over carrot mixture. Toss to coat evenly.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Spoon salad into cabbage leaves; arrange on platter and serve.
Carrot Zucchini Mini Muffins
Adapted from Cupcakes and Kale Chips (www.cupcakesandkalechips.com)
Makes 24 muffins | Freezer Friendly
I love making muffins with veggies! It’s a great way to sneak them in for kiddos, but also a freezer friendly exit strategy if needed!
Ingredients:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 Tbs butter, melted and cooled
½ cup pure maple syrup or honey
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated zucchini
½ cup finely grated carrot
½ cup raisins
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in the center of the oven, and coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray
Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the butter, maple syrup (or honey), egg, and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together until just barely combined.
Add the zucchini, carrot and raisins and stir gently until just distributed.
Fill each cup in the mini muffin pan approximately 3/4 full (I use a small cookie scoop slightly overfilled).
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Herbed Summer Squash Salad
Adapted from The Little Broken (www.littlebroken.com)
Total time ~15 minutes, plus time to set | Serves 6
If you don’t feel like cooking, I highly suggest this EASY salad that can be thrown together quickly.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. zucchini and yellow squash (approx 2 of each), halved lengthwise + sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
6 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp sea salt
¼ cup white distilled vinegar
¼ cup water (room temperature)
¼ cup EVOO
Directions:
In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together until combined. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Serve cold.
Summer Squash Lasagna
Adapted from Taste of the South (www.tasteofhtesouthmagazine.com)
Total time ~15 minutes, plus time to set | Serves 6
Don’t want all that pasta and trying to get in some veggies? Try adding in summer squash! This one still has some pasta, incase your family isn’t ready for the full blown vegetable substitute, but you could use more squash and less pasta!
Ingredients:
3 medium squash, cut lengthwise into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices
½ tsp sea salt
2 Tbs EVOO
1 pound ground turkey (or protein of choice)
1 cup diced yellow onion
2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbs Italian seasoning, divided
2 tsp garlic salt, divided
4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8-ounce) package no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 21⁄2-quart shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Place squash in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, and let stand 15 minutes. Press with additional paper towels to remove excess moisture.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook turkey and onion, stirring until turkey is browned and crumbly, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon garlic salt. In a separate bowl, stir together ricotta, Parmesan, remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic salt.
Spread 1⁄2 cup tomato mixture evenly in prepared dish. Top evenly with half of noodles. Cover evenly with one-third of squash. Gently spread half of ricotta mixture over squash; sprinkle with half of turkey mixture. Top with half of remaining tomato mixture. Starting with noodles, repeat layers once. Top with remaining one-third squash.
Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. Top with mozzarella, and bake until cheese is golden brown, approximately 10 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Adapted from Culinary Hill (www.culinaryhill.com)
Total time ~ 5 minutes
Homemade dressings are key to a great salad! Try this one at the bottom of a mason jar salad with some grilled chicken!
Ingredients:
2 cups cilantro leaves, stems removed
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
4 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup lime juice (from 2 limes)
½ cup EVOO
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a food processor, combine cilantro, yogurt, garlic, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth.
With the motor running, slowly add olive oil through the feed-tube. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper).
Chill at least 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Creamy Dill Dressing
Adapted from Epicurious (www.epicurious.com)
Homemade dressings are key to a great salad! Try this one at the bottom of a mason jar salad with some grilled chicken!
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
4 tsp grated onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Whisk mayonnaise and sour cream in medium bowl until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Cover.
Chill 1 hour to blend flavors.
Mixed Grain, Cherry and Snap Pea Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light (www.cookinglight.com)
Total time ~35 minutes | Serves 8
Cherries aren’t just for desserts! Substitute different grains if needed for this simple but fresh dish!
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups water, divided
½ cup uncooked bulgur, rinsed and drained
½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs EVOO
2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
¾ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved (about 10 oz.)
1 ½ cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut into 1/2-in. pieces (about 6 oz.)
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
1 (8.8-oz.) pkg. precooked brown rice (such as Uncle Ben’s)
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)
Directions:
Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high; add bulgur. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Spoon bulgur onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bring quinoa and remaining 3/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add quinoa to bulgur on baking sheet; cool to room temperature.
Combine oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine bulgur mixture, cherries, snap peas, onion, mint, and rice in a large bowl. Add oil mixture to bulgur mixture; toss. Sprinkle with goat cheese.
Fresh Cherry Salsa
Adapted from Imperial Sugar (www.imperialsugar.com)
Try this with chips or all alone! I think it’s great without the added sugar, just add to taste if needed!
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups pitted cherries (3/4 pound), roughly chopped
1 Tbs fine granulated sugar
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
¾ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir cherries together with the sugar and let stand 5 minutes for the sugar to absorb.
Stir in the lime juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt. Gently fold in the red onion, jalapenos and cilantro.
Chill for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, then serve cold or at room temperature.