May 29 2014

No newsletter this week; the internet was spotty on Wednesday night.

Veggie List and Veggie Notes

We were glad to get rain this week, but it splashed soil into most crops.  Everything needs extra washing, especially lettuce, bok choy and asparagus.  See last week’s newsletter for advice on washing asparagus.

This week’s box contains:
Asparagus, 1.4 lb
Spinach, 1 large bunch, 1 to 1.25 lb
Bok choy, 1 medium head
Red bibb lettuce
Arugula, 1 bunch
Salad radishes, one bunch
Button mushrooms, 12 oz
Rhubarb, 1.5 lb

Next week’s box will probably contain asparagus, spinach, lettuce, white salad turnips, spring greens and scallions or green garlic.

Asparagus – Wash this asparagus well to remove grit.
Spinach – The spinach has grown thicker leaves since last week.  It will be excellent lightly cooked, or in salads.
Bok choy – These heads have more insect damage than usual.  We took the row cover off these plants so they wouldn’t get too hot and start to flower, but exposed them to flea beetles as a result.  This is always the tradeoff in spring.
Red bibb lettuce – Isn’t this lettuce lovely?  Bibb lettuce is very tender so handle gently.
Button mushrooms – These organic mushrooms are from Hidden Valley Mushrooms north of Madison.  We buy mushrooms from Mary every year; they are a great addition to spring salads and quiches.

It’s time.

It’s time to start eating fresh food again!  Our CSA deliveries begin this week for weekly members and for green every-other-week (EOW) members.  Purple EOW, your first delivery is next week.

Simone, Jon and others harvest rhubarb.

Things you need to know.
♦  We post this newsletter/blog online each Wednesday night, with the list of veggies for the week, the quantities, information about storage and preparation, plus news of the farm.  We’ll send an email on Wednesday night to alert you once the newsletter is ready to read.
♦  EOW and weekly members, we assume that you read all the newsletters, even on your “off” weeks.  The newsletter (and our emails to you) are our means to communicate with you.
♦  The first few boxes of the season are always the lightest.  EOW members, please do not worry that you have signed up for the wrong share.  Our deliveries get heavier and more abundant as the season progresses.
♦  Pat Mulvey of Local Thyme will prepare menus and recipes for us again this year, but you have to register on her website for access.  It’s free for Tipi CSA members.  Go to www.localthyme.net/register and enter the access code that I sent in my May 2 email.  If you need the code or instructions again, send me an email titled “LT please.”

Farm News
Most of our spring work involves planting for future harvests. It feels novel to harvest something!

There’s always a moment when we ask ourselves if we’ve planted too many peppers.  The answer is “No, you cannot have too many peppers.”  The seedlings in the photo above are from our second pepper seeding.  These will be large enough to transplant to the field next week.

This is the first pepper planting.  These babies are already out in the field and growing.

We planted next year’s strawberry field before this year’s crop even flowered.  Above, Clint and Maggie ride the strawberry transplanter.  Simone drives, Michael and Bonnie settle the plants.

The new berry plants come to us with their tops sheared to lessen transplant shock.  They perk up and start growing within a few days.

Veggie Notes (week #1, green EOW members).
We list the week’s veggies and quantities in this section, as well as information about individual vegetables.  We’ll share our list of expected vegetables for the following week.  I provide extra info on cooking and storage the first week that we send a vegetable.  Does an item need extra washing?  Does it have special qualities?  This is the place to find out.  For example, please, please refrigerate the potatoes.  We explain the reason below.

Asparagus, 1.8 lb
Spinach, 1 to 1.25 lb
Green leaf lettuce
Arugula, one tender bunch
Salad radishes, one bunch
Goldrush russet potatoes, 3.5 lb
Rhubarb, 2 lb

Next week’s box will probably contain asparagus, spinach, lettuce, arugula, radishes, button mushrooms, bok choy and rhubarb.  Maybe green garlic too.

Asparagus – Enjoy this spring treat!  You will receive asparagus in a paper bag, including a small bundle tied with a rubber band.   Use the rubber-banded asparagus first because it is older.  Your asparagus will be green or purple.  The purple variety turns dark green when cooked.  Its flavor is almost identical to normal green asparagus.  You must wash this asparagus thoroughly to remove hidden grit.  Submerge it in water, soak briefly, then swish vigorously and pull out of the water with the tips pointing down.  The draining action helps pull the grit out of the asparagus tips.  Repeat several times.
Storage: Asparagus is perishable, so eat it as soon as possible.  To store it, wrap the bundle in paper or cloth and store it loosely in a plastic bag.  The asparagus tips tend to rot if in direct contact with the plastic bag.  We snap our asparagus at harvest, rather than cutting it.  Therefore, there is no need to snap the stalks to remove fibrous ends.  For the same reason, it is not necessary to peel the asparagus stalks.  It’s OK to trim the end a bit.
Cooking:  If your asparagus stalks vary greatly in size, you will want to cook the thicker ones longer.  Put the asparagus in a steamer pot over water.  Alternatively, you can lay spears flat in the bottom of a broad pan, with ½ inch of water.  Cover and steam over medium heat until just tender.  Use two forks or a spatula to turn the asparagus during cooking, rotating the bottom spears to the top.  Drain and serve.  Also excellent broiled or grilled.  Good dressed with vinaigrette, or simply with lime juice, salt and pepper.

Rhubarb – Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  FYI, 2 lb of rhubarb yields about 6 to 6.5 cups when chopped.
Stewed rhubarb:  This is the simplest way to prepare rhubarb.  Chop rhubarb into one inch chunks.  Stir over medium heat with a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan.  The rhubarb will release moisture as it cooks.  Stew until it softens and falls apart.  Sweeten to taste with honey or sugar.  Eat warm on its own, over vanilla ice cream, on pancakes, etc.

Goldrush russet potatoes –  Please refrigerate these potatoes.  They are in great shape now but will sprout within days if stored at room temperature.  They’ve been stored all winter and want to grow.  Store in a paper bag to protect from light, even in the fridge.  We grow everything we send in our CSA boxes except potatoes, garlic and mushrooms, which we buy from organic growers that we trust.  We purchased these potatoes from Jesse Perkins at Vermont Valley Farm.  Jesse says the potatoes have a higher sugar content because of starch to sugar conversion during cold storage.  The potatoes taste a bit sweet, and will blacken slightly when fried.  It’s a harmless color change due to the sugar conversion.

Arugula – (small bunch of green leaves with pungent scent) – Arugula is good mixed with lettuce or spinach in salads, or added to cooked dishes such as lasagne or quiche.  I love it on sandwiches.  This arugula is thin-leaved and tender and will not store for long.  Eat soon.  It wilted a bit while we were harvesting it.  That’s what happens when you keep it sheltered under row cover (to protect from insects), then pull off the row cover to harvest on a windy day.  Cover and refrigerate.

Come meet us at these events.

The days are getting longer!

There are lots of CSA-focused events this spring.  Come meet us at one of these events.

March 8, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm – Local Farmer Open House in Milwaukee
Urban Ecology Center, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee, WI 53211

March 16, 1:00 to 3:00 pm – Healthy Eating Fair in Stoughton (with great door prizes!)
River Bluff Middle School, 235 N Forrest Street, Stoughton, WI
Free event to meet local farmers and food producers and enjoy free refreshments from the Yahara River Grocery Cooperative.  Many door prizes available including the cookbook “From Asparagus to Zucchini”, $50 gift certificates for the Yahara River Grocery Cooperative and $100 gift certificates toward a CSA farm membership.

March 22, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon – Farmers and Artisans Market in Evansville
Creekside Place, at the corner of Church St. and Maple St., Evansville , WI

March 23, 1:00 to 4:00 pm – FairShare CSA Open House in Madison
Monona Terrace, Madison, WI
This is the event to meet CSA farmers serving the greater Madison area.  Workshops to de-mystify CSA, kids activities, and more.

Final winter share delivery

Blurry, candlelit photo from our crew party.

We celebrated the season’s end with a big party at our house fueled by turkey, an extraordinary potluck and lots of wine.  Our employees brought their partners and families.  The kids rampaged in the living room while we reminisced about the year they knocked over the Christmas tree.  Almost the whole crew attended, dressed in clean clothes and bearing their best potluck dishes.  It is a joy to wrap up the season this way.

Thank you for being members of our farm this season.  We hope you have a wonderful winter.  See you next spring.  Beth and Steve.

Things you need to know about this delivery:
* Your delivery will consist of two different boxes, labeled “A” and “B”.  The boxes contain different vegetables. Take one “A” box and one “B” box.
* We have altered the pick up hours at unheated sites so the produce does not freeze.  Consult the list in the sidebar.

Winter share strategy
* These vegetables are the most perishable: Brussels sprouts and leeks.
* These are the next-most perishable: green cabbage, red cabbage, parsnips
* These will last the longest: Beauty Heart radish, beets, carrots, celeriac, onions, potatoes, rutabaga, sweet potatoes.

Veggie List and Storage Notes
This is another big delivery.  Take a look at our 11/20/13 post for storage advice for most of the vegetables.  I’ve included notes below for veggies packed in this delivery but not in the 11/20 boxes.

Box “A”
Satina potatoes, 5 lb
Russet potatoes, 5 to 5.5 lb
Yellow onions, 5 lb
Sweet potatoes, about 6 lb

Box “B”
Red beets, 3 lb
Brussels sprouts, 0.8 lb
Green cabbage, 1
Red cabbage, 1
Orange carrots, 5 lb –
Yellow carrots, 1 lb – Both carrot types are in one bag.
Celeriac, 1
Leeks, 3 lb
Parsnips, 3 lb
Rutabaga, 1 to 3 depending on size
Beauty Heart radish, several

Cabbage – Refrigerate.  Cut off chunks as needed.
Celeriac – Will store for months in your fridge.  Cut off chunks as needed.
Yellow and orange carrots – We’ve mixed the two colors in one bag.
Parsnips (These look like rough white carrots.) – Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  Parsnips will store for two months but will darken in color.
Rutabaga (round root, cream-colored with purple shoulders) – Refrigerate.  Will store for several months.
Beauty Heart radishes (round, white with pale green shoulders and pink interior)– Refrigerate.
Sweet potatoes – As usual, these are unwashed.  We don’t want to risk chilling them in winter.  Store at room temperature, above 55 F.

Winter share, delivery #1

Larry and Noah winterize the outdoor washroom. It’s too cold to work in this space during winter but we appreciate the protection from wind and snow drifts. We will store equipment in here until spring.

Things you need to know about your winter share.
* Your delivery will consist of two different boxes, labeled “A” and “B”.  The boxes contain different vegetables. Take one “A” box and one “B” box.
* Please pick up your boxes on the day of delivery, during the normal hours for your site. Don’t count on picking up late or the next day. It will be cold during the deliveries and the produce may freeze overnight at the unheated sites.
* We are sending all of the winter squash in this first delivery.
* Don’t feel that you have to eat all this food before the second delivery! Much of it will store quite well. See below.
* The second (and final) winter share delivery will be on Thursday December 12 (Madison, Middleton, Oregon and Evansville) and Friday December 13 (Milwaukee area, Janesville).
* Local Thyme is not supplying specific recipes for the winter boxes.  However, we have access to the entire catalog of Local Thyme recipes all winter.  Check them out for your Thanksgiving ideas.

Winter share strategy
* These vegetables are the most perishable: scallions, bok choy, and butternuts with flaws.
* These are the next-most perishable: cranberries, leeks, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash.  Watch your winter squash closely and use quickly if you see any signs of deterioration.
* These will last the longest: Beauty Heart radish, beets, carrots, garlic, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes.

Veggie List and Storage Info (winter share, delivery #1)

Box “A”
Butternut squash, 1 large and 1 medium
Satina yellow potatoes, 5 lb
Adirondack Blue potatoes, 3 lb
Sweet potatoes, 5 lb
Garlic, 1 small bulb

Box “B”
Beauty Heart winter radish, about 2
Golden beets plus some “Badger Gold” beets, 3 1/3 lb total
Brussels sprouts, 1.5 lb
Carrots, 5 lb
Cranberries, 1 pint
Leeks, 3 lb
Scallions, 1 bunch
Yellow onions, 5 lb
Bok choy, 1 medium head

Here’s what we think will be in the December delivery:  beets, green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, celeriac, leeks, onions, parsnips, russet potatoes, yellow potatoes, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, Beauty Heart winter radishes.

Beets – Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  Beets will store for two months or longer.  You will receive a mix of golden beets (2 1/3 lb, round, gold inside) and “Badger Gold” beets (1 lb, longer, russeted skin on shoulders, striped inside).  Remember our collaborative carrot trial with research scientists from UW/Madison this summer?  “Badger Gold” was developed by Prof. Irwin Goldman of the Horticulture Department.  It will be one of the first varieties to be released through the radical Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI).  It is an excellent, sweet golden beet, with lovely concentric rings inside.  Irwin says it is even good raw.  We were thrilled that Irwin offered us a bit of seed to try this year.  It is not available for sale yet, so this is the farmer-equivalent of getting past the velvet rope at an exclusive club.
Bok choy – Refrigerate and use soon.
Carrots.  Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  Will keep for several weeks.
Cranberries.  Refrigerate.  Freeze if you don’t expect to use within several weeks.  These organic cranberries are from Ruesch Farms in central Wisconsin.  They are of very beautiful quality because they were harvested by ‘dry raking’ instead of a wet harvest in which the field is flooded.  Brian Ruesch says that dry raking is more work for them but preserves the quality and storage life of the cranberries.
Garlic.  Can be stored at room temperature.  As I mentioned in previous newsletters, the midwestern garlic crop failed this year so we only have one small bulb for each of you.
Leeks.  Refrigerate and eat within three weeks.  Leeks are not a long-storage crop.  You may need to strip off one or two outer leaves to freshen the leeks before you cook them.
Onions: Store in a cool, dark spot or refrigerate.  Protect from light.  Exposure to light stimulates sprouting.
Potatoes:  Can be stored at room temperature or in a cool spot, but must be kept in the dark, or they will turn green.  They will store longer if kept cool.  Around 40 – 50 F is ideal.  Keep them in the paper bag we sent them in, or cover the potatoes with a cloth.  The potatoes are from Chris Malek of Malek Family Stewardship Farm.  Everyone will receive 5 lb. Satina potatoes.  These have light yellow flesh and are a good all-purpose potato.  Everyone will also receive 3 lb of blue-fleshed potatoes.  They are a pretty addition to roasted potato dishes.
Sweet potatoes – Wow, the sweet potato crop turned out so well this year.  These are the Covington variety, and have developed excellent flavor and sweetness.  Store at room temperature, no lower than 55 F.  Keep them on your kitchen counter where it’s easy to keep an eye on them.  The roots come in a wide ranges of sizes and all are good.  The sweet potatoes are not washed.  We don’t like to wet them this time of year without a warm place to dry them.
Winter squash –  You will receive two butternut squash, one large and one medium.  Almost all are our Waltham variety which tends to grow big squashes.  Some squash have minor flaws.  Identify and use that squash first.  Store winter squash in a cool, dry place.  50 F is ideal.  Do not put in a plastic bag.  Inspect your squash frequently and cook if you see any soft spots developing.  You can cook, mash and freeze the squash for future use.  I find that you can refrigerate cut raw squash for up to one week.  This runs counter to the accepted way to store squash, but is useful if you want to cook just half a squash at one time.  Try microwaving your squash for one to two minutes before cutting or peeling.  This softens the squash and makes large butternuts easier to handle.

What are you planning for your Thanksgiving meal?
I thought I’d share our plans.  We are a family of cooks.  We plan to prepare a heritage breed turkey from Matt Smith at Blue Valley Gardens, brined overnight (Beth), stuffing (Beth’s mom), Brussels sprouts with garlic-mustard vinaigrette (Steve), roasted sweet potatoes (Sophie), glazed butternut squash (Beth), crunchy carrot-Beauty Heart salad with sesame-seed dressing (Steve), homemade applesauce (Ari), pickles (Ari), cranberry sauce (friends), and apple pie (Sophie).  We love Thanksgiving!

Leek-Vegetable Fritters With Lemon Cream
While packing CSA boxes, crew member Jon rapsodized about a leek fritter recipe he enjoys.  It was a chilly day and we were getting hungry.  I think every person went home and made those leek fritters, including me.  They are tasty and mild, true comfort food.  I’ll list the ingredients here, and you can read the recipe online.  We skipped the sour cream and used Greek yogurt instead.  The recipe is from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen.

For the fritters:
2 pounds leeks, pale green and white parts only (or use 1 pound leeks and 1 pound cooked vegetables like carrots, potatoes, summer squash, beets, zucchini)
Salt
2 scallions, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
1 egg
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the cream:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch freshly grated lemon zest
Salt

Read the recipe here.