CSA Newsletter // Week 2

Greetings All!

I hope you guys had a great first week of CSAs and enjoyed your produce pick-up! I have gotten SO MANY emails with pictures and recipes, inspiration for how folks are using the produce and what you're all cooking! It is such a treat to see how you guys are using your veggies!!

I can't believe it's already here.... Independence Day!! This is the week of the 4th of July! Thank goodness it's on a Friday this year too- it's been a long time since it's been a weekend! That's good for everyone who takes time off work to go and play at the lake!!

CSA Shares will be delivered as normally scheduled this week!

If you are unavailable to pick up and you'd like to donate your CSA box this next week, please fill out the form on the email that you received (at the very bottom). We want to make it as easy as possible for you to submit a donation request so that form will be accessible at the bottom of our emails from here on out. We bring CAER (in Elk River) produce every week all season long. If you choose to donate your CSA, we will bring that along with our donations on Wednesdays so they can distribute your additional sum of produce to the clients there who are in need. (We tally up the donations throughout the week and then harvest all of it on Wed morning so it's super fresh for them!)

Another option is offering your CSA to a friend or family member who can use it while you're unavailable. If you'd like to offer it to a friend, please make sure they take the box with your name on it. It seems like common sense but if someone is unfamiliar with the program and they go to a strangers house to pick up a box, they're usually in a bit of a hurry and don't always notice the tags, that's why I mention it here too so you can help remind them. If they take someone else's box, you'll be fined $100 for the missing CSA, the extra produce we bring them, and the special delivery. Thanks for your help in making sure the season runs smoothly!

REMINDER

If your box got wet last week in the tsunami, please set your box out to dry. If you're a host and you have some wet boxes, PLEASE set them out so they have a chance to dry. These wax covered boxes are almost indestructible, but water and direct sunshine are their kryptonite. They will get soft and they won't be strong enough to hold up for the season. The spring has lots of lighter veggies and greens, but in mid-season we get into some heavy boxes and we want to make sure they hold up. Please keep them dry and out of the direct sunlight if possible.

As many Members understand, this is a partnership where we work as hard as we can to get you guys a good variety of produce all season long! We take our job seriously (just like you take your investment into the CSA seriously).

We have gotten SO MUCH RAIN in the past week that we haven't been able to hoe the fields to keep up with the weeds, we haven't been able to plant more (we have tons of plants ready- our succession crops!), and now we're spending a lot of time moving water...

Sunday nights aren't for newsletters but I haven't had a chance to get this out yet and I apologize for that. I know that you guys look to the newsletter to see what you're getting every week and I am really sorry that we weren't able to get you these details before now.

We had to assess the fields. We had to make sure the varieties we were planning on sending were still ok. I had a list on Friday, but a lot changes after a rainstorm like the one we just had (and the ones we had late last week).

The truth is, we have been busting our asses to get this water off the field. I don't swear much, but this weekend is appropriate, lol!!!

You can already see a difference. This was taken 2 days ago, ahead of the storm last night.. And we did the exact same process today.... moving more water off the fields because it pools on the low side.

Sorry I didn't get a pic with the entire pump in it, but you get the idea here; we're moving water off the fields as best as we can. We dug trenches and have the pump going to the deepest spot. The only problem is that this pump is so strong that we have to turn it off intermittently so that we can let the water drain into the deepest part from the other parts of the field. There are little rivers across the field and when they fill up the hole here, we run the pump again. For hours. We had this pump going in 3 separate spots in hopes to save some of the tomatoes, peppers and melons.

We did what we could!! Both of us feel good knowing we did everything we can to make this rain as least impactful as possible.

GOOD NEWS:

There is so much of it that I don't have time to write it all!!! The corn is tasseling and we're seeing silk, meaning we could be as little as 2 weeks out from fresh corn. Ben has 5 separate plantings this year and total over 100,000 stalks.

The beets are looking amazing, Ben just brought me one into my office to show me how big the bulbs are getting. The baby chicks got moved out of the barn and are now in their chicken tractors! My sister and her little kiddos helped us with that 'farm chore' as the little ones called it. We move them every day to new pasture now that they're big enough to be outside overnight. They're feathered out, meaning they are starting to grow their real plumage and not they're not so floofy. The broccoli is doing amazing and Ben even said we have tiny heads of cauliflower on! So it's about go-time for the bigger heartier varieties, that we have patiently waited for since last fall!!

One thing that I am super grateful for-- Farmer Ben planted a TON of purple cauliflower this season!! Last year's crop was terrible because we had so much rain (the amount of rainfall we got last year was record setting from the 50 years prior). This year the purple cauliflower look great- I'm so excited for you to see these!!

I could go on. But my point is, there is a lot to be thankful for in this trying time on the farm as well. We love what we do, but some days are easier than others. Just like parenting- you love your kids, but some days are just better than others!

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN YOUR CSA SHARES:

JUMBO & FAMILY SHARES: Radishes, Sugar Snap Peas, Red Buttercrunch, Green Buttercrunch, Kohlrabi, and Swiss Chard! *

SINGLE SHARES: Radishes, Kohlrabi, Sugar Snap Peas, Red Buttercrunch, Green Buttercrunch! *

*Hopefully we will be able to fit another head of lettuce in there too. We want to get those eaten up before they bolt in the field! We can only grow lettuces right away in the beginning of the season because they don't like the heat. When they grow in really hot, dry weather they will get really bitter tasting and go to seed. Here is a pic from last year-

Bolted lettuce on the left, super tall and skinny.

Bolting is the action of a plant going to seed. It means that they sense stress/ not optimal growing conditions and then try to produce seeds asap before they 'die'.

We want to use all the lettuces we have in the field before they bolt! So we are going to do our best to sneak in extra heads of lettuce where we can this week and next week. After that, we're done with the lettuces for the season. We're always sad when we are done with the lettuces because they're so good but we also know that there are other varieties waiting to make their debut. So as the lettuces are wrapping up you'll see some new varieties, too!

BUTTERCRUNCH

We are sending BOTH red and green buttercrunch home with you this week! I love buttercrunch because it's a more supple leaf, more like spinach. Their shape is interesting because they grow out wider but they're a short head of lettuce. Whereas romaine grows taller and thinner, producing the classic romaine heads we are all used to buying at the store.

Wash this the same way as we talked about last week. Take each leaf off of the head individually and run your fingers down the center rib, gently scrubbing as you go. I usually rinse the leaves a few more times and then put a few paper towels under them in a big bowl. As I am chopping up the other veggies for the salad, I'll rotate the lettuce a little bit and replace the paper towel as necessary.

RADISHES

Getting right to it... They are one of those varieties that can either be a hit or miss with some. I'm the same way- it took me a while to enjoy radishes. I'll be honest- I have very midwestern tastebuds. Depending on the weather radishes can be mild or hot. Even though they're all from the same seeds, the spiciness is dependent on the growing weather. Just like the sweetness of watermelons- but we will talk about that later.

When you are washing them, keep in mind that there are a lot of recipes for the radish greens!! I am going to add a recipe this week for radish pesto! You can use the radish green pesto for putting on sandwiches, crackers with fancy cheese for an appetizer, homemade pizzas in place of sauce, or toss it with some pasta and make a cold pasta salad with some extra veggies.

A fun way to prepare them a little differently is cutting them into match sticks instead of slices. I think it's true that we eat with our eyes first. I'm not a chef by any means, just a self-proclaimed foodie. Though I can't even hold a torch to some of you!! One way that many people haven't tried is cooking with them. It actually cuts down the heat a little bit and still adds a great texture (think a soft water chestnut).

SWISS CHARD

This week the Jumbo & Family Shares will get Chard and we're hoping to send some home with our Single Share Members during week 3.

Chard is a plant that is harvested over and over again. As long as you don't harvest the heart of the plant, it will produce all summer long! Chard and Kale are the only greens that we grow that can be harvested all summer long without the risk of going to seed like the lettuces do.

With the help of the handbook:

Swiss chard has expansive, pocketed leaves with stems in a spectrum of colors: red, white, green, yellow. It is actually in the beet family but doesn't develop a bulb. Its leaves are more tender and delicate than other greens. Eat small leaves raw in salads and blanch or steam larger leaves. You can freeze chard for recipes later.

To store: Keep dry, unwashed greens in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks for best longevity. (I always try to wash and prep produce that comes into the house so that it's ready to eat.)

Handling: Wash leaves in basin of lukewarm water to remove grit. Remove the thicker stems by folding the leaves down the center and cutting out the stem. Stack several leaves on top of each other and slice into 1-inch wide ribbons.

To enjoy: Add uncooked greens to a mixed green salad. Steam stem pieces 8-10 minutes, and leaves 4-6 minutes. Or saute greens until tender in a covered pot or large sauté pan with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and garlic or onion. Watch for color to brighten as this signals they are done. Serve cooked chard alone as a side dish or use them in soup or with pasta, beans, rice, or potatoes. Chard also goes great in stir-fries or in any recipe calling for spinach.

WRAPPING IT UP

This is the week of the 4th of July- maybe you could bring a super fresh garden salad for the potluck?! I know that's always our go-to at this time of year because it's so seasonal to the early harvest. I think that's part of the excitement of what we do, it's a constant revolving door of produce varieties and recipes. And you know that those recipes can't be duplicated in the winter with store bought goods either. It never tastes the same. Seasonal produce is very special! Which is why we do everything we can to eat with the seasons, we'll chat more about that soon too ;)

I want to apologize again for the late newsletter, I feel really bad sending this out so late! Ya'll know I love to talk veggies and check in telling you about how things are going. It means a lot to us that we have folks like yourself reading about what our little farm is up to. I have even had Members check in on me tonight to see if everything is OK!

Thank you for taking a stake in our farm and trusting in us; we will always do our best! I want to end by saying that this week's weather look good, looks like we'll have a good chance of drying out some! Ben has been waiting for the fields to dry out enough so he can cultivate and not get stuck (which I am sure he'll be doing tomorrow, hopefully he doesn't get stuck!). When he breaks the topsoil it allows for more evaporation and it lets oxygen get to the roots of the plants which is very important too in a waterlogged environment like this.

Tomorrow is a big harvest and delivery day and we're looking forward to rocking another week of CSAs! Hope you enjoy your veggies!!!

Eat Good & Be Well,

~The Farmer's Wife