Fall (09) CSA in review...

Happy Thanksgiving...have a safe and healthy winter...enjoy all the soups and creations you made with your fall bounty...will be in touch about Season 2010 in due course. Keep checking the blog for recipes and events, and continue to share your food fun.

CSA Share Details- Week #18: LAST SUMMER SHARE

Message from our farmer:

HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY YOU HAVE A PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

WE WILL BE SENDING THE FOLLOWING VEGGIES:
GREEN CABBAGE, SWEET POTATOES, SWEET CORN, HOT PEPPERS, SWEET PEPPERS, BEANS, CARROTS ( SOME SMALL ,SOME MEDIUM ,SOME LARGE) & BROCCOLI AND A SURPRISE NEW YEARS GIFT FOR ALL.

RIDING ALONG SIDE IN ADDITION –ANOTHER GIFT - WE ARE SENDING SOME DECORATIVE GOURDS FOR EVERYONE TO SHARE FOR SUKKOTH

BEST REGARDS,
Pam Stegall
Farmer

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Thank you everyone for a great summer CSA season. Hope you enjoyed all the good food and community. Please join the fall CSA to continue cooking and eating.

CSA Share Details- Week #17

beets, green beans, hot peppers, green peppers, watermelon, zucchini, sweet potato, broccoli, corn

CSA Share Details- Week #16

assorted peppers, carrots, sweet potato, red onion, yellow onion, corn, herbs, peaches, broccoli, white eggplant

re: Potato variety question...

From farmer:

the kind of lumpy – pointy potatoes are sweet potatoes & the gold/tan skin round or oval/smooth are white potatoes.

The sweet potato varieties:

Japanese=purple skin /white flesh,

jewel=orange skin/orange flesh,

white haman=white-tannish skin /white flesh

CSA- Share Details: Week #15

green beans, peppers, sweet potato, red onion, zucchini, tomatoes, rosemary, corn, white eggplant

CSA- Share Details: Week #14

FROM THE FARMER:

Hi everyone – if you have been watching the news you know we have braved yet another tornado & straight line winds – we now have plenty of firewood for the winter heating – thank you very much

Boxes today –Corn, cukes, zucs, peppers, eggplant, beans – riding along side – tomatoes & basil – something else I think – but can’ t recall right now & the boxes have left the farm ;-(

Folks should open that basil & let dry –spread it a towel would be good & then refrigerate - we packed it this morning & it is wet with morning dew – so open up right away

CSA Tasting & Cooking Demo - recap

Last week we had our first CSA event, and a successful one at that. Chef Mike and his sous chef, Jason (not a CSA member, just a really good friend) donated their time and enthusiasm to create a very enjoyable night; sharing with us a delicious menu, many cooking techniques, and lots of food information and tips.

The menu began with a Watermelon and Cucumber Tonic that paired quite nicely with the gin so generously supplied by Chef Mike. Even virgin, it was refreshing and minty.

Next we munched on a Peach and Cucumber Salsa with chips using the juicy peaches from our farm.

A fancy looking, but extremely easy to prepare Beet Carpaccio followed. A surprise hit of the evening. Next, Chef Mike prepared a Napa Asian Salad that we ate hot, but would be delicious as a cold salad as well. This one packed a bit of heat...maybe the chili paste was a bit too much for some of us (but others loved the heat), but chef Mike told us how tone it down. We ended the tasting with Chef Mike's No Cook Summer Sauce w/ Whole Wheat Pasta. A nice, hearty summer dish and a great way to use all of the CSA bounty.

Thank you Rachel and Jess for letting us use your kitchen.

Our intent was to offer an intimate, interactive event - which is why we had such a limited number of spaces available. However, from the immediate response and subsequent Evite rsvp's and notes, there is much interest in this type of event and we are already trying to secure another night. If you would like to volunteer your kitchen, we need a large enough space for ~15 people to be able to view an area/counter big enough to prepare all the dishes. email if you want to discuss this further. Also, Chef Mike and Jason are available for personal events and custom in-home classes. Send an email if you are interested or want more information.

CSA Details- Week #13

This weeks share: peaches, purple cabbage, peppers, white eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, corn

Thank you member Gail I. for sharing your pears with us all!

Please remember...if you know you will not be picking up your share and are donating it to the food bank, please let us know before hand so our volunteers do not have to wait around for no-shows. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

CSA- Share Details: Week #12

peppers, tomato, peaches, cucumber, zucchini, leek, green beans, carrots, swiss chard, corn

The frustration of not-knowing the share details in advance and the requests to change p/u date for next year have not been going un-noticed.

CSA- Share Details: Week #11

corn, zucchini, cucumbers, leek, green beans, arugala, peaches, swiss chard

First CSA Member Event

**As of 7:30am (7/22), we received 12 rsvp's right away! Would be happy to take a couple of stand-by names. Just rsvp to the "stand-by" list on the Evite.

Clearly, there is interest in this event, so we will begin planning for another. Please let us know if you are interested in hosting or have any other event ideas.

CSA Tasting and Cooking Demo with Chef Mike

Join us for an intimate evening designed to explore, teach, and highlight our CSA bounty. This is a cooking demo and tasting menu, not a full meal. Limited seating event (max 12) with plans to repeat.

No cost, but we will ask you to bring a drink or dessert to share.

Our vegetarian menu (subject to harvest or whims of the weather):
Watermelon and Cucumber Tonic
Tropical Salsa with chips
Beet Carpaccio
Napa Asian Salad
No Cook Summer Sauce with Whole Wheat Pasta

Email if you have not received the Evite...or need a re-send.

CSA Share Details- Week #10

Sorry we are not getting the heads up, but this week we had: fennel, potato, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, onions, green beans, red leaf lettuce, corn on the cob.

Science & Research

From CSA member Jessica E.
Organic tomatoes: Greater health benefits
Source: http://www.examiner.com/

Reducing our food down to its micronutrients is the most unromantic way to look at food we’ve come up with yet. Gone are the descriptions that tempt us and make our mouths water. We’ve tossed out the sweet, tang of a tomato on our lip and replaced it with the cancer fighting attribute of lycopene. B...

ST-CSA in the News!!

Check out the article in the Lakelands Leader (p. 19) about our CSA.
"Shaare Torah Providing Locally Grown Seasonal Produce to Share Purchasers"

http://www.lakelands.org/picture/july_09_lakelands_leader.pdf

Thanks to Jess for making this happen!

CSA- Share Details: #9

cucumber, zucchini, onion, red potatoes, green beans, beets, salad, lettuce, (leeks)

CSA Share Details- Week #7

Here is the line up for tonights boxes:
Beets w/ tops, carrots, herb, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, lettuce, salad, zucchini, fresh new potatoes, rhubarb ( the last til next year )

From the farmer: "This morning I noticed a lot of flowering on the eggplants – so we should have eggplants soon. We had a nice hot dry weekend – still working in the weeds that the rain brought in – any volunteers are welcome."

CSA- Share Details: Week #6

Note from the Farmer:
"PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE WEATHER HAS BEEN HORRENDOUS THIS YEAR – IT IS EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO PICK, WASH ,WEIGH & PACK YOUR BOXES ON TIME – WE WERE PICKING CHERRIES THIS MORNING AS WE WERE PUTTING THE BOXES ON THE TRUCK– IT HAS NOT BEEN PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO MAKE A LIST.

YOUR PATIENCE , COOPERATION & UNDERSTANDING ON THIS PROBLEM IS APPRECIATED AS WE GET BACK TO A REGULAR HARVEST SCHEDULE WE WILL BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE INFORMATION – AS WE HAVE IT.

WE ARE HOPING WE DO NOT HAVE ANY MORE TORNADOES, HAIL OR WRETCHED POURING RAINS OR HIGH WINDS. EACH YEAR HAS ITS CHALLENGES – THIS ONE HAS BEEN A WHOPPER."

**THE CHERRIES ARE COMPROMISED – PLEASE WASH & EAT THEM RIGHT AWAY – THEY WILL NOT HOLD IN THE FRIDGE


romain lettuce, garlic scapes, cherries, potato, salad mix, beets, oregano, snow peas, kale

CSA- Share Details: Week #5

Here's what to expect tonight...

BEETS, SNOW PEAS OR MAYBE SNAP OR HULL PEA , SALAD GARLIC SCAPES, HERB, COLLARDS OR KALE, STRAWBERRIES

From the Farmer, "THESE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE REALLY MAKING A CHALLENGE – WE COULD NOT PICK AS WE HAD STANDING WATER IN THE FIELDS -& EVERYTHING WAS WET."

[asparagus, garlic scapes, snow peas, strawberries, parsely, beets, red leaf lettuce, salad mix, spring onions]

CSA Share recap: Week #4

This week we have: Strawberries, rhubarb, beets, spring onions, mushrooms, kale, spinach, mint

Strawberries were a nice surprise this week. It must be summer!

Very much want to continue to thank former and upcoming volunteers. In the never ending quest to streamline our CSA, please begin to send any dates you know in advance that you will NOT be picking up your share. No worries...Manna Food Bank is thrilled to get these donations. However, in consideration of our volunteers' time, it would be helpful to know that they don't have to wait for shares that are not being picked-up.

CSA- Share Details: Week #3

Don't forget...regular pick up tonight. Here's what is in the box:

SCALLIONS, SPRING MIX, ROMAINE LETTUCE, ASPARAGUS, RADISHES, COLLARD GREENS, RHUBARB, OREGANO

We are already on the collard green recipes

One of the Farm's volunteers dropping off our shares