Farm Newsletter, July 8th, Week 6
Farm News:
We’re in the news! Most of you have commented on seeing us in the Wausau Daily Herald this Monday. If you haven’t seen it, check us out! Although they didn’t quite get all the details straight, we are very tickled with the coverage.
We had a nice week on the farm. Some warm days turned a few of our tomatoes ripe and the zucchini has taken off. We also got a few shiitake mushrooms off of logs that we inoculated about 15 months ago. After countless days crawling around under a low tarp and coming up empty handed, we hope the payoff keeps coming. Between the mushroom bloom and the tomatoes ripening we were put in a bit of a pickle… not enough of either to share with the CSA! We decided to split the goodies rather than wait until we had enough for everyone (which may never happen with the mushrooms). I know some of you may be disappointed to get one over the other but we promise to do our best to even it out in the coming weeks.
July 8th, Week 6
Announcements!
- We are processing our chicken this week. If you have preordered, don’t forget to pick up at Stoney Acres Pizza Night on Friday or at the Wausau Farmer’s Market on Saturday!
- If you have not preordered chicken but are interested, we will have another batch ready at the end of September-ish. The last batch was sold out before the chicks even arrived so get your order in quickly!
- Some of you might not know that we are expecting our second child in a few weeks! We are doing our best to be sure that the farm keeps running without a hitch, but the unforeseeable is unforeseeable and we would appreciate your understanding if something comes up.
In your box this week…
3 Types of Head Lettuces
Chard
Beets
Sugar Snap Peas
Cilantro
Garlic Scapes
Tomatoes or Mushrooms
Clockwise from top: Romaine, Red Leaf and Green Leaf Lettuces, Beets, Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms or ripe tomatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, Cilantro, Rainbow Swiss Chard and Garlic Scapes (in the center). Enjoy!
Weekly Serving Suggestions:
Head Lettuces– Nice big leaves work well for sandwiches or wraps. Chop across the vein for salad. Try a lettuce wrap with tuna or egg-salad, just wrap it in a nice leaf or two and use the lettuce instead of a tortilla.
Beets– Beets are delicious, try par-boiling or roasting then eating with cottage cheese and pepper. Great in egg dishes and soups. Also good in stir-fries.
Mushrooms– Mushrooms are a wonderful way to add flavor and nutrition to almost any dish. The oysters we’ve been getting are more tender and mild than the shiitakes. If using a mix in the same dish, add the shiitakes a few minutes before so they will be done at the same time. Shiitakes are the preferred mushroom for many Oriental dishes, but will work well in place of any mushroom really. Both keep best in a paper bag within your crisper drawer.
Tomatoes- these are the first cherry tomatoes and a few other varieties from our hoop-house. The yellowy-orange Sungold variety are favorite of many. I like to just eat these first ones raw in their peak ripeness. Don’t store in the refrigerator. Once refrigerated, tomatoes will never have the fresh taste and texture again. They’ll keep for days on the counter out of direct sunlight
Sugar Snap Peas– with an edible pod, these lovely little treats are a perfect snack. Snap off the top (little hat) and peel down the concave side, then it’s ready to eat. Chop into ½” rounds and use in place of frozen or canned peas in any recipe.
Cilantro– Fresh cilantro will add a bright refreshing taste to many dishes. Especially good in Mexican and Peruvian dishes, Cilantro keeps well in a glass with water in the fridge
Garlic Scapes– add a fresh garlic flavor to any dish, chop fine and add in place of garlic at or near the end of cooking. Scapes will keep a long time in the fridge or out. Save some to add to next weeks for a larger batch of scape pesto (recipe on our website).
Rainbow Swiss Chard– loves to be cooked and can irritate your mouth when raw. If you want it to taste fresh, just blanch or steam t for a minute to soften it and “disarm” it. Store it by chopping leaves and blanching for a few minutes then rinse in cold water and drain before freezing them in a freezer bag. Check out the recipe of the week.
Best guess for next week…
-Baby Lettuce
-Carrots
-Zucchini
-Peas
-Garlic Scapes
-Cherry Tomatoes
-Fennel
Recipe of the week…
Micah’s Yummy Chard Pie:
(From Asparagus to Zucchini, recommended by Marilyn a worker-share member)
- 2 Tbs Oil (Olive, sunflower, canola)
- 1 ½ Cups chopped Onions
- Several chopped Garlic Scapes
- 1 large bunch Chard or other leafy greens (beet tops, broccoli and kohlrabi greens, spinach, kale, collards and more)
- 6-8 eggs
- 2 Cups milk or half and half
- 1 tsp Salt (and pepper to taste)
- 2 eight-inch pie shells (Downtown Grocery sells whole-wheat organic pie crusts, ready to use)
- 2 cups grated cheese (cheddar or Swiss work well)
- Chopped mushrooms (pre-cooked) ham, bacon, tomatoes, basil, peas, green beans, fennel, celery and more (optional)
- 2 Tbs Dill, parsley, or cilantro
Heat oven to 400 F. Heat oil. Stir in onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 2-4 mins over medium heat until tender. Add chopped greens and cook stirring often until they wilt. Remove from heat. Beat eggs, milk and salt in a bowl. Spread chard mixture into bottom of pie shells. Add cheese. Pour egg mix over top. Add one or more of the optional ingredients, if desired. Sprinkle on lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve over cooked rice (if desired). Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Bake at 400 on center or low-middle rack until no longer jiggly in middle (30-40 mins).