Has your CSA started the season yet?
LotFotL Community Farm
The Weekly Bushel #1 | 5/10/2010
Welcome Members!
This week, your food adventure with LotFotL begins! We will spare no effort to ensure that the food we provide for you week by week is of the freshest character, is abundant, diverse, and always delicious. We will not hit the mark every week. Everyone eats differently, and has different expectations. Do not be shy with feedback, both affirming and constructively critical. We take that very seriously around here, and it helps us know what to change week by week. This is a co-creative endeavor: we need your efforts as much as you need ours to make our future as CSA farmer's as successful as it can be. If we all do our part, and if no serious weather catastrophe's limit us, I think you'll be happy that you made the decision to sign up this year, and our farm will be far better for having you.
When and where will your first share be?
For those of you who I confused with my last newsletter about delivery dates, thank you for letting me know this. The squeaky wheel does get the grease. I will try to make this schedule very clear. If you're still left not knowing when you will receive anything, please let me know, and we'll clear that up as well as we can.
The following delivery schedule is our very best guess of when we will be delivering to the following drop off sites. Our truck will leave the farm at 8am on Wednesday, the 12th of May. It is very likely that we will not be on time for some of the later deliveries, but again, we only have guesses and google maps projections to go on for the first couple of deliveries. If you show up, for example, at Fair trade for all exactly at 12:30, we may be a bit late. So, use these times as best guesses, but maybe plan to get there a little bit after this just in case. Make sense?
Michael Fields-w2493 county rd. ES, East Troy. 8am. Shares may be available before this. Shares will be stored in the walkin cooler, within the shed on the south side of the property. Any unrefrigerated items will be labeled and stored on the benches. Look for a stack of grey and blue containers with lotfotl labels.
Good Harvest-1850 meadow lane, pewaukee, wi. We should be to good harvest by 9am. you will have until 8pm to pick up your shares. Shares will be placed near the front windows, behind the registers, near the community roomWCTC-Pewaukee-10am. Shares will be left in the dock door of the culinary department.
Cafe Manna-3815 n. brookfield rd. 11am. you will have until 8pm to pick up your shares. Shares will be stored either upstairs, or in the hallway of the door next to the restaurant. Check in with the folks at Cafe manna for instructions. They get pretty busy from 11:30-2pm, so try if possible to pick up outside of this time.
Fair trade for all LLC-8730 W. North ave-12:30. Shares will be kept in the basement. Gail has offered to assist you in picking up, so stop in and let her know you're there to get your share
Lake Park Synagogue-3207 N. Hackett. 1pm. Shares will be left on the front porch. You will have all evening to pick up.
Anodyne Coffee roasting company-2920 South Kinnickinnic ave. 3pm. Shares will be stored against the roasting wall inside.
Muskego-W175S7473 Park Dr. 4pm. Shares will be left in Beth Schmitt's garage. Please pick up before 8pm if possible. if later, please be discreet
Who is getting a share on May 12th?
All Full shares
All every other week members with pick ups at Lake Park Synagogue, Anodyne coffee roasting company, and Fair Trade for AllAll Worker shares
Everyone else will receive their first share on May 19th.
BREAD-The breadshare has been cancelled by the baker. We were not able to garner enough interest for him to be able to bake bread for us. If you signed up for bread, and I have not gotten back to you yet, please let me know so I can get you on my reimbursement docket.
EGGS-Some full shares get eggs every week, some every other week. Some every other week produce members get eggs weekly. This is tough to plan for, but we think we've come up with a good solution. So, you will get eggs this week if you:
Are a full share member in the CSA, getting eggs weekly or biweekly
OR
you are an every other week produce member with a pick up location at Lake Park Synagogue, Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company or Fair trade for all
OR
you are a worker share with an egg order
All every other week egg and produce members in Waukesha, Brookfield, Muskego, or East Troy will received eggs on May 19th.
Chickens
I'm awaiting inspection in order to legally be able to distribute chickens. I'll be inspected on the 20th of May, and should be able to distribute your first chickens the week after this. I will keep you informed once the first chickens become available.
Beef
we do have beef available currently, and will be delivering it to those of you that have pre-ordered and requested spring beef in the coming weeks. Thanks for your patience on this front. John, the main producer, is back in town, and we're getting some details in order to make this happen.
Who is Farmer Tim?
In at least every other newsletter, you will find one sometimes small, sometimes lengthy section, filled with me basically spilling whatever it is that is stuck in my head over the past couple of days. This becomes my pulpit to an extent I guess. Part of my reason to want to distribute produce through a collective endeavor like a CSA is to force me to not only journal, but share my experiences as a new farmer, in an every changing world. It sometimes strays from this a bit, into my concerns and hopes, my frivolous little stories, or sometimes my deepest thoughts. I try to keep it funny, as insightful as possible, and fun to read. I don't get political, and sometimes, I'm just babbling. I hope that you can find some value in these stories and questions. We're all on a path on this earth, and stories for centuries have helped mankind figure out how to be, how to live right, and how to enjoy some of the sufferings of life. You're welcome to skip right over this section. It will never contain day to day details about what's in the csa box. But if you take the time, every so often to read through it, I think you'll at least understand better what's involved in getting your food to you, what life for me is like in this context, and maybe will view your day to day a bit differently from time to time. We can't all get together for a campfire, or a weekend outing, and get to know each other as I'd hope we could. This is my attempt to put myself out there, just in case you're interested.
What's in the Box?
All right, down to business we get. Greens predominate our first share. In fact, spinach, arugula, and other greens, are some of the only viable crops to grow in the spring time. Greens not only withstand frost, but thrive in a little bit of it, and have enhanced flavor profiles with every 30 degree day. As the weather warms and the weeks flow bye, we'll get out of greens season, though we'll always have some around.
You will notice some small holes in some of our arugula and baby bok choy leaves. These are indicators of flea beetles, very small black beetles, that feed in patches this way. We typically can prevent these by covering the greens, and did so for most of the early season. The warm days we've been having though have made the row cover a threat to the vitality of these crops. The prospects of no crop at all have made us allow for the beetles. The holes cause no harm to you, but you won't find them in grocery stores. Large producers would either throw away the whole crop or insecticide to death everything living in the proximity to keep the holes out. That's something I'm not willing to do. Hopefully you'll understand why.
Next week, expect new crop radishes, chives, and possibly some salad mix, in addition to more of the following, this week's share:
Spinach-for last year's members, we're upping our bagged greens portions this year. Hopefully we won't overwhelm you.
Arugula-spicey, somewhat pungent leafy green, great raw, looses some of its gusto if steamed
Overwintered roots-we ended up with a bit less carrots and salsify than I thought we'd get. Still, these smaller bunches and bags of roots are a blessing from last year's crops. Not our sweetest carrots of the year, but still very nice roasted or in stew. The different colors are from different breeds. Carrots actually stared white, and were gradually bred to become the orange we're accustomed to, if I remember correctly, by a Queen of England.
Bok Choy-this asian brassica(cabbage family) is super versatile. Baby bok choy is one of my very favorite snacks in the field, and is great raw, steamed, or stir fried.
Asparagus-this perennial crop will be with us for the first month or so of the season.
Nettle-WARNING-It will sting. Use tongs in handling, and scald before eating!Stinging nettle has been a staple crop of the tibetan and nepalese people for millenia. The stinging quality has been used by people with arthritis to give relief from pain. The greens are very high in iron. Nettle tea is supposed to be a remarkable liver tonic. Best yet, this plant sets leaves very early in the year, and makes not only a most delicious tea, but is great in many other cooked dishes.
Sorrel-We may not have enough sorrel for everyone. If that turns out to be the case, you will either get sorrel or baby leeks. Sorrel has a flavor that always instantly makes me say Granny Smith Apples. Tart and sour, but really good. Recipe's follow.
Herbs-you'll either get a small sprig or bunch of chives, thyme, or sage. These will get bigger, and we'll end up with better variety. For now, enjoy these overwintered herbs.
Plants: Cherry Tomato: We do not grow cherry tomatoes, simply because they are too labor intensive, and because cherry tomatoes are better grown in a pot at your house. So, we're supplying you with one Golden Nugget Yellow cherry tomato plant. These are prolific, and can be grown either in a planter or pot, or placed right in the ground in your garden. I'd wait a week or two before putting them outside. Be sure when planting to plant them deep, all the way up to the lowest set of leaves, with plenty of water. Some home gardeners plant a penny with their tomatoes, so some copper releases into the plant. Try that if you will.
Rosemary plant-we're also supplying you with a small rosemary plant. Give this one plenty of shade, and if it grows too large, pot it up into a bigger pot, or plant it outside. You'll need to cover it for winter if you wish for it to come back next year.
Fixins
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/spinach-salad-with-warm-bacon-dressing-recipe/index.html
If using bacon, I'd strongly recommend you spend the extra $1 for Nueske's Bacon. They are local, and though not organic, the quality is outstanding!
Ingredients
8 ounces young spinach2 large eggs8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped3 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 teaspoon sugar1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustardKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper4 large white mushrooms, sliced3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced
Directions
Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Place the eggs into an electric kettle and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Turn the kettle on. Once the water comes to a boil, the kettle will turn itself off. Leave the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Remove and peel off the shell. Slice each egg into 8 pieces and set aside.
While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.
Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.
Sorrel Soup
http://www.jacquesandcompany.com/sorrel_soup.htm
Makes 4 servings
2 cups fresh sorrel leaves
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and 1" dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
6 cups water
2 whole eggs
Wash and remove the stems from the sorrel leaves. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot, add the sorrel leaves and potato. Stir until the leaves are wilted. Add the water and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
Puree the soup with a hand-held mixer or in a food processor until smooth. Add the cream, salt and pepper to taste and bring back to simmer.
The soup could be enjoyed as is, but I personally love this soup with the addition of the eggs lightly scrambled with a fork and added to the soup just before serving. This will make the soup richer and more
Note: Sorrel can be easily grown in any garden, and regrows rapidly after cutting. Sorrel is also wonderful in sauces for fish dishes.
Wine Suggestion: A great Riesling.
Stir Fried Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/stir-fried-bok-choy-with-ginger-and-garlic-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
<showlist_icon.gif>2 cloves garlic, minced1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger8 cups chopped fresh bok choy2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauceSalt and ground black pepper
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and soy sauce cook 3 to 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stalks are crisp-tender. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
Thanks for reading and Happy Eating!
