The Weekly Bushel #19, 2009, 2010 CSA sign up edition

LotFotL Community Farm
The Weekly Bushel #19
Sept 21, 2009
2009 Extended shares

Based on feedback we've gotten from you, as well as our impressions of how the fall will unfold, and after taking a tally of what's still to be harvested, we're expecting at least 2-4 additional shares worth of produce for the 2009 season. I have some wholesale markets for this produce, but would prefer to give you the option to keep getting shares beyond our allotted 24 week season. I'm uncomfortable in this first year of extension, with the idea of charging a flat rate for the entire extension project. So, here's what I propose: If you're interested in extended shares, make that known to us by Oct. 15th so we know how many interested parties there are. Depending on how much demand there is, we will lay out a delivery system to the same locations you've been getting shares all year, but may condense them down to all being on wednesday or saturday. We will sell boxes individually, instead of in one lump sum, for as many weeks as the winter allows. Price will be $30 per box. Once the end of the CSA season approaches, I'll ask for 1 week's notice for us to pack a share for you for the following week. Boxes will be of greater weight than what you've received typically in the fall, and will be geared to longer term storage. We will also provide some tips on how to easily store the produce we provide. Some of it will do just fine in basement or garage, some not.

So, let me know if you're interested in getting shares in November, so I can start focusing our wholesale efforts appropriately. Payment for boxes can be made week by week. I'll be sure to invoice every box that goes out, so we can both keep track appropriately.

Lastly, we now have the option of adding Local Industry bread to our extended shares, as a trial to doing so more consistently next year. The Farmer's bread is the same recipe used from what was Nokomis bakery. Real, european style loaves of sliceable braad, utilizing local ingredients. 1 loaf=$6, or 2 for $10. Again, I'll need one weeks' notice to make the bread share happen with the extended share.

Lots of info. Call or email if you need clarification.

thanks,
tim
262-951-0794

Rain! Ahh. Well only 8/10 of an inch, last night's sprinkles have been thoroughly enjoyed and much needed by the last seedbeds of 2009. We're poised to enter the home stretch of 2009 in good shape, with a good amount of variety still ahead. We've finalized some details on extended shares, and also have 2010 pricing and sign up ready to go. Exciting weeks ahead!

2010 share changes, and the beginning of sign-ups
In 2008, we offered 20 weeks of produce for $500. Our shares were pretty good, but a bit flat on variety, and not nearly as bountiful as they should have been, in our humble opinion. 2009 offered 24 weeks of produce for $600. While we were admittedly nervous about the spring side of shares, how to get in early enough, how to provide extensive variety when the ground has barely warmed, the spring was fine, and the shares appropriately abundant. The remainder of the year was very abundant, given less than ideal climate circumstances.

Confident, we stand, that we can etch our season out to 26 weeks in 2010 and still provide top notch shares for an affordable price. With that, our 2009 CSA season will be 26 weeks long! That's half a year of produce. A 2010 full share will cost $675, and an every other week share $400. 2010 marks the first season we will have to increase the cost per box of any of the shares we provide, though by less than $1 per box. This <$1 per box difference reflects itself not only in the advaned quality of the produce that ends up on your plate, but in the lifestyle of LotFotL employees, who work right through their clothes to get that produce to you, better market displays, and a younger more reliable delivery vehicle than our most elderly delivery van, all of which will serve to better our interactions.

For existing members, we will again offer an early sign up discount of $25! This is only available to existing LotFotL CSA members, and is only valid for those of you choosing to sign up by New Year's Day, 2010!

We are now taking worker share applications for 2010, or at least we will be this afternoon. As soon as I finish this email, I'll begin drafting several worker share documents, and start the process of seeing how many existing workers will seek another year of exchange. We will have other options for worker shares in 2010, including delivery shifts, 1/2 work, 1/2 pay shifts, and the possibility of another market for workers. More details to come. If interested in exchanging work for food in any capacity in 2010, keep me in the know.

As to the CSA itself, not any major shifts beyond extending the season are planned. We will grow our own sweet corn in 2010, continue to try to fill Beans and Barley's needs more deeply, and will likely continue to sell food to the masses at Brookfield and South Shore's farmer's markets, though in truth the last few weeks at both have been deeply disappointing from a sales perspective ;< We will cap our membership not far beyond 200 members in 2010, as any far greater swell of memberships may be too much infrastructurally for us to handle. Beef shares will become available again between mid june and mid july. Not sure that I'm quite confident yet in a fruit share, but I have lots of time to analyze how that went, and how it could go.

Lastly, and most exiciting of all to me, April, beekeeper of LotFotL, and the apple of my eye, will be living in East Troy next year. She and the bee's had a long talk about it, and decided that they miss her too much for her to be so far away. She'll still remain in charge of vast portions of Good Harvest Market in Waukesha, but may find herself more in the mix of things with LotFotL too. Plus, it's highly possible that her bee's will make some of the nectar of their continuos harvesting accessible to all of us next fall.

Lots of details here. Again, let me know what questions I've left you with. Thanks for standing behind a great season out here. Many more to come!

The Food!

Fall often brings with it a repetition of spring shares, but with a bit more bulk in the box from roots and squash. This year, while somewhat true, you should find a good amount of change week bye week. The tomatoes are clinging on, so we'll keep them rolling out to you for the next couple of weeks. New this week are some seriously spicy radishes, called white icycles. You may find d'avignon radishes instead, which are much more mild, and are half red, half white. Arugula also makes its return to shares this wednesday. Next week will see the return of potatoes, and also kohlrabi.

This week's share
leeks or baby leeks
tomatoes
cauliflower
parsley
salad
baby bok choy
radishes-white icycle or d'avignon
onions
eggplant
peppers
watermelon-moon and stars, sunshine, or sugar baby
arugula

Fixins

Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Arugula Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 medium sized eggplants, cut into 3/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cups red or yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups arugula
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

1.Preheat oven to broil. Place eggplant on a foil-lined broiler pan and brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil then drizzle lemon juice over slices. Broil eggplant for 8-10 minutes, turning once until tender and golden, then sprinkle wth cilantro.

2.In a medium sized skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil to medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, sugar, garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until softened but not mushy. Reduce heat to low.

3.Arrange eggplant on salad plates. Divide feta cheese and mound on each plate on top of eggplant. Divide tomatoes and place on top of feta cheese then top with arugula leaves.

4.In the skillet, under low heat, add the remaining oil and balsamic vinegar and heat through for 30 seconds. Drizzle dressing over each salad.
Source
Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Arugula from the Public Health Cookbook by the Seattle & King County Department of Public Health -- original source of recipe, public domain government resource

Spiked Watermelon pops

Ingredients

1/2 (3 pounds) large watermelon, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup watermelon flavored 70 proof vodka (recommended: Smirnoff Twist of Watermelon)* see Cook's Note
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Special equipment: 16 (1/4 cup) ice pop molds, 16 wooden pop sticks or wooden coffee stirrers at least 2-inches longer than the molds.

Directions

In a blender, combine the watermelon, sugar, and vodka. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Add the mint and pulse once to combine. Pour the mixture into the pop molds. Insert the wooden sticks all the way down the inside the molds. Freeze for at least 10 hours or preferably overnight.
To unfreeze the ice pops, insert the molds in hot water for 5 to 10 seconds. Serve immediately.
*Cook's Note: For nonalcoholic Watermelon Pops, substitute 3/4 cup orange juice for the vodka.

Leek & Cauliflower Soup

serves 6

Ingredients:

2 medium leeks, sliced into rounds and washed
1 medium sweet onion
olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
½ crown broccoli florets, optional
4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
salt and pepper
1 T butter

Method:

In a large saucepan, saute onion and leeks with a bit of olive oil, until they soften but do not brown. Add cauliflower, broccoli, and stock and cook, covered, until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. Take out 6 rounds of leeks and a few florets of cauliflower, set aside.
Puree the soup in batches in the blender, placing pureed soup in a bowl. When finished pureeing, add soup back to saucepan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm over a low heat.
Slice your reserved cauliflower florets thinly, so you get cute little shapes that look like trees. Add butter to a small frying pan. When melted, add cauliflower slices and brown in the butter on both sides, taking care not to burn. Remove from pan to a small plate. Do the same with the leek rounds.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the cauliflower trees and leek rounds.

Thanks for reading and happy eating!
Sincerely,

tim huth
LotFotL Community Farm
Save $25
All Existing CSA members, take $25 off a full or every other week CSA share in 2010 by renewing your membership by the end of 2009!

Offer Expires: 1/1/2010