In this week’s box:
Carnival Squash Kabocha Squash Onions Celery Root Celery Leaves
Napa Cabbage Radishes Cauliflower Peppers Oregano
Tomatoes Potatoes Asian Greens Parsley Lettuce
Hello Farm Members!
What an odd weather week! Though we expect a couple of hot September days, this past weekend was more than we bargained for! The tomatoes and cauliflower loved it. The heat and rain really worked together to make some pokey things out in the garden mature much quicker. The lettuce and cabbage have struggled a bit with the heat, as have the farmers. 😊 The bugs have also been thriving in these wet, warm conditions. Frankly, we could use a frost to wipe them out! Our cauliflower and cabbage have definitely been damaged by the bug pressure, which you will likely notice. There is a lot of good produce there, just ignore or cut off the damaged parts. That’s what we do, and the eating is still good.
This past weekend we enjoyed an absolutely wonderful meal put on by our friends from Taher. A handful of very talented chefs were here to roast chickens over the fire pit, grill squash, make ice cream just as desert was served, and delight our senses with beautiful and delicious food. It’s really wonderful to see all of our produce and other local farmer’s produce highlighted in that way. But better than the food, was the community of people the farm dinner brought to the table. Thank you for coming if you were lucky enough to take part in it! If you didn’t get to come, I sincerely hope that next year you make it out for one. It is truly a one of a kind experience!
We are sad to say goodbye to the pigs this week. It’s always a sad day to see them go. However, we are thrilled that we got to share our farm with them for the season and we are blessed by the bounty they provide us as we fill our freezer. They also did a great job eliminating the Creeping Charlie we had in the woods and eating a lot of scraps from the vegetable washing and weeding. If you would like to get some pork from these pigs, please give our neighbor Dave Jensen a call. I believe he’s got a few pigs left to sell. Call Dave at: 612-685-0155
Also wrapping up this week is my 9 months of service on the Ground and Surface Water committee for St. Croix County. I was asked to serve on this committee that was put together by the County Board. We looked at lots of research and listened to a lot of experts as we tried to evaluate what the health of our ground water looks like and how we can improve it. These 2x a month meetings were never fun. Always informative and we learned that there is so much more that needs to be learned. As we worked to make recommendations to the County Board on ways to improve the quality of our ground water, I feel more strongly than ever that each and every one of us has to do our part. The fertilizer we may be putting on our lawns, the functionality of our septic systems, the type of agriculture we take part in- it all effects the ground water. We all share this valuable resource and Mike and I will continue to do the best we can to protect the ground water we share with you.
Sharon Overland was here Friday night with her pottery class. What a fun time! We had a great time making beautiful fairy luminaries! She’s a great teacher- even mine turned out! Check out the community ed. Book for more classes she is teaching- maybe I’ll see you there!
Phil’s Raspberries: $4 a pint. Let us know if you would like any.
Maple Syrup: $15 a quart, $8 a pint. Great for that winter squash and oatmeal 😊
Farm Sweet Farm Grass Fed Beef and organic Chicken: Heather is making a trip here towards the end of the week. If you’d like to order meat, contact her. www.farmsweetfarm.com
Free Beans!!
We have one last batch of beautiful green beans in the field. We are not going to put these into the boxes, but if you’d like to come out and pick all you want, please do! They are in the north field, near the large corn field. If you send me an e-mail letting me know you are coming I’ll make sure to be around to show you where the patch is.
Storage tips
Celery Root: Crisper drawer. Celery root is awesome! Peel the outer layer off. Dice and use in soups, stews or salads. Raw or cooked. Tastes like celery! Great steamed or roasted like potatoes and very low carb!
Lettuce and greens: salad spinner and covered bowl
Radishes: Remove leaves, and place those in the salad spinner/bowl with other greens. Radishes do great in the fridge in a bowl with a little water.
Cauliflower: Crisper drawer. Cauliflower bruises easily, (like an apple). Handle with care!
Peppers and cabbage- crisper drawer
All others- kitchen counter
Wild Rice Celeriac Pilaf
1 T. Olive oil
¾ cup diced celery root
¼ cup diced onion
1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
1 T. fresh parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
Salt and pepper
2 T. dried cranberries
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add celery root and onion; saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in wild rice, thyme, parsley and stocks. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and lower to a simmer. Cook until rice is nearly tender, 30-60 minutes. Stir in dried cranberries, cook until rice is tender, 5-15 minutes longer.
Chinese Cabbage Salad
5 cups Napa cabbage, chopped
¾ cup sliced or shredded radish
1 ½ cup chow mein noodles
1 cup crushed peanuts
¼ cup sesame seeds
2 T. rice vinegar
4 T. sesame oil
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. honey
½-1 tsp. dry mustard
Combine cabbage, radishes, chow mein noodles, peanuts and sesame seeds. Mix remaining ingredients. Toss with cabbage, using just enough dressing to suit your taste. Make 6-8 servings.
Silky Cauliflower Soup
1 head cauliflower
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
½ cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper
Chop Cauliflower. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not brown. Add cauliflower and stock. Boil, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. When soft, puree using an immersion blender. Add the parmesan and stir until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Have a great week! Happy Eating-
Your farmers, Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas lenz
Mike and Jody Lenz
Threshing Table Farm
www.threshingtablefarm.org
threshingtablefarm@gmail.com
715-248-7205