In this Week’s Box:

Baby Potatoes                 Cabbage                         Dill                       Parsley                               Summer Squash

Cucumbers                     Onions                                    Fennel                  Beets                          Lettuce

Hello!

This week’s box has lots of new items in it.  We’re excited that the cucumbers are making such a strong showing. We definitely got the cucumber plants into the ground much later than we would have liked. At the time, we were struggling with a very dry stretch of weather. We couldn’t put the cucumbers out unless we were going to be able to irrigate immediately after. Our irrigation system can only water a couple of rows at a time and everything needed it badly, so we kept putting off planting the cucumbers. Obviously, we did get them in. Since then we’ve had plenty of rain and humidity, so they all caught up quickly. We should have them in the boxes for at least a month.

We are extra busy with the county fair this week. Wed. is regular judging day, with the kids bringing a variety of projects to the fair to be judged. Thursday, the cattle are moved into the fair barn and Saturday is the dairy show.  Claudia and Malcolm will also be busy volunteering to run activities and help out in the 4-H food booth over the course of the fair. Stop out in Glennwood City for the fair if you get a chance. Claudia and her calves can be found in the dairy barn under “Riverside 4-H”.  Look for the sign. (As well as the words,
“There’s no place like the Barn!”)

Monday, I had a quarterly Land Stewardship Project Board meeting. At this meeting, I was named Chair of the Board. It’s an honor to be given the opportunity to chair the board and help to guide an amazing organization that works hard to put more farmers on the land, while fighting for healthy soil and water, rural communities, racial justice and more.  If you want to learn more about LSP, please go to their website:  www.landstewardshipproject.org or ask me! (Jody)  LSP is how Mike and I got started farming. We took their Farm Beginnings Class and the rest is history. LSP is for farmers and anyone who supports strong, healthy, communities.

The garlic is harvested! That was a big job that my employees worked at very diligently while I was at my LSP meeting. It’s all been pulled and is now drying in the greenhouse. We’ve had to put a shade cloth over the greenhouse to keep the sun off of the garlic. If there were any vampires in the area, they definitely didn’t come near my employees! After pulling garlic all day, they all smelled quite strong of garlic!  🙂 We’ll start putting it in the box in a few weeks after it has cured.

The potatoes are ready!!! These baby reds are amazing! Such a treat! We do not wash them as the skins come off too easily. Wash them just before you use them. We put them in a plastic bag, just to make sure that the mud from the potatoes does not transfer to your other veggies.  As we move into more mature varieties, we will be washing them before we send them.

Storage tips:

Fennel: Snip off the green fronds and store separately from the bulb. Fronds should be put in a plastic bag and the bulb can go in the crisper drawer.

Dill: Glass of water on the counter or refrigerator.

Potatoes: Open bag and leave on counter in dark place until you will use them. Use them soon!

Lettuce: This is an oak leaf lettuce, as you’ll notice, the leaves have a similar shape to oak leaves.  Store as you would any other lettuce, preferably in a covered bowl or plastic bag.

Everything else, Crisper drawer!

Cucumber Salad

3-4 medium cucumbers

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion rrings

1/2 T. celery seed

1/2 T. chopped dill

1 tsp. salt

1 c. vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

Wash cucumbers, slice thinly. Do not peel. Combine with onions and seasonings. Mix together vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumber mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

Warm Fennel, Cabbage and Pear Salad

2 firm, medium pears

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and thinly sliced

4 cups shredded or thinly sliced cabbage

1/4 cup water

3 tblsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3/4 cup fresh goat cheese (Or cheese of your choice.)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Peel, core and slice pears.

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat.  Add fennel and sauté until crisp – tender, 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage and toss with fennel. Cook until both are tender, 2-3 minutes longer.  Add sliced pears, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper to skillet, gently combining ingredients. Cook until all liquids are absorbed, 6-8 minutes.

Remove from heat. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with cheese and walnuts. Serve warm or at room temp.

Zucchini Pancakes

3 cups shredded zucchini or summer squash

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 T. olive oil

Put shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Use hands to press out as much water from zucchini as you can. Stir and repeat.

Put zucchini in a bowl with eggs, flour, cheese and onions. Mix well.

Make like pancakes. Batter may be thick. Spread into circles as needed.

Cook about 5 minutes per side, until deep, golden brown.

Serve with sour cream and dill.

Happy Eating!
Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz

July 12th, 2018

5A

Hello Farm Members!

In this week’s box:

Green Beans                                Lettuce                            Swiss Chard                         Peas

Onions                                         Dill                                    Cilantro                                 Zucchini/Summer Squash

Broccoli

We are happy to see the summer squash and zucchini make their way into the boxes this week.  They are such a staple of summer salads, veggie kabobs and desserts. They will be around for awhile, so start looking for great recipes to use them in. A little info. about summer squash and zucchini:  Zucchini is a type of summer squash. We generally think of zucchini as green and summer squash as yellow. However, we grow a zucchini that is yellow and some of our other summer squash are green. Summer squash and zucchini can be used interchangeably in recipes. If we list summer squash on the newsletter, you can count on several varieties being in the box.  Enjoy!

The county fair is only a week away! That always adds a little extra excitement to our days. Make plans to stop by the fair in Glennwood city and see all the fun! Claudia will be happy to introduce you to her 3 heifer calves.

Things are turning a corner in the fields. Next week we should see baby potatoes (At last!). Fennel is sizing up, the cucumber plants are blossoming. Cabbage is not far off, and lots more!  Sadly, this is the last week of peas, but all good things must come to an end. We are looking forward to lots of green beans over the rest of the summer.

One of my beehives swarmed last week. I re-hived it and things are looking good. I don’t know yet if any of my hives will produce extra honey, but I’m hoping.

One of our hens nested in a baler that was being stored in our shed. She was sitting on 7 eggs the past few weeks. It takes 28 days of sitting for chicks to hatch.  Unfortunately, our neighbor needed the baler to bale they hay he cut. She and her eggs had to be moved. We moved them to a cozy spot nearby, but after an hour, it was clear that she was not going to go back to her eggs. Luckily, I had another hen sitting on eggs, so I set these under her. She settled then in with her others. We’ll see if we get any chicks after all of this. I don’t depend on these chicks for my flock, but if a hen wants to set on the eggs, it’s nice to let them once in a while. We love seeing the little ones wandering the farm. We’ll keep you posted!

Save the Date!!

September 7th. Pack Shed Party!   Pot luck, music by Gravel Road- All are invited!! More info to come!

Storage

Peas and Green Beans: Plastic bag in refrigerator

Lettuce: Covered container or bag in refrigerator

Broccoli and Swiss Chard: Plastic bag in refrigerator.  We have been battling cabbage worms. They love broccoli too. Keep an eye out for the buggers when you are cutting up your broccoli. My old neighbor Bernie used to tell me, “That’s just a little extra protein!” But I’m happier without it!

Onions and Summer Squash: Crisper drawer

Herbs: Covered jar in refrigerator.

Skillet Macaroni with Swiss Chard

1 T. olive oil

1 bunch Swiss Chard Leaves

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

12 oz. elbow macaroni noodles

2 c. water or beef broth

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Add the olive oil to a large, deep, skillet.  Sauté the Swiss Chard for 2-3 minutes, until soft and bright green.  Stir in the spaghetti  sauce and seasonings. Stir in 2 cups of broth and pasta. Gently combine and add more water until the noodles are all under the liquid.

Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.  Stir once.

Once the pasta is al dente, remove skillet from heat. Let sit uncovered for a few minutes to thicken sauce as needed. Toss in the the Parmesan Cheese and stir. Serve hot.

Squash and onions with brown sugar

2 medium summer squash

1 medium onion

2 T. butter

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 Tblsp. brown sugar

Slice squash into 1/2 inch rounds. Melt butter in sauce pan. Add onions and cook 4-5 minutes. Add squash, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes until squash is very soft.

Remove cover and cook 8 minutes, to evaporate the juices.When only a glaze is left, season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

1  cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. shredded zucchini

Mix all together well. Bake in greased 9X13 pan. 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Happy Eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz

Happy Birthday America!!

In this week’s Box:

Broccoli            Lettuce                  Peas                       Strawberries                           Kale

Kohlrabi           Garlic Scapes        Fresh onion            Savory                                    Cilantro

We hope you are enjoying your day and maybe even a long weekend.  I am writing this to the background of fireworks. We live in a magical place around the 4th of July. The skies light up on all sides of us for the week of the 4th. It’s fun to see the sunsets give way to the splashes of color.

July is an important month for us. It’s the month of the St. Croix County Fair. We are counting down the days! Claudia is a flurry of activity as she puts the final touches on her numerous fair projects and works daily with her show calves. Jonas is eyeing up the vegetables to see what he will choose to bring and is dusting off the Lego projects he built some time ago for the fair. Malcolm on the other hand, is thinking about what he might want to take to the fair. Procrastination and working under last minute pressure seem to be his theme.

Saturdays on the Farm! starts in July. July – October we open the farm up on Saturday mornings to the public. It’s a chance for people to stop out, spend some time on the farm and purchase extra produce, farmer’s market style. If you are in need of extra produce or know friends who would like to get some, send them our way. Saturdays, 8am – 1pm.

July is also the center of the farming season. We’ve been farming (hands in the dirt) for 4 months. We have about 4 more months before the season ends. So much is ripening and flavors are abounding! It’s a really exciting time on the farm! It’s also exhausting. Weeding, watering, planting, harvesting. Sun up until sun-down. With headlights and head lamps, we can even do it after dark!   Much of the weeding and planting goes away in August, so we know we just have to push through this.

This week is the last of the strawberries. We’re thrilled that we were able to get you 3 weeks after we thought we’d have none. The picking was harder this week, smaller and fewer berries to pick from. However, they are super sweet. The pea picking went better this week than last. We were able to get a little more this week. There are more out in the field, maturing each day. If you would like to come out and pick peas for yourself, for free- come on over! Bring the kids! It’s a great time and everyone leaves with full stomachs and maybe even a few make it into the bag to take home.  Picking is easy! Ask our dog Tess. She loves to stop by the peas every chance she gets to just eat right off the vines. We were mighty entertained by her as we picked.  When she’s not picking peas, she’s sniffing out birds, chasing after butterflies, moths and her mom, June.  Next week we will move into green bean picking. I wonder if she’ll like those as much as peas.

Storage

Broccoli – plastic bag in fridge

Lettuce- plastic bag or covered container in fridge

Peas- plastic bag in fridge

Strawberries- Crisper drawer

Kale- Plastic bag in fridge

Kohlrabi- Crisper drawer.  (I love to eat this raw! Just peel and cut into chunks, like an apple.)

Garlic Scapes- Crisper drawer.  Do you have too many from the past weeks? Chop and freeze for winter cooking. You’ll be glad you did!

Fresh Onion- Crisper drawer

Savory- Covered jar in refrigerator or hang to dry. Savory is great on all types of meat and veggies

Cilantro: Covered jar in refrigerator.

Sautéed Kale and Kohlrabi

1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled

1/2 tsp. grated lime zest

2 T. fresh lime juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch kale, stems and center ribs discarded

1 scape, chopped

1/3 cup salted roasted pistachios, chopped

Very thinly slice kohlrabi. Whisk together lime zest, juice, 2 tbsps.. oil and 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Toss kohlrabi with dressing.

Finely chop kale. Heat remaining 2 Tbsps.. oil over med. high heat. Sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale by the handful, turning an stirring. When all kale is wilted, saute with salt until tender. (about 3 minutes.) Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temp. Toss kale with kohlrabi and pistachios.

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 cups of hot cooked rice ( long grain recommended, since it does not come out mushy)
2 small limes ( or 1 large lime)
1 lime, zest of ( all of one lime)
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt ( to taste)

Once your rice is cooked fluff with fork.
Add lime juice, zest, cilantro and salt.
Stir well.
Serve warm.
Enjoy.

Happy 4th of July!

Your farmers,

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz

Strawberries                           Lettuce                           Turnips and Turnip greens                  Radishes                                 Garlic Scapes

Basil                                      Beets w/greens                Spinach                                              Chives

Welcome “B” members! This is your first week to pick up your share. Please remember to bring a container to put your produce in at your pick up site. Please leave the white farm boxes at the pick up site.

If you are a half share, you will notice that we send the newsletter out to you on  your “off” week. This is to make sure that you get the info and recipes, so that you don’t miss out on anything. Please read each week, even if you only get your veggies every other week. Thank you!

Rain, Rain, Go Away…. Okay, I know… last week I said  it was too dry. This week it is too wet. Hopefully next week, things will even out.  The heat and humidity has been really hard on our greens. We have several plantings of lettuce that are rotting in the field. Our spinach took a hit from the heat we had in May. Now that it’s finally grown out of that damage, it’s starting to bolt from the heat from the last few days. Our first planting of broccoli is also a loss, as it too has bolted from the heat.  But… On the plus side… We have strawberries!!! Demulling’s had thought they would have a complete loss due to winter kill, but once again, Mother nature surprised us. They are not open for picking for the public, but they do have enough for us to come and pick for the boxes. We keep bees on their farm to pollinate the berries and in exchange, we get to pick berries for our CSA Shares. It is good to know people! Especially farmers!

We are getting ready for the Taher Farm dinner this Saturday. It always helps to have those special occasions to polish up the farm a bit.  Hopefully I can get to the flowerbeds before the dinner.  The weeds have really loved this rain. If you still want to come to the dinner, send me an e-mail. We might have a few last minute tickets available.

It was a bit quieter around the farm this week. Claudia was gone to 4-H camp as a counselor and Jonas went as a camper. Lots of fun stories and camp songs will surely come home with them. Malcolm has been spending his week taking the Tractor safety program. He will be an expert tractor driver by the end of the week.  We’ll be able to put him to work right away. 🙂

Now that we are harvesting produce pretty steadily, the pigs are enjoying scraps being thrown to them often. We love bringing them treats of lettuce, beet greens and more. What is not good for us is great for them.  They are warming up to us now that we bring them food. Next time you are at the farm, ask if we have any scraps to bring them. Everyone loves to feed the pigs!

Storage Tips:

Strawberries: Refrigerator. Do not wash until you are ready to eat.

Lettuce, turnip greens, radish greens, beet greens, spinach: Covered container or plastic bag

Turnips- produce drawer of fridge

Radishes: Remove from greens, place in plastic bag or covered container with a little bit of water

Garlic Scapes: Produce drawer

Basil: I’ve had good luck putting mine in with the lettuce in the refrigerator

Beets: Remove tops from bottoms. Place root in produce drawer.  Greens with lettuce.  Use beet greens as a substitute for Swiss Chard in recipes.

Chives: Plastic bag or covered container in refrigerator

****If your greens are wilty, submerge them in ice cold water for 10 minutes and then place in plastic bag in refrigerator.

Turnips, Greens and Raisins

2 T. butter, divided

2 tsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 bunch spring turnips and greens

1/2 cup raisins

salt

12oz cooked pasta of your choice, cooled. (optional)

Heat 1 Tblsp. butter and olive oil in skillet.  Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they become soft, about 5 minutes. Chop turnip roots into 1 inch “dice” pieces. Roughly chop turnip leaves. When onions are soft, add root pieces to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and cover. Simmer until turnips are tender, about 8 minutes. Uncover, turn heat up to Med-high and cook until edges of turnips turn light brown. Stir occasionally.  Add chopped greens and raisins and cook until the greens are wilted and tender, another 3-4 minutes. Add remaining 1 T. butter and salt to taste. Eat as is or add pasta and toss.

Roasted Beet Salad

1 bunch beets, scrubbed and tops trimmed to 1 inch

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup pecans

1 T. Dijon mustard

4 T. white wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cups torn salad greens

1/2 small onion, sliced

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Drizzle beets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap beets in foil. Roast until tender.  Toast pecans in dry pan. Chop nuts fine. When beets are cooled a bit, remove skins. Cut beets into quarters.Combine mustard and vinegar. Whisk in olive oil until thickened. Add salt and pepper.  Toss all ingredients together and serve with dressing.

Have a great week and enjoy your veggies!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz

Hello Threshing Table Farm Members!!!

We are SO excited to be starting the season!!

THANK YOU for being a part of our farm community!

In your box this week…

Rhubarb                                      Baby Swiss Chard                                          Lettuce                            Chives

Garlic Scapes                              Basil                                                               Radishes

Around the Farm

With the late spring snow, we were sure we were going to be in for a late start on the CSA boxes. Then we were sure we were in for a hot, dry summer with the long absence of rain. Since neither of these things have proven to be true (yet), we are now certain that we are not going to be certain about weather related things!  It’s what makes farming so fun. 🙂

We are in full “Summer” on the farm. The kids are home from school and spending time helping on the farm as well as practicing for dairy shows, learning how to play the trombone, getting extra time with grandparents and enjoying “no homework”.   We are spending late nights in the field, early mornings catching up on housework (and falling further behind!) and enjoying every moment in between. We are planting in the greenhouse, transplanting to the field and weeding, weeding, weeding. Our fabulous employees and work share members are becoming a well-oiled machine, once again.  Now with adding harvest and delivery to the schedule, it’s nice to see all the work take the shape of beautiful veggies.

We had a scare a few weeks ago with our horse Chumley. At 34, a case of colic could be the end of him. He pulled through after a couple of stressful days and is doing well. You’ll see him “mowing'” the grass around the farm. The chickens are finding that every shed is more fun to lay eggs in than the coop. Jonas’ daily job is to go and search for the eggs. It’s always an adventure!

Eggs are available for purchase on the farm. They are in the walk-in cooler and it’s first come, first serve. If we have eggs, you can take them home. $3.50 a dozen and you can put your cash or check in the “egg $” bucket on the table near the cooler.

Housekeeping items

Please leave your white produce boxes at your pick up site.  Thank you!!

We wash most of the produce before it leaves our farm. However, we cannot do as good of a job at cleaning produce as you can in your own kitchen. Please wash before you use it. If you don’t have a spinner for washing greens, now would be a great time to get one.

Please be extra kind to your pick up sites! We couldn’t do this without their cooperation and generous hospitality. If you cannot get your box, try to let us know ahead of time. We can hold it at the farm for you to get later or donate it to the local food pantry. You can also have a friend pick up your box. If you cannot get to your pick up site to get your box on delivery day, and you do not communicate with your pickup site about other arrangements, your box will be donated to someone who can use it.

In the box

We are extra excited to have rhubarb in this box! This has been something we’ve been working at for many years. One of our members, Ruth Hilfiker gave me a  plant from her yard. I planted it and divided it over the years and this year I have enough to share!       I’ve added   a family favorite rhubarb recipe at the end of the newsletter that you may like to try.

The basil we are sending are just small cuttings. We trim the tops of the basil plants to encourage them to branch out more. These first cuttings are tiny but smell and taste like summer!

For those of you that don’t know, Garlic Scapes are the long skinny green objects in the box. They are an attempt by our garlic plants to put out seed. We harvest them to encourage more energy being put towards the garlic bulbs that are still sizing up. We also harvest them because they are delicious!! Chop them up and use them raw in salads, saute in your favorite dishes or blend into sauces and dressings. You can really use them anywhere you would use regular garlic.

Storage

Basil- does not like to be below 40.  Keep it on your counter and use as soon as possible. Use cut up in salads, on sandwiches or in your favorite hot dish.

Chard, lettuce – Wash, spin and keep in fridge in covered bowl or plastic bag.

Scapes – put in crisper drawer

Rhubarb- in fridge

Radishes- Cut the greens from the roots. Greens can be stored like any salad green. Use it chopped in salads for a spicy addition. Roots can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Chives: Place in a covered, glass jar in the refrigerator

Rhubarb Kuchen

Crust:

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 T. butter

1/4 tsp. salt

one  slightly beaten egg

2 T. milk

Mix first 4 ingredients. Add egg and milk. Press mixture into 8×8 pan. Apply flour to your hands and stretch it out. It will take you a few minutes to cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Top crust with:

1lb chopped rhubarb

1 3oz package of strawberry jello  (sprinkled over rhubarb)

And cover with a mixture of:

1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Best eaten when chilled. (Though I’ve been known to eat it warm with a spoon!)

Roasted Rhubarb

Chop rhubarb and place on cookie sheet. Drizzle with honey. Roast in 350 oven for 10-15 minutes. Cool and toss with salad.

Herb Aioli

2 T. Olive Oil

3 T. lemon juice

1 garlic scape

1 T. chopped chives

Several Basil leaves

Blend in blender until smooth. Mix in an equal amount of Mayo. Salt and Pepper to taste.  Use as a dressing of torn lettuce and Swiss Chard.