July 9, 2015

What’s in this week’s box??

* Healthy Farm Kids

Radishes Broccoli Summer squash/zucchini

Green Lettuce peas Red Lettuce Arugula

Strawberries beets Green Beans

Hi!

Wow! What a rain. Monday brought us over 3 inches of rain and very little field work could be done. We knew the weather was coming, so we worked as much as we could over the weekend. We took a few hours off to enjoy a campfire and fireworks with friends on the 4^th, but we were back at it early Sunday morning. I was pulling weeds as darkness fell on Sunday night and the mosquitoes were about to carry me away. It’s hard to not be in the fields when it’s pouring rain, but nice to have to stay inside and get some much needed housework done. I spent the day preparing strawberries for our freezer, Mike took Claudia to Fleet Farm and Stockman’s for show gear for the county fair. ( A shopping trip of his dreams!) and Mike’s dad and step-mom came for a visit and to take us to lunch. Not a bad rain day at all!

I got a head start on newsletter writing and started this one on Monday too. I am writing this as I am at St. Croix Therapy in Hudson with Malcolm. He takes PT for foot, leg and core strengthening. Claudia also came here for several years, but has since moved on from therapies. I’m so grateful for everyone who has helped keep my kiddos healthy. I enjoy watching them run around the farm and eating good healthy food that we’ve raised. Don’t get me wrong, my kids like s’mores and chocolate cereal as much as most kids, but I know that with exposure to lots of veggies, fruits and sustainably raised, lean meats- they will be more likely to choose a well rounded diet when they are adults.

It’s not just my own kids that are healthy because of our farm. I spend some time each year talking to students in classrooms about farming and eating well. I also host field trips out to the farm. Next year we will be working with the New Richmond School district to host a Summer School class on our farm. And I love seeing the kids on the farm on Thursdays when their families are picking up their produce. They love throwing the stick for the dog, checking on the pigs and guessing what each produce item is.

So hopefully the kids in your life are healthier because of our farm too!

Strawberries and peas are in this box… nothing says summer like those flavors! We are grateful for Demulling farms and their hard work in growing the strawberries! They did the growing, we did the picking. If you are interested in getting more strawberries, please contact Jen Demulling at 715-417-1791 to see when you can go and pick on their beautiful farm. You can also order pre- picked berries. YOU MUST ORDER TODAY (Wednesday) by 4:00 to have them delivered with your share tomorrow. E-mail or call me with your order and please send us a check as soon as possible- made out to Demulling Farms. Mail it to us at

Threshing Table Farm

2249 150^th St.

Star Prairie, WI 54026

Jen cannot promise that there will still be berries next week. They are in prime picking right now. A 10lb flat, pre-picked is $32.50 and a 5 lb ice cream bucket of berries is $16.75. Please order TODAY (Wednesday) by 4:00 if you would like them. If this is not your week for a share but you would like berries, let us know. We will deliver the berries only this week to your pick up site or you can pick them up on our farm or Jen’s. E-mail me at threshingtablefarm@frontiernet.net or call and leave a message at: 715-248-7205

Thanks!

The rains we have been getting have been plentiful. We’ve also had a nice balance of sunny, humid days. This is the best growing weather! Our plants are growing very well. On the down side, so are the weeds. I can honestly say that we’ve never been this far behind on weeding at this time of the year. The weeds are thriving and the wet has made it more difficult to get in the fields and weed efficiently. We’re hoping to catch up some this weekend.

The summer squash and zucchini are just starting. We should have a plentiful crop and you’ll see them in your box for many weeks. Because they are just starting, we are hoping that each of you will get at least one or the other this week. I write the newsletter the evening before we do the final picking of produce, so I’m not sure. But a quick walk through tonight makes me think there might be enough.

If you are a half share, you have likely noticed that you are receiving the newsletters each week. We want to make sure that you don’t miss out on any farm news, tips or recipes on your “off” weeks. The top of the newsletters will state if it’s an A or B week.

We are sending peas in our cloth “Bean Bags”. We use these bags for beans, peas, cherry tomatoes, anything that is small and may get lost in the box. Feel free to take these bags home and then please return them the following week.

If you are interested in grass-fed beef, Heather from Farm Sweet Farm will be taking monthly trips to the farm to pick up produce for her family. She is happy to bring along beef for anyone who would like some. She has all cuts of meat and packages available. See her website at www.farmsweetfarm.com for more info. She will be here July 9^th. Contact her if you would like some grass-fed beef.

In your box:

** Beet Greens are high in potassium (Which helps lower blood pressure)

and broccoli is high in Vitamin K with studies showing that higher levels of Vitamin K correlates with lower risk of diabetes. Eat those Greens and Broccoli!

Lettuce- Salad Spinner and then store in covered container.

Radishes: Separate the greens from the roots. The greens can be stored like any green. Chop them up and add to your salads. They have lots of nutritional benefits- more than the roots! Store the roots in a dish with a little water in your refrigerator.

Bok Choi: Store whole in your crisper drawer for a day or two. For longer storage, place in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Add a paper towel and open the bag to promote air ciriculation.

Broccoli: Store in your crisper drawer or in a covered container

Strawberries: Eat fresh, eat fast- they’re such a treat! (Or store in you refrigerator.)

Peas: Best (in our opinion) eaten raw. Store in refrigerator. These are sugar snap peas, so you can eat the pods as well as the peas.

Summer Squash/zucchini: Store in refrigerator, crisper drawer is best

Arugula: Store like lettuce. This is a peppery green that is nice added to salads with milder greens.

Beets: remove greens from beets, leaving about 1 inch stem attached to the root. Greens are edible, delicious and nutritious! Add raw to salads for great color or cook like swiss chard or spinach. Store leaves like any other greens and store roots in refrigerator in a plastic bag.

How to cook Beets:

No need to peel, just scrub clean.

*Grate raw into salads

* Cube beets into soups or stews

*Steam whole beets, then cool to room temperature. The skins will slide right off. Slice beets and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.

* To bake: place whole beets in baking dish and bake at 350 for 1-2 hours until easily pierced with a fork. Rub off skins and cut off roots. Serve whole or sliced.

Roasted Beet Salad

5 small beets, scrubbed, tops trimmed to 1 inch

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup pecans

1 T. Dijon mustard

4 T. white wine vinegar

½ c. olive oil

4 cups salad oil

½ small onion, sliced

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Heat outdoor or indoor grill. Place beets on heavy foil; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly and grill until beets are tender. (About 30 minutes.) Meanwhile, toast peacans in a dry pan, tossing frequently. Chop nuts. When beets are cooled a bit, use a paper towel to remove the peel. Quarter beets. Combine mustard and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil until thickened. Add salt and pepper. Toss greens with a little dressing. Top with beets, onions, blue cheese and pecans.

Bok choi Salad

1. teaspoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon sugar

5 cups sliced, raw bok choy (any type; about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons chopped cashews

Whisk together 4 teaspoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 3/4 teaspoon sugar in a bowl. Toss in 5 cups sliced, raw bok choy (any type; about 1 1/2 pounds). Top with 2 tablespoons chopped cashews.

Have a safe and wonderful Birthday Party this weekend…

Happy Birthday America!

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

June 25, 2015

What’s in this week’s box??

*Room for dogs, goats and kids to run, jump and chase sticks.

Radishes Broccoli Summer squash/zucchini

Green Lettuce peas Bok Choi Arugula

Strawberries beets

Hi!

Strawberries and peas in this box… nothing says summer like those flavors! We are grateful for Demulling farms and their hard work in growing the strawberries! They did the growing, we did the picking. If you are interested in getting more strawberries, please contact Jen Demulling at 715-417-1791 to see when you can go and pick on their beautiful farm. You can also order pre- picked berries for

If you would like to have us deliver them with your box next week, please let us know how many pounds you would like and send a check to us, made out to Demulling Farms. We’ll make sure it gets to them.

The rains we have been getting have been plentiful. We’ve also had a nice balance of sunny, humid days. This is the best growing weather! Our plants are growing very well. On the down side, so are the weeds. I can honestly say that we’ve never been this far behind on weeding at this time of the year. The weeds are thriving and the wet has made it more difficult to get in the fields and weed efficiently. We’re hoping to catch up some this weekend.

The summer squash and zucchini are just starting. We should have a plentiful crop and you’ll see them in your box for many weeks. Because they are just starting, we are hoping that each of you will get at least one or the other this week. I write the newsletter the evening before we do the final picking of produce, so I’m not sure. But a quick walk through tonight makes me think there might be enough.

If you are a half share, you have likely noticed that you are receiving the newsletters each week. We want to make sure that you don’t miss out on any farm news, tips or recipes on your “off” weeks. The top of the newsletters will state if it’s an A or B week.

In your box:

** There are so many more benefits to being a member of our farm than just what you see and taste from your box. You are supporting our family and us as farmers. We are choosing land management techniques that are supporting the landscape and nature. We’re also committed to making sure your food is as nutrient dense as possible through our healthy soils. Each week I’ll try and highlight a benefit to belonging to our farm- one that might not be benefitting your directly, but still so important to the big picture of what we are doing.

Healthy Pollinator habitat: You should see and hear how busy those bees are! They are pollinating the clover, roses and zucchini! (And everything in between!) We’re seeing a host of other insects doing the same. A variety of bugs is a good thing!

Garlic Scapes- Scapes are the early treat the garlic plants give us each summer. Cut them into tiny pieces and sauté or cook as you would garlic cloves. Great fresh garlic flavor! You can freeze scapes too. I dice them up and put them in a recycled cottage cheese type container. Label and freeze. You can grab a pinch or two of scapes out of the freezer any time you want to sauté garlic.

Spinach- Store as you would any salad green. Eat raw or cooked.

Lettuce- Salad Spinner and then store in covered container.

Swiss Chard- Great for salads or sautéing. Salad spin and then store in a covered container.

Kale- Tear off the stems and add to your salads or sauté torn pieces in with your eggs for a great meal or snack. Salad spin and then store in a covered container.

Radishes: Separate the greens from the roots. The greens can be stored like any green. Chop them up and add to your salads. They have lots of nutritional benefits- more than the roots! Store the roots in a dish with a little water in your refrigerator.

Bok Choi: Store whole in your crisper drawer for a day or two. For longer storage, place in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Add a paper towel and open the bag to promote air ciriculation.

Please remember to bring bags, boxes or containers when picking up your produce. We’d like to keep costs down by making sure we don’t lose any of our delivery boxes. It also helps to ensure that no boxes are used for things other than produce.

Recipes

Spring Romaine Boats

2/3 cups red quinoa, rinsed

1 tsp. olive oil

½ lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

3 T. onion, minced

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tsp. dried dill

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

12 large lettuce leaves

4 radishes, halved and sliced thin

3 oz. herbed goat cheese, crumbled

Prepare quinoa according to directions

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil on medium. Add chicken. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Add onions, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper, and sauté, stirring often. Break chicken up into smaller pieces. Cook about 3 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Stir in peas and heat through. Remove from heat. Stir in quinoa. Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves and top with radishes and cheese.

Stir Fried Bok Choi with Cashew sauce

** Bok Choi is great in any stir fry recipe. Chop up the stems and leaves and toss it in!

Here’s a recipe you may like to try-

½ cup raw cashews

¼ cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

1 T. minced ginger

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 ½ pounds of bok choi

¼ cup peanut oil

Toast cashews in a dry skillet, tossing frequently until lightly brown and fragrant. Combine cashews, vinegar, sugar, spices and 2 T water in a blender and blend. Set aside.

Wash Bok choi well, separating stalks. Remove leaves from stalks. Cut stalks into 1 inch pieces and roughly chop leaves. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add bok choi stems and cook, stirring often until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the leaves and cook until they wilt and turn bright green, another minute or so. Remove to a platter and cover with cashew sauce or serve on the side.

Spinach Burritos

½ cup chopped onion

1 T. chopped garlic scapes

2 tsp. butter

1 bunch spinach, torn

1/8 tsp. pepper

6 flour tortillas

¾ cup salsa, divided

2 cups shredded cheese

Saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add the spinach and pepper, cook for 4-5 minutes until wilted and heated through. Place about 3 T. on each tortilla. Top with 1 Tablespoon salsa and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Place seam side down in 9X13 pan lined with parchment paper or greased well. Top with remaining salsa and cheese. Bake at 350 uncovered for 20-25 minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas