August 11th, 2016 Week 9 B

Threshing Table Farm Week 9 A

August 11th, 2016

What’s in this week’s box?

Swiss Chard potatoes Beans Jalapeno peppers

Dill Onion Carrots Eggplant

Cucumber Tomatoes Summer Squash Sweet Peppers

Cilantro

It’s the salsa box!! Everything you need to make a fabulous fresh salsa is in this box! The tomatoes are just beginning. Do you remember in spring when I asked you to vote for a new variety of vegetable? The Berkley Tie Dye tomato was one of the winners. They are beautiful! A little oddly shaped at times, but so pretty! They’re a mild tomato with great flavor. We’ve tried to get one in every box along with other varieties- enjoy! And to those of you who voted… Great Pick!!

The Jalapeno peppers are in the paper bag. Do not touch the insides of them with bare hands! I learned the hard way from a salsa making event. The oils from the peppers can really burn your skin!

Week 9 is our half way point in the season. Hard to believe we’re half way through- but that means there are still 9 weeks of fabulous veggies! If you are a summer half share, we wish you farewell! If you want to extend your share to a full share to continue receiving your box of produce each week- please let us know. We will see if we can work something out.

We’re expecting some good rains Wednesday and Thursday. Amongst all of our regular harvesting, we are working hard to get the onions pulled into the greenhouse to finish curing before the rain comes. We’ve got about half of them in there now. It’s a race against nature!

We have a sassy pig on the farm. He crawls out under the electric wire- several times a day. He doesn’t travel far and he puts himself back in if we shower the pigs with water (they love that!) or feed them scraps. (Their favorites are from Table 65’s kitchen or our pack shed.) If you’re at the farm this weekend- take a look by the hoop house. You may see him up to his antics. J

Claudia has been busy taking photos this summer and putting them on Instagram. Check out all that’s been happening around here! Find us on Instagram at:

threshing_table_farm

We’re less than 2 weeks from our Pack Shed Party! We hope you can make it!!!

We’re looking for a few volunteers to help with parking and managing the pot-luck food. (Uncovering/adding serving utensils,etc. when it’s time to eat, removing empty containers, etc.) Please let me know if you’d be able to help. Thank you!!!

Please come to Threshing Table Farm’s

2nd Annual Pack Shed Party!!

Friday August 19th,

6:30pm -??

Music provided by Gravel Road

Please bring a dish to pass,

A-H main dish

I-P salad/side

Q-Z desserts

Chairs and beverages for your family are helpful too! We will provide lemonade and water. We will be passing a hat (or two!) to pay the band; So come with some cash, and show your appreciation!

Our address is:

2249, 150th st, Star Prairie WI

Thanks so much! We can’t wait to see you there!!

Farm City Day: The 2016 Farm City Day will be held on Saturday, August 13 at the Kruschke family’s Crisdhome Farm near New Richmond. This is a great community opportunity to see how a farm runs. There will be a free lunch, farm tour, ice cream, petting zoo, and lots of vendors. The event will take place rain or shine. For more information visit www.sccfarmcityday.com.

Kruschke’s are our neighbors- and we’ll be helping out with this event. Come on out and see their dairy farm! I’ll be there with a table about the farm as well as helping to serve the free lunch from noon-2. We’ll also have our farm open from 8am-2pm- stop by and say hi to Mike! We’ll be open for the pubic every Saturday from 8-1 until the season is done.

Phil’s Raspberries

Phil’s fall raspberries are starting!! We should have them each week until heavy frost comes. Please let me know if you’d like to order any- I’ll be able to get them to you starting next week. $4 a pint. If ordering, please let us know:
*Which Thursday you would like them
* Where your pick up site is.

Checks can be made out to Phil McConville. – and mailed to us at: Threshing Table Farm, 2249 150^th St. Star Prairie, WI 54026 (or left at the farm in the “egg $” bucket.)

Needed: Egg Cartons. Drop them off at the farm anytime! Thanks!!

In this box….

Carrots: Keep in crisper drawer or plastic bag.

Potatoes- Store in cool, dry place.

Beans: Store in plastic bag left open in the refrigerator.

Swiss Chard: Store in crisper drawer, salad spinner, etc.

Dill and cilantro: Plastic container in refrigerator.

Onions: Starting to cure. Counter is probably fine, but watch closely for soft spots.

Tomatoes: On the counter. We like to send them in varying stages of ripeness so you can have some to use all week. They’ll ripen nicely on your counter.

Cucumber and Summer Squash: Crisper Drawer. Summer squash and zucchini can be used interchangeably in all recipes.

Eggplant: Refrigerate

Peppers: Crisper drawer

Pot Luck Potato Salad

I threw this together for a church pot luck on Sunday. No exact measurements- but it sure tasted great!!

4-6 potatoes, boiled until tender. Cool. Dice.

1 summer squash, diced

small handful of onion, diced

2 Swiss chard leaves and stems, chopped, sautéed in olive oil

Dill, chopped

Salt and Pepper,

Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar to taste

Gently toss all together. Enjoy!!

*Best at room temperature. Feel free to add additional veggies you have on hand.

Veggie Quinoa Chili

½ lb ground beef, optional

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup minced onion

2 t. garlic, minced

2 t. chili powder

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. paprika

½ t. chili flakes

1 c. quinoa, rinsed

1 small summer squash, diced

1 15oz can black beans

1 c. corn

2 cups diced tomatoes (or 1 can)

4 c. water

Salt to taste

Cilantro, avocado, sour cream for garnish

Brown beef in large soup pot. Add olive oil if needed, garlic and onion. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add spices and cook 2 more minutes.

Add quinoa, summer squash, beans, corn, tomatoes and water. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.

Top with cilantro, avocado and sour cream.

Mango Salsa

1 mango

2 tomatoes

juice of 1 lime

1 jalapeno

¼ cup chopped onion

2 T. chopped cilantro

1 tsp. minced garlic

Chop all ingredients. Seed the jalapeno as well as chop it.

Mix together and serve. Great as a topping on fish or chicken as well as eaten with tortilla chips or crackers.

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

August 4th, Week 8 – 2016

What’s in this week’s box?

Celery leaves potatoes Beans SavoyCabbage

Dill Onion Carrots Eggplant

Cucumber Broccoli Summer Squash Pepper

Beets Radishes

We are playing a little bit of catch-up this week. Two weekends ago we spent lots of time away from the farm at the county fair. This past weekend, the kids and I spent the weekend in Kewaunee, WI to celebrate my grandma’s 90^th birthday. We had a great family reunion. It was wonderful to be in the place where I fell in love with farming. Claudia was very excited to milk cows with her great- uncle Mark and she even got to name his newest cow. Her name? St. Croix! My grandma was a farm wife for most of her life. She and my grandpa are still an inspiration to me. She’s seen so much in her 90 years! I am the only grandchild on either side of my farming family- who is a farmer. I’m humbled to be carrying on that legacy.

Luckily for our farm, Mike was here holding down the farm this weekend. We couldn’t both be gone two weekends in a row. We’re starting to pull the garlic and it looks amazing! The onions are starting to get pulled and cured. The tomatoes are starting to show their colors and oh my goodness… the first ground cherries are ready if you look really carefully! And they taste amazing! You’ll have to take my word for it for another week or two until we have enough to share. So much still to get done and so much amazing food coming your way!

August is full of farm fun!!

Please come to Threshing Table Farm’s

2nd Annual Pack Shed Party!!

Friday August 19th,

6:30pm -??

Music provided by Gravel Road

Please bring a dish to pass,

A-H main dish

I-P salad/side

Q-Z desserts

Chairs and beverages for your family are helpful too! We will provide lemonade and water. We will be passing a hat (or two!) to pay the band; So come with some cash, and show your appreciation!

Our address is:

2249, 150th st, Star Prairie WI

Thanks so much! We can’t wait to see you there!!

Kruschke’s are our neighbors- and we’ll be helping out with this event. Come on out and see their dairy farm! We’ll also have our farm open from 8am-1pm- stop by and say hi! We’ll be open for the pubic every Saturday from 8-1 until the season is done.

Needed: Egg Cartons. Drop them off at the farm anytime! Thanks!!

In this box….

Carrots: Keep in crisper drawer or plastic bag.

Potatoes- Store in cool, dry place.

Beans: Store in plastic bag left open in the refrigerator.

Broccoli: Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator

Dill and celery leaves: Plastic container in refrigerator.

Onions: Not cured yet, so keep them in the crisper drawer

Savoy Cabbage: Crisper Drawer

Cucumber and Summer Squash: Crisper Drawer

Radishes and Beets: Take tops off the roots for long term storage. Store greens like any salad greens. Roots in the crisper drawer.

Eggplant: Refrigerate

Peppers: Crisper drawer

Cucumber Sandwich Spread

1 ½ cup chopped cucumber

Chopped celery leaves to taste

3oz package cream cheese

½ cup mayo

1 T. minced onion

salt and pepper to taste

Mix and serve on bread or crackers. Yum!!

Grilled Eggplant

Eggplant, sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sprinkle egg plant slices lightly with salt. Place in colander and let stand one hours. Wipe excess salt off eggplant. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Grill, broil or sauté on both sides until golden brown (approximately 5-8 minutes.)

Eggplant Pizzas

2 medium eggplants, unpeeled, cut into ½ inch slices

½ cup olive oil (reserve 1 T.)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. pizza sauce

1 c. grated mozzarella cheese

(Other pizza toppings, optional)

Place eggplant slices on baking sheet. Brush each slice with oil and broil until the eggplant is golden brown. Turn the slices over and repeat. In a large sauce pan, heat 1 T. oil and sauté onion and garlic. Add pizza sauce and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and carefully spread on eggplant slices. Sprinkle with cheese and broil 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the eggplant heated through.

Halibut with Roasted Beets, Beet Greens, and Dill-Orange Gremolata

Ingredients

Servings: 4

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
3 medium (1 1/2- to 2-inch) beets with green tops attached; beets trimmed and scrubbed, beet greens very coarsely chopped (4 to 6 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
4 6- to 7-ounce halibut fillets or mahi-mahi fillets (about 1 inch thick)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Mix dill and peel in small bowl for gremolata. Place beets in medium glass bowl; add enough water to cover beets halfway. Microwave on high until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Cool beets slightly. Peel and cut into slices. Return beets to same bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon gremolata, and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss well. Toss beet greens in another medium bowl with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Spread beet slices in single layer on half of prepared baking sheet. Mound beet greens on other half of baking sheet. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; place fish fillets atop beet greens. Brush fish with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle fish with 2 tablespoons gremolata.
Roast fish and vegetables until fish is just opaque in center, about 8 minutes. Divide fish and vegetables among plates. Sprinkle with remaining gremolata and serve

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

June 30, 2016 Week 3 “A”

Threshing Table Farm Week 3 A

June 30, 2016

What’s in this week’s box?

Garlic Scapes Peas Basil Beets

Sunflower Sprouts Kale Turnips

Baby Romaine Strawberries Parsley Lettuce

Summer has moved in and spring is gone. We see it in the vegetables as well as the neighbor’s field crops around our farm. The spinach is done . We will miss it but it was a treat while it was here! The heat this past weekend did it in. The beets have sized up beautifully and we’re sending them this week but then we’ll be taking a break from them for a while. The kale is ready for its first picking and we look forward to many more. Strawberries are still in full swing and we’re thrilled to have Sugar Snap Peas!!! These are super sweet peas that are meant to be eaten, pod and all. On a side note- the sweet corn is way past my knees! (Ever hear the saying, “Knee high by the 4^th of July”? It refers to a farmer’s goal of having knee high corn by the 4^th.) Our 1^st planting is on track! Of course, my knees are closer to the ground than most, but we won’t worry about that detail.

The Sunflower sprouts are nutritious and delicious! We took a trip to Milwaukee this winter and while there, visited Will Allen’s Growing Power Greenhouse. We saw them being grown there and thought we would give them a try. Yummy! The sprouts are great to mix into salads as well as eat them as a snack.

We try real hard to keep extra plastic packaging out of the CSA boxes. It keeps costs down and most importantly, doesn’t add garbage to the world. We use the cloth and mesh bags to deliver things to you that might otherwise get “lost” in the share box. Please feel free to take them home with your produce. When you’ve emptied them, please return them the following week when you pick up your produce. We’ll wash and reuse them. My mom, aunts and sister have sewn these for us over the years. It’s fun to see what color/design is on the bag each week. There are a lot of designs to choose from!

The cucumbers are starting to come in the hoophouse! We were able to plant them out there earlier than in the field. We just have a short “trial” row of cucs in the hoophouse and the bulk of the cucs are in the field. We just have a dozen or so cucs that are ready, so we’ll be putting them in random boxes. If you have a cucumber, you’ve won the veggie lottery! No worries, in a couple of weeks everyone will be getting lots of them!

Wanted: Clean ice cream buckets with handles. Covers optional. As we head into bean picking season, they come in really handy. Leave them at your pickup site and we’ll get them. Thank you!!

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, package, label and freeze. You can grab a pinch or two of scapes out of the freezer any time you want to sauté garlic.

Peas- store in a covered container in the fridge.

Lettuce- Salad Spinner and then store in covered container.

Kale- Great for salads or sautéing. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Beets- For storage, remove the greens from the root. The root can be stored in a drawer in the refrigerator. The greens should be stored like lettuce or Spinach. Great for salads and sautéing.

Sunflower sprouts- Store in a plastic bag in fridge.

Basil- I’m changing my thought on the basil- I’m having the best luck putting it in with my salad greens in a covered container.

Parsley- same as basil

Strawberries- Refrigerator. But really, did they make it home?

Turnips: Remove greens for longer storage. Store greens as you would any salad green, Turnips do best in the crisper drawer.

Looking for a cooking class to boost your veggie intake?

Well look no more! Member Susan Keskinen is offering a class on the farm-

Save the date!! Tuesday, July 19^th. More info to come in next week’s newsletter!!

Roasted Beet and Turnip Salad

For the salad

3/4 lb. red beets, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
1/2 lb. turnips
1/2 lb. potatoes
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
salt
3 cups torn salad greens
1 lightly packed cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts

For the vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
salt
1/2 to 1-1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice; more to taste
1/2 to 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 to 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
black pepper

Roast the vegetables

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

In a large bowl, toss the beets with 1 Tbs. of the oil and 1/2 tsp. salt. Transfer to a large rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet. Spread into a single layer.

In another large bowl, combine the turnips and potatoes with the remaining 1 Tbs. of oil and another 1/2 tsp salt. Transfer to a large rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet. Spread into a single layer.

Roast the vegetables, flipping with a spatula halfway through and rotating the baking sheets, until browned and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the sheets. Transfer to a large bowl.

Make the vinaigrette

Heat the oil in a 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, about 15 seconds. Remove from the heat. Let the oil cool for 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small heatproof bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, orange juice, zest, thyme, mustard, 1/4 tsp. salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper. Whisk the warm oil into the vinegar mixture until emulsified.

Season to taste, adding more orange juice, salt, or pepper as needed.

Assemble the salad

In a large bowl, combine the greens and parsley leaves. Lightly season with salt and then drizzle with 2 Tbs. of the warm vinaigrette. Toss, taste, and add a little more dressing, if necessary. Arrange the greens on a platter or plates.

Season the roasted vegetables with a pinch more salt, and dress them lightly with 1 to 2 Tbs. of the remaining vinaigrette. Scatter over the greens, then top with the hazelnuts. Serve right away, passing the remaining dressing at the table.

Turnip Greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic scape, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound turnip greens, washed, stemmed, and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until tender and fragrant. Add the washed and cleaned turnip greens. Mix together. Cook until they have wilted down, about 3 minutes. Add pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, whisk the Dijon mustard with the chicken stock. Add to the wilted greens and cook until the liquid has all but evaporated. Add the toasted pecans and serve immediately.

Kale, Basil and Avocado Salad

1 bunch of kale, stems removed

2 roma tomatoes diced
1 large ripe avocado chopped into cubes
2 stalks of celery finely sliced
¼ cup of soaked sun dried tomatoes finely sliced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
½ a teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of fresh raw pinenuts
2 tablespoons of finely chopped basil

Chop the kale well and massage with olive oil, salt and lemon to soften and wilt slightly. Mix the massaged kale with all the remaining ingredients. Pile high in serving bowls and serve with a wedge of fresh lemon.

Kale & Almond Milk Smoothie:

1C kale
1C almond milk
1-2 Tbsp nut butter
½ banana

Kale & Blueberry-Honey Smoothie:

1C kale
½ C blueberries
½ C strawberries
½ C plain yogurt
1 Tbsp honey

Kale & Orange Smoothie:

1C kale
1C ice
1C orange juice
2 Tbsp mint leaves
2 Tbsp cilantro
2 Tbsp parsley

*For fruit smoothies use frozen fruit or just add up to 1C of ice

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

Week 2 B – June 23, 2016

Claudia found a friend in the field!

Threshing Table Farm Week 2 B

June 23rd, 2016

What’s in this week’s box?

Garlic Scapes Spinach Basil Beets

Red leaf Lettuce Swiss Chard Green Onions

Baby Romaine Strawberries

Hello from the farm! What a beautiful week of weather we’ve had! A little bit of rain, some humidity, cool mornings, hot afternoons and lots of sunshine are making things grow! We are in the most intense time of our farming season. There is a lot of pressure to weed every spare moment. We’re also spending a lot of time harvesting and washing produce while still planting things into the field. It makes for very early mornings and very late nights, but the sunrises and sunsets are worth every minute of sleep we are lacking!

Great news! The Strawberries are amazing!! We keep bee hives at Demulling Farm and in exchange, we can pick strawberries for our boxes. They need the bees and we need the berries, so it’s a win-win! Many of you ordered 5lbs or more of berries to be delivered with your share. If you would like to do the same for next week, please send us an e-mail with how many 5lb flats you would like and mail us a check written out to: Demulling Farms. $18 for 5lbs. (Or if you are at the farm, drop it in the “egg money” container.)

Not so great news: The peas are not quite ready. Mother nature has taught me not to commit to anything when it comes to veggies. So- I should have known better than to promise peas this week… I’m either a slow learner or just really optimistic. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the peas will be ready… next week. (Yes, definitely optimistic.)

We have had an interesting year with lettuce. For reasons we can’t figure out, we’ve had poor germination in the greenhouse. So we planted LOTS of flats of lettuce to make up for the ones that didn’t grow. Once in the field, we’ve battled the goats! We love our 2 pygmy goats, Tina and Cheyenne who wander the farm eating scrub brush. In 5 years, they’ve never bothered the fields. This year- they’ve found the lettuce and are quite the fans. Malcolm is the #1 goat chaser who runs them off when they’re spotted in the field. They’ve been leaving the lettuce alone the past few weeks so we’ve got lots of beautiful lettuce!

When we moved our chickens out into the moveable coop, we had 1 mama and 7 babies that couldn’t go with. So we let them free-range around the farm. They’ve been fun to watch and it’s boggled our minds to see how many miles they put on each day! One moment they’re in the shed, the next under the swing set and a few moments later- near the treehouse. Last week, they found the greenhouse and were attempting to eat the baby plants there. 3 times we chased them out and that was the last straw. They were moved into the permanent coop with a fenced yard. I wondered how mama would take to this confinement and I can honestly say- I think she’s relieved! She’s been exhausted running after all those little ones and is thrilled that they are all in the same place!

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.

Beets- For storage, remove the greens from the root. The root can be stored in a drawer in the refrigerator. The greens should be stored like lettuce or Spinach. Great for salads and sautéing.

Green Onions- Store in Produce drawer; the ENTIRE onion can be chopped and eaten.

Basil- I’m changing my thought on the basil- I’m having the best luck putting it in with my salad greens in a covered container.

Strawberries- Refrigerator. But really, did they make it home?

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

Spaghetti and Beets

I made this dish up for supper- yum!

Diced beets

Chopped beet greens

Olive oil

Garlic scapes

Cooked Spaghetti

Spaghetti Sauce (with or without meat).

Saute the beets and garlic scapes in olive oil. When tender add beet greens to the pan. Saute until wilted. Place spaghetti on your plate, top with beets and then spaghetti sauce. Top with cheese if you would like.

Chard Salad

2 tsp. olive oil

3 green onions, chopped

1 garlic scape, chopped

4 cups chopped swiss chard

½ cup dried cherries

1 T. water

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chard, cherries, 1 tablespoon water, pepper, and salt; toss to coat. Sauté 2 minutes or until chard begins to wilt. Stir in vinegar.

Basil and Spinach Pesto
1 cup packed spinach

1 cup packed basil leaves

1 T. chopped garlic scape

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup olive oil

¾ cup parmesan cheese

**Pesto is made to taste. Add or subtract any amounts to get the taste you like.

Blend all in food processor until smooth.

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

Community

Threshing Table Farm Week 12 B
September 3rd, 2015
What’s in this week’s box??
*Community!!!

zucchini/summer squash broccoli sage
onions ground cherries Dill parsley
beet greens potatoes beans Celery Root
Cherry tomatoes peppers tomatoes Delicata Squash
Wow!!! Did we ever have a party last weekend!!! THANK YOU!!!! to all of you who helped in some way and THANK YOU!!!! to all of you who attended! We had a wonderful turn out, LOTS of amazing food, and a GREAT band. It was such a wonderful night of community! We hope our farm is an important part of your lives, and we also hope this farm plays a part in our local community of neighbors, farmers, school, church and beyond. Friday night was a wonderful blend of all of those and most importantly- a whole lot of fun!
Raspberries
If you are interested in Phil’s raspberries, $4 a pint and we can send them with your share. Please let us know how many you would like and where your pick up site is. Please send us a check or leave payment at the farm in the cookie jar. Checks can be made out to Phil McConville and send them to:
Threshing Table Farm
2249 150th St.
Star Prairie, WI 54026
We will fill the orders as they and the berries come in.
Thank you!

Apples
Our farm friends Roger and Mary Kay are back again this year with apples!
Redfree apples are available, $10 a bag. These are raised with all organic methods and delicious!!
Please send payments to us at the farm and we’ll be sure to send apples with your share. Please order by 4pm on Wednesday (today!) so that we can get your order together. Thanks!

Pork
Still waiting to order pork?? Get going- fall is a comin’! Call Dave at 612-685-0155.

Our baby chicks arrived on Friday. They were hatched on Wednesday, put in the mail on Thursday and we picked them up at the post office on Friday morning. After all that adventure, they were quite happy to settle into their new home. They are really cute! We have 30 Barred Rock and 6 Aricauna chicks. They should be laying around Christmas if they have enough day light or artificial light.

One of my goals for 2015 was to build community amongst members. One way to do this is to write up a little bit about a member each week. So- here we are, week 12 and I’m finally getting started!!
Meet Marjan Schwartz!
I wanted to belong to a farm share to have a consistent supply of
veggies throughout the growing season and in useable quantities. I was
very excited to learn that I could have a work share so I could have my
veggies and my dirt time as well! I love the connections while working
and enjoy the beautiful mornings in a sea of green.

My family of 6 eats everything. 3 girls and 1 boy, age range of 10-17.

I Pick up at the farm.

Things I love — traveling the world, water recreation, teaching,
inspiring, motivating, biking, playing piano and violin, learning

Favorite “work” — teaching kids, skiing, swimming, violin, piano and
body/mind work
I have a home business called CranioSacral Healing — located 4
miles North of farm
Includes
CranioSacral therapy, SomatoEmotional Release therapy, and belief
coaching

CranioSacral (CST)and SomatoEmotional Release (SER) therapies are whole
body treatments. The body and mind develop restrictions which are often
co-related. CranioSacral therapy is gentle hands on work that releases
tensions within the cranium, spine and entire fascial system. SER is
the expression or release of memory and associated emotion stored in the
body causing dysfunction. www.facebook.com/csmarjan

If you would like to introduce yourself to our membership, please send me a write up sharing your name, other people that eat from your share, why you belong to Threshing Table Farm CSA and other things that make you- you! The more members sharing- the merrier! Thank you!

On to the fields…. Yeah! The very first winter squash is in the box! Many more are on their way! Boo… The tomatoes, though finally ripening at a steady pace, have been damaged by late blight. The cool, wet weather has been the perfect climate for the blight. We will send what tomatoes we can for as long as we can, but the over-all harvest will be greatly reduced. I will not be able to fill any orders for canning tomatoes at this time. If things go better than we expect, we’ll let those on the waiting list know.
Celery root is coming your way too! If you are not familiar with it- try some of the below recipes, I think you’ll be glad you did!
Mike’s been busy planting fall and winter cover crops, seeding the fall spinach and mowing down summer crops that are done. We have 1 more section of beans coming and after that, they will be done for 2015.
In your Box:
**Community- see above.

Tomatoes: If they aren’t fully ripe, just leave them on your counter until they are. It’s best not to refrigerate tomatoes. Use them as they ripen.

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

Onion: The onions are starting to cure- but haven’t completely yet. Use as a fresh onion if you don’t see the dry papery skin of a dry onion.

Peppers: Crisper drawer

Potatoes: We’re back to a red variety this week. Store in a cool, dry place. We are also sending some fingerlings. Perfect for grilling!

Beans- best if stored in plastic container or bag in the crisper drawer.

Dill: Young dill is here again! Great for scrambled eggs, cucumber salads and potato dishes. Store in a cup of water or a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Parsley: Same as dill.

Oregano: I like to leave this one on the counter in it’s bundle. It will keep its shape and dry nicely.

Broccoli: Crisper drawer or plastic bag in refrigerator

Delicata Squash: Store and bake like any winter squash. Your kitchen counter will work fine for storage if you are going to eat it in the next few weeks.

Ground Cherries: Leave those on the counter to sit until you are ready to eat them. (Or, eat them in the car on the way home!) Peel the paper covering off the cherry and pop them in your mouth- yum! They will continue to ripen as they sit on your counter. Eat the browner ones first, those with greenish papery skins, leave for a few days to brown up. You can use them for making pies, jellies, etc. But we are pretty fond of standing in the field, in the kitchen or the packing shed and just eating them. We’re throwing a few cherry tomatoes in the bag with the ground cherries so they don’t get lost in the box. It’s the perfect August snack bag.

Celery Root: Remove leaves from root for longer storage. Store both in crisper drawer.

Beet Greens: We have some beets that need to be thinned to try and get the remaining beets to size up. The beets are far too tiny to send, but the green are lovely! Store like any other green.

Recipes

Here’s a recipe using leeks from our farm member Ginny Rassier. Our leeks are done this year, but if you haven’t used your leeks yet, try this dish!
Ginny says:
I didn’t add the nutmeg or bay leaf.
Used Parmesan Cheese
I chopped the leeks and put them between two layers of sliced potatoes in the casserole
I didn’t peel potatoes

Everyone loved this!!

Potato Leek Gratin

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, more for greasing the pan
• 2 large leeks, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 ½ pounds peeled Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• ¾ cup Gruyère, grated
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart gratin dish. Wash the leeks to remove any grit and slice thinly crosswise.
2. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the potatoes into rounds, 1/8-inch thick. Toss with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Layer the rounds in the gratin dish.
3. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, remaining salt and pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until leeks are tender and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard thyme and scatter the leeks over the potatoes.
4. Add cream, garlic and bay leaf to the skillet, scraping up browned bits of leeks from the bottom of the pan. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir in nutmeg.
5. Pour the cream over the leeks and potatoes and top with the Gruyère. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before serving.

Celery Root Hash
Ingredients
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 pound celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 3/4 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 small firm, sweet apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh sage leaves
Directions
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and generously season with salt. Add celery root, and simmer 3 minutes. Add potatoes and sweet potatoes, and simmer vegetables 2 minutes more. Drain well, and spread vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet. Let cool 15 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium-high heat, and cook onions until translucent and just beginning to color, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the apples, and vegetables; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then press into a single layer using a spatula. Cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Stir, and repeat process until vegetables are very tender and beginning to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in sage, and season with salt and pepper.
Celery Root and Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
• 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), patted dry
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges, root end left intact
• 1 medium celery root (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 4 teaspoons lemon zest, plus 4 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Tuck wing tips underneath chicken and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 20 minutes.
2. Remove sheet from oven and arrange onion and celery root around chicken, turning to coat with drippings. Top vegetables with red-pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender and juices run clear when chicken is pierced between breast and leg (an instant-read thermometer should read 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, avoiding bone), about 30 minutes, flipping vegetables halfway through. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before carving. To serve, sprinkle chicken and vegetables with lemon zest and juice.

Beet Greens and Garlic

Ingredients

1 bunch beet greens
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Trim the beet greens. Slice the garlic thinly. Place the garlic and oil in a cold skillet. Bring up the heat slowly and slightly brown the garlic. Remove the garlic and add the greens to the skillet. Cover with lid if possible and cook until wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Have a great week and happy eating!!
Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

Come to the party!

Threshing Table Farm Week 11 A
August 27th, 2015
What’s in this week’s box??
*Fun!

zucchini/summer squash cabbage or broccoli thyme
onions ground cherries Dill parsley
Leeks carrots potatoes beans
cucumbers pepper tomatoes kale
Please Join us for

Threshing Table Farm’s

Pack Shed Party!!
Jody and Mike Lenz
2249 150th st.
Star Prairie, WI 54026
Friday, August 28th

Come early… stay late!

6:30 Blessing of the Pack shed
followed by a Pot-Luck Meal
*Water and lemonade provided, bring other beverages of your choice

Stay for campfire, hay rides, outdoor movies, Mike’s fireworks and more!
Come with your dancing boots! Gravel Road will be providing great music!
Please bring: Lawn chairs and a dish to pass
A-H Desserts
I-R Main Dishes
S-Z Salads/Sides

**If you’d like to stay over night, please bring a tent or camper and enjoy a night under the stars-

We’ll party ‘til the cows come home!!!
(And since we don’t have any cows…)

Raspberries
If you are interested in Phil’s raspberries, $4 a pint and we can send them with your share. Please let us know how many you would like and where your pick up site is. Please send us a check or leave payment at the farm in the cookie jar. Checks can be made out to Phil McConville and send them to:
Threshing Table Farm
2249 150th St.
Star Prairie, WI 54026
We will fill the orders as they and the berries come in.
Thank you!
We are in a week of transitions. This cold spell certainly helped to remind us that summer is winding down and the winds of fall are moving in. I am certain we will be enjoying some warmer days yet to come, but they are numbered. Laura, our fearless summer helper has started college this week. Lucky for us, she is staying near home so we may still have her help in the afternoons. Claudia started school at Hill Murray this past Monday as well, so my morning crew has been cut in half. The boys start school next week and the rhythms of the day will change again.

The summer crops are tiring out. The zucchini and summer squash that were SO plentiful, are now giving a last hurrah. The same with the cucumbers. We have a new section of each that is just now coming in, but they won’t be as exuberant as the old ones. They too feel that their time in the sun is waning. Our tomatoes on the other hand, are just getting started. Our plants are filled with beautiful, green tomatoes. They are not ripening as fast as we’d like and certainly the cold weather this week has stalled them some. Hang in there, they are coming! We do have some for each of you this week. Those that are not ripe will ripen quicker on your warm kitchen counter than the chilly air they’ve been in.

We’re cleaning out some of the summer crops- cabbage included. Some of you are getting the last of the red cabbage, while others of you will get the very beginning of the fall broccoli. It is beautiful broccoli, with lots more to come.

We are also expecting the arrival of a batch of baby chicks. We will be transitioning out some of the old hens this fall and starting a new batch so that they will be laying heavily by spring of 2016. We will have stewing hens for sale, please watch the newsletter for info. in the coming weeks.

In your Box:
**Fun!! Farming is hot, cold, dirty, wet, exhausting and exhilarating! We love it- but sometimes we can get so caught up in the 7 day a week grind that we forget to step back and enjoy it. That’s what Friday night is all about- Fun!! We are so grateful for the wonderful people in our community- members, neighbors, friends, family, that we are throwing one big party to say thank you and have a great time! Please join us!

Tomatoes: If they aren’t fully ripe, just leave them on your counter until they are. It’s best not to refrigerate tomatoes. Use them as they ripen.
**If you would like to purchase tomatoes for canning, please let me know.
¾ bushel boxes of mixed tomatoes are: $25
¾ bushel box of straight Romas $30
This is a member’s only price. Non-farm members will pay $5 a box higher.
I will fill orders first come, first serve, as the tomatoes ripen. I can send them with your share if you would like or you can come here and pick them up. A ¾ bushel box will have at least 25lbs of tomatoes in it.
I am taking orders, but will not fill them until the tomatoes are here in gusto. Please let me know if you want some, I’ll put you on the waiting list and let you know when they are available.
Zucchini/Summer Squash/ Cucumbers: Store in refrigerator, crisper drawer is best.

Carrots: Store in plastic bag in crisper drawer.

Onion: The onions are starting to cure- but haven’t completely yet. Use as a fresh onion if you don’t see the dry papery skin of a dry onion.

Pepper: Crisper drawer

Potatoes: We’ve moved in to the Satina variety. They are a nice gold/yellow potato. Store in a cool, dry place. We are also sending some fingerlings. Perfect for grilling!

Beans- best if stored in plastic container or bag in the crisper drawer.

Dill: Young dill is here again! Great for scrambled eggs, cucumber salads and potato dishes. Store in a cup of water or a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Parsley: Same as dill.

Thyme: I like to leave this one on the counter in it’s bundle. It will keep its shape and dry nicely.

Cabbage/broccoli: Crisper drawer or plastic bag in refrigerator

Leeks: Crisper Drawer, Leeks are a member of the onion family and are related to shallots, garlic, chives, and scallions. They have a sweet, delicate flavor all their own. Before using leeks, it is essential to clean them well, as dirt, sand, and grit can collect between the layers.
Ground Cherries: Leave those on the counter to sit until you are ready to eat them. (Or, eat them in the car on the way home!) Peel the paper covering off the cherry and pop them in your mouth- yum! They will continue to ripen as they sit on your counter. Eat the browner ones first, those with greenish papery skins, leave for a few days to brown up. You can use them for making pies, jellies, etc. But we are pretty fond of standing in the field, in the kitchen or the packing shed and just eating them. We’re throwing a few cherry tomatoes in the bag with the ground cherries so they don’t get lost in the box. It’s the perfect August snack bag.

Kale: Crisper drawer

Recipes
Bacon, Kale and leeks

Bacon
Kale
Leeks
Olive Oil
1. Slice the Leeks.
2. Remove the hard stems from the kale and tear the kale into small pieces.
3. Chop the bacon into small pieces.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and another tbsp in a large saucepan (large enough to hold all that kale).
5. Cook the bacon in the frying pan until done to your liking.
6. Cook the leeks in the saucepan, over a low heat, so that they soften rather than brown.
7. About 4 or 5 minutes before you think the bacon is done, put 3/4 of the kale into the saucepan with the leeks, stir and pop a lid on until the bacon is finished.
8. When the bacon is done, tip it into the saucepan with the leeks and kale and add the rest of the kale. Stir to mix, the heat will be enough to wilt that last addition of kale.
9. The bacon usually provides enough saltiness and the kale enough pepperiness, but taste and season if you think it is necessary.
10. You could use any other dark green leafy vegetable depending on what is on offer. Spinach, Spring greens, green cabbage, anything like that. And you could substitute onions for the leeks if you wished.

Thyme roasted potatoes
• 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 450 and place a baking pan on rack in lower third.
2. Toss together all ingredients in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Carefully transfer potatoes to hot pan, shaking pan to spread potatoes into a single layer.
3. Roast potatoes, stirring occasionally, until tender and crispy, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Tomato, Cucumber, Parsley, and Carrot Juice
Ingredients
3 medium tomatoes
1 large cucumber
1 large bunch fresh parsley
3 medium carrots, trimmed
Process tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and carrots through juicer.
Chicken with Dill and Leeks

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided, stems reserved
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper, divided
• 1 4 1/2-pound whole chicken, patted dry
• 1 lemon
• 1 pound small Yukon Gold or red potatoes, peeled
• 2 leeks
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mash butter in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon dill and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Carefully loosen the skin over the chicken breast and legs; push and spread the butter around under the skin until it’s as evenly distributed as possible. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan. Squeeze lemon over the chicken, then put the rinds into the cavity along with the dill stems.
• Slice potatoes about 1/16 inch thick. Remove most of the dark green tops and the root ends from leeks. Halve the leeks lengthwise and rinse well to remove any grit between the layers. Cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• Scatter the potatoes and leeks around the chicken. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat broth to boiling and pour it onto the vegetables, along with vermouth.
• Roast the chicken and vegetables for 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting until the potatoes are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter and cover with foil. If the vegetables haven’t absorbed all the liquid, set the pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop and boil, stirring, until the liquid mostly disappears. Gently fold sour cream into the vegetables; it doesn’t have to be completely mixed in—there is a rough edge to this dish that makes it all the more satisfying. Pour any accumulated juice from the chicken over the vegetables. Serve the chicken with the vegetables, scattered with the remaining 1 tablespoon dill.

Have a great week and happy eating!!
Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

Threshing Table Farm

Growing a Healthy Community, One Crop at a Time

Category Archives: Recipes

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