Greetings from the farm!

In your box:

Broccoli                                  Summer Squash                                Beets with tops                        Radishes with tops

Peas                                       Basil                                                  Green Onions                          Lettuce

Arugula

I’m listening to the thunder roll and we just came in from watching a beautiful lightening show and a visit from our neighbor. We could use a little rain, but it also makes it harder to do field work, so wet night or dry night- we’ll take the good of either.  I am writing this newsletter a few days early this week. I generally write the newsletters Tuesday nights. By Tuesday I have a good idea of what is going to be in the boxes, so there are few surprises. As it is Sunday night, I am making my best guess as to what will be harvested for the boxes- but don’t be surprised if something is missing or extra by Thursday.

I am leaving town tomorrow evening (Monday). Which is absolutely unheard of. I never leave during the farm season! But- it’s a pretty special occasion. Farm Technology Days is being held in Kewaunee, WI this week. Farm Tech days is a 3 day farm show like no other. 1 county hosts it each year. This year, for the first time it is being held in Kewaunee. I grew up in Kewaunee and most of my family is there. My family has farmed there for at least 7 generations. My parents have been involved in the planning for this event. It’s taken 3 years to plan and 1,600 volunteers to make this show happen. 30,000 people will attend the 3 day show.  These shows are always about big ag.  Held on huge dairy farms, this time it is no different. It will be held on a 6,000 cow dairy farm.  There is a part of the show called, Innovation Square. In Innovation Square, the hosting county decides what should be highlighted as new, innovative farming trends. I imagine that in the past, it has held robotic milkers, GPS systems on large combines, drones, that kind of thing. Frankly, I haven’t attended in years because I am too busy farming and also because there isn’t a lot at these shows for farmers of our scale.  This show will be different. My dad decided that what is new and innovative in farming, are farms that are feeding the people in their communities.  Small, local farms and their products and economic impact.  He took that idea to the rest of the planning committee and they agreed. This is a first for Farm Technology Days! My hope is that it will go well and all counties will leave space for small, local farms in the future shows.  So of course, I decided last winter that I would not be attending Farm Tech days, because it’s a 3 day event in July. I’m too busy. But then in March, my dad called to tell me that they would have a whole tent, just about CSA’s and they wanted me to run it! I was flattered, but couldn’t see how to make that happen. Claudia said, “Mom, it’s a once in a life time opportunity- do it! We can manage the farm!” So- I am! I am only attending on Tuesday, so I can drive out Monday night and come back Wed. morning. (It’s a 5 hour drive to Kewaunee.) Mike is taking Tuesday off to be here on the farm and everyone else will pitch in to make everything run smoothly. My friend Jen is going with me so that I have company for the long drive. We’re looking forward to our adventure. I hope to inspire others to farm or support a farm that feeds their community.  Wisconsin Farmer’s Union is helping to set up the displays and find other farmers for the other two days of the show.  I’ll report on how it went next week!

On the farm, we’re excited to have both broccoli and summer squash arriving!!  It looks like Cucumbers could be as early as next week and maybe potatoes?  This rain and humidity has been great for growing. The weeds are their worst in July. If you ever thought about volunteering out at the farm, now would be a great time! We’ve got lots of weeding to do! I find it very therapeutic. If you’ve got some thinking to do, do it while weeding. It works for me!

Bean Bags

We send our peas, beans, cherry tomatoes and any other small items in cloth bags we call bean bags. These are used to help cut down on the amount of plastic we might otherwise have to send in your boxes. My mom and her sisters spend many winter days sewing these for us. We love all the fun and beautiful fabrics they are sewn in and they love that it uses up scrap fabric and my mom and aunties can visit while sewing.  However, we only have a limited number of them. Please remember to send them back to us with the boxes at your pick up site. You are welcome to take them home, but return them the next trip so we can wash and reuse them.  Thank you!!

Storage tips:

Broccoli: Store in a plastic grocery bag

Summer Squash: Zucchini is a type of summer squash. So when we say summer squash, it could be any color. Use it all the same. They are very interchangeable. Store in the crisper drawer.

Beets:  Remove the tops and store as you would any green.  Beets do well in the crisper drawer.  Beet tops can be used as you would Swiss chard.

Radishes: Remove the tops and store as you would any green. Radishes will do really well in a plastic bag or a bowl of water in the refrigerator.

Peas: Crisper Drawer

Basil: Glass of water on the counter or try in a closed canning jar in the refrigerator. Sometimes I have luck with that. We have 3 kinds of basil.  The first cutting is always when they are small plants. This encourages much more vigorous growth. We have large Genova basil, which we gave a few weeks ago, and some small plants of lime basil and spicy globe basil. I can’t say which you will be getting, so that will be a surprise.

Green onions:  Crisper Drawer

Lettuce and Arugula: Salad spin and then store in a covered container or platic bag in the refrigerator.  Arugula is spicy, so it’s great mixed in with a salad of lettuce.  Hopefully, we’ll see more robust bunches of arugula in the weeks to come.

 

Recipes:

Beet Hummus

one very large beet (or two medium beets)

2 T. of tahini

2 cups chickpeas

2 medium cloves of garlic (Or use those leftover scapes)

1 small lemon, juiced

Peel and chop beets into medium cubes, put into sauce pan with just enough water to cover beets and simmer until beets are tender. Drain the water. Combine beets, chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, salt and tahini in food processor and blend. Add a little water if the consistency is too thick for your liking.

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

2 sticks butter, room temp.

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cups sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbs. cocoa powder

4 eggs

1 cup, pureed, cooked beets

preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except beets and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Fold in the beets. Spoon the batter into paper lined cupcake tin. (Makes 12 cupcakes.)

Bake 20 minutes. Use the toothpick test to see if done.

Oven roasted broccoli with Parmesan, Garlic and Lemon

One head broccoli, cut into bite sized florets

Olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with olive oil, lemon zest and garlic. Spread broccoli on large baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and return to the oven. Bake another 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and squeeze a wedge or two of lemon right over before serving.

Cold Zucchini Salad

zucchini or summer squash

coconut oil or oil of your choice

minced garlic

red wine vinegar

Slice squash into thin strips lengthwise. Fry lightly  in hot oil until soft throughout. Transfer squash to a bowl; salt lightly. Discard most of the oil in the pan.  Add generous amounts of garlic and sauté lightly. Add 1/4 inch of red wine vinegar to the pan and bring to a quick boil. Toss sauce with the squash. Cover and refrigerate, serve in a few hours.

 

Threshing Table Farm                        Week 4 B

July 7th, 2016

 

 

What’s in this week’s box?

 

Bok Choi                       Peas                                     Parsley
Beans                           Sunflower Sprouts            Kale                                      Turnips                             Onion                          Baby Red Potatoes                                   Lettuce                

 

Tonight I am writing this letter to the gentle rumbles of thunder and the soothing sounds of rain. I am one happy, relaxed farmer! We have been needing rain really badly. Mike has been moving irrigation non-stop every 12 hours for the past week and then some. Everything has been so dry!  Irrigation is helpful, but nothing beats the rain that nature provides. We hope to see some huge gains in our zucchini, summer squash and cucumber patches as a result.

 

We hope you all had a wonderful 4^th! We got a lot of farming done as well as some visiting and sitting around the camp fire. It’s always good to have a reason to stop working and enjoy the people and land around u s. Hopefully, you got to do the same.  Now that July is here it’s time to get ready for the county fair! The boys’ have been working with grandpa on their woodworking projects, Claudia is sorting through photos she’s taken for the photograpy project and all 3 are working with their show calves.

 

We are excited to be sharing the first of the potatoes with you! They are not washed. Baby red potatoes have a very fragile skin.  They will wash right off if you are not careful. We feel it is best to send the potatoes dirty and allow you to wash them off before you prepare them. You will see them like this for a few weeks, until the skins toughen up and then we will be washing them for you.  The paper bag they come in is an effort to keep the dirt off of the rest of your food.

 

 

Cooking Class

 

Moorish Style Pork with Couscous

One of our CSA members Sue Keskinen and her sister, Katje, will be teaching this cooking class on July 19th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in our packing shed.  They will show you all the steps to create this meal and also give you the recipes.  You will then enjoy the meal and have the opportunity to ask questions about its preparation.  If you like, you can bring your own wine or beer to have with the meal. Class size is limited to 10 people.

Cost: $10, bring payment to the class.

Please RSVP to Sue at skeskinen@yahoo.com

 

Phil’s Raspberries

Phil’s Raspberries are ready!! If you pick up at the farm, there will be some for sale on Thursday. If you would like to order some to be delivered with your share next week, July 14^th,  please e-mail me with your order. 1 pint of raspberries is $4.  First come, first serve. We will fill orders as they and the berries come. Phil also offers u-pick in beautifully groomed raspberry beds.  Give him a call if you would like to come to Star Prairie for raspberry picking.  715-781-5861

 

 

 

Bok Choi  – Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

 

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.

 

Potatoes-  Store in cool, dry place. Because these have not been cured, use soon.

 

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

 

Sunflower sprouts- Store in a plastic bag in fridge.

 

Parsley- Plastic container in the refrigerator

 

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

 

Onion: These are young onions that are being pulled to make room in the onion patch. You can use the greens as well as the bulb. Store in the refrigerator.

 

 

Bok Choi Salad

topping:

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds

dressing:

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 fresh onion with greens, thinly sliced
• 1½ pounds bok choy

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread slivered almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a saucepan set over medium heat. The moment the sugar is completely liquefied, add almonds, stirring briskly to coat, then sesame seeds, stirring until evenly distributed. Do this quickly, so that the mixture does not burn. Immediately transfer nut mixture to a plate and let cool.
3. In the same saucepan, bring the dressing ingredients to a boil: sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add sliced green onions and remove from heat. Dressing can be used while warm or cool.
4. Meanwhile, slice the bok choy crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Bits of dirt can lodge themselves in the greens’ numerous crevices, so thoroughly wash and dry the greens after you’ve chopped them. Place bok choy in a large bowl, and toss with dressing. Just before serving, add the nut mixture and toss well.

Potato, Green Bean and Parsley Salad

2lbs  new potatoes
½ lb long green beans, ends removed
olive oil
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
salt and pepper
small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
150g feta

Halve the spuds if need be and boil in plenty of salted water until they are tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Blanch the beans in boiling water for about a minute – you want them to retain their fresh crunch so take care not to overcook them. Run under cold water to cool them down, drain, then add to the potatoes. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, followed by all remaining ingredients except for the feta, and toss everything together to combine.

Taste and season accordingly, then transfer to a serving platter or dish. Scatter the feta over the top and serve.

 

Here are some options I found on line for dressings to pair with sunflower sprouts. Add them to lettuce salads and try one of these dressings!

Because sunflower shoots are pretty crunchy, they pair best with something creamy. Here are some topping ideas for a sunflower shoot salad:

• Goat cheese + lemon vinaigrette (Blend 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon warm water, the zest of one lemon, salt, and black pepper.)
• Cannellini beans + creamy vinaigrette (Blend 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of soft tofu, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 chopped shallot, salt, and black pepper.)
• Avocado vinaigrette: Blend 1/4 cup of lime juice, 1/2 of an avocado, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, salt, and black pepper.
• Yogurt sauce: Blend 1 cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Thin with olive oil and lemon juice. (Variation – Nutty yogurt sauce: Whisk in up to 1/4 cup of your favorite nut butter to the yogurt mixture. Thin with olive oil, rice vinegar, and honey.)

 

 

 

 

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas

 

 

 

 

 

Threshing Table Farm                        Week 1A

June 16, 2016

 What’s in this week’s box??

Garlic Scape                                    Spinach                              Basil                                    Beets

Lettuce                                               Swiss Chard                    Green Onions

 

The first greens of the season are a reason to pause and savor the moment. It’s one of those moments in the year that marks the passage of time and the promise of so much more to come!  Put your feet up, enjoy a fresh salad and feed your body and soul. This is a small taste of all that summer promises.

Welcome to a brand new farm season! It’s year 9 for us on the farm and we’re just as excited as every year before! It’s wonderful to watch for the return of our old friends in the garden- crunchy spinach, curling garlic scapes , fragrant tomato plants,  and even the stubborn weeds!  We’re happy to have dirt in our hands again, worms surfacing and birds serenading us.  Thank you for returning as a member (or starting new!) It feels like our community has reconnected after the long winter.  This is most evident as we visit with our work share members in the field while we harvest or plant.

New Things:

*We are now in our new pack shed! We built it last summer and Mike’s been working hard to finish some final projects in it. The ability to wash everything in the shed and have larger cooler space is wonderful! We recently hosted a “Farmin’ After 5” for the New Richmond Chamber. It’s was a great night with opportunity for other area business people to enjoy the farm with their families.  It reminded us of our Pack Shed party last August. We’re happy to share that a 2^nd Pack Shed Party will be happening on AUGUST 19^TH!  Save the Date! More info to come! Gravel Road will again be providing the music… You don’t want to miss it!!

*We have two new pick up sites- Hill Murray School and My Happy Place in Somerset. Welcome! We appreciate our pick up sites and coordinators a lot! Please tell them thank you for hosting when you pick up.  Great news if you pick up at My Happy Place (or want to get a little shopping done…) My Happy Place is open until 6pm.

*Mama hen and 6 little ones… Too cute!

* A hoop house we put up in December. We’re trying several things inside- tomatoes to hold after frost, basil that may escape the prairie winds and cucumbers- crawling up a trellis. It’s fun watching what grows best and what is best left outside.

*Threshing Table Farm T-shirts! More info to come!

*And more….  Keep reading the newsletters!

 

The kids are enjoying summer vacation. Jonas is at 4-H camp this week and the older two are helping with Vacation Bible School. They are all HUGE helps on the farm! Claudia, who graduated from 8^th grade rivals Mike and I for the number of hours spent farming. It helps that our full-time employee Laura is so much fun to hang out with.  The boys can be seen out working with us most mornings and everyone is looking forward to the County fair and working at (or thinking about working at) their projects.

Newsletters:

A newsletter will come your way on Wednesday morning EVERY week. Even on weeks you don’t get produce (if you are a half share.) PLEASE read them! I try to keep it to two pages. (Though I’m never successful with the first letter!) Each newsletter will give you farm news, recipes and storage tips as well as a list of what is in your box.  If you are a half share and it is your “off” week , information and recipes will very likely help you use your share the following week. The newsletter is the best way to connect with what is going on here at the farm.  In addition, find the Threshing Table Farm Facebook page and “like” us! (You can also follow us on Insta-gram. Claudia keeps everyone updated with great farm photos there. )

 

Produce:

Please note that though we take great care in making sure that your food is safe and clean, we cannot wash produce on the farm as well as you can in your kitchen. Though you don’t have to worry about chemicals being on your food from our farm, nature is all around us. Our vegetables grow in… well… dirt! So please wash your produce once again- at home, before eating or cooking. If you don’t have a salad spinner, we highly recommend getting one.

 

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.

 

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- Does best in a glass of water on the counter.

 

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

 

*I imagine some amazing salads will be taking place this week. Here are a few other ideas for your produce. Enjoy!

 

Wilted Beet and Chard Salad

beets with the leaves
1  bunch Swiss chard
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled

For the dressing:
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Chop off the beet greens and set them aside. Peel the beets and either grate them on a box grater or in a food processor.

Wash the beet greens and chard. Shake to remove excess water, but no need to dry. Remove the tough center ribs and give them a rough chop. Stack the leaves on top of each other and slice them crosswise into thick ribbons.

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot on medium heat. Add the stems and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the leaves of the chard and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leaves have wilted and taste very tender. If the leaves still taste bitter, season with additional salt. Transfer the chard to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the dressing, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper, then stream in the olive oil while whisking vigorously.

Combine the greens and the shredded beets, and toss with the vinaigrette (depending on how much chard you have and how saturated you want your greens, you may have some vinaigrette left over). Serve, topping each plate with goat cheese.

This salad will keep refrigerated for up to one week. Wait to top with goat cheese until serving.

 

Fresh Basil Dressing

                Small bunch of  fresh basil

                ¾ cup olive oil

                ½ tsp. sea salt

                ½ tsp. pepper

                1 tsp. lemon juice

Blend all in a blender or food processor until smooth and serve with salad.

 

Spinach and Garlic Fritatta

 

3 Tablespoons olive oil

                10 eggs

                1 cup finely chopped raw spinach

                ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

                1 T. chopped basil

                Chopped garlic scapes (to taste)

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a large bowl mix egg, spinach ,cheese, herbs, salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the garlic scapes and sauté until tender on med. heat.(about 5 minutes).
4. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low 3 minutes Place in oven and bake uncovered 10 minutes or until top is set.
5. Loosen bottom with spatula and cut into wedges and serve

 

Next week:  Peas and Strawberries  J

 

Have a great week and happy eating!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas