Cool Like A Cucumber

Hey everyone, hope you're staying cool in this hot and dry weather! We're reported to be in a moderate drought, which is being compared to a similar stretch of weather back in 1988. We wanted to let you know that we're aware, as you probably are, that the heat takes a tole on plants, slowing their growth and production. We're doing everything we can to keep the ground moist and keep the plants happy, but I think every farmer in the area is finding that their usual yields are lower than normal, despite our best efforts. We appreciate your support and understanding throughout this tough time. We're hoping that August will bring more rain and relief from heat. At least, on the up side, hot weather crops like tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, eggplant and okra should do well. Here's an article that talks about the slight advantage that organic farms have over conventional farms in this tough time. Yet another reason why organic farming is more sustainable and healthier from the earth and for people.

This week cucumbers are included in the share and we wanted to share some nutrition info and recipe ideas for them. Cucumbers are great in hot weather because they are cooling and have a high water content to help you stay hydrated. They are low in calories, fat free, and the peel is packed with fiber that helps with digestion and eliminates toxins from the gut. It is a good source of potassium, which is a heart friendly electrolyte and reduces blood pressure and heart rate. It has a unique and ideal ratio of antioxidants that fight disease and have anti-aging properties. It is also a mild diuretic and helps you maintain your weight and fights bloating. It is also a great source of vitamin K, which is believed to aid in bone and brain health. Lots of great health benefits from a juicy, crisp little veggie.

So, whats your favorite way to eat a cucumber? It's so great that they don't require much prep. They are great sliced and eaten with a sprinkling of salt or with dip or hummus. They're great on top of a salad. If you're feeling adventurous you could try your hand at making pickles. Cucumber pairs well with watermelon if you'd like to make a salad. Here's a recipe for cucumber yogurt dip that goes well with pita chips. You can also make a cool, creamy cucumber soup. Below is a picture of a cucumber, mint, feta salad.

We'd love to hear your favorite recipes for cucumbers too!

Week 4 CSA Share

Members: here's a list of what you can expect this week

-10 kale leaves

-10 chard leaves

-1 lettuce head

-1 bok choy

- 1 chinese cabbage

- salad mix (including spinach, mizuna, yukina savoy and red mustard)

-1 bunch of cilantro

- basil

-scallions

-peas (we hope for both Byron Center and Grand Rapids this week!) 

Cilantro

It's been a hot week a the farm, and we're thankful for the rain we received yesterday. However, the tomatoes seem to be loving the warm temperatures we had - we've got some little tomatoes started already. Good think we staked them this week! (Tomatoes plants like a support system, so we pounded posts into the ground and ran a first layer of string along them to help support the plants.) We're excited to watch them grow, as well as the peppers and tomatillos. The chinese cabbage is ready now and we're planning to include that in next week's share. We took lots of pictures of the farm progress yesterday and we'll post them very soon.

This week's post is about cilantro. I know lots of people love it, and there are some that don't. It has a surprising amount of healthy benefits, and might be worth trying to sneak into your food, even if its not your favorite. Cilantro is packed with antioxidants that have anti-aging properties and help protect your body from free radicals that cause disease like cancer and heart disease. It has natural antibacterial properties that fight salmonella and anti-viral properties that help kill virus and cold germs. It helps regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation, balance cholesterol and helps detox by removing heavy metals from the body.

A few suggestions for using your cilantro:

• make fresh salsa, or add it to canned salsa
• use it in tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, or guacamole
• add it to scrambled eggs, with tomato, red onion, and red peppers
• make tortilla soup
• make a salad dish with corn, black beans, and tomatoes
• add it to a panini
• make cilantro pesto (with lime juice, oil and salt) and add that to pasta
• add it to a green smoothie

This recipe is from an amazing and fun site of illustrated recipes - They Draw & Cook

We've found that cilantro is hard to keep fresh. You can freeze it in an ice cube tray, pop the cubes into a bag and keep them in the freezer until you're ready to use it. For more specific directions, visit this site.  

Right now, we're planning to alternate weeks for cilantro between Grand Rapids and Byron Center. We'll also try to start adding a list of what to expect for your weekly share on Mondays. We know it can make life and meal planning much easier to have the information ahead of time. Sometimes we have to wait until pick-up day to see if an item is ready - sometimes a plant is right on the edge and weather can play a big factor too. 

Anyway, my suggestion is perhaps planning a way to use your cilantro on pick-up day or the following day to ensure it stays fresh and doesn't get slimy. I also think that after washing cilantro in cold water, drying it throughly, and then putting in the fridge, it has the best chance of survival. :) It can feel like a game to find the best way to keep all of the produce fresh. We don't have a salad spinner, but I hear they are a wonderful investment to dry your lettuce after washing it. 

Have a great weekend! 

Kohlrabi

It's been a great week at the farm with new items ready to harvest. Byron Center members enjoyed our first peas and parsley, and the Grand Rapids members received a bunch of the first cilantro of the season. Next week they will flip-flop. We also had Bok Choy, kohlrabi, red komatsuna and garlic scapes. We hope you're having fun in your new culinary adventures - we know it can be a little daunting to use everything in one week. If you're stuck for ideas, please feel free to email or message us on facebook, or search online, there are so many great recipe ideas out there. We'd also love for you to share any favorite recipes as a comment here on the blog or on the facebook page.

We also planted 5 rows in winter squash this week, a row of pumpkins, celeriac and cucumbers. Watermelon was recently planted as well as eggplant. The tomatoes and peppers are looking good - we'll be putting in posts soon as the tomatoes get taller. The cabbage is starting to bulb up - it will be ready in the next few weeks. It's looking like we'll have some scallions ready next week too. It's been so fun watching everything grow and seeing the rewards of our hard work.

We hope you'll come see us at the Wednesday night markets at the Fulton Street Farmer's Market 4-7:30 pm. Bring a friend, check out the awesome local vendors, and grab dinner from Bartertown operating out of the Silver Spork truck. It's a lot less hectic than Saturday mornings - parking is much easier too!

Other exciting news: we'll have vegetables for sale at Celadon New Town near Knapp's Corner on Thursday evenings, 6:30-7pm starting this week. If you've been too busy to make it down to the farmer's market, this is a great opportunity to come pick some up if you live nearby.

This week we wanted to share some information and recipes ideas for kohrabi. Kohlrabi gets its name from the German language - meaning cabbage turnip. It's a stout bulb is in the brassica family (which means it's packed with awesome antioxidants and vitamin C) related to cabbage and broccoli - tasting very similar broccoli stems. So how do you eat it? For starters, it usually gets peeled. You want to peel it thoroughly, there is tough fibrous layer under the skin that should be peeled too. Then you can slice it and eat it fresh, or grate it and use it in a salad or coleslaw. Or, you can cook it like you would broccoli - kohlrabi and cheese anyone? ;) That might be more appetizing to kids if your family eats dairy. You can also roast it in the oven with oil olive - cut them like you would potatoes to make oven fries. It's also often used in Indian cuisine - maybe try it in a curry.  You can also use the leaves just like you would kale - they taste great when sauteed with a little butter or olive oil. Don't have time to use yours this week - blanch it and freeze it. (to blanch: briefly boil just until tender, then submerge into an ice bath until cool.)

A variety of recipes ideas can be found here.

More here at the New York Times website.

Really nice photos and directions for kohlrabi salad here.

Some very interesting ideas here - including stuffed kohlrabi.

Have a great week. Thank you everyone for your encouraging words, we're glad you're enjoying the vegetables. It is an honor and a thrill to provide fresh organic food for you and your loved ones.

First Pick-Up

It was great meeting everyone at the pick-up this week! I (Beth) am sorry I wasn't able to make it to the Byron Center Pick Up, but will try next week. It's my last week of teaching for the year, and starting next week I'll have more time to hang out with Josh on the farm and help out. I'll post more recipes ideas soon, but wanted to let you know we added some links to recipes ideas for arugula and swiss chard on the facebook page - please feel free to check it out. If you're new to a CSA, it can take some adjustment to use everything in your share. It helps me to remember that you can add these items to regular dishes you cook, you don't have to sit down to a plate of swiss chard. :) We'll do our best to give you lots of inspiring suggestions as well. We'll see you next week!

Duck Season/ Radish Season

We're looking forward to the first pick-up this week! We wanted to let you know that Karin at Woodbridge Farm will have duck eggs available for purchase at the farm on Tuesday, and she'll also be at the Wednesday evening market for Grand Rapids members. It's been fun listening to those beauties quacking and watching them waddle around on our farm breaks in the shade. 

Things are looking great in the fields. We're still doing lots of planting and lots of things are growing nicely. Radishes will be ready soon. Here are some links to radish recipes:

Roasted Radish and Greens Salad Recipe: http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/roasted-radishes-salad/

10 Tasty Radish Recipes: http://dancinggecko.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/10-tasty-radish-recipes/

Glazed Radishes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/glazed-radishes-recipe/index.html

Radish and Cucumber Slaw: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/radish-and-cucumber-slaw-recipe/index.html

Radish, Apple and Onion Salad: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/radish-apple-and-onion-salad-recipe/index.html

Blue Cheese Mousse Canapes with Radish: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/blue-cheese-mousse-canapes-with-radish-recipe/index.html

Or, if you're feeling brave and have a juicer, try adding one to juice that could use a little kick. If you want to tone the spicy bite down, peel the outer layer of the radish first. 

You can learn about the nutrition benefits of radishes here. 

Have a great week!

Lettuce Eat!

Woah, just under 2 weeks away from the first CSA pick-up. Josh also planted a nice looking bed of lettuce and it's looking like it will be ready very soon too. Lettuce is an awesome food to fill up on - especially in the summer when it's too hot in the house to cook. It's fresh and cooling,  low in calories, and your can play around with lots of different ingredients to give a lettuce it's own personality. I did a little research and found out that lettuce was first cultivated by the Egyptians, and primarily used its seed to produce oil. I also discovered that lettuce is a great source of vitamins A, C, K, as well as folate and potassium. But, if you're looking for nutrition - iceberg lettuce is 96% water. Better choices include romaine, which is still crunchy, or red leaf lettuce - which is mild but has some texture, or arugula - which has a bit of a bite, as well as some anti-cancerous properties since it is officially part of the cruciferous family (kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc.) Or if you really want to take it up a notch, add kale or swiss chard to your salad. These leaves are a little tougher but can be boiled or steamed to soften them up.

The general rule for selecting leafy greens is looking for darker color and more open leaves. The darker the color and open shape allow the leaf to absorb more light, which means they can synthesize more vitamins and antioxidants.

If you're really looking to keep things light and healthy on your salad,  be careful how you dress it. Lighter vinaigrettes, walnuts and sunflower seeds can be a great option.

Tired of salad? Use the leaves to make a wrap for a sandwich or a taco. A bowl of lettuce and blueberries also makes a great summer breakfast or snack.

I came across this website - has lots of delicious looking recipes.  http://recipes.terra-organics.com/ I found a recipe for cucumber kiwi salad with blueberries - sounds amazing!

We'd love to hear your favorite salad ingredients or other ways to eat your lettuce. Leave a comment below with a recipe idea or a link.