Winter CSA 2014 Week 2

Warm winter greetings from your favorite farmers!

We hope that you enjoyed your holiday, along with your first CSA share and its wonderful contents. It is that time again, its a pick up week! Get excited, this week is sure to surprise.

Announcements:

Our CSA blog will be making a transition in time for the new year. CSA posts will be made Sunday evening, allowing our members ample time to prepare for their incoming produce share. Tuesday’s post will become a spotlight for the ten species that roam our pastures. Lastly, we will have a post on Thursday, that will showcase all of the happenings on the farm, along with events that White Oak is partnered with. This transition will introduce new voices, and perspectives from our farm. We are really excited to offer you a more intimate look at what is going on in our gardens, fields, & pastures.

New This Share:

With no further delay please meet our newest member: a Sprouting kit!

This little kit allows you to join in the growing process with us, it gives the opportunity to experiment, create & grow living creatures on your counter! This year our team wanted to try something new, and we hope you love it. Please give feedback throughout the season to let us know what you think!

Our team has chosen four unique sprout mixes for our members to try. We have included the first mix, San Francisco, for your tasting pleasure. Please check out this link for further instructions. Sprouts have so many positive qualities, they are a full five sense experience. They are visually stunning, their texture is unparallelled, their scent earthy, with each touch they spring back into form, and I am sure if we had the sound equipment we could here them bursting through their shells into life. You may be wondering about taste, but you will have to be adventurous and find out yourself. The San Francisco Mix is meant to send your taste buds singing. Fall in love with sprouts.

Other vegetable gems new to our share: Sweet Potatoes, Hon Tsai Tai, Garlic, Swiss Chard, & Fennel.

These ingredients sounds like the makings of a beautiful stew. Check out preparation suggestions below.

Storage:

Fennel-remove bulb from stems and store in a breathable bag.

Sweet Potatoes & Garlic– rest in a windowsill, on the counter, or in a cupboard.

Hon Tsai Tai & Swiss Chard- Store in the crisper drawer, in a large zip lock, partially open. Place leaves in first stem facing out and close on either side of the stems.

Inspiration:

Meal Planning is the bane of my existence, however as busy worker bee. I need to be better about it. So I set out, inspired by my best friend & the best home cook I know. Using items from this share & a few pantry staples. To my amazement, it was the best lunch I could hope for. It had so many textures & tastes it was wild, and beautiful. This is my second week making this concoction.

Recipe:

Roast: beets & carrots (1hr @ 400F), toss with salt & oil

Cook: mixed grain blend (mine had quinoa, couscous, lentil, etc.,)

Chop: raw broccoli, feta, & red onion

Fold: incorporate all ingredients into a very large bowl. Toss with salt, pepper, & your favorite acid (citrus fruits, or vinegar, or both).

*Hint: if roasting veggies, save yourself some time & fossil fuels, by roasting in bulk. Today I roasted my carrots & beets in one pan, while roasting sweet potatoes & garlic on another for a soup.

Organic Share List

Fennel: Fennel can be included in risotto, slaws, raw salads, or even as a beautiful base to soups & stews.

Head Lettuce: A fresh head of  triple washed salad goodness.

Cabbage (Heirloom OR Traditional):Cabbage rolls, cabbage slaws, cabbage salads, pickled cabbage, fermented cabbage, steamed cabbage, raw cabbage, your choices are limitless.

Carrots: Sweet tender and ready to eat raw; they can be included in salads, roasted, braised, & in soups.

Broccoli: Broccoli is wonderful Fresh, steamed, char-grilled, stir-fry, casseroles, a great addition to any pasta dish!

Pak Choi OR Hon Tsai Tai: These elegant green can be sauteed, stir fried, eaten raw, added to soups, stews, dumplings, spring and egg rolls!

Kale or Swiss Chard: Pesto, wraps, sauteed, stir-fry, creamed, risotto, braised and incorporated into soup and stews. Try pairing with bacon! Sauteed with onions and garlic or torn as a salad mix, get some greens in your daily meal adventures. These hearty greens make fabulous Kale chips! **Try fermenting or pickling the chard stems!

Ginger & Garlic: Spicy earthy heat. A root with sensational properties. Include in teas, tonics, baked goods, stir-fry, pickled creations, dressings and freshly juiced.

Sweet Potatoes: Souffle, pie, fries, hash, mashed, chips, casseroles, scalloped, soup and cheese cake.

Sunchokes: Tuber Love. Enjoy these roots blanched, roasted, sauteed, pureed, or raw.

Beets OR Turnips: Try beets pickled, in a salad, roasted with goat cheese, as a dessert sweetener, or in juice. These sweet Asian turnips can be eaten raw, sauteed, roasted, stir-fried, or pickled.

Sprouts – San Francisco Mix: http://sproutpeople.org/san-francisco-sprout-mix/ Please! Please! Please! Check out their website. This will give you tips & tricks on best sprout practices.

baby brussels

ant swarm!

ant Swarm!

Valiantly planting kale

Succulents

Succulents

Micro Greens

Micro Greens

Micro Greens

Micro Greens

Water Erosion

Fancy Chickens

Fancy Chickens

Winter CSA 2014 Week 1

Greetings familiar friends & newcomers. Welcome to your Winter CSA! We hope that our offerings and your vegetable creations exceed your wildest dreams. We encourage you to reach out to us throughout the season with your questions comments and best of all recipes!

I would like to introduce our starting line up this winter:

*Moving left to right, top to bottom.

Starting in the tractor seating we have our fearless leader Ryan Carnley, our farm Manager. He studied history in undergrad and has re-directed his interests elsewhere, and now blesses our garden with his farming knowledge.

Moving right we have the adorable & deadly Lori Moshman, our Green House Manager. She is a triple threat, brimming with knowledge. She triple majored at university, and now runs our green house, & insect programs. She is currently working towards an edible insect crop in the form of black solider flies.

Next up is lovely Molly Maguire, she is a transplant from Brooklyn & moved here with her husband Tim (who just so happens to work with us also)! Molly is a licensed Acupuncturist and spends her off days here in the garden with us. She adds a wonderful holistic view to our garden.

Sitting on the tractor tire you will find Graham Phillips, a fall intern. Sadly, the winter has called him out west for another adventure.

Holding that beautiful bunch of Broccoli is our very own strongman, Tommy Owens. He has been with us since the summer cultivating, harvesting and most recently helping with tallow operations for our bio-diesel project.

Holding those Carrots oh so proudly is, Johhny Kriven, our Shop Manager. Along with our everyday garden tasks Johnny keeps our trucks & tractors running with his technical expertise. You may recognize him from market or delivery.

Standing at attention with a pitchfork, is Tim Solomon. As mentioned above, he is married to the lovely Molly. Tim managed for many years at a reputable specialty food market in Brooklyn, he brings with him his keen eye & palate for all things food! We are lucky to have his hands in the garden and input for our CSA program.

That Lovely Boxer, is Regal, our dedicated mascot. She is there weekly helping us harvest, and keeping our spirits up. She is a gem, arriving at 6 am each morning ready to work. Regal is the glue that holds our team together!

Lastly, that silly girl with her eyes closed is me, Mary Bruce, our Assistant Farm Manager. I am also a transplant, originating just outside of Detroit, MI. Working with the garden crew, the bio-diesel operations, and most recently our new leather goods project(jewelery, coasters, home-goods, etc.).

What to expect as a CSA member:

Each share that you pick up, should be broken down when it is brought home. It ensures that the produce item lives a long and healthy life on your counter or in your fridge. Our blog will give helpful hints on how to store things, and ways to prepare them. You can follow along with us as we discover new and delicious ways to eat our veggies & fruits.

Let’s discuss ‘OR’ items. An OR item is based on our bounty. Here on the farm we cultivate & harvest on a seasonal basis. Therefore, some weeks there is only enough broccoli for half of our members, and thus we make it an or item with another tasty treat like kale. You can expect to see either or within your share box.

This season Ryan & I are planning to be at each pick up location at least once during the season to meet our members, and to let them meet us. Starting this week I will be at the Dothan drop off, and Ryan & I will be at the Albany (Yoga 299 studio) drop off. If you are able to spend a few minuets with us we would love to connect with you, answer questions and receive feedback. We are looking forward to meeting all of our members!

New This Share:

Our very kind special projects manager, Amber, has given to us to pass onto you some really wonderful products that we are really proud of. She wanted you to experience these treasures for yourself.

Free Dozen of Pastured Eggs – Our laying hens have really out done themselves with these little brown beauties. Our eggs are collected daily from our pastured hens. We are sending you Jumbos, these larger eggs can sometime even have a double yolk!

Handmade(on farm) Tallow Soap – This is a hard bar soap, which lathers nicely and leaves you feeling moisturized. Our tallow comes from our beautiful grass fed cattle; it has a clean scent and conditions skin beautifully.

Some helpful little hints about this week’s share items:

Broccoli: We recommend submerging the heads of broccoli in water for 10-15 minutes, with the stem side up to allow any sediment or critters to loosen and fall to the bottom of your wash water. After soaking, a gentle shaking of the broccoli in the water should knock anything loose. One of the many benefits of certified organic produce is the promise to our consumers that we do not use conventional chemical pesticides. However, when critters come to our garden it is difficult to ensure that all of them have been removed from the inner layers of the produce. Broccoli’s tight lobes are the perfect place for sediment and garden critters to hide. We thank you in advance for choosing an organic CSA that works to provide you with the freshest veggies, meanwhile practicing environmentally sound farming techniques.

Kohlrabi: This alien veggie is back! The leaves & stems are completely edible give them a try in your next stir-fry. This little powerhouse can be eaten raw, use a mandolin and drizzle olive oil salt & lemon juice over them for a fresh snack, or try julienne slicing them for extra crunch in your favorite summer coleslaw. They can be roasted in cubes and wedges much like potatoes. They sweeten as their sugars caramelize.

Pasture Raised Eggs:

12 beautiful brown eggs from our own lovely ladies that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.(Want to add a dozen or more, Egg-cellent idea!, Call to order and we’ll bring them to you: 229-641-2081)

Organic Veggie Line Up:

Head Lettuce – A fresh head of  triple washed salad goodness.

Beets – Try them pickled, in a salad, roasted with goat cheese, as a dessert sweetener, or in juice.

Broccoli OR Kale  –Broccoli is wonderful Fresh, steamed, char-grilled, stir-fry, casseroles, a great addition to any pasta dish! Pesto, wraps, sauteed, stir-fry, creamed, risotto, braised and incorporated into soup and stews. Try pairing with bacon! Sauteed with onions and garlic or torn as a salad mix, get some greens in your daily meal adventures. These hearty greens make fabulous Kale chips!

Pac Choi (2x)–These elegant green can be sauteed, stir fried, eaten raw, added to soups, stews, dumplings, spring and egg rolls!

Hakurei Turnips – Eaten raw, sauteed, roasted, stir-fried, or pickled.

Cabbage 2X (heirloom & hybrid) – Cabbage rolls, cabbage slaws, cabbage salads, pickled cabbage, fermented cabbage, steamed cabbage, raw cabbage, your choices are limitless.

Watermelon Radishes – Radishes can be found in, slaw, pickles, relishes, soup & sandwich garnishes.

Carrots –Sweet tender and ready to eat raw; they can be included in salads, roasted, braised, & in soups.

Ginger  – Spicy earthy heat. A root with sensational properties. Include in teas, tonics, baked goods, stir-fry, pickled creations, dressings and freshly jucied.

Sunchokes – Tuber Love. Enjoy these roots blanched, roasted, sauteed, pureed, or raw.

Kohlrabi –Kohlrabi, the tasty cabbage cousin is perfect for the following applications: Salad topping, Slaw, Pickled, Roasted, Steamed, Fried, & Soups!