News and blog

Thank you all for your understanding about this newsletter being late.  I know that some of our members never read this, while others anticipate it every week.  It will most likely come later in the day for the next several weeks.  Our driver Heather hurt her back (not doing deliveries), so she is out of commission for a while.  She could use your thoughts and prayers, as she is not a sit-still kind of person and the pain is making her do just that.  I am filling in for her at the moment, so this newsletter will have to wait until evening after I get home from deliveries.

This week has been extra-trying for me because some of my family's closest friends are moving back to California today.  We spent the day with them on Tuesday helping them pack and just hanging out, but that meant a very late night and an early start yesterday.  So by the time I got home from deliveries I was spent and just needed to chill before turning in early.

Farm News

Detweiler Farm

The recent rains and warm weather have been good for the farm crops.  August is often hot and dry, so the rain is welcome.  It is interesting how it can rain at our farm but remain dry just a mile down the road.  Our tomatoes are ripening beautifully.  Fall crops are coming along, with dots of squash among the green vines.  Potato plants are starting to die off, so it will be time to dig the tubers before we know it.

Trunnel Brook Farm

Harvesting beans and peas is very labor-intensive.  This represents a lot of time for the two of us.

Grateful Life Farm

I learned that poison oak is not common in our area, and poison sumac is a wetland plant, so most likely poison ivy is the culprit here.  There are many good resources on the internet for learning to identify the plant, but I think it looks similar to wild berry plants, but does not have prickly stems.  The urushiol oil in the plant causes the rash and you can spread the rash to other parts of your body or other people prior to washing it off.  Many people can keep from getting a rash if the oil is washed off within one hour of contact.  Once you have washed off the urushiol oil, if you do get a rash, the fluid from the rash blisters is not contagious and cannot spread the rash.  You can treat it with calamine lotion or if you prefer a natural remedy, try the juice from the leaves and stems of jewelweed.

Amy here:  A funny story from my farm. Several years ago my nephew was visiting for a few days.  My sons and he took a hike through the woods, and the next day he returned home to Michigan.  My sister called me to ask if the boys had been near poison ivy because his whole body was covered with an itchy rash.  I asked my sons, and they said, "Sure...we were sitting in a meadow filled with it in the woods."  Thankfully, my family isn't very sensitive to the oils in poison ivy, because we would have it constantly with the amount of time we spend in the woods. 

Another name for jewelweed is "touch-me-nots" because the little orange flowers that you see now will turn into seed pods that explode when you touch them.

Glacial Till Farm

Baby kale harvest.  Do you recall the photo from last week's newsletter that shows really tiny greens in the beds?  They grow quickly with sun, rain, and warm temperatures!

CSA Shares

Some of you got monster cabbage this week!  I assure you, it is not pumped full of chemical fertilizer.  That variety of cabbage grows large naturally.  It is often used to make sauerkraut.

I was thrilled to see some cantaloupe in the Choice boxes.  I'm sure it was snatched up by the first people there!  We should have enough to put in all the shares next week.  Yum!

Full Share

• 1 spaghetti squash from Detweiler Farm
• 1 cabbage from Miller Farm Products
• 1 lb. tomatoes from Detweiler Farm
• 4 pickling cukes from Byler Farm
• 8 oz. arugula from Glacial Till Farm
• 1 bag sugar snap peas or tricolor beans from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. green beans from Detweiler Farm
• 2 green peppers from Byler Farm
• 2 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Miller Farm Products, Grateful Life Farm, Trunnel Brook Farm, Springfield Acres, Byler Farm, and Glacial Till Farm

Small Share

• 1 spaghetti squash from Detweiler Farm
• 1 cabbage from Miller Farm Products
• 1 tomato from Byler Farm
• 8 oz. baby kale from Glacial Till Farm
• 1 bag sugar snap peas or tricolor beans from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. green beans from Detweiler Farm
• 1 green pepper from Byler Farm
• 1 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Miller Farm Products, Grateful Life Farm, Trunnel Brook Farm, Springfield Acres, Byler Farm, and Glacial Till Farm

Mini Share

• 1 spaghetti squash from Detweiler Farm
• 1 tomato from Detweiler Farm
• 8 oz. salad greens from Glacial Till Farm
• 1/2 lb. green beans from Miller Farm Products
• 1 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Miller Farm Products, Grateful Life Farm, Trunnel Brook Farm, Springfield Acres, Byler Farm, and Glacial Till Farm

Recipes

Spaghetti Squash Taco Boats

Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

Lemon Butter Green Beans

Too many beans?  How to Freeze Fresh Green Beans

Asian-Style Cabbage Wraps

Creamy No-Mayo Coleslaw

Make some sauerkraut with your giant cabbage!  This recipe was recommended by one of our CSA members:  Lemon Dill Sauerkraut

Greek Cucumber and Arugula Salad

Greek Kale Salad with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing

Check out our Pinterest page for lots more recipes.  And share how you use your CSA veggies (and meats, too!) on our Facebook page.

Amy

I am delivering CSA Shares today, so I am composing this newsletter in advance.  I won't have a chance to change this if there are any last-minute changes, and I haven't heard much in the way of farmer news as I write.  So I will share a few photos that show what is happening on our farms.

Trunnel Brook Farm has been busy picking sugar snap peas and snow peas for CSA Shares.

Glacial Till Farm has lots of greens in their beds for fall crops.

Grateful Life Farm has harvested their onions and garlic and have them hanging to dry.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 1 lb. sweet onions from Miller Farm Products
• 2 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 lb. tomatoes from Byler Farm
• 1 pt. peas (snow or sugar snap) from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. tricolor beans from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 green pepper from Byler Farm
• 1 bag barese Swiss chard from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bag pea shoots from Harmony Grove Farm (may have lettuce or spinach instead)
• 2 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Byler Farm, Springfield Acres, Glacial Till Farm, Miller Farm Products, and Bushel and a Peck Farm

Small Share

• 1 lb. sweet onions from Miller Farm Products
• 1 zucchini from Miller Farm Products
• 1 tomato from Detweiler Farm
• 1 pt. peas (snow or sugar snap) from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. green beans from Miller Farm Products
• 1 green pepper from Byler Farm
• 1 bag pea shoots from Harmony Grove Farm (may have lettuce, Barese chard, or spinach instead)
• 1 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Byler Farm, Springfield Acres, Glacial Till Farm, Miller Farm Products, and Bushel and a Peck Farm

Mini Share

• 1 sweet onion from Miller Farm Products
• 1 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 tomato from Detweiler Farm
• 1 lb. green beans from Detweiler Farm
• 1 cucumber from Miller Farm Products
• 1 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Byler Farm, Springfield Acres, Glacial Till Farm, Miller Farm Products, and Bushel and a Peck Farm

Recipes

Balsamic Green Beans

Tomato and Green Bean Salad

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Rice

Lemon Grilled Zucchini  (One of my favorite zucchini recipes.  We eat this at least once/week.)

Chinese Style Pea Shoots

Flavorful Beef Stir-Fry

Sauteed Ginger Bok Choy (Barese chard can be used as chard or as bok choy.)

Enjoy our summer bounty!

Amy

We are marching right along into our peak of the season!  After several weeks of sparse crops because we had some failures and some that just weren't growing as quickly as usual, our crops are finally flourishing.  

Most of our farmers have been very busy in their fields and haven't given me any updates.  I will be sure to remind them so you can hear from a few of them next week.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 1 cabbage from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. candy onions from Miller Farm Products
• 1 bunch beets from Glacial Till Farm
• 1 pt. blueberries from Hochstetler Farm
• 1 pt. snow peas from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. tomatillos from Detweiler Farm
• 1 lb. tomatoes from Detweiler Farm
• 3 inferno peppers from Detweiler Farm
• 1 broccoli sprouts from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 scallion sprouts from Harmony Grove Farm
• 2 Choice from Glacial Till Farm, Byler Farm, Miller Farm Products, Detweiler Farm, Springfield Acres, and Trunnel Brook Farm

Small Share

• 1 lb. candy onions from Miller Farm Products
• 1 pt. blueberries from Hochstetler Farm
• 1 pt. snow peas from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. tomatillos from Detweiler Farm
• 1 lb. tomatoes from Detweiler Farm
• 3 inferno peppers from Detweiler Farm
• 1 broccoli sprouts from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 scallion sprouts from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 Choice from Glacial Till Farm, Byler Farm, Miller Farm Products, Detweiler Farm, Springfield Acres, and Trunnel Brook Farm

Mini Share

• 1/2 pt. snow peas from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. tomatillos from Detweiler Farm
• 1 tomato from Detweiler Farm
• 3 inferno peppers from Detweiler Farm
• 1 Choice from Glacial Till Farm, Byler Farm, Miller Farm Products, Detweiler Farm, Springfield Acres, and Trunnel Brook Farm

Recipes

Not sure what to do with your microgreens?  Here are some ideas.

Broccoli Sprout Salad (microgreens, tomatoes, and more!)

Tomatillo Pico de Gallo

Roasted Tomatillo Chicken Enchilada Pie

Beef and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Sesame Snow Pea Salad

Balsamic Rosemary Beets

Beef & Cabbage Stir-Fry

That's all for now.  Short and sweet today because I have to go to farmer's market in Pittsburgh because the rest of my family is busy.  Hopefully the rain will hold off until after market.

We have lots more recipes pinned on our Pinterest boards, plus recipes from earlier years on our Website.  If you are looking for some cooking inspiration, we have lots to choose from!

Although the humidity isn't pleasant, the rain this week is just what we needed for our crops.  Watering with well water just isn't the same as a good rain.  Maybe it's the electric charges in rainwater that give plants a great boost in growth.  When we get a good soaker that soaks into the ground, the roots grow deeper and pull nutrients from the soil.

Farm News

Grateful Life Farm

It feels like the calm after the storm as we complete each chicken processing day, clean up and put away our equipment, and relax back into our daily routines.  Last Friday evening, as we prepared for butchering in the morning, was especially hectic with a lost feed delivery and the surprise arrival of new baby chicks!  Our non-GMO feeds come from Sunrise Farms in Virginia via freight and freight haulers are not typically set up very well to deal with deliveries to homes in remote rural areas.  The truck driver had trouble finding us and he told me he had left the two pallets of feed outside the garage of a house with a red roof and a dump truck in the driveway.  After several phone calls to neighbors whose homes met that description, we found our feed tucked behind the house next door.  We rushed to unload the bags and move them, before our neighbor came home from work to find her garage door blocked by our delivery!

This week, our turkeys are finally big enough to get their wing feathers trimmed and be allowed to roam inside electric net fence during the day.  They get so excited to be let out each morning.

We also moved our rabbit does back to their individual hutches as they are scheduled to give birth again next weekend.  Heat is hard on them and fertility can be low in the summer months, so it will be interesting to see how many kits we'll get this time.

I made some very simple, but delicious meals this week.  Sometimes the best cooking doesn't even need a recipe.  We grilled chicken wings one night, covered in Cajun seasoning, and served them with a side of kale chips.  Another night, I marinated boneless, skinless breast chunks in gluten-free soy sauce and made a stir fry with various vegetables from our garden. 

Trunnel Brook Farm

Look at these gorgeous hot Hungarian peppers!

Glacial Till Farm

We have been busy turning over beds from cover crops and spring greens and planting fresh seeds.

Fresh greens are in the forecast soon!  We have lots of kale planted, as well as other crops.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 2 tomatoes OR pint sun sugar cherry tomatoes from Detweiler Farm
• 1 cucumber from Detweiler Farm
• 2 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 green pepper from Byler Farm
• 1 lb. green beans from Miller Farm Products
• 1 barese from Hharmony Grove Farm
• 1 broccoli microgreens from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 pt. blueberries from Hochstetler Farm
• 3 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Glacial Till Farm, Springfield Acres, Miller Farm Products, and Byler Farm
• 1 herb from Harmony Grove Farm (garlic chives) or Springfield Acres

Small Share

• 1 tomato from Detweiler or Byler Farm
• 1 cucumber from Detweiler Farm
• 1 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 barese from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 broccoli microgreens from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 pt. blueberries from Hochstetler Farm
• 2 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Glacial Till Farm, Springfield Acres, Miller Farm Products, and Byler Farm
• 1 herb from Harmony Grove Farm (garlic chives) or Springfield Acres

Mini Share

• 1 tomato from Byler Farm
• 1 cucumber from Detweiler Farm
• 1 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 barese from Hharmony Grove Farm
• 1 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Glacial Till Farm, Springfield Acres, Miller Farm Products, and Byler Farm

Recipes

Parmesan Tomato Zucchini Bake

Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad

Frozen Yogurt Covered Blueberries - so easy and so healthy on a hot day!

Thai Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

Spiralized Sesame Cucumber Salad (if you don't have a spiralizer, just slice your cuke)  I made this last night to go with our dinner, and it has a nice tangy dressing.  

Panda Express Zucchini Mushroom Chicken   I served this last night, too, over rice.  We wait for zucchini season for this recipe.  Even my daughter who usually turns up her nose at zucchini likes this one.

Have a great week!  I am taking the rest of the day off today to spend the rest of my birthday with my mom who is visiting from New Mexico.  Happy eating!

Amy

Today is Week 7 of our CSA season, and Week 1 of Peak of the Season Shares.  If you are a brand new member of our CSA this week, welcome!  I send out an email every Wednesday with farm news, a list of what is in your Share, and recipe ideas.

This morning, seven of your farmers busily sorted and packed everything to be delivered today.  We arrive at our packing location around 7 a.m. with our vehicles filled with farm products.  We set up three different stations: two long tables for assembly-line CSA Share packing, another table where we pack the Choice boxes and herbs, as well as the add-on shares (meats, eggs, cheese), and a third table where all of the Webstore and Select Share orders are sorted.  The van is usually loaded and ready around 8:30.

Every week I try to highlight one or two of our farms so you can "get to know" your farmers.

Detweiler Farm

The Detweiler family farms on about 20 acres near Fredonia.  This Amish family uses draft horses to cultivate their fields, and a byproduct of keeping horses is manure to make compost, which then enriches the soil.  Over the past few years they have built greenhouses to extend their season and bring us earlier tomatoes, since most tomatoes grown in the field don't hit their peak until late August.  They also grow spinach and other greens in the colder months in their greenhouses.  They grow most of the juicy red strawberries you saw in June, with many hours of picking in the field.  Other produce that grows well on their farm includes zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, and sweet corn.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 1 pt. blueberries from Hochstetler Farm
• 4 zucchini from Detweiler Farm and Miller Farm Products
• 6 pickling cucumbers from Detweiler Farm and Byler Farm
• 1 lb. green beans from Byler Farm
• 2 banana peppers from Byler Farm
• 1 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 3 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Byler Farm, Springfield Acres, Harmony Grove Farm, Grateful Life Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Glacial Till Farm
• 1 herb from Springfield Acres, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Grateful Life Farm

Small Share

• 1 pt. blueberries from Hochstetler Farm
• 3 zucchini from Detweiler Farm and Miller Farm Products
• 4 pickling cucumbers from Detweiler Farm and Byler Farm
• 1 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 2 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Byler Farm, Springfield Acres, Harmony Grove Farm, Grateful Life Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Glacial Till Farm
• 1 herb from Springfield Acres, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Grateful Life Farm

Mini Share

• 1 pt. blueberries from Hochstetler Farm
• 2 pickling cucumbers from Detweiler Farm and Byler Farm
• 1 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Byler Farm, Springfield Acres, Harmony Grove Farm, Grateful Life Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Glacial Till Farm

CSA Recipes

An explanation for new CSA members just starting Peak of the Season Shares:  I share recipes via Pinterest each week for somewhat healthy, relatively easy dishes you can make with some of the products in your CSA Share.  Besides the recipes I share in this email, there are lots of other recipes pinned on our Pinterest page, and you can also find recipes from other previous seasons on our Website.

Blueberry Muffin Smoothie

Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Zucchini Enchiladas - replace tortillas with healthy zucchini slices!

Cinnamon Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cleansing Cucumber Lemonade

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

Spicy Thai Cucumber Salad - you need a spiralizer, or you can grate the veggies with a coarse grater

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

Simple Cucumber Salad with Banana Peppers

Share with us what you are doing with your CSA Share on Facebook.  We always love to see how you are eating your healthy veggies!

Amy

I forgot to mention in this morning's reminder email that it is Chicken Share week.  For those with monthly Chicken Shares, I hope you grabbed yours!

What a beautiful week we are having.  Our veggies are growing by leaps and bounds right now.  The veggies could use a little rain, but those of us making hay are thankful for this dry spell.  

News from Grateful Life Farm

News from Glacial Till Farm

Garlic is harvested and curing:

Cover crops enrich the soil.  We plant green crops in some sections that will then be tilled into the soil, leaving their nutrients to feed the soil.  Sometimes this is done 2-3 times during a season on a plot.

Tomatoes are growing.  We hope to have our first tomatoes ready in a week or two.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 1 pt. blueberries from Hostetler Farm
• 4 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 bag kale from Glacial Till Farm
• 1 bag spinach from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 herb from Springfield Acres, The Way Nature Intended and Bushel and a Peck Farm
• 3 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Glacial Till Farm, Harmony Grove Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Springfield Acres

Small Share

• 1 pt. blueberries from Hostetler Farm
• 3 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 herb from Springfield Acres, The Way Nature Intended and Bushel and a Peck Farm
• 2 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Glacial Till Farm, Harmony Grove Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Springfield Acres

Mini Share

• 1 pt. blueberries from Hostetler Farm
• 2 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 Choice from Detweiler Farm, Glacial Till Farm, Harmony Grove Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, and Springfield Acres

This week we put the herbs directly into the boxes for Full Shares and Small Shares instead of having the choice.  Some locations have been doing this, and some have been offering the choice.  Let me know which way you like it better:  do you want to receive an herb that we choose and figure out how to use it or be able to choose which one you want?

This week's shares are again smaller than we had hoped.  I had planned pickling cucumbers for your shares, but they just weren't ready yet so we have to wait another week for those.  Rest assured that we will make up the difference.  We assign dollar value to each item in your shares (generally a little lower than the Webstore price), and I have a weekly "budget" for each size of share.  Over the course of the season, you receive the average of that budget, with some weeks more abundant and others less so.

Recipes

Spinach and Zucchini Vegetable Bake

Spinach White Bean Enchiladas with Pepper Jack Sauce (I would just add fresh spinach and let it bake with the enchiladas instead of precooking it)

Blueberry Chicken Chopped Salad

Blueberry, Feta and Honey-Caramelized Onion Naan Pizza

Blueberry Zucchini Breakfast Cookies

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta

Lemon Grilled Zucchini (One of my favorite zucchini recipes; I have made it twice in the last week.  I increase the lemon juice in it and use whatever savory herb I feel like:  dill, parsley, oregano, thyme, etc.)

Lasagna Zucchini Boats (Another zucchini favorite!)

Have a great week!  I am off to farmer's market this afternoon so the rest of my family can finish our first cut of hay.

Amy

Whew...we made it through this incredibly hot spell.  Relief is coming within a few hours, and not soon enough for your farmers.  When it is this hot outside, we slow down a little, taking breaks more frequently, but we can't just hide out inside until the heat passes.  We have animals that need fed and watered (and kept as cool as possible) and crops that need watered, weeded, and harvested.  As I type, the wind has picked up and the cold front is rolling in, bringing a wave of cooler air through my window.  Ahhhh.

I will share a few photos from some of our farms in recent days.

Our first blueberries of the season at Trunnel Brook Farm.  There will be blueberries in CSA shares next week.

It's black raspberry season, a delicious wild fruit.  At Trunnel Brook Farm

"It's too hot to move," says lazy cat at Trunnel Brook Farm

Weeding young plants at Glacial Till Farm, even in the heat.

Some of the fields at Glacial Till Farm.  The tomatoes are looking great...we are waiting for ripe fruit in a few weeks.

News from Grateful Life Farm:

At Bushel and a Peck Farm we have spent this hot week baling hay and stacking it in the barn.  Hay needs to be baled when it is dry, not when dew has settled on it overnight.  Thus the phrase "Make hay while the sun shines" is quite appropriate, although uncomfortable.  

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 1 cabbage from Detweiler Farm
• 3 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 napa cabbage from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 2 lb. rhubarb from Byler Farm
• 2 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 3 Choice from Harmony Grove Farm, Detweiler Farm, Trunnel Brook Farm, Glacial Till Farm, and Byler Farm
• 1 herb from Springfield Acres and Bushel and a Peck Farm

Small Share

• 1 cabbage from Detweiler Farm
• 2 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 napa cabbage from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lb. rhubarb from Byler Farm
• 1 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 2 Choice from Harmony Grove Farm, Detweiler Farm, Trunnel Brook Farm, Glacial Till Farm, and Byler Farm
• 1 herb from Springfield Acres and Bushel and a Peck Farm

Mini Share

• 1 zucchini from Detweiler Farm
• 1 napa cabbage from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 Choice from Harmony Grove Farm, Detweiler Farm, Trunnel Brook Farm, Glacial Till Farm, and Byler Farm

Recipes

Napa Cabbage Stir Fry

Roasted Napa Cabbage

Thai Chicken Chopped Salad with Peanut Dressing

Easy Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Elastigirl's Stretchy Zucchini Noodles because sometimes the name can make a difference whether picky kids will eat it

Grilled Lemon Garlic Zucchini

Rhubarb Pie

Cream Cheese Rhubarb Bars

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

After too much rain, we have had over a week of mostly dry, so today's rain is very welcome.  Hopefully we will get a good soaker and then several days of mild sunny weather.  

Eat locally for your health.

Amy

Who put in the request for rain every Wednesday this summer?  I hope you cancel it for next week so it doesn't ruin everyone's holiday celebration!  Remember that your CSA pickup will be on Thursday next week.

To help you "know" your farmers better, we are highlighting Harmony Grove Farm in this week's newsletter.  Monty and Akemi Hoffman farm near Harrisville and Clintonville.  This is what they share:

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 2 heads lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bag pea shoots (or barese chard) from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bag kale from Glacial Till Farm
• 1 napa cabbage from Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 bunch radishes OR bag of broccoli OR kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm
• 3 Choice from Grateful Life Farm, Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Glacial Till Farm, and Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 Herb Choice from Bushel and a Peck Farm and Springfield Acres

Small Share

• 2 heads lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bag pea shoots (or barese chard) from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bunch radishes OR bag of broccoli OR kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm
• 2 Choice from Grateful Life Farm, Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Glacial Till Farm, and Trunnel Brook Farm
• 1 Herb Choice from Bushel and a Peck Farm and Springfield Acres

Mini Share

• 1 heads lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bag pea shoots (or barese chard) from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bunch radishes OR bag of broccoli OR kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm

CSA Recipes

Roasted Kale and Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Radish and Herbs

Spring Radish Salad

20 Lettuce Wrap Recipes

There are lots more recipes on our Pinterest boards if you need more inspiration.

It's the kind of day that I want to curl up with a book and a cup of tea (have you tried the fennel/mint tea?  It's delish!), but I'm afraid that other duties are calling my name instead.  At least I'll make some tea.

Amy

First of all, let me apologize for the small amount in Full Shares and Small Shares today.  Please know that you can expect more than that in your Shares each week, and we will make up the lack in the future.  As I have said several times, all of your farmers are experiencing delays in our crops this year.  First, we had a colder than usual April, which delayed our plant starts.  Then we had a wetter than usual May, which prevented us from planting and waterlogged others.  We are still busy transplanting and weeding, impatiently waiting for our plants to mature for harvest.  Several of us attend farmer's markets, and almost no one in the area has much produce yet...except the vendors that buy from wholesalers to fill out their display.  Some of our farmers haven't even started at the markets they usually attend because of lack of product.  We have a few different greens on tap for next week, including lettuce!

Now on to farm news...

Grateful Life Farm

Two Saturdays ago we harvested our first batch of broiler chickens for 2018.  This was our first time hiring help and processing twice as many birds as we did on a single day in past years.  Thanks to our wonderful helpers Wendy, Aaron, and Chad, the day went very smoothly and we accomplished much more than we could have alone. 

Once the pasture pens were empty, it was time to cut grass, move the fences, and transport the next batch of chicks, three weeks old, to the pasture.  But it was not to be that simple.  When we fired the BCS to cut the grass, neither of us noticed that the oil plug had vibrated loose and come out and a few minutes after starting it, the engine seized.

Can you see the opening in the bottom right of the photo, behind the two black lines where the oil plug should be?  We resorted to cutting the grass with the weed eater, while the wonderful people at Earth Tools BCS in Kentucky overnight shipped us a new Honda engine.  The birds were moved out to pasture a few days later.

Trunnel Brook Farm shared some photos from the past week:

A friendly bug-eater...

Garlic Scapes...

Peppers...

Did you know that black swallowtail caterpillars love dill?  I found this in my dill patch when I was harvesting yesterday.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• Garlic scapes from Trunnel Brook Farm
• Broccoli microgreens from Harmony Grove Farm
• Barese from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 qt. strawberries from Detweiler Farm
• 3 Choice from Harmony Grove Farm, Detweiler Farm, Springfield Acres, Red Dog Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Mickley Farm, and Glacial Till Farm
• 1 Herb choice from Springfield Acres and Bushel and a Peck Farm

Small Share

• Garlic scapes from Red Dog Farm
• Broccoli microgreens from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 qt. strawberries from Detweiler Farm
• 2 Choice from Harmony Grove Farm, Detweiler Farm, Springfield Acres, Red Dog Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Mickley Farm, and Glacial Till Farm
• 1 Herb choice from Springfield Acres and Bushel and a Peck Farm

Mini Share

• Garlic scapes from Trunnel Brook Farm
• Broccoli microgreens from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 pt. strawberries from Detweiler Farm
• 1 Choice from Harmony Grove Farm, Detweiler Farm, Springfield Acres, Red Dog Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Mickley Farm, and Glacial Till Farm

To help you identify some things in the Choice boxes today, there were pea shoots, Red Russian kale, rainbow Swiss chard, and Barese.  I think the rest of the Choice boxes are relatively self-explanatory.

CSA Recipes

Barese is a Swiss chard that looks and tastes similar to bok choi; you can use it as either chard or bok choi in recipes.  This blog has a good description, as well as a couple of recipes.

Strawberries & Cream Overnight Oats

Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad

Chia Seed Strawberry Jam

Swiss Chard with Fava Beans

10+ Ways to Use Garlic Scapes

For more ideas from past seasons, visit our Pinterest page or Website.

Again, we apologize for the apparent lack of produce so far this season.  Most of you understand that a CSA membership is a season-long commitment with ups and downs, but you still need to eat, and you depend on our produce.  I assure you that we are doing all that we can to beef up your CSA Shares as quickly as possible.  You have an amazing group of farmers here that are working hard to feed your families.

Amy

This is Week 2 of our CSA Season.  As you can see from your Share, we are still having issues with a delay of many crops due to our wet spring.  Let me assure you that the lack in your Shares right now will be made up in the coming weeks.  That is what Community Supported Agriculture is...a season-long commitment with ups and downs dependent on weather.  We could have delayed the beginning of our season by a couple of weeks, but we felt that smaller Shares at the beginning would be better than no Shares.  We are all looking forward to more bounty in the coming weeks.

It seems that we are having some issues with people taking the incorrect items at some pickup locations.  If your location works on the honor system without a site coordinator checking you in, PLEASE consult the pickup list for what should be in your Share.  Next to your name it tells you what size of Share you should receive.  The Full Shares are in the largest boxes; Small Shares are in 1/2-bushel boxes, and Mini Shares are all marked Mini on the label.  One person should have received a Full Share, and all that was left at the end of the day was a Mini Share.

The number of Choice items can vary from week to week, and if you take more than your allotment, then you are cheating someone else out of the full value of their Share.  This week, Full Shares should have taken two Choice, and Small and Mini Shares one choice.  We have some people who didn't receive any Choice items because they had all been taken by the time they arrived.

Also, if a box has a strip of colorful tape on it and the label says Select Share, please do not touch that box unless it belongs to you.

Okay, that's the end of the housekeeping items, so for those who don't usually read these emails, you may stop here.  Now on to the regular newsletter content.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 1 qt. strawberries from Detweiler Farm
• 1 bunch green onions from Mickley Farm
• 1 scallion sprouts from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm
• 1 lb. rhubarb from Yoder Farm
• 1 bag Swiss chard from Harmony Grove Farm
• 2 Choice items
• 1 Herb choice

Small Share

• 1 qt. strawberries from Detweiler Farm
• 1 scallion sprouts from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm
• 1 lb. rhubarb from Yoder Farm
• 1 Choice item
• 1 Herb choice

Mini Share

• 1 pt. strawberries from Detweiler Farm
• 1 scallion sprouts from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm
• 1 Choice items

Recipes

Vegan Strawberries and Cream Bruschetta (with non-vegan subs if you don't want to make cashew cheese)

Balsamic Chicken with Strawberry Mint Salsa

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Sauteed Kohlrabi with Onions and Cream

Kohlrabi and Apple Salad

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

Fennel Fronds Pesto

I am in love with this Mint and Fennel Tea.  Hot or cold, it's so refreshing.

Health Benefits of Rhubarb (not a recipe, but good info)

Find even more recipes on our Pinterest Page or on our Website.