News and blog

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.

I didn't expect our first day of CSA to be quite so chilly!  Not good for our summer crops, but it is ideal weather for delivering fresh produce.  If you are new to our CSA, I send this weekly newsletter to our CSA members (and post it on our Website blog) to highlight what is going on at our farms, the contents of your CSA Share, and some recipe ideas for the week.

NWPA Growers Co-op has undergone some significant changes in the past few months.  Many of you are familiar with David Yoder of NuWay Farm.  He was one of the founding members of NWPAGC in 2006 and has been an integral part of the co-op.  He has served as President on our Board of Directors, and we have used his farm as our aggregation and packing location for the past several years.  With most of his children grown and out of the house, he has decided to scale back.  He is selling his farm and moving to a new community.  I know many of you have enjoyed reading his entries in this newsletter.  We sadly say goodbye to his family.

Another founding member, Lori Sands of Silver Wheel Farm, has also chosen to move on to other endeavors.  Lori has been baking bread since before I knew her and has longed to open her own bakery.  Last year she completed work on a commercial kitchen on her farm and launched Going With the Grain Bakery.  She sold bread through our Webstore over the winter, but she found that our schedule was conflicting with her bakery schedule and had to say farewell to us.  We will miss her, too.

We welcome Trunnel Brook Farm to our co-op.  You will be seeing produce from them soon!  You can get to know our farms in the coming weeks through this newsletter.  We try to highlight one or two farms each week.

CSA Shares

Full Share

• 1 lb. rhubarb from Yoder Farm
• 1 kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm
• 1 head lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bag barese from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bunch green onions from Mickley Farm
• 1 mint from Bushel and a Peck Farm or The Way Nature Intended
• 3 choice from Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Harmony Grove Farm, and Mickley Farm

Small Share

• 1 lb. rhubarb from Yoder Farm
• 1 kohlrabi from Detweiler Farm
• 1 head lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bunch green onions from Mickley Farm
• 1 mint from Bushel and a Peck Farm or The Way Nature Intended
• 2 choice from Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Harmony Grove Farm, and Mickley Farm

Mini Share

• 1/2 lb. rhubarb from Yoder Farm
• 1 head lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 bunch green onions from Mickley Farm
• 1 choice from Detweiler Farm, Bushel and a Peck Farm, Harmony Grove Farm, and Mickley Farm

If you have a Small Share or a Mini Share and find that it's not enough, you can switch to a larger size, or you can order extras from the Webstore.

CSA Recipes

We use Pinterest to share recipes with you.  Click on the links in the newsletter and it will take you to a preview of the recipe in Pinterest.  You do not have to have a Pinterest account.  Just click on the "Make It" button to go to the web page containing the full recipe.  Our Pinterest page has recipes from the past few seasons if you want to search for more ideas.  We also have bunches of recipes available on our website from past years.

The greens in the Choice boxes today are spinach, kale, barese (a unique Swiss chard that resembles pac choi), and Swiss chard.  Most greens can be used interchangeably in many recipes.

Never had kohlrabi before?  Learn how to cut it here.  Kohlrabi can be eaten raw or cooked.

Kohlrabi Quiche:  Grain-free and dairy-free

Kohlrabi and Cabbage Slaw with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Super Simple Spinach Hummus:  Keep it simple like the recipe states, or dress it up with garlic, herbs, olives, sundried tomatoes...

Sauteed Spinach and Caramelized Onions

Mom's Rhubarb Sauce:  One of my favorite things to make with rhubarb is sauce.  So simple.  Eat it plain or serve it over ice cream or in plain yogurt.

Dark Chocolate Rhubarb Brownies  because...well...chocolate.

10 Healthy Ways to Use Fresh Mint

Thin Mint Smoothie:  I like to add avocado to my smoothies to make them extra-creamy and make me feel full longer.  This one would be a natural for that since you want it to be green.

Tell us how you use your CSA Share.  Hop over to our Facebook page and like us.  You can post photos and share recipes there.

Have a great week!

Amy

Is it just me, or has this spring flown by?  I was chatting with my bank teller today about it, and we agreed that time must go faster when we are young, so this is a sign that we are both getting younger.  At least that's my story!  To tell the truth, I was at the bank with my now-adult daughter to sign off on her bank account because I no longer need to be a cosigner on it.  I guess I have to admit that time keeps speeding up, whether I'm looking at a day, a week, a season, or a year.  

So this is our final week of Spring Shares.  Summer/Fall shares begin in two weeks, on June 6.  The warm weather we have had this month has helped our plants grow, but the abundance of rain has prevented us from planting some crops.  We have to wait for our fields to dry out or our plants will get waterlogged and rot.  Ah, the joys of farming.  Nothing is ever predictable.

At my farm, we found our beloved momma cat dead in the barn one morning from unknown causes, leaving her five 3-week-old kittens behind.  Bottle-feeding ensued, and they are now eating cat food soaked in milk and growing well.  Here is a photo of the utter cuteness that we endure:

Grateful Life Farm received their second batch of chickens today.  Their first batch is already on pasture, enjoying the sunshine and fresh grass.  When chicks are young, we protect them in an enclosed area with heat lamps, food, and water to give them a safe start.  As soon as they have their adult feathers, they can be placed outside in a movable pen to give them fresh grass daily.  They grow quickly and are ready for butchering in 8-10 weeks.

CSA Shares

• 1/2 lb. spinach from Detweiler Farm
• 1/2 pt. maple syrup from Bushel and a Peck Farm
• 1 head lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 5 oz. pea shoots from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1/2 lb. watercress from Miller Farm Products
• 1 bunch green garlic from Red Dog Farm
• 1 lb. rhubarb from NuWay Farm
• 1 herb from Bushel and a Peck Farm and The Way Nature Intended (spearmint, chocolate mint, oregano, or fennel leaf)

Recipes

High Fiber Blueberry and Spinach Smoothie

Apple Pecan Feta Spinach Salad with maple cider dressing

Black Bean Spinach Quesadilla

Artichoke Spinach Dip (leave out the jalapenos if you want it more mild)

10-Minute Maple Crusted Salmon

Chopped Green Goddess Salad

Cleansing Watercress and Citrus Salad

Watercress and Wild Rice Salad (sub black rice, pink rice, or even quinoa)

What is Green Garlic?

Rhubarb Bars (like a lemon bar...I would leave out the red food coloring or use a natural color like beets)

Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Scones (you can sub vanilla extract if you don't have vanilla beans)

Thank you for supporting our small local farms through your CSA membership.  If you have suggestions about how we can improve your CSA, please share them with us.

Enjoy your holiday weekend, but be sure to take time to remember those who have died in service of our country.  

Amy

May is shaping up to be quite nice, after the cold start to the spring.  All of our veggies have gotten a late start this year, but the warmer weather now is giving them a boost.  Apple trees and lilacs are blooming, as well as fields of dandelions.  While many people see dandelions as a weed, farmers love to see them because they are an early food for the bees that pollinate our crops.

It is also the season for harvesting ramps.  If you're not familiar with them, ramps are a delicious mix of garlic/onion/leek.  They can be found in some wooded areas, and they seem to prefer moist soil.  In our woods, they flourish along the banks of the creek.  We harvest them sustainably, making sure to leave plenty for future years.  When you prepare them, you can use the entire plant.  I usually slice and saute the bulbs and stems first, and add the chopped greens at the end of cooking.  Or you can use the raw chopped greens as a garnish for a unique flavor.  Last night, I served the chopped greens to put on our tacos instead of onions.  Our favorite way to eat ramps is sauteed with mushrooms and asparagus, served with fried eggs or on an omelette.

As a result of our recent Facebook  giveaway, we are launching a new program called Basket of Hope.  We know that sometimes unforeseen circumstances cause a hardship on families.  Costs of medical bills can make a family choose between healthy food and paying for care that is often not covered by insurance.  NWPAGC wants to help those families by offering discounted CSA Shares that are subsidized by farmers and community members.  Healthy food is an important aspect of healing.  Recipients will be chosen after evaluating their need and situation.  If you would like to share healthy food with someone in need, you can either donate by check or through PayPal.  We already have $325.00 in pledges toward our first share. 

How are you using the microgreens from Harmony Grove Farm?  Scallion sprouts are the flavor this week.  I love them on a sandwich, in a salad, or on my eggs.  Microgreens pack a big nutritional punch in a tiny package.

CSA Share

• 12 oz. honey from Hazy Hollow Farm
• 1 lb. rhubarb from NuWay Farm
• 1 dozen eggs from Mickley Farm
• 5 oz. pea shoots from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1/3 lb. ramps from Bushel and a Peck Farm
• 1 head lettuce from Harmony Grove Farm
• 1 scallion microgreens from Harmony Grove Farm

Recipes

Ramp and Mushroom Quiche (This would be delicious to serve for Mother's Day breakfast or brunch!)

Cheesy Ramp Pull-Apart Bread (Start with a store-bought loaf, or use your favorite bread recipe.)

16 Ramp Recipes

Ramp Egg Pizza

Rhubarb Tart (Another lovely dish to serve for Mother's Day.  This one is a little more involved than most recipes that I share.  But look at the photos!)

Salmon with Rhubarb Sweet Chili Sauce

Coconut Rhubarb Cake

Simple Honey Mustard Vinaigrette for your salads

Honey Lime Quinoa Fruit Salad (To round out your Mother's Day morning)

Very Veggie Fried Rice (Change up the veggies with whatever you have on hand.  I would sub asparagus for the broccoli right now.  You can throw in leftover meat, too.)

Honey Banana Smoothie

Crostini with Pea Shoots and Strawberries (Our strawberries are just blooming, so you will have to wait a few weeks.  You will have to settle for store-bought if you want to make this, but please choose organic since strawberries are one of the Dirty Dozen.)

We have one more delivery for our Spring CSA.  Summer CSA begins in just four weeks!  Make sure you sign up before we are full!  If you have any comments or suggestions to make the CSA better, please share them with me.

Amy

We are gearing up for our next CSA/Farm Share season that begins on June 6.  There is still time to sign up if you haven't yet.

We just added two new pickup locations.  We have had requests from people in Oil City to establish a pickup there, and The Tipsy Chef is excited about hosting our CSA.  If you have signed up for Franklin pickup and you would like to move, just shoot me an email and I will get you switched.

Our New Castle pickup is moving to New Wilmington, hosted by The Wright Touch Shiatsu Center on Main Street.  If you have been waiting for us to announce pickup location, don't hesitate any longer!

These two new locations (as well as all of our others) are contingent on enough members at each location.  

We have been running a giveaway on our Facebook page, which ended yesterday.  We are giving away a basket of farm products to one lucky person!  The winner will be announced today, so click over there to find out who won.  If you don't follow us on Facebook, you might want to start!

Remember that all of our farm products are naturally grown without chemical pesticides, herbicides or GMOs.  Our meat and eggs come from animals on pasture with non-GMO feed.  If you're looking for naturally-grown local farm products, our farmers have a wide array to satisfy your needs.

Please share with friends.  Our goal is to provide healthy food to our communities.

Amy Philson, manager

NWPA Growers Cooperative

www.nwpagrowers.com