NICK’S FARM REPORT
Welcome! The season begins….
June 4, 2010
Hi Folks, this is the first of twenty newsletters you will be receiving this season as a reminder, update, and heads-up for your CSA subscription with Midnight Sun Organic Farm. We are very excited to bring our produce to you, our CSA customers, and we look forward to an abundant growing season.
First, we would like to extend a big thank-you to Bria and Todd at Earthly Goods in Gurnee for helping our farm make the connection to so many in our community, and for providing a pick-up space for our produce shares. For those of you not getting your share at Earthly Goods, they are a great place to pick up your health supplements, gluten-free grocery, and they have a full-service juice bar. Check them out at www.earthlygoods.com!
So, it’s already been a hot one, as you probably noticed, and the garden is just thriving as a result. The lettuce and mustards are ahead of schedule, the peas and beans are making the scene, and the tomatoes, cucumbers and squash are loving it in the field.
In the CSA Bag This Week:
Spinach
Bulls Blood Beet Greens
Mustard Mix
Asparagus
Red and green kale
Arugula
Cherry Belle radishes
How the CSA works
As a reminder, this year’s CSA share will run weekly for 20 weeks, from June 4th through October 15th. Each week, your share will be available for pickup at the location you specified when you signed up. Please make sure you come and get your share, or, if you are unable to do so, that you arrange for a friend to do so, as we cannot offer refunds for unclaimed shares. Your shares will be packed in a re-useable tote bag. When you pick up your share next week, please remember to bring your bag back so we can re-use it!
Pick-Up Locations:
- Earthly Goods:
- On-farm pick-up:
Tips and Suggestions from our kitchen:
During the final months of winter, we spend a lot of time looking forward to eating fresh greens. Greens are among the first produce available in the spring, as they grow fast and thrive in the colder spring and, later, fall weather. Thus, the first few share bags will be fairly greens-intensive.
All of the greens you will receive can be eaten raw, as in a salad or side, and we recommend that you try this at least once, so that you can experience the wide range of tastes the garden offers! Many greens, such as kale, beet greens, mustard, and spinach are also excellent braised or sautéed. From a nutritional viewpoint, when preparing greens it is good to have an acidic condiment in the recipe, such as vinegar or lemon juice. This is because the acid is believed to help your body absorb the iron and vitamin A in the greens, of which they are an excellent source.
Here is a good basic recipe which can be applied to any of the above greens:
Heat olive oil or sesame oil in a large, heavy duty frying pan or skillet on medium heat. Wash greens well, chop coarsely, and add to skillet. Cook, turning twice a minute, until greens are wilted (about 3 minutes for spinach, beets and mustard greens, and 5-7 minutes for kale). If you prefer very tender greens, continue cooking until greens are as tender as desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Soy sauce, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or white wine (1-2 tbs) can be added to the pan just before the greens to liven things up. You can also add cubed tofu, toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts, or crumbled goat or feta cheese once the greens are done cooking. Enjoy!
Also included in your bag this week is asparagus from Sandhill Organics, a neighbor farm in Prairie Crossing. We LOVE asparagus all ways, but especially when it is brushed with oil, seasoned, and grilled until tender. Here, also, is a great recipe from Sarah Post, a farmer we worked for a couple seasons ago:
“Mom just gave me a recipe for an asparagus salad; it's my new favorite. Cut aspargus into 1" pieces, blanch in boiling water for one minute and then immediately dunk in cold water to stop it cooking. Drain. Dress with 1 TBS tamari, 1 TBS toasted sesame oil, and 1 TBS sugar. Toss with a small handful of dry roasted sesame seeds. Chill. Enjoy! So good.”
This salad is also great with the addition of raw, thinly sliced radishes.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns!
Midnight Sun Organic Farm
815-354-3227
midnightsunfarms@gmail.com
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