CSA Week 3

Welcome to week 3!

On Monday evenings Chris and I venture out to the fields just before the sun sets to talk about what will be ready for this week's harvest. We're both amazed as we walk among the onions growing nearly reaching our knees. Three beds over from the onions is more lettuce forming wonderful heads and the next secession of beets producing brightly covered leaves. What really stands out is the Rainbow Swiss Chard. The strong dark green leaves are held up by yellow, red, purple, green, pink and orange stems. If my camera was working I would include a picture of them for you, instead, we're including them in your share this week so you'll see for yourself how really magnificent they look.

This week begins our seasonal fruit share! As we watch our strawberry and blueberry plants mature in it's first season we look to our farmer friends who practice sustainable agriculture and share their fruit with you. Much of your fruit will come from Mick Klug Farm. Mick and his family run his second generation family owned farm in St. Joseph, Michigan. He practices IPM, integrated pest management, on his farm. In order to suppress a pest from a particular plant he has carefully studied their cycle and uses minimal spray in order to keep his plant healthy. He is able to reach the pest while the plant is in it's early stages and is able to leave the fruit untouched.

We have enjoyed Mick's fruit for many years and hope you will to.

Enjoy the bounty of the farm:

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Spinach

Head Lettuce

Parsley

Garlic Scapes

Broccoli

Scarlet Red Turnips

Rhubarb*

Seasonal Fruit Share:

Sweet Cherries

Red Raspberries

Our spinach is growing such wonderful leaves we had to include it one more time before it turns. Most of the time we like to eat it in a salad with some sort of fruit, whether it's a citrus fruit or berry. However, I've me many of you with babies around this something you don't want to pass out on feeding them. I rinse the leaves and toss them in a steamer, I don't chop the leaves or break the stem off, I use every inch. Once I feel that they have wilted enough I puree it and either use it fresh or put it in a freezer bag for later use. Charlie, who is 11 months old, can't stop eating it. I wonder if it's the amazing bright green color or if he's really enjoying the flavor! For those of us who have teeth here is a great recipe you could try (with our honey) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-911/wilted-spinach-salad-with-balsamic-honey-vinaigrette-recipe/index.htmlrecipe/index.html.

Ah yes, garlic scapes, back again! Enjoy these one more time because we won't see them until next season. Raw or cooked, great with your chard or drizzled with soy sauce. One of our members said that their young son loved them as a snack, great news! Here is a great recipe from one our CSA members, Tamara Brusca, passed on to me and I included it in our Recipe Finder on our website, White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip. Enjoy!

May I introduce, Scarlet Red Turnips! This one is more of a traditional turnip compared to your Sweet Salad Turnip from last week. These are wonderful raw in a salad and great added to a slaw. I do occasionally boil these and toss with some butter as a great side dish.

Rhubarb! These are from our friend Mick Klug that are growing strong on his farm. Discard the leaves as they are toxic but may be used in your compost. The stalks are strong and crunch like celery but really tart. You might want to impress someone by making a traditional rhubarb pie http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fresh-Rhubarb-Pie/Detail.aspx or rhubarb custards that I have included on our Recipe Finder. Either way, make sure you have sugar in the house before you start cooking with these stalks! Enjoy and may the best pie win smiling faces at the dinner table.

We hope you enjoy this weeks bounty!

Your farmers,

Tania and Chris Cubberly

CSA Week 2

Welcome to week 2!

Although the rain last week postponed our planting in the field it really made what we had planted already grow more rapidly. The leaves on our kale plants seemed to have doubled and the leeks, scallions and onions are standing tall and proud.

There are times when I won't be able to visit a crop or two in a few days and when I'm able to visit it again I'm always amazed at how a seedling plant could double in size in such a short time. Sometimes I take a second look and wonder if someone else is farming here in the evenings while I sleep.

As the farm grows I think about all the people that we are able to share the bounty with this season. Thank you all for joining!

This week our on farm families will receive the following:

Chioggia Beets with Greens

Red Leaf Lettuce

Romain Lettuce

Sweet Salad Turnips

Scallions

Arugula

Sunflower Sprouts

Spinach

Broccoli

This week our Logan Square Families we receive the following:

Golden Beets with Greens

Red Leaf Lettuce

Romain Lettuce

Sweet Salad Turnips

Scallions

Arugula

Pea Sprouts

Spinach

Broccoli *

*We may need to substitute in case it doesn't last in the field.

The Sweet Salad Turnips are wonderful raw in a salad or slaw. There is no need to peel them, just slice and toss some lemon juice on them and you're ready to eat. They are also wonderful slightly sauteed in some olive oil and then splashed with some orange juice at the end, don't forget to toss in the leaves and cook them down until they wilt.

Your lettuce mixed with the arugula would make a great salad. If you're not ready to use it right away the best way to store them is in a plastic bag and in your crisper drawer. I find that if I wrap my arugula in a damp paper towel and then in a plastic bag it will stay fresh longer.

Chioggia beets with greens! One of my favorite. These are not as earthy as your red beets and don't stain as bad. These are amazing raw. You would have to peel the outside and then slice them up, the stripes of red and white is what makes this beet stand out and have your dinner guests ask what they are. If you choose to cook these try this recipe on the website:
http://www.tempelfarmsorganics.com/recipe/print/16 you may not have the endive in the recipe but the arugula would be great too. Don't forget to eat these greens. They are a great sauteed green.

We hope you enjoy this week's bounty!

Your farmers,

Tania and Chris Cubberly

CSA Week 1

Welcome back to our returning members and also to our newest members! Most of you have been involved in a CSA before and there are some of you who have joined for the very first time. It's a great step that you've taken not only to support a local farm and local, organically grown food, it's also special attention that you're giving yourself by feeding your body healthy nutritious food. You're also setting a great example for your children, your elders and your neighbors. We look forward to getting to know all of you and hope to share stories and recipes among each other as the season goes by.

The Plan

People always ask us what we do all winter long. Well, most of the time we spend planning and then looking at the plan at different angles, then adding more ideas to the plan and then eliminating some of the plan until we feel we've got it just right! By the time February rolls around and we've collected new growing techniques from the many seminars we've sat in, it's time to roll up our sleeves and start playing in the dirt and making it all happen.

The one thing that we can never plan on is the weather. What a great spring we've had! We've been able to tile our fields (nearly 13 acres thus far) for proper drainage, have all our chickens out on pasture full time by early April instead of May, and plant most of our plants in the ground according to our schedule. All of this work is not done by Chris and myself alone, we've got a great crew to introduce you to.

I stop our crew as they plant the remaining blueberry bushes and force them to poise for this picture. Starting from the left we have Michael . He moved here from North Carolina looking for more organic farming experience after farming in Ireland for a few months. Next is Armando, who many of you know by now, has been farming with us for three years! Next is Joe. After a few years of urban farming in Chicago he has finally come out to the country to get his hands in the soil. Last to join our crew is Daryl. He's been in the food industry for many years and is now gaining experience in growing food.

All of us here on the farm are ready for the season. We've got our shining sense of humor and some great waterproof boots!

It is with great pleasure to welcome you to the first bounty of the farm!

This week you will receive the following:

Head Lettuce

Mustard Mix

Pak Choi

Fresh Oregano

Purple Scallions

Garlic Scapes

Honey

Asparagus*

(* denotes not from our farm)

The green curly things in your share this week are called garlic scapes. This is the stem of the garlic bulb. We cut these off not only to cook with but to also give less energy in growing the scape but more to the bulb itself. The scape is tender and gives off a mild aroma to any stir fry. It can be used by taking place of any garlic or onion in your dish. There is no need to discard any of the scape, you can eat every bit of it. Here is a great recipe for a pesto to try. http://www.2sistersgarlic.com/articles/garlic_scape_recipes.htm

The asparagus in your share this week is from our farmer friend Mick Klug. For those of you who have purchased our fruit share you'll be seeing many of his fruit grown on his farm in Michigan. As we prepare our field for asparagus planting we know we'll have to wait a couple of years before we're able to harvest the crop. This is one vegetable I didn't want anyone to miss. It's a spring to very early summer crop and this year has had a short stay in the field with all the warm weather. We're happy to be able to share this item with you!

One more item I would like to talk about is our fresh oregano. We have had a great crop of this oregano that we wanted to share this with you early in the season. If you plan to use this herb fresh you should store it in a plastic bag in your fridge. It should store for at least 5 days. Another way to keep oregano for future cooking is to tie it hang it up in a cool sunless area. Once it has dried you should keep it in a tightly sealed container and it could store for at least 6 months.

We hope you will enjoy the items in your share this week. Please look at our Recipe Page on our website for some cooking ideas. Every week I put in new recipes. If you have one that you'd like to share with others please email it to me.

Your farmers,

Tania and Chris Cubberly

http://www.tempelfarmsorganics.com

tempelfarmsorganics@yahoo.com

CSA details

Welcome to Tempel Farms Organics CSA 2010!

Your first CSA pick up is around the corner! Here are the dates:

For on the farm pick up: Full or Half Vegetable Shares is June 9th.

Seasonal Fruit Share is June 30th.

* This is a market style pick up. Please bring a bag, cooler, or basket to take home your produce in.

For Logan Square pick up: Full or Half Vegetable Shares is June 13th.

Seasonal Fruit Share is June 27th.

Now is a great time to pull out those kitchen aprons, stock up on good quality olive oil, sea salt, red wine vinegar, your favorite spices, shine up your stock pots, saute pan, colanders, sharpen up your vegetable peeler and all those special knives.

I would also keep in mind that since we don't grow any citrus fruits you'll want to liven up your meals with finding some great lemons, limes, blood oranges and grape fruit. Keep in mind when purchasing your fruit that you don't really want to pick out the ones that look the best, your not going to take it's picture. Most of the times the ones with the rougher skin and uglier looking ones will be the juiciest for your meal.

Our newsletters will post on Tuesday evenings so be sure to look out for it. You'll have a list of items that will be in your share for that week, recipe ideas, pictures and happenings on the farm.

Please email us with any questions or comments!

Your farmers,

Tania and Chris Cubberly

The farm sleeping, February 2010. The farm growing, May 2010

(red ace beets)