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