CSA News May 20, 2012

Our first pre-season delivery is this week! We are excited to be able to start sharing super fresh and nutritious produce this early in the growing season. We will bring eggs to egg share members and bedding plants to those who ordered bedding plants.
 
Thank you to our renewing members, and a big welcome to our new members. A holistic CSA farm like ours depends on member support to operate. We still have some shares available, if you know someone who would enjoy a season of exceptional produce, or who wants to put up food for next winter.
 
See below for specific details for each pickup site.
 
You will receive this week in an outer bag tagged with your name:

Baby lettuce (mesclun)
Spinach
Arugula
Deer Tongue heirloom head lettuce
A nice Cherriette radish or two
A sprig of Russian tarragon herb
 aruguladeer tounge lettucespinach

baby lettuce

The tarragon comes from our perennial herb bed. Everything else will be harvested the morning of delivery from our high tunnel sowings, made over a month ago. Young, tender and just-picked means you are getting a super dose of vitamins and minerals along with deliciousness.
 
We will wash and spin every leaf of greens, but it is always good to give CSA produce another plunge into cold water to rinse off clinging fine soil or grit. Spin in a salad spinner, let drain in a colander, or pat dry. Store by wrapping in a damp towel or place in a plastic bag in the hydrator drawer of your refrigerator. Keeps for up to 1 week.
 
Toss salad greens with dressing at the last minute to avoid sogginess. Pile greens on sandwiches, taco/burritos, or omelets. Cook or add greens to quiches, lasagna or other baked dishes.
 
Russian tarragon is the hardy cousin of better-known French tarragon. Chop fine and flavor a vinaigrette salad dressing, or try this:
 
Hot Potato Salad Tarragon
Serves 4
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 large potatoes
1 bay leaf
3 Tablespoons vinegar
6 to 8 tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
 
1. In a good sized skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent.
2. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise, then in semi-circles ¼-inch thick. Add to onions.
3. Immediately, add bay leaf, vinegar, tarragon, salt and pepper. Add just enough water to barely cover potatoes.
4. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes—long enough to cook potatoes very well, so they’re beginning to crumble. Stir gently from time to time to make sure they are not sticking to pan. The pan sauce and potatoes should be commingling deliciously when you serve the dish.
 
Pasta with Fresh Spinach, Walnuts and Gorgonzola Cheese
Serves 4
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ lb spinach leaves, cleaned and shredded
¼ lb walnut pieces
6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese. Crumbled
freshly ground black pepper
hot cooked pasta of your choice
 
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden. Add spinach, Toss and cook until wilted. Stir in walnuts and cheese. Toss until well combined. Season with pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.
 
***
We were busy this past week. We picked rocks on one of our oats-and-barley-for-chicken-and-calf-feed fields. We watered garden beds prior to transplanting Brussels sprouts.  We set the Japanese cucumbers in the hoophouse. We set plants in the perennial herb bed

Egg share members: your eggs are very fresh. (Most grocery store eggs are many months old.) Fresh eggs do not peel so easily when hardboiled. For best peeling, plunge boiled eggs into icy cold water. The temperature shock helps the shell separate from the egg whites.           

In the bag with your eggs will be an invoice for six weeks of egg deliveries. This is an improvement over last year’s system—easier bookkeeping for us, less check writing for you.
 
Bedding plant members: your plants will be in a box with an invoice and cultural information sheet in an ‘invoice enclosed’ envelope.
 
PICK UP SITE INFORMATION:
 
Monday delivery:
 
PR: pick-up site is Brigid’s House, just south of the new J&B parking lot. The store is in the front, a garage with loft for classes in the rear. We set shares on the south side of the garage, where it is shady and cool, and they are out of view. Walk between the store and the garage, go past the edge of the garage and turn left. Veggie shares will be lined up on the ground along the south wall of the garage. We’ll have them there by 4:00 pm. Come anytime after that and pick up. Check to be sure you take the bag or box with your name on it.
 
Detroit Lakes:
SJE Rhombus members: your veggies will be to the right of the main entrance door (as viewed from the parking lot.) See Natasha if you have questions. We’ll deliver just before your 3:00 pm shift change.
 
DL Overhead Door members: your veggies will be lined up on the east side of the building, as usual. Please park on the side street, rather than in their tiny customer parking space. We’ll drive straight over from SJE Rhombus.
 
Thursday deliveries:
 
Moorhead: Paul and Jean Sando’s home is located at 623 5th Street S, on the corner, on the west side of the street. The veggies are set on their front porch. I’ll do my best to arrive by 3:45 pm.
 
Fargo South: Pat and Brenda Nistler’s home is located at 2815 30th Avenue S. The veggie bags or boxes are set behind the decorative, protective wall to the left of the garage.  I’ll arrive by 4:20 pm.
 
Fargo North: Brigitte von Budde’s home is located at 812 7th Street North, just west of the hospital’s west parking lot. She has a white picket fence with a chain draped over the posts for the entry gate. It’s not locked. Bags / boxes are up on the front porch. ETA  5:00 pm.
 
Questions: call Anne 218-252-5858, or email sgmorg@wcta.net.
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