CSA Newsletter for June 1, 2014

Farm Update

These chickens are the friendliest
birds I've ever met!  As soon as
we step outside, they all run to
greet us!

Well, we have an official start date for the CSA program this year!  We will be kicking things off the second week of June, so mark your calendars for either the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th of June, depending on what drop-off you're signed up for.  There are a lot of really nice veggies coming out of the fields right now, but it will be during the second week of June that we'll finally have enough variety to give you a really good CSA share.  Around the farm, we've been irrigating a lot, and we are really looking forward to the rain we are likely to get tomorrow.  The chickens and pigs are also doing well.  The chickens are so friendly, and they like to follow us wherever we go as soon as we step outside!  They even chased my car down the driveway the other day!  The pigs are getting used to their new home, and they've been spending a lot of time under their shelter, trying to stay out of the sun.  I think everyone around the farm (people, animals, and plants) will be really glad when this heat breaks, so let's all hope for rain tomorrow!

What to Expect at Your First CSA Drop-Off

As we approach the start of the CSA season, it occurs to me that we have a lot of new people who have never been to a CSA drop-off to pick up their veggies.  So for those of you who are newbies, here's how it works:

These nasturtiums have edible leaves and flowers,
which are delicious and very pretty on salads.

The first step is simply to come to the drop-off location between 5 and 6 PM on the appointed drop-off day!  For the Alma folks, that's Mondays in the parking lot of His Place, right downtown on Superior St.  The Mt. Pleasant folks will have their drop-off on Tuesdays in the parking lot of Herbs, Etc. on Broadway.  Midland's drop-off will be Wednesdays in the back pavilion at the Eagle Ridge Church of God at 2808 Waldo.  (Midland also has a mini drop-off at the hospital for people who work within the hospital system, where we simply pre-pack the shares and leave them in the seating area behind the Center for Women's Health.  Before you get your hopes up about possibly being able to pick up your share there, I'm going to have to let you down.  The hospital has regulations that prevent anyone not affiliated with them from picking up their produce there, so unless you work for the hospital, you'll just have to come to the drop-off at Eagle Ridge and see us lovely people each week!)  And last but not least, our East Lansing drop-off is going to be in the conference

room space at ELFCO, which is on Northwind Dr, off Grand River a little bit east of MSU campus.  So now that you've arrived at the drop-off, now is the fun part!

The blueberry plants are in full
bloom, and should start producing
tiny berries soon.

At the drop-off, you'll see two big long tables set up, loaded down with lots of veggie goodness.  You'll want to hop in line and chat with people until you get up to the tables.  Once you get to the front of the line, it doesn't really matter which table you go to, because they both have the same stuff.  We just have two tables to keep the line moving quickly.  At each table will be about eight different "stations".  At each station, there will be choices of a few different kinds of vegetables and fruits, and there will be a sign telling you what your choices are and how many to take.  Usually, if you have a half share, you get to choose one item at each station, and if you have a full share, you choose two items at each station.  For example, at the first station you might have a choice between salad greens or spinach.  At the second station, you might have a choice between carrots and broccoli.  Then you go on down the line, choosing the appropriate number of veggies at each station.  Then, down at the end, we have our trading table.  At the trading table we'll have a few extra

veggies, and if you want to trade veggies that you picked up at any of the other stations for something that's on the trade table, you can.  That way, if you don't really want either of the options at a particular station (say, you have a bunch of carrots left from last week and you don't really like broccoli), you can trade for something you like better. 

The Swiss chard has really been growing quickly
with all this heat!

Then, once you've made all your choices, you are all set!  Most weeks we'll also have some additional stuff for sale, like our yummy free-range eggs, or perhaps extra blueberries, strawberries, or cherry tomatoes.  A lot of times, we have so much coming out of the fields that it is more than enough for the CSA, and who doesn't love extra strawberries?

Then, the final step is to take home all your goodies and make something delicious!  If you're stuck for ideas, you can check out the recipe in the newsletter.  I always try to pick a recipe that includes a lot of the things in the share and that doesn't call for a ton of additional ingredients.  Also, if you make something really great with your veggies, feel free to share the recipe on the blog, or

email it to me so that I can include it in a future newsletter!

Also, if there is a week where you forget to come to the drop-off and you wake up the next morning slapping your forehead, just let me know.  We can't harvest an extra share for you the next week if we didn't have advance notice that you'd be gone, but we can still try to get you some extra stuff.  Inevitably, there is usually at least one person who forgets to come to the drop-off, so we often have an extra share or two left at the end.  If you accidentally miss a week, feel free to come by at the end of the drop-off the following week and pick out some items that are left over.  This is kind of a win-win.  There is less waste, and you still get to make up the veggies you missed.

So this is how a drop-off works!  If you have any questions, just let me know.  We look forward to seeing you the second week of June at the first drop-off!

Recipe

Greens are definitely the stars of the show in late spring and early summer, so here is a recipe featuring one of my favorites, Swiss chard.  The recipe is for Sausage, Chard, and Lemon Lasagna, and it comes from Martha Stewart Home.  Check it out here!

Sausage, Chard, and Lemon Lasagna!
Doesn't that look awesome?