CSA Newsletter for Week 6

Farm Update

Mary harvests cherry tomatoes in the coldframe.

Hi everyone!  We got a little more rain at the farm, so we’re glad about that!  It wasn’t a ton, so we’ll still have to spend time this week on irrigation-related projects, but we’ll also be able to spend more time getting some of our old plantings tilled under.  Then we’ll work the ground in preparation for our next wave of plantings, which will become the veggies in our late summer and fall shares.  In general, planting has slowed down for the year.  Spring and early summer are usually a rush of planting and weeding, and while we’re still doing quite a lot of weeding, the planting has slowed down considerably in favor of more plant maintenance tasks, such as trellising tomatoes. 

In other news, we had quite a lot of interest in bulk blueberry orders this year!  We are really going to try to service the requests that have already come in, but we definitely have all the orders we can handle, so I won’t be able to add anyone else to the list this year.  

Fred and I were also really glad to be able to take a break from farm work last night and today to visit the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair!  We were headed down there Friday to deliver veggies to Argus Farm Stop, a store that sources entirely from local farms, and we decided to make the trip into a mini-getaway and enjoy some art and great food in Ann Arbor.  It was a really great time, and now we’re ready to get back to the farm for another week of the CSA!  See you all at the drop-off!

What to Expect in This Week's Share

If you are picking up at one of our traditional style drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland), here’s what the options will be at the different stations.  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item at each station, and if you have a full share, you choose two items at each station.

• Carrots or potatoes
• Lettuce or cucumbers
• Blueberries
• Zucchini or leeks
• Kale, herbs, or microgreens
• Onion or shallots
• Snap beans, tomatoes, or beets

If you have a prepacked share (Midland hospital, St. Johns, Lansing, Okemos, or home delivery), here are your options.  If you have a half share, you’ll choose either share A or share B, and if you have a full share, you can choose two of them.

Share A:                               Share B:

Carrots                                 Potatoes
Cucumbers                          Lettuce
Blueberries                         Blueberries
Zucchini                              Leeks
Kale                                     Basil
Onion                                  2 Shallots
Snap beans                         Tomatoes

Recipes

If you're anything like our family, your cherry tomatoes probably don't make it to the day after the drop-off because you just pop them into your mouth like candy.  But if you happen to be looking for other delicious ideas for those wonderful little gems, check out the Best Cherry Tomato Recipes from Epicurious!  Or if you're stuck for carrot ideas, check out Martha Stewart's Best Carrot Recipes!  There's something here for everyone, from the basic to the super fancy, and of course, there's a gorgeous carrot cake too.  Enjoy!