CSA Newsletter for Week 5

Farm Update

Fred harvests some Little Gem head lettuce for one of
our restaurant customers on Tuesday.

Hi everyone!  It’s been a pretty dry week, but fortunately we got about half an inch of rain the other night, which will help a little bit.  We could definitely use some more, so keep your fingers crossed!  The good news is that when it’s dry, the weeds aren’t as vigorous, so we haven’t had to spend as much time weeding.  We have had to spend quite a bit of time irrigating though, so it’s a balance.  We’ve also seen increased pressure from pests, both of the insect variety and of the small animal variety, because all of the fields around us are so dry.  That makes our crops, which have been irrigated pretty much 24/7 this week, pretty attractive to little creatures who need food.  Here’s hoping for some rain this weekend!

In other news, blueberries are in season!  Many of you were able to get some at the drop-off last week, and we’ll have blueberries in all the shares this week.  We will also have some blueberries available for bulk orders if you’re interested.  They’ll come in 10-pound increments, and it will be $34 for 10 pounds (which comes out to 13 pints).  We don’t know yet how many bulk orders we’ll be able to fill, so I’ve got a list going of people who are interested, and it will be first come, first serve.  So if you want blueberries, let me know how many pounds you’d like, and I’ll put you on the waiting list!

I’m also going to be getting a group text going for our Midland hospital, Lansing, Okemos, and St. Johns drop-offs, so I can let you know when we’ve dropped off the shares.  That way, if we arrive earlier than the stated 4:30 delivery time, you don’t have to wait around that long to pick up your share.  If you’d like to opt in to that text, just send me a text at 517-896-6884 with your name (just in case I don’t already have you in my phone), and I’ll set you up for that!

As always, the CSA season is crazy and hectic, but beautifully vibrant too, and we’re so glad you all are along for this wild ride with us!

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.

Carson harvests purple basil for the basil mix in the CSA shares.

• Zucchini
• Lettuce, tomatoes, or beets
• Blueberries!
• Kale, cabbage, or microgreens
• Potatoes, cucumbers, or basil
• Carrots, chard, or fennel
• Onions, leeks, or kohlrabi

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:

Zucchini                               Zucchini
Lettuce                                 Cherry tomatoes
Blueberries                           Blueberries
Cabbage                               Kale
Cucumbers                           Potatoes
Carrots                                 Carrots
Leek                                     Onion

Recipes

It's that time of year again... zucchini season!  The time when you need lots and lots of zucchini recipes to help you cook through the sheer abundance of that incredibly prolific veggie.  So to add to your arsenal of zucchini preparation ideas, here is a recipe for Easy Baked Zucchini!  Or if you're in a kale rut and want to try something new, try out this Tuscan Sausage and Kale Frittata.  It's perfect for a relaxing weekend breakfast!