CSA Newsletter for Week 9

Farm Update

Fred and his new truck!

Hi everyone!   It's been another big week at the farm!  We finally got some much needed rain, and the farm's veggies and people alike are breathing a sigh of relief.  The crops are definitely starting to look more vibrant, and we're able to plant again because we're not spending so much time just trying to keep everything alive.  We weren't able to plant for a few weeks there due to the lack of rain, so it feels like there is a little less variety in the shares last week and this week, but that should be coming to an end soon as our recently planted crops reach maturity.  

Another exciting thing this week is that Fred was finally able to replace his worn-out old pickup truck (which was pretty much on its last legs) with a nicer, newer truck!  We got our old truck the same week we got our daughter Jessamine seven years ago, and it's served us well, towing heavy loads of compost, bumping around in the fields, and driving hundreds of thousands of miles.  And now it's pretty rusty and having a host of really-old-truck issues, so it's being put out to pasture... literally.  We're going to continue to use it in the field for as long as it survives, to spare the new truck all of the wear and tear that accrues to a field truck.  While the new truck is not actually new, it's a lot newer than we're used to, and it's not covered in rust, so we're going to try to keep it nice for as long as possible.  Fred is beyond excited about it, because he's really wanted to replace the old one for years, and we were finally able to make it happen today!

In other news, we just found out that at on August 22nd, we're going to have to temporarily relocate our Midland drop-off at Eagle Ridge because they're going to be tearing up the parking lot at the church.  We haven't 100% nailed down where we're going to have the drop-off that week, but we wanted to give all of you Midland folks the heads up so you could put reminders in your phones, etc. not to go to Eagle Ridge on the 22nd.  We'll let you know as soon as we know for sure where we're going to have the drop-off that week!

Also, we've noticed that a lot of people are arriving significantly early to our Lansing and Okemos drop-offs to see if the shares are there yet.  While the official drop-off time is 4:30, we do often get there a little earlier than that, so I'm planning on starting a group text to let you know when we're there.  If you'd like to opt in to the text, you can just text me at 517-896-6884 from your preferred phone number, and just include your name in the text.  Then I'll put you on my list, and I'll let you know when we drop off your share on Wednesday!

What to Expect in This Week's Share

If you are picking up at one of our traditional style drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and 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
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Green beans
• Kale, Cabbage, or basil
• Cucumbers or zucchini
• Onions, microgreens, or shallots

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, B, or C, and if you have a full share, you can choose two of them.  So just email me by lunchtime the day before your drop-off to let me know which share you want for this week!  If I don't hear from you, I'll just choose for you. :-)

Share A: Carrots, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, kale, cucumbers, and onion.

Share B:  Carrots, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, cabbage, zucchini, and microgreens.

Share C: Carrots, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, basil, zucchini, and shallot.

             

Recipes

August and Caprese salad go together like... well, peanut butter and jelly, or tomatoes and basil... pretty much anything that goes together really well.  And the great thing about this classic is that there are endless ways you can change it up, just by adding a new ingredient or two.  If you've never had a Caprese salad before, here is a recipe for a pretty standard one as a jumping off point.  And once you have the basic mozzerella/tomatoes/basil/olive oil thing down, you can be creative with endless variations!  You can add grilled chicken or thinly sliced steak.  You can try out different sauces to drizzle on top.  Or you can try out the Caprese salad variation that Fred made for dinner tonight! First start with a bed of microgreens, then layer fresh mozerella slices on top, followed by halved cherry tomatoes and chopped basil tossed in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thinly sliced onion or shallot, and lots of minced garlic.  It was so fantastic, I just had to share it with all of you!