Winter CSA: Week 16

I'd say growth with a purpose can be a good thing and growth is definitely something we are seeing down on the farm as the greens enjoys their hoophouse springtime. This week's share offering - which is definitely bigger volume wise than even a few weeks ago - includes:



Carrots



Big bag of spring salad mix



Big bag o spinach



Spigaerelo liscia leaf broccoli (one of my favorites)



Mache (last of the season)



Baby pac choi (last of the season as well sadly)



Zesty red giant mustard greens



Zesty arugula



Claytonia (the ole reliable). Have you tried it on sandwiches instead of sprouts? Have you tried juicing it? Blendering it with a few other things into a smoothie? Or thrown on top of a pizza just as it concludes baking?

Blog Look

You're looking at the right blog... A little change from time to time can't hurt, so I'm testing out a new look on the blog look. Not completely sure I'm sold on it but let's see. Also added my original "know your farmer" theme back to the title.

The Atlantic niche

The Atlantic seems to be carving out a niche of trying to have "provocative" stories regarding food. Their latest: The Great Grocery Smackdown: Will Walmart, not Whole Foods, save the small farm and make America healthy?

Walmart single-handedly save small farms? In a word, no. But I'm not necessarily against them trying to be a better part of the food system as long as it is not local-washing and/or misrepresentation.

In other news, the Ann Arbor Chronicle covers the Local Food Summit and SNRE professor co-authors article on small farms, biodiversity and food production.

Winter CSA: Week 15

OK the sun is back somewhat and things are starting to grow! So without further ado, we present you this week's share in full:



Lettuce (of an heirloom nature) makes a triumphant return in this winter salad mix!!!



A bumper crop of sweet spinach! Big bag and bonus bag.


Claytonia mix (look for a future claytonia and mache blog post)



Zesty baby red giant mustard greens



Baby pac choi (just a few more of these left)



And a brassica mix including the last of hakurei turnips (greens are good, globes not as much), kales and collards.

Enjoy!

A Knife's Work Recipe: Charred Beet and Carrot Salad with Lemon Yoghurt Vinaigrette

A Knife's Work: the caterers who did lunch at the Local Food Summit shared this recipe for Charred Beet and Carrot Salad with Lemon Yoghurt Vinaigrette.

Summit 2010 Success

Well over 200 people attended the HomeGrown Local Food Summit on Tuesday, March 2nd. The program for the day included wonderful food, a compelling campaign launch, thoughtful group activities, and hopeful plans for a healthy, secure, and fair local food system. Thanks to all the donors, volunteers, and facilitators, who made the day run smoothly. I'm so glad it went well, plus, I'm happy to have some extra time back into my life... believe it or not, but the planning process for such things is pretty big.

For full summit recap and continual follow-up check out the LocalFoodSummit.org website. Here are the neat Summit Handouts:
Summit Program
Summit Informational Handbill
Ten Percent Campaign Petition

And an exciting video taken during the summit:

videos by Corinna Borden

Winter CSA: Week 14

Well I may have been overly demanding regarding the sun. At least a week of constant snow and overnight low at the farm of 16 degrees gives me pause. And the hoophouses, with a new layer of snow almost every day and drifts taller than me piling on the sides, start to look like igloos or snow-covered hills.










But "thar's gold in them thar hills." Okay maybe not real gold (although can we put it to a vote? perhaps sustainably grown/harvested greens are the new gold, why not?). But after you've had enough of winter and the spoils from the summer bounty that you stored or preserved are getting thin and it warms a bit and the sun comes out and you get a taste of spring, only to get socked with over of foot of new winter under a constantly missing sun... now is the time the hoophouses prove their metal, demonstrate their true value.

So maybe not solid gold, but we hope the clean and bright greens we have to offer this week in the full share have value to you. Harvested in the damp and cold of a hidden spring season that is buried under a hill of snow, they are time travelers.




Mostly claytonia mix



Oversized bag of super sweet sweet spinach



Mâche (aka nussalat aka vit aka corn salad aka many other names). Many people eat the whole rosette taproot and all, although you may wish to snip the tap root off. Makes a great salad on its own or mix with other salads or greens. Mâche has many nutrients, including three times as much Vitamin C as lettuce, beta-carotene, B6, B9, Vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids.



Zesty mustard greens





Grab bag of (purpley) Red Russian kale, Toscano dinosaur kale, Champion collard greens, and (orangey) super sugary carrots.

So let the snow fall if it must (recharge our groundwater aquifers). Bon Appetit!

Winter CSA: Week 13

Dear Sun, It was nice to see you the last few days and we look forward to seeing much more of you... the greens have a lot of catching up to do! Sincerely, Brines Farm

And this week's fresh catch in the full share brought us:



Lots of our by now familiar claytonia mix (still not particularly tall yet)



Super sweet spinach



Zesty baby red giant mustard greens and arugula mix



Krazy komatsuna & Bionda di Lyon swiss chard mix



And eggs from happy chickens of neighbors!