CSA MEMBER NEWSLETTER CSA MEMBER NEWSLETTER. Spinach this evening at HighCross Farm

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1 CSA MEMBER NEWSLETTER HIGHCROSS CSA MEMBER NEWSLETTER FARM To everything there is a season, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Finest F i n e s t Quality In This Issue Welcome! In the Box this Week Snow Pea Blossom Today H i g h C r o s s F a r m HighCross Farm CSA Newsletter Summer Share Week #1 - June 16, 2016 We l co m e! The CSA Newsletter 2016 Summer CSA Shares are Available Photos from the Farm Today Recipes Welcome to another season of the finest in fresh produce from HighCross Farm. We are determined to delight you this year with tasty, fresh, organic produce. Invite your friends to sign-up for the Summer Share; remember that any new member referral will net you a $10 credit on the web store. Best wishes from your Farmers Steve, Kath & Crew Spinach this evening at HighCross Farm I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2 Note that your pick-up site host contact info is available (for most sites) through your CSA online account under Pick-up Directions. HighCross Farm Fresh Market Produce Steve & Kath Vogelmann W2292 Rustic Drive Campbellsport, WI FARM (3276)

2 In the Box this Week Storage information: Lettuce and leafy greens should be kept in the coldest area of your refrigerator, ideally on the lower level or in the crisper drawer. Place all items in plastic bags or wrap in a damp towel, to prevent wilting due to the dehydrating effect of refrigeration. Monitor the produce over time; it should be kept neither too wet nor too dry inside the plastic bag. Slightly open the bag if you see water droplets forming on the inside. Store the mint with the stems in a glass of water, like a flower, until ready to use. Lettuce - Green Leaf lettuce in all shares plus Red butterhead in the large share. As usual, our whitetailed friends came by several weeks ago and helped themselves to about 75 heads of lettuce, so up went a five strand electric fence. Eventually this summer we will need to fence in the entire garden, a task we don t really have the time for, but which will be essential to protect the tasty crops which are coming. Spinach - Fresh spring-planted spinach; it prefers cooler weather, so enjoy it while it lasts. Great raw in a salad. Or make spinach dip. Or steam just until tender, then serve with butter and salt. These leaves are large but very tender will melt in your mouth! The spinach leaves have been rinsed several times, but should be washed again to remove any garden soil. Note that you can blanche spinach, then freeze in freezer bags. More spinach next week; also available on the Web Store. Mizuna - A salad green of Japanese origin. Multiple thin, light green leaves. Like most Asian greens, it goes great in stir-fry, soups and salad. Mild flavor. Tokyo Bekana - A mild mustard green believed to be of Chinese origin. Like most Asian greens, it goes great in stir-fry, soups and salad. Mild flavor. See recipe below. Mizuna at HighCross Farm Hakurei Turnips - A Japanese salad turnip. Sweet and juicy; use sliced raw in a salad or eat raw slices or the whole turnip root, like an apple! Note that the greens can be used as well raw or steamed or stir-fried or in soups. Tokyo Bekana Hakurei Turnips

3 Garlic Scapes - This delicacy is the immature seed stalk of a hardneck garlic plant. Use it as a mild form of green garlic for whatever - salad, egg dishes, cooking anything that likes a delicate garlic. Herb of the Week: Fresh Sage Blossoms - Use the pretty blossoms as well as the leaves; use as a garnish in your salad. It is good with chicken or pork; if grilling, put some in your marinade. Or can be frozen or dried for use later. More info and recipes at these sites: My Friend the Garlic Scape - A Mighty Appetite Garlic Scape Pesto: Another Fleeting Pleasure Sage Blossoms at HighCross Farm Garlic Scapes Herb of the Week - Apple Mint - Mild, slight apple flavor. Store in a plastic bag or on your counter with bottom of stems in a glass of water, like a cut flower. We use it in salads, with fruit, in a tea, or as a garnish (pinch off the top 4 small leaves and use as a garnish). We bruise a few leaves and put them in our lemonade for a very refreshing drink. Delicious with lamb and other grilled meats. See the recipe for Raspberry Mint Iced Tea below. Large Share: Lettuce - Green Leaf & Red Butterhead Spinach Salad turnips with green tops Mizuna - Japanese salad green Tokyo Bekana - Asian green Garlic Scapes Rhubarb Apple Mint Fresh Herb - Sage with Blossoms Small Share: Lettuce - Green Leaf Spinach Salad turnips with green tops Mizuna - Japanese salad green Tokyo Bekana - Asian green Garlic Scapes Rhubarb Apple Mint Fresh Herb - Sage with Blossoms Apple Mint Rhubarb - Enough to make a pie, sauce, rhubarb crisp, or to freeze for use later (to freeze, just cut it up and store for up to a year, in a ziplock freezer bag, at 0 F. or below). See recipes below. Tentative list of some of the items in next week s share: Lettuce Spinach Baby Pac Choi Kale Vitamin Green (Asian Green) Garlic Chives Fresh Herbs Maybe Daikon Radish

4 The CSA Newsletter Just a few thoughts before Farmer Steve sends this newsletter out, as I know some of you are wondering what to do with the Tokyo Bekana and Mizuna and are looking for some ideas and recipes. The newsletter is an important link to help keep you, the CSA members, connected to the farm. CSA food is not anonymous. It is food with a name and face to it. You know where is was born and you know exactly who grew it. The trust and peace of mind factor is huge, compared to what Farmer Steve calls anonymous food from anonymous places handled by anonymous people. For most folks, food is a very personal and intimate thing. The newsletter embellishes your relationship with your CSA produce and with your family farm. We consider you to be extended family, and we prefer the intimacy of communicating just between you and us. Note that the newsletters are uploaded to the Newsletter Page on the web site. We publish that web page address exclusively to our CSA members (although it can be found by anyone who is internet savvy). (Computer Geek Stuff: Farmer Steve often uploads a second or third revised newsletter later Thursday evening or the next day, to fix a few typos, and occasionally to add an extra or latereceived recipe from one of our members or another photo or two. If you are into such details, the file name of each revision is appended with an ascending letter of the alphabet, e.g. hcf-csa-- nsltr c.pdf, hcf-csa--nsltr d.pdf, nsltr e.pdf, etc. If you revisit the newsletter webpage, you should refresh your browser to show the latest revision.) Last but not least, we encourage each of you to submit recipes, articles, comments, photos, and anything you think might be of interest to the other CSA members. After all, this is CSA: Community Supported agriculture. A CSA farm is a very large farm family of sorts. Let s share our best with each other. Lacinato Kale at HighCross Farm Some CSAs publish their newsletter for the whole world to see, while others, just for their CSA members. (A few CSAs still invest in a paper and ink hard copy in the box, but it usually arrives soggy and hard-to-read.) Fresh Oregano at HighCross Farm

5 2016 Summer CSA Shares are Available Shares for the 2016 Summer CSA season are still available, as we have increased the size of our operation again this year. Price will be automatically prorated during the sign-up process. To sign-up click here: csa-2016.html Summer Squash at HighCross Farm Consider giving a 2016 Summer Share to someone you care about a gift that keeps giving all season long.

6 Photos from the Farm Today The veggies here are lovin the heat and sizing up nicely Snow Peas Beets Garlic Potatoes Lettuce Red Russian Kale

7 Recipe: Tokyo Bekana Spring Rolls Farm team member Aleka made these Tokyo Bekana Spring Rolls last night. She said they tasted great: She also made a salad using several of the ingredients in this week s CSA share: Mizuna Tokyo Bekana Cherry tomatoes Cucumber Carrots Garlic scapes Onion Basil Mint Crispy wonton strips or crunchy ramen noodles Sesame vinaigrette dressing

8 Recipes Raspberry Mint Iced Tea 4 cups boiling water 5 favorite tea bags ¼ cup mint leaves, crushed ¼ cup sugar or other sweetener (optional) 1 bottle (32 ounces) cran-raspberry juice (or reconstitute from frozen concentrate) Ice Fresh raspberries (optional) Lemon slices (optional) Pour boiling water over tea bags and mint in 2- quart heat-proof pitcher. Let stand 10 minutes, covered. Remove tea bags and mint. Add sugar or other sweetener, if desired. Add cran-raspberry juice and stir. Serve over ice; garnish with raspberries and lemon slices. Note: We tried this recipe and omitted the sugar and found it sweet enough for us and VERY quenching. But for those who like it sweeter, there's always that option. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Food section, August 2006 Wild mint growing among the Jack-in-the-Pulpits

9 Recipes From CSA members, the Larson Family: Hi Steve and Kath and the Team, We have been enjoying our summer of wonderful veggies (our 2 & 3 year old included)! We really enjoyed the roasted beet and marjoram recipe you shared in the newsletter last week and wanted to share some of our family s favorites for others to enjoy. Mandarin Orange Salad (From my mom s Betty Crocker Cookbook. My family has loved this one for years, and it easily adapts to the veggies that are on hand. One week I used garlic scapes in place of the green onion, kohlrabi in place of the celery and cilantro in place of the parsley in the dressing. The dressing is delicious but also very generous. I usually serve it on the side or only use half the amount. ) Directions In 1-quart saucepan, cook almonds and 4 teaspoons sugar over low heat about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted and almonds are coated; cool and break apart. In tightly covered container, shake all dressing ingredients. Refrigerate until serving time. In large bowl, toss salad ingredients, dressing and almonds. Serve immediately. Sugared Almonds 1/4 cup sliced almonds 4 teaspoons sugar Sweet-Sour Dressing 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt Dash pepper Dash red pepper sauce Salad 1 head of lettuce, (or a mix of varieties to equal approx. 6 cups) 2 medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup) 2 medium green onions, thinly sliced (2 tablespoons) 1 can (11 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

10 Recipes Continued from the Larsons And from /07/13/monthly-fitness-goals-julyhomemade-spinach-wraps-with-chopped-greeksalad/?subscribe=success#blog_subscription-6 My boys loved these (they kept asking for more green bread ) and they were great for making wraps with more HighCross Farm veggies inside. Homemade Spinach Wraps Makes wraps c. flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 4 TBS vegetable oil 4 oz. spinach 3/4 c. milk, warmed in the microwave or on the stovetop In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed. Add the vegetable oil and stir until crumbly dough is formed. Set aside. Place the spinach and warm milk in a blender, and blend on high until the mixture is smooth. Pour the spinach into the flour and stir to combine. If mixture is too wet, add a little bit more flour. Knead the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes, until smooth. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 3. Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Break the chilled dough into golf-ball sized balls. Roll each ball out into a very thin circle about 8 inches in diameter. The thinner the dough is, the more pliable the wrap will be. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. One at a time, cook the wraps in the dry frying pan, for about 30 seconds on each side or until wrap has stiffened slightly and is golden brown in spots. Let cool, then wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to use.

11 Rhubarb Recipes Check out the June 6, 2009 Sunday Milwaukee Journal Food Section online for more rhubarb recipes. Click on the link below: Vin de rhubarb - JSOnline ******************** This recipe for Rhubarb Muffins is a favorite with the family of Dustin, one of our former workers here: Rhubarb Muffins 1 1/2 c. brown sugar 2/3 c. oil 1 egg 1 c. buttermilk 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. vanilla 21/2 c. flour 11/2 c. diced rhubarb 1/2 c. chopped nuts Fill 2/3 full, paper-lined muffin tins or pour batter into 9x13 cake pan.sprinkle with topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 24 Muffins Topping 1/2 c chopped nuts 1/3 c. sugar 11/2 tsp. flour 1 Tbsp. melted butter Mix together; sprinkle over unbaked muffins. From CSA member Judy Holmes: I have a rhubarb recipe that is to die for......mom's Rhubarb Torte from Beth Groble The following recipe would probably be perfect for an 8x8 pan. 1/2 c. butter 1 c. flour 2 tbsp sugar Mix top 3 ingredients and pat into pan Bake 10 minutes or until golden at 350. (If I double this recipe, the crust seems to take closer to min.) 4 c. chopped rhubarb 1 ½ c. sugar 3tbsp flour & dash nutmeg ½ c. milk 4 egg yolks Simmer until thickens and soften rhubarb. Whip egg whites with 1/3 c. sugar. Brown for 10 minutes in 425 oven I typically double the recipe and place it in a 9x13 pan as I like it a lot thicker. It's best if you serve within 8 hours as droplets will begin to appear on the meringue. It is incredibly delicious! ******************** Rhubarb Bars 3 cups rhubarb, chopped 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups flour 2 Tbsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 Tbsp vanilla 1 cup butter 1 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 cup brown sugar Cook the rhubarb, sugar, and cornstarch together in a saucepan (do not add water). When thick, add vanilla and cool. Mix oatmeal, nuts, flour, soda, butter & brown sugar until crumbly. Pat 3/4 of crumb mixture into a 9x13 pan, pour rhubarb mixture over the top, and sprinkle remaining crumbs over that. Bake at 375 degrees for minutes. Cool before cutting.

12 More Rhubarb Recipes From our pick-up site host in Whitefish Bay: Thank you so much for the rhubarb surprise last week! We have thoroughly enjoyed changing up our usual jam and sauce, even eating warm strawberry-rhubarb sauce straight from a bowl as if it were applesauce. The blueberry-rhubarb combo proved even more delicious and jam-like. We can't wait to try this on waffles or pancakes! Thanks again, Linda Hanson Blueberry-Rhubarb Sauce This recipe is actually a modification of our refrigerator jam, but it's too delicious to only use for jam. Use it to top waffles, pancakes, ice cream, cottage cheese 1 1/4 lb. rhubarb, chopped in 1/2 inch slices 1 lb. frozen wild blueberries (or frozen strawberries, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces) 3/4 cup granulated sugar Bring ingredients to a boil in a 4 quart pot; do not cover. Reduce temperature to gently simmer for about 30 minutes. Let cool and enjoy! Can be stored up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator if it lasts that long! Makes about 3 cups.

13 Rhubarb Punch Recipes This recipe was just sampled by and sent in by new CSA member Alec: 8 cups rhubarb 2 qrts water 2 cups sugar one half cup lemon juice 2 cups vodka or apricot brandy, 1 small box strawberry jello, then strawberry pop, 7-up or ginger ale. Cook 1st 4 ingred. till tender. Strain (when you use the dish towel) and throw out the pulp. Add jello and vodka. Freeze in ice cream pail. Scoop into glasses until half full. Fill with choice of pop. Here is a non-alcoholic version of Rhubarb Punch: From: TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. + chilling MAKES: 20 servings Ingredients 1 8 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb 2 8 cups water 3 2-1/2 cups sugar 4 2 tablespoons strawberry gelatin powder 5 2 cups boiling water 6 2 cups pineapple juice 7 1/4 cup lemon juice 8 6 cups ginger ale, chilled Add to Shopping List Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 cup) equals 152 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 11 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein. Directions 1. In a Dutch oven, bring rhubarb and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid (save rhubarb for another use). 2. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and gelatin powder in boiling water. Stir in pineapple and lemon juices. Stir in rhubarb liquid; refrigerate until chilled. 3. Just before serving, pour into a punch bowl and stir in ginger ale. Yield: about 5 quarts. Editor's Note: If using frozen rhubarb, measure rhubarb while still frozen, then thaw completely. Drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out. Originally published as Pink Rhubarb Punch in Country Woman May/June 1999, p40