FYI: This newsletter is being sent to all shares. Both A and B week half shareholders will  receive  the weekly newsletter, even on weeks they do not receive a CSA box.

Week Eleven - August 18

Farm News
In this section of the newsletter, we provide a weekly update about issues we're facing in the field, as well as the successes we would love to share with you. 

Happy Thursday Shareholders!
Wow, we're already in our 11th week of the CSA season and summer is flying by! The field is looking great and this week's box is filled with many great summer varieties!  Here's a photo of Joe packing your CSA boxes this morning! 



A few notes about this week's CSA box - 

Purslane: Delicious and Nutritious!
You may remember seeing purslane in another box earlier in the season. We love this stuff and wanted to share it with you again. Purslane is wonderful in smoothies, on salads, in stir-fry's and more! And yes, it is often considered a weed, BUT it is packed with nutrition and flavor. Here is some information on study preformed by School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica in Shenyang, China. 

"Newly Discovered Purslane Compound Found Highly Toxic to Lung Cancer Cells: Researchers have just discovered four new alkaloid compounds in purslane (a leafy green vegetable) which killed over 50% of human lung cancer cells (A549) at low concentrations. Purslane extracts have also been shown to be toxic to breast cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, and sarcoma in other studies." More info at...  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24321009 

DON'T FORGET YOUR  ZUCCHINI!
In addition to the smaller  zucchini in this week's box, please be sure to take 2 BIG  zucchini which will be in located near the CSA boxes at your pick up location. Any abandoned  zucchini will likely be wasted, so please be sure to take them! They are great for making  zucchini bread, stir fry, and stuffed  zucchini boats! See fun zucchini meatball recipe below! 

Reminder: Going on Vacation?
Do you have an upcoming trip planned? Please remember to give us at l east 2 weeks notice so we do not make a CSA box for you if you're unable to pick it up. With notice, we can make arrangements for you to receive it a different week or two in one week or of course, you can always have a friend or family member pick it up to enjoy.

Have a wonderful week shareholders! 

Caleb & Theresa
Co-Farm Managers


Sign up for your Fall/Winter Share Today!
We're half way through the CSA season and believe it or not, we already have winter on our minds! 
winter csa

If you've enjoyed your summer CSA boxes, we hope you will join us for the fall/winter season with our storage crop shares! These shares consist of a larger, 1 1/9 bushel box  of various storage crops (onions, carrots, winter squash, etc) as well as our frost-sweetened winter greens. 

Boxes will be delivered to your pick up site every other week - Thursday, October 27th, Thursday, Nov. 10th, and ending TUESDAY, November 22nd (3 boxes total). These make great shares for storing and eating through the winter OR cook a Thanksgiving feast! We provide storage tips like "store carrots in a box with newspaper in a dark corner of a closet or basement". Delivery will NOT be available at West Bend Farmers Market.

The price of the fall/winter share is $180. The delivery fee is $12-16 in total for all three deliveries depending on your location, or free if you are picking up on the farm. To sign up, please email Theresa at [email protected] and include your name, phone, and preferred pick up location. She will follow up with payment details and answer any questions you many have. 
CSA Box Contents
Name of Vegetable/Fruit Quantity in Box Storage
Red Head Lettuce

1 head







Fridge

Hint: If lettuce begins to wilt, soak for 10 minutes in ice cold water. Spin in a salad spinner or let sit in a colander until dry enough to store in container 
Orange Sungold OR Indigo Cherry Tomatoes 

1 pint
Store at room temperature out of direct sunlight 
White Russian Kale
white russian kale
1 bunch
Fridge, Store in airtight container or plastic bag. 

Hint: If leaves begins to wilt, soak for 20 minutes in ice cold water. Let sit in colander until dry enough to store in container 



Arugula
1 bag
Fridge
Kohlrabi (Purple Variety in Box)
1 bulb
Fridge

Purslane  purslane 1 bunch
Fridge, Store in airtight container or plastic bag. 


Eggplant asian/globe eggplant
1-2 eggplant, depending on size
Fridge
Lacinato  Kale
lacinato
1 bunch
Fridge, Store in airtight container or plastic bag.

Hint: If leaves begins to wilt, soak for 20 minutes in ice cold water. Let sit in colander until dry enough to store in container 
 Zucchini 
3 small anf 2 large, mix of varieties  Fridge
Cucumber
cucumber
1 cucumbers
Fridge

Cilantro cilantro 1 bunch
Fridge, store with bottom of stems in jar with 1-2" water. 
 
Do not submerge leaves.

Basil basil 1 bunch
DO NOT REFRIGERATE, store on kitchen counter top with bottom of stems in jar with 1-2" water. 

Do not submerge 
leaves.


Sweet Marjoram  1 bunch
Fridge, store with bottom of stems in jar with 1-2" water. 
 
Do not submerge leaves.


Beets
red ace beets
1 bunch, 3-6 bulbs depending on size
Fridge, Cut off greens and use the same way you would use chard or spinach. Store bulbs in airtight container. 
Sun Jewel Melon
sunjewel melon
1 Melon
Fridge

Tomato
3-5 depending on size Store at room temperature out of direct sunlight 
Serrano Pepper - HOT!

1-2 depending on size
Fridge
Jalapeno Pepper - HOT! 1-2 depending on size Fridge 
Habanero Pepper - HOT! 1-2 depending on size Fridge

Head Lettuce - Excellent for a salad or lettuce wraps!   

Beets - Beets seem to be growing in popularity, which makes sense because they are delicious and provide an excellent source of manganese, potassium, and copper.

Eggplant - Purple and beautiful! We're growing four different varieties of eggplant at Wellspring. Each can be used interchangeably in recipes. Try sauteing, baking, or grilling. Check out the fast and easy baba ganoush recipe below!

Lacinato Kale - It is delicious fresh, sauteed, or baked. Great in frittata recipes and soup too. 

Zucchini - Super versatile and can be added to warm and cold pasta dishes. Try making zucchini chips or zucchini noodles (zoodles)! 

Cucumbers - The varieties we grow are great for salads, slicing, and refrigerator pickles. 

Purslane - A great source of Omega-3 fatty acid! Purslane is somewhat crunchy and has a slight lemony taste. It is a fun bonus item in this week's box and can be eaten raw in salad or by itself. 

Kohlrabi - Kohlrabi can be eaten raw or cooked, and taste a bit like broccoli stems, but milder and slightly sweeter. We recommend peeling the thick skin off before eating. 

White Russian Kale - It is delicious fresh, sauteed, or baked. Great in frittata recipes and soup too!

Basil - It smells so good! Try using it in Italian dishes like pesto, lasagna, and caprese. 

Sweet Marjoram - A sweet, flavorful herb that is in the same family as oregano. It is quite versatile and pairs well with chicken, tomatoes, and beef roasts. Try adding fresh marjoram to salads. It has many medicinal properties and is known to calm upset stomachs and help with migraines. It also smells great and is often used in soap and lotions. 

Sun Jewel Melon - It's melon season! Sun Jewel is a sweet tasting Korean melon variety. Slice up like you would any other melon and enjoy! Also very tasty with a little cinnamon sprinkled on the slices.

Tomato - Tomatoes are looking great and we have some really cool varieties. Enjoy the cherry tomatoes this week! 

Serrano, Jalapeno, & Habanero Peppers - Add a kick to any recipe with these spicy pepper! Great in hamburgers, salsa, or spicy pickle recipe! Remember orange and red are even spicier! 

Recipes
Tomato, Cucumber, Purslane Salad Recipe

Ingredients 
1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed and discarded, then chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 bunch purslane, thick stems removed, leaves chopped, resulting in about 1/2 cup chopped purslane
1 minced seeded jalapeno chile pepper
2-3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste


Directions
Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl. Salt to taste.



Zucchini "Meatballs" 

Ingredients
cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/4 lbs unpeeled zucchini, grated
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp chopped basil, plus leaves for garnish
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1 ounce (1/4 cup) Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
2 cups marinara sauce

Directions
Heat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
Place the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot add the garlic and saute until golden, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook on high heat until all the water evaporates from the skillet, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a colander to get rid of any excess water, then to a large bowl along with the bread crumbs, beaten egg, Romano cheese and chopped basil.

Form the zucchini mixture into 16 balls about 1 oz each, rolling tightly and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Spray the top and bake until firm and browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Heat the sauce in a large deep skillet to warm the sauce, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish the meatballs with fresh basil leaves and serve with ricotta or grated cheese if desired.



Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe 

Ingredients
2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes (from 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb), stems removed
1/2 red onion
2 serrano chiles or 1 jalapeño chile (stems, ribs, seeds removed), less or more to taste
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of dried oregano (crumble in your fingers before adding), more to taste
Pinch of ground cumin, more to taste

Directions 
Start by roughly chopping the tomatoes, chiles, and onions. Be very careful while handling the chile peppers. If you can, avoid touching the cut peppers with your hands. (I often use disposable gloves or hold the peppers with a plastic sandwich bag.) Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn't hot enough, you can add a few for more heat.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse only a few times, just enough to finely dice the ingredients, not enough to purée. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely dice by hand.

Place in a serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies, or add a little more ground cumin.
Let sit for an hour for the flavors to combine.
Serve with chips, tortillas, tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, pinto or black beans.



Kenyan-Style Kale and Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons expeller-pressed canola oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

3 ripe but firm tomatoes, chopped

2 bunches kale or collard greens (about 1 pound total), ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Directions 

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño (if using) and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until collapsed and juicy, about 10 minutes more.

Add kale, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, salt and pepper, toss once or twice, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve.



Upcoming Events


Seven area chefs create an enticing menu for your pleasure.
"Farm Chic" is the attire for this evening of fun on the farm! 
Walking "salad bar tour", hayrides, silent auction and games, and of course, the flavorful Wellspring produce featured through 
the talents of these chefs

Eric Fix - 
Out & Out Catering - Cedarburg
David Jurena - The Soup Market - Milwaukee
Gregory Leon -  Amilinda - Milwauke
Peter Sandroni -  La Merenda & Engine Company No. 3 - Milwaukee
Karen Gill -  Down to Earth Chef - Wauwatosa
Stephanie Ulma -  The Grasshopper - West Bend
Tony Koebel -  The Norbert 
 - West Bend



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 1 Ticket for Farm to Table Taste Event at Wellspring Farm - $75


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2 Tickets -Farm to Table Taste Event at Wellspring Farm - $150



undefined  Taste of Wellspring Friend Sponsor includes 2 Tickets - $250


undefined  Taste of Wellspring Bronze Sponsor includes 4 Tickets - $500


Additional sponsorships ranging from $1000 to $4000 are also available. Please email [email protected] for a sponsor menu.


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Seasonal Cooking at  Amilinda Restaurant
with Chef Greg & Orry León

315 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202

Enjoy seasonal cooking while seeing the re cipe prepared and having the opportunity to taste it and then go home with the recipes. Fast and easy is the mantra for these classes so that
 you can find ways to incorporate these healthful, delicious veggies into your busy life.

    Monday, September 12 --  Carrots and Fennel!
    Monday, October 17 --  Winter squash and Cauliflower !

Sign up on our website by clicking here.  Only $30 per class.

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Save the Date for our Agri-Culture Fest 
 Saturday, Oct. 8
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
FREE Festival with music, games, workshops, hay rides and more!


Photo of the Week  

Wellspring's education director, Christine, got a great shot of a red squirrel collecting acorns near the  entrance  of Wellspring's Bed & Breakfast. 
In This Issue