AMADOR HILL FARM & ORCHARD
Certified Organic - Locally Grown - Sustainably Farmed
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CSA Box#18 Friday October 26th
THIS IS YOUR FINAL CSA BOX OF 2018
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Dear Shareholders,
Alas, we finished 18 weeks of fresh food deliveries to you and your table. It is always a pleasure to seal the last CSA box as a team with a crew that most assuredly deserves all the praise available. We need to thank Melissa King and Shoua Lee, production managers for our CSA and farmers markets. We also need to thank the spring, summer and fall interns - Claire Kim, Natalie Kogan, Arianna Benson, Kory Verhaag, Katie Bartel and Medha Faust-Nagar; Jeff Vitali who coordinated farm hand heavy work and putting things in place as well as our CSA deliveries; Susanne DePalma who created all the beauty and wit you found in our CSA newsletter; Reid Anderson, mid-summer farm crew member who knew a lot about tomatoes; Lauren Haun, a local food writer, who was a frequent contributor to our CSA newsletter; Jerry Krier, our finance manager, who kept the numbers and the dates in the right place at the right time; our orchard volunteers Dave Gutknecht, and Joni Lager, led by Hilary Sandal who picked and washed apples tirelessly and is starting the garlic planting with the same intensity in the coming two weeks; all the workshare volunteers who consistently gave their time and expertise to rounding out the farm crew's work - Miranda Konar, Sarah Kretschmann, Michele Parsons, Katie Wahl, Sharon Watkins, Sophie Hawala, Mona Koppy, Ben Langsten;
all of the WEI volunteers
who have helped on the farm this year; Karen Joy Clark, our Executive Director, who managed the Mill City Farmers Market on Saturdays from May to the end of October; and to me, Jacquelyn Zita, Farm Manager who wants to sit quietly and read a book, now that the vegetables and fruit have been finally delivered. It has to be a short book for me as we are already developing the farm plan for next year (just competed an extensive soil testing of our 32 plots), and we are now moving ahead, jumping into a rigorous winter farming schedule, developing plans for our early Spring Greens CSA and our new and improved 2019 summer/fall CSA. We would love to have suggestions and feedback from you soon before we buy our seeds for 2019.
Most of all, we want to thank you, our shareholders for supporting a small local sustainable farm and for supporting what that means to our communities, our land, water, soil, our collective wellness and future. We believe that small sustainable farms are the future of food and farming and that Community Supported Agriculture is an ESSENTIAL component to this future, making it possible for farms like ours to do this important work - thank you for believing in what we do.
It has been a glorious year at Amador Hill Farm & Orchard. We hope you will return next year hungry for real, fresh, local,organic, nutrient-dense and tasty food. To continue eating Amador Hill produce over winter visit us at
Mill City Farmers Market
.
And don't forget to vote LOUDLY.
Final Blessings,
Jacquelyn
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BOX RETURNS
Please return boxes to your drop site by November 1st. Our CSA driver Jeff will pick them up on the morning of Friday November 2nd.
**Please return all the CSA boxes you have to your drop site in a designated area for WEI pick up (you may ask customer service if you aren't sure where to leave them). It is very helpful to our bottom line to have these boxes returned to us. We thank you for this extra effort.
THANK YOU
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CSA RENEWAL FOR 2019 - RECEIVE $100 OFF
EARLY BIRD PRICING
All
returning customers, referral customers or shareholders purchasing a CSA as a gift for a loved one will receive $100 off the price of:
- FULL SHARE - 3/4 bushel - 18 weeks
- SUPER SHARE - 1 1/9 bushel - 18 weeks - NEW
when purchased
before December 31, 2018.
All 2018 Shareholders will receive an email in the next week or two with all of our CSA details for next year and a coupon code to receive your discount. We do hope to have you as return shareholders in 2019 and value your support.
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CSA
EVALUATION
Please help us plan for next year by completing a CSA EVALUATION FORM.
Click link below to take this 5 minute survey. Click link below:
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APPLES BY THE HALF BUSHEL
To purchase an 'add-on-box' of apples for your final CSA delivery.
SHAREHOLDER DISCOUNT -
RECEIVE a 20% discount off of your bulk apple orders. Use discount code
AMADORORCHARD2018
Click link below to order:
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DELIVERY TIMELINE
The estimated delivery times we sent you in our first newsletter are remaining fairly consistent. To review your drop site's delivery time you can keep this schedule handy:
CSA PICK UP INFO
Questions call Jerry at 651-583-0705 or Susanne at 651-334-8235
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WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
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Butternut Squash
The favorite squash of many, the variety with by far the most abundant recipes, easy to handle, easy to peel, creamy, modestly sweet and nutty. What to do with your butternut? Try any of the recipes you've seen over the past four weeks with your other squash varieties. Consider the quintessential Butternut dish - Butternut Soup, venture out and make Butternut Gnocchi or better yet, a Butternut Squash Apple Risotto - if you have saved your produce scraps for vegetable stock - this is a perfect opportunity to use homemade stock.
Remember to roast your squash seeds (recipe below), they are an often overlooked superfood. Read more
here.
Storage:
Keep in a cool dark place for a several months. Or leave on your dining table for a festive decoration for a
couple of weeks.
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APPLES - Regents
The Regents have been our star producer this year and have an amazing taste, crisp and floral. I ran into Dave our orchard volunteer at the Co-op this week and had to offer great praise for the amazing apples this year, in particular the Regents - he said, there were days he spent in the Regent trees... "I'd look up and see a blue sky and nothing but perfect apples, every apple on the tree was a number ones (the top grade apples/ aka eating apples)". Enjoy these beauties, it has been a one of a kind year!
I urge you to resist the temptation to buy the pre-made caramel-dip you see in the produce section at grocers
.
Those pre-made dips are
full of corn syrup and preservatives, they are thick and sticky and simply do not compare to the creamy, richly flavored homemade caramel dipping sauce that your apples deserve. Homemade Caramel Dipping Sauce (see recipe below) is so simple to make, try it once and you'll never buy those tubs in the grocer again. Note: many of the co-ops do sell homemade caramel sauce (in plastic containers found near the apples this time of year) much like the recipe shown below.
Storage:
Store your apples loosely wrapped in plastic in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. This variety should last a couple of months. To extend their shelf life, place a damp paper towel in the bag to help retain a little moisture.
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CABBAGE
Boxes will be randomly packed with one of our cabbage varieties, Famosa (Savoy) Green storage cabbage. This is a good time of year to cook with cabbage or preserve it for winter nutrition. Visit our past CSA newsletters for good cabbage recipes or see Lauren's tips below for using your cabbage up by hosting an Egg Roll Party this weekend.
Storage:
Store refrigerated loosely wrapped plastic in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for a several weeks.
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BEETS
Another super food to get the right start on winter. High in Vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, iron and other important nutrients. They add color, flavor and an aromatic element to a salad, make superb juices, and are often pickled to provide nutrients over winter. Beet greens are edible and can be used in any Kale or Chard recipe. We will randomly fill boxes with Detroit Reds, Chipggoa (red and white striped), and Touchstone Golden Beets.
If you are a beet lover, you'll know how exactly how to use them. Needing inspiration for convincing other members of your household to try beets? Here's chemistry lesson that may help. Do you love the smell of damp earth after a good rain? Then, in theory, you should like beets. Taste and smell go hand in hand and that deep earthy scent you notice after the rain is
Geosmin
- a chemical component that our olfactory senses are especially sensitive to and is released in moist or freshly plowed soil. Geosmin is formed by soil microorganisms, and is also responsible for the sharp, pungent aromatic flavor of beets. Beets are often an acquired taste because of this molecule, but once you acquire it, there is no going back - you are hooked! For those not accustomed to eating beets, try dicing the root and tossing in lemon juice or white wine vinegar. That deep flavor led by Geosmin is neutralized by acid. Add just small amounts of lemon-marinated beets to a salad. Goat cheese is an excellent compliment to their flavor - google 'beet and goat cheese salad' and you're sure to find a recipe that suits you.
Storage:
Store refrigerated loosely wrapped plastic in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for a week or more.
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KALE & CHARD
Two super foods with many cooking options. Throw these greens into any of your squash dishes this week. Chop the greens for salad, saute or braise as a side dish, add to soups and stews. If you didn't try last weeks recipe for Braised Kale with Apples, you may want to revisit your
Week 17 Newsletter and give it a go.
Storage:
Store refrigerated loosely wrapped plastic in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for a week or more.
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ODDS & ENDS
Our crew will pack any extra produce they harvest this week randomly among the boxes. You will find an array of familiar items like herbs, peppers, spicy greens, green onions... to use with your fall produce this week.
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CSA INSPIRATIONS FROM LAUREN
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These week you will receive a lovely cabbage in your weekly box and before you burst into tears, let me give you a glorious solution to your vegetable problem: EGG ROLLS. One good head of lettuce will make dozens of delicious egg rolls and the best part is you’ll need to gather a crew together to help you roll them all. It’s an instant party! I made these with the last cabbage we received and I substituted the pork and shrimp for re-hydrated dried porcini mushrooms, so they would be vegetarian friendly. If you decide to use fresh mushrooms, I recommend cooking them in a bit of oil so they soften and letting them cool before adding to the cabbage filling. I also added a bit of five spice powder to the filling but you could experiment with curry powder or lots of black pepper and ginger powder. I used this recipe from the blog Wok Of Life and she talks about her father working in a Chinese food restaurant and his impressive rolling skills, it is just a great story. Make sure to check out the blog post, because you’ll need to look at the pictures to figure out how to properly roll the egg rolls. Make sure to deep fry them before cooling and freezing the extras. Don’t be intimidated by deep fat frying! I tried deep fat frying for the first time a few years ago when I decided to have a deep fat fry party for Valentine’s Day. I had two pans of hot oil, a few cream cheese wontons and all my friends brought whatever they want to throw in. It was culinary chaos but a fun time! And no injuries ;) Be bold, invite your friends over, turn on some snappy tunes and roll and fry egg rolls all the night long.
-Lauren Haun
WEI Volunteer, Local Food Writer
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FARM SHARE COOKING THIS WEEK
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use Regent or Cortland apples (peeled) for this recipe, add a handful of coarsely chopped kale and chard for the final 2 minutes, or top each serving of this risotto with a handful of Arugula (if you have any left from last week).
CARAMEL DIPPING SAUCE
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Cream or Half-and-Half (or you can substitute with Sweet and Condensed Milk)
4 T Butter, unsalted - cut into 1/4" cubes
1 T Pure Vanilla
Pinch Sea Salt
Crisp sweet-tart apples cut into wedges
In a small heavy bottom saucepan, heat your half-and-half over low heat with butter. Add the brown sugar and salt, dissolve thoroughly, stirring constantly with a whisk. Watch your temperature carefully to avoid burning, adjusting as needed. After about 5 minutes, you should see the sauce thickening. Continue stirring and add vanilla. Remove from heat, let cool, serve in dipping cups alongside sliced apples. Store caramel dip in glass jar or plastic tub, refrigerated for about a week or more.
Tips from previous newsletter:
--Butternut Seeds work well with this recipe too! So nutritious!
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STAR TRIBUNE PROJECT
Women's Environmental Institute & Amador Hill Farm are proud to be a part of the Star Tribune's summer long series "Out of the Box: Getting the Most Out of Your CSA". This summer they are hosting a private Facebook group to provide shareholders and farmers market shoppers to dialogue, share and learn how to use amazing fresh seasonal local produce! They will have visiting chefs and great information about eating local. Amador Hill Farm will provide two CSA boxes to the project this summer and our shareholders are encouraged to join and participate in the discussions on line!
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WEI's Amador Hill Farm & Orchard produce is
organically certified by MOSA.
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Interested in getting more involved with the
Women's Environmental Institute?
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15715 RIVER ROAD, NORTH BRANCH, MN 55056
651-583-0705 - wei@w-e-i.org -
WEBSITE
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