Hello

This week we continue to see the season shift a bit as leafy greens become less dominant and new, more colorful produce starts to arrive. We always have joked that the local growing season starts out green, gets colorful, then ends heavy. I think you'll see that to be true as tomatoes and sweet corn are in the near future while the hefty winter squash and sweet potatoes are in the somewhat distant autumn.

The showcase of this week's bag is new potatoes. Read below for a better description of how these are grown and what makes them "new." It is important to recognize that these potatoes are intended to be eaten soon and do not store well like a "cured" potato.

Important update about Rocky River -- this pickup stop has been cancelled. In the meantime, please visit one of our other Saturday locations.

Sincerely,
Trevor & the FFM team
New Potatoes
This seems like a “magic of TV” moment. Last week in the newsletter I discussed our planting of potatoes and now we are talking about the harvesting. Well, I’m a few weeks behind on writing.

My potatoes aren’t ready to harvest. I planted my field with the intent to have late season, storage potatoes. What we are enjoying this week is the product of the hard work of one of our certified organic growers, Levy Weaver.

Levy got some of his potatoes out very early. His first variety, the Red Norland, is an early maturing potato. This potato has a firm, slightly waxy texture that is best for boiling and roasting. As a “fryer” it won’t absorb as much oil as a drier potato like a russet or a kennebec. 

I think the best time to enjoy red norland potatoes is when they are a “new potato.” What is a new potato? Well, it can be any variety as long as it is picked while the plant is still green. Potatoes convert their sugars to starches for storage; this happens after the plant naturally dies back or is mowed off. For the new potato, it is dug when the plant goes to flower and is still quite young.

The reason for this is that the new potato has a very thin, edible skin. In fact, I guarantee that you will wash off some of the skin when washing your potatoes (as some has already been rubbed off when the farmer washed it). The skin is very delicate and makes for a buttery, delicious potato.

For storage potatoes (not these), the potatoes need to go through a “curing” stage to help develop thicker skins. This usually happens after the plant dies or is mowed off. The potatoes are left in the ground for a week or two (depending on weather conditions) then dug and spread out to cure further in an area with good circulation. The good potatoes survive and the bad ones become obvious.  This is usually how potatoes are harvested in the fall. 

It is best to consume your new potatoes within the week. If not, please store them in the refrigerator.  
New Items Online
There are a few new items available this week on the online store.

Ricotta – Kandice is back at it with the fresh ricotta. Every 3 rd Friday she is making fresh ricotta featuring A2A2 Guernsey milk and cream. Enjoy this delicious treat with some fresh fruit and and a drizzle of honey.

Steakburgers - Not all cattle have the same uniform finish on them. Finish refers to intramuscular fat and exterior fat (think backfat). When we get the animals that aren't the grade that we prefer for cutting steaks, we still need to save the tender steak meat for another good use.

In this case, that's where steakburgers come in. Our processor ground the meat from strip loin (strip steak), tenderloin, ribeye, and sirloin to create tender, tasty steakburgers. They formed into 8 oz burgers, 4 burgers per package for a total weight of 2# per package.
Bag Contents
Small Omnivore
Whole Chicken
Parsley
Red Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Red Potatoes
Leaf Lettuce
Small Vegetarian
Parsley
Red Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Red Potatoes
Leaf Lettuce
Eggplant
Blueberries
Cucumber
Broccoli

Mini
Red Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Red Potatoes
Leaf Lettuce

Large Omnivore
Whole Chicken
Parsley
Red Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Red Potatoes
Leaf Lettuce
Blueberries
Beets
Onion
Ground Beef

Large Vegetarian
Parsley
Red Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Red Potatoes
Leaf Lettuce
Eggplant
Blueberries
Cucumber
Broccoli
Beets
Onion
Kohlrabi
Cauliflower

Small Vegan
Parsley
Red Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Red Potatoes
Leaf Lettuce
Eggplant
Blueberries
Cucumber
Broccoli
Reminder: Carnivore Share bags are every-other-week based on pick-up location. You will be randomly assigned to a group (A, B, C). Check for the assignment in your last name. By the end of the season, all groups will have received the same amount of all products.

REMINDER: Beachwood & Mayfield will receive Carnivore shares again this week. We are back on track with theb "odd week" rotation.

Week 7 Carnivore Locations:
Akron, Beachwood, Bratenahl, Chagrin Falls, Cleveland Heights, Copley, Hudson, Mayfield, Mentor, Shaker Heights, Solon


**Carnivore share bags are only available at the first "dropoff location" listed on the location tab of your account as of 6/1. Carnivore shares cannot be transferred. We pack for the exact number based on location.**
RECIPES
For more recipes, visit our archive at https://freshforkmarket.com/recipes/
SPECIAL ORDER
Location Details
Your special order will only be delivered only to your primary location as selected in your profile (see below). Please review this BEFORE placing your order (adjust + save as needed).   Please do not email or call to change the location of your special order.  It sounds easier said than done. Our software prints a pick list per location for what products we must take along. If we attempt to move it manually there is a high probability that we'll mess it up and no one will be happy.


Please leave the "new" location set in your profile until after you pick up your special order. You will have to log back into your account to change it back to your usual stop BEFORE you place your next order the following week.

When you get to your check-in, please let the greeter know you also have a special order to pick-up. The order is packed separate from the regular share.
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