CSA week #6

Buying Local
Besides Whole Foods, most grocery stores don’t specify where there products are coming from. You may assume, such as bananas and pineapples are obviously not local, but nothing may be specifically labeled. There are also sometimes when I think people would rather not know that their clementines come from Spain, Mexico, or some South American country. We would rather just grab them and go without a second thought. As long as it is available at the grocery store, then it must be in season somewhere right?
Most things that have to endure that long haul in shipping are picked when they are underripe so the skins are harder and so they can ripen throughout the time it takes for them to get to the store. That’s why if you buy a tomato in winter, it may look nice and red on the outside, but is just grainy textured mush on the inside. Buying things that were picked that morning at their optimum freshness just make more sense for our taste buds and nutritionally.
Going to the farmer’s markets is one of my favorite things to do, and not because I am a vendor there. I shopped at farmer’s markets before I even thought about becoming a farmer, mainly because I enjoyed being able to talk to the farmer that grew it with his own two hands, and because everything tasted so much better.
When I was in college, I had organic strawberries in season for the first time, and I swore they were the best strawberries I had ever eaten. Experiences like that get tainted by the fact that strawberries are available all year at the grocery store, most people don’t even know when strawberry season is anymore.
When it comes to the choice of organic or local, to be honest with you, I choose local. I would much rather buy something that was fresh out of the field, then purchase something that has been in the shipping process for multiple days before it gets to me just because it has the organic label. Freshness is the key to taste.
And, I mean ultimately this idea applies to much more than just buying produce. Wouldn’t you rather support your neighborhood, independently owned business than the big corporations? I’m not trying to sound like I’m against the man or anything, but times are tough and small businesses need the support. It’s a hard decision to make, but worth the extra price that you sometimes have to pay for fresh, local produce.

Learn more about being a locavore at
http://www.local-matters.org/ or visit your local farmer’s market.

What’s included this week?
1. Eggs from Roshon Farms
2. Yellow Crookneck squash
3. Tomatoes- Celebrity Supremes, a red hybrid (heirlooms to come)
4. Potatoes
5. Garlic

Recipe of the Week
Frittata (a Spanish omelet)

Goes great with fried potatoes too!

6 eggs, beaten
1-ounce Parmesan, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup chopped roasted squash
1/2 cup chopped country ham (or not if you don’t eat meat)
1 tablespoon parsley leaves
Preheat oven to broil setting.
In medium size bowl, using a fork, blend together eggs, Parmesan, pepper, and salt. Heat 12-inch non-stick, oven safe sauté pan over medium high heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Add squash and ham to pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour egg mixture into pan and stir with rubber spatula. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set up on top. Sprinkle with parsley. Place pan into oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned and fluffy. Remove from pan and cut into 6 servings. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 6 servings, so if you don’t want to use all your eggs in one recipe, half it and only feed 3 people. The good thing is that it uses one egg per person so you can stretch them out a little bit!

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #5

Living a Sustainable Lifestyle
You hear the term thrown around a lot, but what does being sustainable actually mean? Well, it means that you are a system that supports yourself without any outside assistance. In today’s world, it is close to impossible to completely escape it, but it is definitely a goal to strive for.
Here at the farm, we try to do as much for ourselves as we possibly can. First, we grow our own food, which is a first big step. With all of the preserving that I do, our grocery bill is quite minimal. Also, we heat our house with a wood burning stove which means that we are constantly splitting firewood to keep up with our heating needs. But why would you want to live like this?
We take pride in living minimally and although sometimes it is definitely harder than just letting someone else do it, or just going to the grocery store, it is worth it knowing that you are responsible through hard work and perseverance. Don’t get me wrong, some of it is out of necessity as well. Being a farmer isn’t the most well paid job, but if the world was coming to an end, we would know how to support ourselves.
The animals that we raise are a part of the system of being sustainable as well. With the pigs that we had, the chickens, and the ducks, we also provide ourselves with another healthy alternative to buying mass produced meat from the grocery store. Really once you’ve had meat that is raised the proper way, conventional meat just won’t taste the same. And yes, sometimes it is difficult to slaughter the animals that you have worked so hard to raise, but at least you know they led a good life while they were around.
Our chickens figured out how to hop the fence last year and have been completely free-range ever since. This is good for us because we know we have some happy egg layers, and it cost less to feed them when they are out and about eating bugs. They also get fed our kitchen scraps, meaning that they get a well rounded diet.
The pigs are at another farmer’s place because he has more space for them to run around and be happy pigs. We enjoyed the meat so much last year that we are raising another round of pigs. The half a pig that we received in November is actually already been gone for a while because we couldn’t keep our hands off of it. And with raising pigs, preserving food, having fresh eggs, and heating the house with wood, our costs were significantly low this winter. These are the steps that we are taking to try to live a sustainable lifestyle with being off the grid as our eventual goal. What can you do that will help yourself and our environment?

What’s included this week?
1. Brats fresh from our pigs that were processed last week- grill these out with the corn…yum!
2. Bunching onions- aka scallions
3. Sweet corn- soak overnight and then just put on grill with husk on, gives you roasted, fair food-like flavor
4. Carrots
5. Mint- use fresh or hang to dry

Recipe of the Week
Fresh Sun Tea

1 large sun tea container (usually about a gallon in size)
5 tea bags
2 fresh sprigs mint

Place the tea in the bright sun for a few hours. Bring it in and mix in any sweetener that you want while it is still warm, that way the sugar or honey will dissolve. Do not leave out in the sun all day, and don’t try on a cloudy day either. Other than that, it’s pretty plain and simple.

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #4

Berry picking, caught red handed! These are the berries that were used in my berry jelly... yum!

What’s been going on?

This year we have been focusing more on the flowers since that seems to be what we are good at. We have attained some helpers that assist with the weeding, daily farm chores, and the produce. This allows us more time to devote to the flower part of the business. We have been really fortunate for the help though and couldn’t be doing what we are doing this year with out them.

Since a lot of fruits are in season now, I have been working hard at trying to preserve some of them for the winter time. The hard thing is, they taste so good, that it is difficult for me to keep them on the shelf. We’ve already blown threw the first batch of peach plum preserves and have moved onto the mixed berry jelly. New this year for me, I canned a lot of applesauce and turned some of that into apple butter. Yes, it is apple season, but only the early tart ones.

We finally got some rain that was well needed and deserved. These plants have been suffering through these 95 degree days, and needless to say, so have we. We try to wake up as early as possible, but are at least out in the field by 7 am. When it gets that hot during the day, it is worth waking up early to beat the heat. During the hottest hours of the day, we typically try to make our deliveries or prepare bouquets in the garage so we are at least not in the blazing sun. We have definitely entered into the dog days of summer.

The transition from spring to summer always begins the waiting game where you know you as a farmer have done everything you need to for those healthy plants, and now you just have to be patient with Mother Nature as to when your tomatoes turn green, your peppers come on, and your squashes start growing. In the meantime, we are just trying to keep everything weeded, which is a never ending battle when you don’t use any chemicals. Your hands become the best tools you’ve got!

Overall with the lettuces and other spring crops we grew, it was a good spring. Besides having all of our lilies eaten, everything else produced well and got us ready for the madness of the summer. So, let the craziness ensue!

What’s included this week?

1. Green tomatoes- slice hamburger style, dip in raw egg scramble, then in cornmeal or flour… place in frying hot oil and brown on each side. Enjoy immediately, well once they cool down enough that is.
2. Kohlrabi- good raw or sautéed in a stir fry, or treat it like cabbage in the slaw recipe below
3. Carrots
4. Kale
5. Sweet corn
6. Basil

Recipe of the Week

Kohlrabi Slaw

3 kohlrabi heads, peeled
2 carrots
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 fluid ounces plain yogurt
2 fluid ounces mayonnaise
1 tablespoon pickle juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
Kosher salt, as needed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Shred or finely chop the kohlrabi and the carrots (depending on how chunky you like your slaw) and put into a colander. Toss with a couple big pinches of salt and let sit for at least an hour to pull the juices out of the kohlrabi, just so you don’t have soggy slaw. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together in a large mixing bowl. Put the veggies into the dressing and toss until well covered.

If you prefer vinegary slaw, sometimes I use olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and honey instead of sugar to sweeten. You will basically follow the same 3 parts oil to one part acid as the dressing from last week. So, if you got creative with a dressing last week and found something you liked, don’t hesitate to try it on this slaw as well!

Thank you for your support, Gretel and Steve

CSA week #3

Our potato plants before they died off and were harvested.

After taking a week off for the holiday, we are back with a vengence!

Our Vendors

This year we have really expanded our wholesale market with both the flowers and the produce from the farm. Most of these have been picked up by merely dropping off samples to them, following up, and they have liked our product enough to pick us up. Not only do they like to support smaller businesses instead of large wholesalers, but they like to support local growers to preserve freshness.

We sell produce to Black Creek Bistro which is a restaurant downtown next to the Buckeye Ranch by the corner of Parsons and Broad. They are trying to build back up the community of Olde Town East with Black Creek at the forefront. The owner is a farmer himself but what he can’t produce he tries to find locally. He also composts scraps from the kitchen and turns the oil into biodiesel. It really is a great place and the food is delicious!

We have also been selling produce to a restaurant in Canal Winchester called Village Wines and Bistro which is run by a husband and wife team. The food is fantastic and so is the wine! The Greener Grocer inside the North Market has also been buying things off of us to sell in their store and also to put into their CSA packages.

We sell our flowers to a few florists including Village Flower Basket in Granville, Wayside Flowers in New Albany, and an assortment of others occasionally. Our biggest account with the flowers is by far Whole Foods. They order lots of sunflowers from us and also sell my mixed bouquets in their stores. When we get an abundance of one type of flower, you will also see individual seasonal bunches with which you can make your own bouquets. Just look for the LOCAL stamp on the labels and they will tell you where they are from. We sell to both the one in Upper Arlington and the one in Dublin, so go check us out!

What’s included this week?

1. Lettuce- with the warm weather this will be the last week for this until the fall, so enjoy!
2. Carrots
3. Garlic- make sure to hang or put in mesh basket, garlic needs airflow to continue drying or else it will not last as long
4. Onions- same care as the onions, refrigerate once you’ve cut into them
5. Potatoes- freshly dug, so leave the dirt on them for them to continue to dry out like the onions and garlic. This will allow the outer skin to thicken so they can store better. When you are ready to use them, then wash the dirt off, prepare however, and eat!

For the full share only
1. Flowers

Recipe of the Week

The Perfect Salad Dressing

Contrary to popular belief, it is very easy to make your own salad dressing! You know exactly what goes into it, nothing artificial, and you can change it based on your taste buds. Basically, you want 3 parts oil to one part acid whether it is balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar, or lemon juice. Then you add your favorite spices, salt and pepper and viola! It’s fun to see what you can come up with, like a science experiment. I just put all the ingredients into a jar, put the lid on tight, and shake to incorporate everything well. If you let it sit, make sure to shake it before pouring as it will naturally settle.

Honey Mustard

6 T extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping T Dijon or spicy mustard
1 heaping T honey
2 T white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
(or if you like it creamy, substitute plain yogurt for the olive oil)


Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve