It's been an exciting week at Herbal Turtle Farms! Katelyn is back from Colorado and has survived her whitewater rafting adventure, we have been getting the farm ready for Bryan's big 4th of July family reunion, and today we had a television crew out to the farm to interview us for a gardening show! We'll give out a link to the episode as soon as it airs.
WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:
Fresh Garlic (not cured yet so use it soon as it will not keep as long)
Snap Peas
Radishes (La Crosse, Rochester)
Baby Carrots (Winona, Trempealeau)
Swiss Chard - Cooking Green
Red Leaf Lettuce - Raw Green
Pea Shoots - Cooking or Raw Green-excellent in stir fries!
If you recieved Radishes this week you will get Carrots next week and vice versa.
Also, a heads up for Winona and Trempealeau members... We will not be dropping boxes on the 4th as our drop sites will be closed and many of our members will not be around to get boxes anyway. We will bring boxes on Thursday, July 5th instead. As always, feel free to reach out to us any time!
Your Farmers,
Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Katie, and James
Herbal Turtle Farms
RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:
Radish Leaf Soup
(Forgotten Skills of Cooking)
We gave out this recipe last year and people LOVED it. It sounds a little odd but we think it's worth a shot!
3 tablespoons butter
5 oz potatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 C. onion, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 C. chicken or vegetable stock
1 C. whole milk
5 oz radish leaves
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions, and toss until well coated. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well, cover, and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. When the vegetables are almost soft but not colored, add the stock and milk. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes and onions are fully cooked. Add the radish leaves and boil with the lid off for 4-5 minutes, until the radish leaves are cooked. Do not overcook the soup or it will lost its fresh green color. Puree in a blender. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.
Rainbow Swiss Chard Appetizer
(From Asparagus to Zucchini)
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced shallots
4 stems chives, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried, ground thyme
1 bunch rainbow chard stalks, finely chopped (use actual greens for another recipe)
cream cheese, softened
toasted, sliced french bread or crackers
Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute 2 minutes. Add chives, thyme and chopped chard stalks; saute until stalks are tender, tossing to coat with butter. Transfer to bowl and let cool, patting it with paper towels to soak up excess butter. Spread cream cheese on toasted bread or crackers. When chard is cool, spoon some onto each cracker. Makes about 4 servings.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Ayden's first produce!
Ayden is super excited about his first harvest!!! He has been working hard to plant, weed, and water his corner of the garden and tomorrow will be his first chance to sell his produce at the Winona Farmer's Market. We're super proud of him for all of the hard work and great energy he has put into this project! He will have Bok Choy and Kohlrabi for sale this week... The Winona Farmer's Market runs 7:30am-Noon and we will have Shiitake and Golden Oysters there as well! See you then!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
BOX 2 - June 20th, 2012
Wahoo! It’s been a busy week at Herbal Turtle Farms! Katelyn is out in Colorado at her family reunion so we’ve been a person short this week… good thing we’re all farming powerhouses ;). We were happy to get the rain this week as it really gave the peas a boost. The heat has been tough on the head lettuce though so we’ll have to wait until our next round is ready. The arugula looks great and tastes spicy and delicious. Usually the flea beetles hit it pretty hard but I guess this spring they were busy eating the Bok Choy instead!
WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX:
Arugula – raw green, a great (and spicy) addition to any salad!
Bok Choy – cooking green
Snap peas- eat raw or cook, these are great by themselves as a snack!
Kale – cooking green
Kohrabi – eat raw or cook
Chives – use raw or cook
Didn’t have much time to get photos up this week but this is something we definitely plan to do more of. We’ll have more peas next week along with radishes and Swiss Chard! As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions or feedback…
Your Farmers,
Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Katie, and James
Herbal Turtle Farms
RECIPIES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:
Kale and Blue Cheese Roll-Ups
(MACSAC)
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
6 oz blue cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons minced garlic scapes or fresh garlic cloves
1 pound kale leaves, blanched until wilted, drained, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
Black pepper
1 loaf soft sandwich bread, crusts removed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat cream cheese, blue cheese, and chives until smooth. Mix in kale. Season with pepper to taste. Flatten bread slices with a rolling pin. Spread a layer of kale/cheese mixture over slices and roll up. Brush each roll with olive oil and place seam side down on baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 min. Serve immediately. Makes 20-24 roll-ups.
Garlic Stir-Fried Snap Peas
(Oak Ridge Farm)
3 cups sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon oil (any mild one)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice (optional)
Heat oil in a skillet. Stir in garlic. Add peas; cook and stir 2-4 min on medium heat. Remove and sprinkle on lemon juice, add salt and pepper. Serve over rice if desired. Makes 3-4 servings.
WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX:
Arugula – raw green, a great (and spicy) addition to any salad!
Bok Choy – cooking green
Snap peas- eat raw or cook, these are great by themselves as a snack!
Kale – cooking green
Kohrabi – eat raw or cook
Chives – use raw or cook
Didn’t have much time to get photos up this week but this is something we definitely plan to do more of. We’ll have more peas next week along with radishes and Swiss Chard! As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions or feedback…
Your Farmers,
Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Katie, and James
Herbal Turtle Farms
RECIPIES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:
Kale and Blue Cheese Roll-Ups
(MACSAC)
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
6 oz blue cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons minced garlic scapes or fresh garlic cloves
1 pound kale leaves, blanched until wilted, drained, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
Black pepper
1 loaf soft sandwich bread, crusts removed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat cream cheese, blue cheese, and chives until smooth. Mix in kale. Season with pepper to taste. Flatten bread slices with a rolling pin. Spread a layer of kale/cheese mixture over slices and roll up. Brush each roll with olive oil and place seam side down on baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 min. Serve immediately. Makes 20-24 roll-ups.
Garlic Stir-Fried Snap Peas
(Oak Ridge Farm)
3 cups sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon oil (any mild one)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice (optional)
Heat oil in a skillet. Stir in garlic. Add peas; cook and stir 2-4 min on medium heat. Remove and sprinkle on lemon juice, add salt and pepper. Serve over rice if desired. Makes 3-4 servings.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
BOX 1 June 13th, 2012
Hello Herbal Turtle 2012 CSA members! We hope you enjoy your first box!
WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:
Garlic Scapes (these are the curling tops of the garlic plant and you can use it just like a garlic clove)
Kale (Cooking Green)
Bok Choy (Cooking Green)
Butterhead Lettuce (Raw Green)
Kohlrabi (Cook or eat raw like a radish)
You will note that there are lots of healthy greens this week :). Hopefully we can add some vibrant radishes for a little color in the next week or two. All of the produce is looking great in the fields. The lack of rain has slowed some things down a bit but we’ve been hand watering and should be on track for our harvest dates.
The Bok Choy did fall victim to a ravenous swarm of flea beetles as you may have noticed. The damage is only cosmetic and although we value presentation, we thought you may enjoy it anyway… we certainly have been! (see recipe below).
Katelyn’s cousin Michelle has a wonderful blog we thought you may be interested in checking out. She recently wrote an awesome article regarding CSA’s and useful tips for first time members! Check it out at http://www.rosybluhandmade.com/.
We also highly recommend shredding your kohlrabi with a cheese grater and using it as a topping for you salads!
A few items that may come in handy this season:
1. A salad spinner! You can pick them up fairly cheap and you can thank us later. Giving your greens a quick soak in cold water and then spinning them dry will keep them crisp for your salads.
2. The cook book "From Asparagus to Zucchini: a Guide to Cooking With Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce" by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. It is an AWESOME cook book written specifically for CSA members. We give out a lot of these recipies but there is also a ton of great advice about storing and preparing your produce as well.
As always, feel free to call us with any questions, comments, or just to say hello!
Your Farmer's,
Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Katie, and James
Herbal Turtle Farms
RECIPIES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:
Stir Fried Bok Choy with Cashew Sauce
(From Asparagus to Zucchini, MACSAC)
1/2 Cup raw cashews (can sub roasted/salted cashews as well)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs minced ginger root
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb bok choy
1/4 cup peanut oil
Toast cashews in a dry skillet, tossing frequently, until lighly brown and fragrant. Combine cashews, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes and 2-4 tbl of water in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
Wash bok choy stems and leaves well, making sure to rinse away dirt in the ribs. Separate the bok choy leaves from the stalks. Cut stalks into 1 inch pieces and roughly chop the leaves. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over hight heat until hot but not smoking. Add bok choy stems and cook, stirring often, until crisp tender, 2-3 min. Add the leaves and cook until they wilt and turn bright green, another minute or so. Remove to a platter and cover with cashew sauce or serve sauce on the side.
Super Healthy Kale Chips
(Jamie Oliver)
http://www.allaboutjamieoliver.com/2011/03/28/super-healthy-kale-chips/
WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:
Garlic Scapes (these are the curling tops of the garlic plant and you can use it just like a garlic clove)
Kale (Cooking Green)
Bok Choy (Cooking Green)
Butterhead Lettuce (Raw Green)
Kohlrabi (Cook or eat raw like a radish)
You will note that there are lots of healthy greens this week :). Hopefully we can add some vibrant radishes for a little color in the next week or two. All of the produce is looking great in the fields. The lack of rain has slowed some things down a bit but we’ve been hand watering and should be on track for our harvest dates.
The Bok Choy did fall victim to a ravenous swarm of flea beetles as you may have noticed. The damage is only cosmetic and although we value presentation, we thought you may enjoy it anyway… we certainly have been! (see recipe below).
Katelyn’s cousin Michelle has a wonderful blog we thought you may be interested in checking out. She recently wrote an awesome article regarding CSA’s and useful tips for first time members! Check it out at http://www.rosybluhandmade.com/.
We also highly recommend shredding your kohlrabi with a cheese grater and using it as a topping for you salads!
A few items that may come in handy this season:
1. A salad spinner! You can pick them up fairly cheap and you can thank us later. Giving your greens a quick soak in cold water and then spinning them dry will keep them crisp for your salads.
2. The cook book "From Asparagus to Zucchini: a Guide to Cooking With Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce" by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. It is an AWESOME cook book written specifically for CSA members. We give out a lot of these recipies but there is also a ton of great advice about storing and preparing your produce as well.
As always, feel free to call us with any questions, comments, or just to say hello!
Your Farmer's,
Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Katie, and James
Herbal Turtle Farms
RECIPIES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:
Stir Fried Bok Choy with Cashew Sauce
(From Asparagus to Zucchini, MACSAC)
1/2 Cup raw cashews (can sub roasted/salted cashews as well)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs minced ginger root
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb bok choy
1/4 cup peanut oil
Toast cashews in a dry skillet, tossing frequently, until lighly brown and fragrant. Combine cashews, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes and 2-4 tbl of water in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
Wash bok choy stems and leaves well, making sure to rinse away dirt in the ribs. Separate the bok choy leaves from the stalks. Cut stalks into 1 inch pieces and roughly chop the leaves. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over hight heat until hot but not smoking. Add bok choy stems and cook, stirring often, until crisp tender, 2-3 min. Add the leaves and cook until they wilt and turn bright green, another minute or so. Remove to a platter and cover with cashew sauce or serve sauce on the side.
Super Healthy Kale Chips
(Jamie Oliver)
http://www.allaboutjamieoliver.com/2011/03/28/super-healthy-kale-chips/
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