The big 15....

Bam! It’s fall. Leaves are falling and people are digging out the ugly Christmas sweaters. Mushrooms are popping up all over the place and we’ve been out on a lot of mushroom walks lately (let us know if you’d like to join us sometime).

They’re calling for frost tonight!! Already! We’ve had some interesting weather this season but we’re rolling with the punches. Unfortunately, the majority our peppers were a casualty of the interesting weather this year. Most of the other farmers we’ve talked with have had pepper issues as well. Not the year of the pepper. Sorry gang.

As some of you know, we had to reschedule the shiitake inoculation for this weekend... so if you were interested but couldn’t make it last week you get a second chance!

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Onions
Arugula
Heirloom Tomatoes
Soybeans
Summer Squash
Lemon Cucumbers
Royal Burgundy Beans
Kale

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU’D ENJOY:

Tortellini With Bacon and Arugula
(foodandwine.com)

1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 onion, chopped
1 3/4 cups canned crushed tomatoes (one 15-ounce can)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 pound frozen cavatelli
1 1/4 cups arugula, stems removed, leaves torn in half (one 2-ounce bunch)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1. In a large stainless-steel frying pan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until almost crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.

2. Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the salt, and the pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

3. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the cavatelli until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain and toss with the sauce, bacon, arugula, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Stir until the arugula just wilts. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top. Stir cornstarch into broth and pour broth into pot. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the cream, reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Crispy Kale Chips
(foodnetwork.com)

1 bunch kale, washed and thoroughly dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food.


Hope you enjoy this weeks box!

Sustainably yours,

Bryan and Katelyn

The Joys of Week 14...

Final Shiitake inoculation this weekend! We’ll be doing a late Saturday session, probably 3:30-6:30, and working all day on Sunday. Please let us know if you would like to come out on either day so we can plan accordingly.

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Leeks
Arugula
Heirloom Tomatoes
Soybeans
Summer Squash
Garlic
Royal Burgundy Beans
Green or Cayenne Peppers

This week’s box has a few surprises that some people may not be familiar with:

Everyone knows what soybeans are but most people haven’t actually eaten an unprocessed soybean! Edamame is a Japanese snack food consisting of … you guessed it, soybeans. We’ve included a simple recipe for you and hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

A leek is an allium and is basically a skinnier, milder version of an onion.

Arugula is a bitter green that is a great addition to salads or sandwiches… makes a great BLT!

Hope you enjoy this week’s box!

Sustainably yours,

Bryan and Katelyn

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU’D ENJOY:

Edamame

Soybeans (still in pod)
Coarse salt

Steam soybeans for 20 min or until slightly soft.
Lightly salt and serve.

To eat: Chew the pod slightly to release the bean (and get the salt) but don’t eat the pods!

Potato Leek Soup

• 1 cup butter
• 2 leeks, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups heavy cream

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper until tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
Stir cornstarch into broth and pour broth into pot. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the cream, reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

WEEK 13 BOX!

This week we were finally able to get our next round of Oyster and Wine Cap Stropharia inoculated! This mid-week rain is timely and welcomed for both the veggies and the shrooms. We still have a number of shiitake logs that need to be inoculated and if anyone is interested in learning about our inoculation process and would like to come help for an afternoon let us know!

We do have extra tomatoes and summer squash/zucchini available for anyone interested in putting them up for the winter. Send us an email or give us a call and let us know what you need.

For those of you who pick up your boxes in Winona, the coop has taken over the shelf where the boxes used to go. They are now asking that boxes be placed behind the shopping carts by the back entrance.

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:
Onions
Purple Beans
Heirloom Tomatoes
Sungold Tomatoes (cherry)
Summer Squash
Lemon Cucumbers
Kale
Shiitake Mushrooms

Hope you enjoy this week’s box!

Sustainably yours,

Bryan and Katelyn


Recipes we thought you'd enjoy:

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta with Shiitake

4 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
French or Italian-style bread slices
Balsamic Vinegar, (optional)
3.5 oz of Herbal Turtle Shiitake Mushrooms

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Slice Shiitake mushrooms into thin strips and sauté in olive oil and let cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, sautéd shiitake, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper; set aside.
Slice the bread into 1-inch slices. If you're working with a large loaf, you'll then want to halve each slice again.
Brush one side of each slice with extra virgin olive oil. Place the slices oil-side down on a cooking sheet, and toast them in the oven until golden brown. NOTE: These can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. Be sure to let cool completely before storing.
When the bread is toasted top with the bruschetta mixture and enjoy! Makes a great appetizer, mid-afternoon, or late night snack…

Week 12 Boxes!

Great news mushroom fans!!! Our first Winecaps have emerged from the depths of our woodchip beds. The mycelium has run thick and we expect to have a great harvest this season. They will be available at the Winona and Rochester farmer’s markets.

We would like to thank those of you who have come out to help with harvesting, weeding, and mushroom production! It’s been great having you out and we hope you had as much fun as we did :). As always, if you are interested in checking out the farm (to help out or just to see where your food is grown) just let us know!

We would also like to put out a friendly reminder to make sure you return your CSA boxes when you go to pick up your new one. Also, for those of you with egg shares, you may have noticed that we got some fancy new green egg cartons! We would appreciate it very much if you would return those when you bring in your boxes as well.

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU’D ENJOY:

Pico de Gallo
(www.foodandwine.com)

2 large tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
½ medium onion, finely diced
1 serrano chile, finely diced
2 tbs of fresh lime juice
2 tbs of chopped cilantro
Pinch of salt

Toss together all of the ingredients and let stand at room temperature for at least 1hr.

Get yourself some chips and enjoy!

Zucchini and Cheese Pockets
(Outdoor Food)

8 zucchini or summer squash
1tbs olive oil (plus extra for brushing)
4oz feta cheese (drained weight) cut into strips
1 tbs finely chopped fresh mint
Pepper

Pre-heat grill
Cut out 8 rectangles of foil, each large enough to enclose a zucchini and brush lightly with oil
Cut a slit along the length of each zucchini and place one on each foil rectangle
Insert strips of feta cheese along the slits in the zucchini, then drizzle the oil over the top, sprinkle with the chopped mint, and season to taste with pepper.
Fold in the sides of the foil and seal the edges to enclose the zucchini completely.
Bake on the grill for 30 min or until tender and serve right away.

Sustainably yours,

Bryan and Katelyn

Week11 Boxes!!

The tomatoes are LOVING this weather! They are big, beautiful, and ripening on the vine for your eating pleasure… The eggplant and peppers are looking good and as long as we continue to win the battle over the potato beetles we should be seeing some nice results soon.

Our MEGA DEER FENCE is still standing strong and we have not had any deer mistake our garden for an all you can eat buffet this year .

We are thinking about hosting a fall mushroom hike led by Fungiboy and his beautiful apprentice Katelyn. Please let us know if any of you have interest in attending. We would probably coordinate it sometime in late August or September.

We are still waiting to see what our canning tomato surplus will be… if anyone is interested in purchasing extra tomatoes for canning please let us know and we will reach out to you when we have a better idea of our inventory.

Sustainably yours,

Bryan and Katelyn

Recipies we thought you would enjoy:


Avocado Salsa
(The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook)

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large avocados, cubed
1 tbs of lime juice
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1 small bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp of ground coriander
1tsp of ground cumin
3 tbs of cilantro, chopped
2 tbs of olive oil
4-5 drops of tobacco (or half a bottle if you like it hot)

Toss avocado with lime juice. Place the coriander and cumin in a small pan, cook over medium heat for 1 min and let cool. Mix all ingredients together, making sure the avocado is not mashed. Refrigerate and serve!

Zucchini (or summer squash) Bread
(Diane Foerster)

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
1 cup oil
3 cups grated zucchini (not peeled)
1 cup nuts (optional)

Stir together the flour, salt, soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Beat eggs. Add sugar, vanilla and oil and mix well. Stir in grated zucchini and dry ingredients. Blend well. Stir in nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Makes two 9 1/2 by 5 1/2 pans. Can also be used for making bars.

Week 10

Michael and Lauren will be making their way back to Massachusetts today! It’s been great having them out helping with the farm this summer and we are sad to see them depart. Lauren’s classes will resume soon and they need to get moved into their new apartment. Feel free to send them a farewell at mc@prankdesign.com!

We would like to welcome Michael Ahmann to the Herbal Turtle Family. Some of you may know him from the Blue Heron Coffee House… He will be helping us out for the remainder of the season.

We put in our second succession of broccoli and napa cabbage this week and pulled out the first succession this week. We also put in another round of beets and carrots. The tomatoes are starting to ripen, however the cooler weather this week might slow things down.

A couple of things about your box this week:

The Strange round yellow fruit looking things are lemon cucumbers. They can be used like a regular cucumber. The sweet corn is from Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables in Rushford, MN. In our current garden it is not feasible for us to grow sweet corn because of space concerns and raccoons, however, we think sweet corn is something most people look forward to so we wanted to be able to include it in the CSA. Featherstone is a local, certified organic farm.

What’s in this week’s box:

Lemon and Little Leaf Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Onions
Garlic
Sungold Tomatoes
Red and/or Savoy Cabbage
Sweet Corn
Swiss Chard

Recipes:

Mexican Grilled Corn
(Courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Ingredients
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan
4 ears corn, husks and silk removed, cut in half
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon chili powder, preferably chipotle
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Heat grill to high. Place cheese on a plate or in a shallow bowl; set aside.
Brush corn with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until tender and slightly charred, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool 2 to 3 minutes.
Brush corn with mayonnaise, and roll in cheese to coat. Sprinkle with chili powder; serve with lime wedges.

Classic Cole Slaw 1
(www.foodandwine.com)

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
3/4 teaspoon celery seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
One 2 1/2-pound head of cabbage-quartered, cored and shredded (12 cups)
2 carrots, coarsely shredded

In a very large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the vinegar, mustard and celery seeds and season with salt and pepper. Add the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate until slightly chilled, about 30 minutes. Toss the coleslaw again and serve.

Make Ahead. The coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Week 9 Boxes!

We hope you enjoy the 9th week of your CSA! As always, lots happening on the farm. Bryan made it back from the Boundary Waters despite an unusually high level of bear activity and a Canadian forest fire!

Somehow we found some time to get out and do some mushroom hiking and have had some excellent finds! The other day we stumbled upon a beautiful patch of Chanterelles and a few Boletes as well. Be sure to check The Adventures of Fungiboy page on our website as Bryan will be posting some new entries soon.

Lauren and Michael are off exploring the Midwest this week so anyone interested in coming out to the farm to help out is more than welcome!

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Garlic
Green Beans
Beets
Red and/or Savoy Cabbage
Cucumber
Kohlrabi
Summer Squash
Red Russian Kale

RECIPIES WE THOUGHT YOU’D ENJOY:

Buttered Cabbage with Crispy Bacon
(Forgotten Skills of Cooking)

1 lb fresh savoy cabbage
2 tablespoons butter (or more if you like)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A dab of butter
Remove the tough outer leaves and divide the cabbage into 4. Cut out the stalks and then cut each section into fine shreds across the grain. Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of water into a wide saucepan with the butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, add the cabbage and toss constantly over high heat, then cover for a few minutes. Toss again and add some more salt, pepper and a dab of butter. Meanwhile, fry 2-3 strips of bacon in a little oil while the cabbage cooks, then cut into pieces and add to the cabbage at the end.


Hot Beets with Cream and Marjoram
(Forgotten Skills of Cooking)

1 ½ lb. beets, cooked
1 tablespoon butter
Sea Salt and Pepper
A sprinkling of sugar
½ cup cream, or more
1 tablespoon marjoram leaves
Peel the beets and chop the flesh into cubes. Melt the butter in a sauté pan. Add the beets and toss. Then add the cream and marjoram and leave to bubble for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice if necessary. Serve immediately.

Week 8

Greetings Herbal Turtlers,

We are still battling the weather this week! The Winona and Rochester Farmer’s Markets were closed down early this week due to the huge storm that rolled through. We had another flash flood down by the garden that ruined our mint patch; luckily nothing else was lost. All of the animals out at the farm survived the heat last week, unfortunately many other area farmers lost animals. The chickens have been taking advantage of the black raspberry bushes that grow in the pasture but we haven’t seen much of the lambs outside-they are still lounging in front of their fan in the barn for most of the day and only coming out at dusk to graze.

All of the garlic was pulled up on Friday and is curing in the barn-it should be ready in the next week or two. We are expecting cherry tomatoes next week and heirloom tomatoes within the next couple of weeks! If you are interested in purchasing extra tomatoes for canning once we have a steady supply of them contact us.

What’s in your box this week:
Red Norland Potatoes
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Cucumbers
Scallions
Red and/or Savoy Cabbage
Red Ace and Chiogga Beets
Cilantro

Recipes

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
(Food and Wine Magazine)

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
Softened goat cheese
Freshly ground pepper

1.In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cool water, season generously with salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately high and boil the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well, then return the potatoes to the saucepan.
2.Meanwhile, in a small, sturdy glass bowl, melt the butter in the milk in a microwave oven, about 1 minute.
3.Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes and add the goat cheese. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Zucchini Scallion Fritters
(Martha Stewart)

Ingredients
1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Sour cream, for serving

Directions
1.Place zucchini in a colander set in the sink, and toss with 1 teaspoon salt; let drain 10 minutes. Press out as much liquid as possible.
2.Whisk egg in a large bowl; mix in zucchini, scallions, flour, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until combined.
3.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches: Drop six mounds of batter (2 tablespoons each) into skillet; flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately, with sour cream.

The weather has made for a challenging week for us on the farm! We had the Winona County Master Gardener’s out to the farm on Sunday for a tour and a potluck but had a smaller group than expected due to the heat. We have had quite a few very early mornings so we can be out of the heat by the afternoon and we have had to delay planting some successions because the soil isn’t drying up in the extreme humidity. The chickens and lambs have been very lethargic and the cows haven’t left the creek since Sunday. We are all ready for some cooler weather!

Bryan is heading to the Boundary Waters on Thursday for a week so it will be a very busy week for Kate, Lauren and Michael. Please get in touch with Kate if you need to contact us for any reason. Phone-507-313-5085 Email- kate@herbalturtlefarms.com.

We are really flush with shiitake this week and decided that it might be nice to offer our members a wholesale rate on mushrooms for next week. Anyone interested in purchasing larger quantities of mushrooms (a pound or more) email Kate- kate@herbalturtlefarms.com

What’s in your box this week:
Broccoli
Kohlrabi
Red Ace and Chiogga Beets
Scallions
Red Russian Kale
Red and/or Savoy Cabbage
Summer Squash (zucchini, yellow, zephyr)

Recipes:

Kohlrabi and Avocado Salad
3 kohlrabis (bulbs)
2 avocados (ripe)
3 tbsp lime juice
1 scallion (chopped)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt
Ground pepper (fresh)
1/4 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

Directions
Peel the kohlrabi by cutting off the top and bottom, and peeling with a potato peeler. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut the slices into chunks. Place in a bowl. Cut avocados in half lengthwise. Tap the blade of a heavy knife in the pit, twist to remove, and discard. Quarter and peel avocados, then cut into chunks. Drizzle lime juice over avocados to prevent browning and to add flavor; set aside. Whisk together green onion, balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over kohlrabi and mix to cover. Mix together the chunked avocados and the kohlrabi mixture. Make a bed of the salad on four plates, and sprinkle each with feta cheese.

Chile Broccoli Pasta
2 cups dry penne or macaroni
1 medium head broccoli
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 fresh red chilies, seeded and diced
8 cherry tomatoes, diced (optional)
Small handful of fresh basil or parsley, to garnish
Cook the penne or other pasta according to package directions. Cut the broccoli into florets and cook in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and then drain again. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan that the pasta was cooked in. Add the garlic and chilies, and the tomatoes if using. Cook over high heat for 1 minutes. Return the broccoli to the pan with the oil and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes to heat through. Add the pasta and mix well again. Cook for 1 minute more. Remove the pasta from the heat, turn into a large serving bowl, and serve garnished with basil or parsley.

Week 6 Boxes!

We were crazy busy at the farm last week trying to keep up with all of the mushrooms and weeds that flourished in the heat and humidity so we all took some time off this weekend. Mike and Lauren went up to Ely and the Boundary Waters for Mike’s birthday and Kate and Bryan went to the Land Stewardship Project’s annual hog roast and the Winona County Fair. It was nice to take some time off and enjoy the summer but this week we were back at it to get the most exciting box yet ready!

The stormy weather has made for an interesting week. The garden really needed it after all of the hot weather we’ve been having and the veggies are exploding right now. There was a flash flood on Sunday and the hard rain got the veggies really dirty! We did our best to clean them up, but we would recommend washing the salad and green beans once more.
Next week we are expecting scallions, kohlrabi and summer squash.

What’s in your box this week:

Broccoli
Green Beans
Sugar Snap Peas
Red Ace and Chiogga Beets
Swiss Chard
Salad Mix

Recipes:

Honey Balsamic Green Beans
(Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen)

Ingredients
16 ounces green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the beans and blanch them for 2 minutes. Immediately remove the beans from the water and add them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and green beans. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, then stir in the vinegar, honey, onion powder, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook to desired degree of doneness, about 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the beans to a serving bowl and serve.

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Poppy seed Dressing

4-5 Beets, all but 1” of greens removed
Olive oil
1 log of Goat Cheese
1/3 C. toasted walnuts
Salad mix
Poppy seed dressing (recipe below)

Rinse any dirt or debris from the beets – some beets may need to be scrubbed clean. Put beets on a large piece of aluminum foil and preheat the oven to 375. Drizzle the beets with a bit of oil before roasting. For even roasting of the beets, fold the foil over them and crimp the sides closed. Roast beets until tender. The amount of time this will take can vary greatly depending on the size of the beets, how many there are, if other things are in the oven, and how fresh the beets are (fresher beets cook up faster). For smaller beets, start checking them for tenderness at about 25 minutes. Larger and older beets can take up to an hour. Remove beets from oven when tender. Let sit until cool enough to handle. When beets are cool enough to handle, slip their peels off. You can use a paring knife, if you like, but you can also marvel at how easily the peels come off with just a rub of your fingers.

For the Dressing:

1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. whole milk
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
Place all ingredients in a jar; cover and shake until blended. Keeps several days in refrigerator.
(This salad is also great with balsamic vinaigrette!)