BOX 6 - July 25th, 2012

RAIN!!!  Today we danced!  It was a much needed rain and thankfully there is more in the forecast.  The garden is extremely happy and we are starting to see a lot of summer produce.  The first eggplants and peppers are coming on and a few tomatoes are starting to ripen.

We mentioned earlier this season that we gave Ayden his own section of the garden this year.  He planted it himself, has been weeding and watering, and harvesting his own produce.  In exchange for his work we have been letting him sell his produce at the farmer's market and keep the money he earns.  He decided that he wanted to save up for a new bike and this week he sold enough to buy it!  He has learned some great lessons this year and we are VERY proud of him! 

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Garlic

Onion

Red Norland Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Cilantro

Beets

Salad Greens - La Crosse, Rochester

Zucchini/Summer Squash - Winona, Trempealeau


The sweet corn and red potatoes are from our friends at Fairview Farms. They are another local farm using sustainable growing practices. We are not set up to grow corn but our members really seem to enjoy it so we buy from or sometimes trade with other local farms who have growing practices and farming philosophies similar to our own. Hope you enjoy!


Your Farmers,
 
Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Kate and James
 
RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:
 
Cilantro Chutney (goes great with MANY things!)
(NoRecipes.com)
http://norecipes.com/blog/green-chutney-recipe-coriander-chutney/

"Drippy" Mexican Sweet Corn
(The Splendid Table)
http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/side_sweetcorn.html
 
Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
(Serious Eats)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/serious-salads-roasted-beet-salad-with-goat-cheese-walnuts-vinaigrette.html

BOX 5 - July 18th, 2012

Broccoli!!!  We got it.  Hope you like it!  Garlic is finished curing and looks beautiful.  We will be adding it to your box throughout the season until we run out.  Egg plants and tomatoes are coming on and the plants are looking beautiful.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

GREEN BEANS

GARLIC

SWISS CHARD

CILANTRO

SUMMER SQUASH (ZUCCHINI AND RONDE DE NICE)

BROCCOLI

It seems like we have had to battle almost every harmful insect known to man this year but we are somehow staying ahead of them (so far). Our zucchini and summer squash had a bad case of Squash Vine Borer and Bryan had to literally do surgery on each plant to get the bugs out and save the plant. Hopefully they will recover... he's a farmer, not a doctor! We will definitely be introducing some nematodes to the fields this year to hunt the grubs down so they don't come back as strong next year.

Please remember to bring your boxes back each week and if you're not going to be able to pick up your box let us know so that we can save it for you.  Boxes that are not picked up are automatically donated to the coop or drop-site manager.  Also, please call us if you need to make other arrangements, not the coop or drop site as they have no affiliation with our farm.  Thanks!

Your Farmers,

Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Kate and James
Herbal Turtle Farms
507.450.5877

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:

Chile Broccoli Pasta
(Vegetarian Bible)

2 cups dry penne or macaroni
1 medium head broccoli
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 fresh red chiles, seeded and diced
8 cherry tomatoes (optional)
small handful of fresh basil or parsley, to garnish

Cook the penne or other pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for about 10 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite.  Remove from the heat, drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.  Set aside.  Cut the broccoli into florets and cook in salted boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.  Heat the olive oil in the saucepan that the pasta was cooked in.  Add the garlic and chiles, and tomatoes if using.  Cook over high heat for 1 minute.  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.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
(From Asparagus to Zucchini)

2/3 cup lime juice (6 ounces)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
pinch salt
2/3 cup packed cilantro leaves
2-4 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon cumin
1/4 cup canola oil

Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender.  Turn on blender.  Add oil very slowly through the "hole" in the middle.  Use a little water if you lose the hole, but just enough to keep the little hole so the oil will get blended.  Makes about 1 1/4 cups. 

BOX 4 - July 11th, 2012

We need some rain!!!  Luckily we have a new watering tank that fits on the back of Kates truck and gravity-feeds a hose.  This makes watering about 5 times faster!  The heat really hurt the last of our cold weather crops last week but some things have been loving it.  Tomatoes, peppers, summer squash and egg plant are looking great!  We have plenty of broccoli and it's looking pretty bug free.  We triple washed the cauliflower but you may want to double check for bugs before you throw it in the pot (remember we grow using organic methods).  We pulled all of the garlic last week and have it curing now... looks great! 

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

BROCCOLI
CAULIFLOWER
ARUGULA
SUMMER SQUASH
RED CABBAGE
GREEN BEANS
SALAD MIX - (Winona and Trempealeau)
CARROTS - (La Crosse and Rochester)

We will be doing our Certified Naturally Grown inspection soon and will need a few CSA members to inspect the farm.  If you are interested in doing this for us please give Bryan a call at 507.450.5877.  It shouldn't take more than an hour or so and would give you a great opportunity to better understand how we grow your food. 

Your Farmers,

Bryan, Katelyn, Ayden, Katie and James

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:

Grilled Green Bean Salad with Lentil Vinaigrette
(http://www.foodandwine.com/)
2 tomatoes (about 8 ounces each), halved

1 basil sprig
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 shallots—1 halved, 1 minced
2 cups pure olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons black beluga lentils
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1/2 pound green beans
4 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 small zucchini
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 packed cup baby arugula

1.Preheat the oven to 300°. Put the tomatoes in a small baking dish, cut side up. Add the basil, bay leaf, garlic and halved shallot. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake the tomatoes for about 2 hours, until very tender. Let cool slightly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a plate and break them up slightly. Reserve the tomato oil. Discard the basil, bay leaf, garlic and shallot.


2.In a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the tomato oil with half of the minced shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened, 2 minutes. Add the lentils and 3 cups of water; season with salt and pepper. Simmer over high heat until the lentils are tender, 15 minutes; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the vinegar, oregano, 1/4 cup of the tomato oil and the remaining minced shallot. Season with salt and pepper.

3.Heat a cast-iron grill pan. In a medium bowl, toss the green beans with 1 tablespoon of the tomato oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred, 2 minutes.

4.In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the tomato oil. Add the diced pancetta and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the pattypans and the crushed red pepper, season with salt and cook for 1 minute. Add the roasted tomatoes and green beans and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Spoon the vegetable mixture onto 4 plates and drizzle half of the lentil vinaigrette on top.

5.Add the arugula to the remaining lentil vinaigrette and toss. Mound the arugula on the green bean salad and serve.

Make Ahead The tomatoes in their oil and the lentil vinaigrette can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days.

Hot Cabbage Slaw
(From Asparagus to Zucchini)

2 bacon stips or 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
6 cups shredded cabbage
chopped fresh dill to taste
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vinegar

Chop the bacon, fry in skillet, remove, and drain on paper towel.  Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons water, the cabbage, dill, sugar, salt, pepper; cover and simmer until wilted but still crunchy.  Add bacon or oil and vinegar and toss.  Makes 3-4 servings.

BOX 3, JUNE 26th 2012

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. 

 

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!

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.

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/

2012 CSA Pick-up Information

Greetings Herbal Turtle CSA Members!!! Thanks for choosing to be a part of our CSA, we are extremely excited about this season! The warmer weather and addition of our modest but effective greenhouses has got us off to a great start this year. We will continue to publish weekly newsletters which will include farm news, box contents, and recipes for you to try. In an effort to save paper this year we have decided to post the newsletters here on our blog at www.herbalturtlefarms.com but not in a hardcopy form. The blog will be updated every Wednesday. Our first box is scheduled for the 2nd week in June. If we have enough produce ready to do a box earlier than that we will call everyone and let you know.


Winona members, your pick-up site will remain at Bluff Country Coop in the produce section. We will have boxes there by Noon on Wednesdays and you can pick them up anytime between Noon and Close (8pm). Please keep in mind that the sooner you can get your box the better as things may start to wilt if left out too long.

Trempealeau members, this year we will be dropping boxes off at the Simota House. The address is 12365 Hunter Lane. Boxes can be picked up between 6 and 8pm on Wednesdays.

Rochester members, you can get your boxes from us at the Saturday Downtown Rochester Farmer’s Market. We are there between 7am and Noon. We will bring coolers to keep your produce cool but the sooner you can get there the better. The farmer’s market is a great place to pick up a box! You can do your other shopping at the same time!

La Crosse Members, pick-up will be at the Riverside Corporate Wellness Office (RSCII Building, 2nd Floor - above River Rocks) Thursdays between 10:30 am and 4:00 pm. After 4pm the boxes will be placed outside the office in the hallway. We do have an alternate drop site in La Crescent so if you know that you will consistently be later than 4:00 to pick up your box let us know and we can arrange to have you go to the other site.

Please remember to return your boxes each week! The wax boxes are fairly expensive so we only order what we need each year. As you can imagine it can cause a lot of problems if we don’t get them back each week! Your name will be listed on your box along with a color coding system that lets us know which add-ons you are supposed to get so make sure you don’t peel off the colored stickers :).

If for some reason you are not able to pick up your box please let us know ahead of time and we can make other arrangements. Any boxes left over at the pick-up sites will be taken and eaten by employees of the pick-up sites! Also, if there are any issues or you have any questions please contact us directly. The businesses that allow us to use their space for pick-up have no other involvement with our farm and will not be able to help you. We love hearing from our members so feel free to reach out! Bryan: 507.450.5877, Katelyn: 507.313.5085. Looking forward to a GREAT season!



Your Farmers,

Bryan, Katelyn, Katie, James and Ayden

Herbal Turtle Farms

2012 CSA!!!

The Herbal Turtle Farm's Crew has been busy getting plants in the ground, mushroom logs inoculated, apple trees tended to and a new round of seedlings started for our second successions.  Not to mention keeping our chickens and highland cattle happy and bringing on 4 new lambs!  Always something going on! 

We are excited to welcome our new La Crosse members to the farm this year.  It's great that Riverside has taken such an interest in health and sustainable agriculture and is allowing us to set up a drop-site there! 

We will be sending out our 2012 kick-off letter in the next week or so.  We usually like to wait until Mid-May to do this so that the information is fresh in your minds and also because we usually get a few last minute sign-ups!  We have our first box scheduled for the 2nd week in June but the way that the weather has been this spring we may end up ahead of schedule.  We'll let you know for sure in the kick-off letter. 

We do have a few spots left so if you have been putting it off... give us a call!  Looking forward to a great season...

Your Farmers,

Bryan Crigler

Kate Foerster

Ayden Crigler
James Balonis

Ready for the season!

We've been pretty busy over the last few months getting ready for the 2012 growing season! A lot goes on behind the scenes that many people don't realize so we thought we would take some time to share a little of the process with you in order to give you a better understanding of our farm...

The first thing we need to do each year is decide how many members we can realistically take on given the resources available to us. This year we decided that 40 shares was the maximum we could do without compromising the quality of our boxes.

Next, we need to decide what we are going to fill those boxes with! This is probably the most important and most complicated part of the planning process. In order to keep your boxes full of quality produce each week we need to plan crops that will be ready in early spring - late fall. Some things will grow very quickly and can handle a hard frost, some (like tomatoes, egg plant, and peppers) are very delicate and take a long time to mature, different crops also need different soil temperatures to germinate, some can be direct seeded while others do better as transplants. This is also the point where your feedback from last yrs surveys are taken into account ;).

We actually plan out each week based on the time it takes for each crop to mature so that we have a pretty good picture of what will be in your boxes every week for the season. Of course weather and other variables have to be taken into account but we get a pretty good idea.

Once we know what's going in the boxes we start planning how much of each crop we will need, how much space is required for those amounts, and when the plantings will need to occur so that the crop is ready to harvest when the plan calls for it. At this point we order seed and finish up our planting schedule.

Finally, we start working on our "greenhouse plan". We don't have a large greenhouse yet, but we call it a greenhouse plan because it relates to when we actually start our seed indoors for the transplants. We also rearrange the house to accommodate for all of the seed trays and lighting units we have to fit in!!! This yr we also have a very small greenhouse that we will use in the early spring to harden off our transplants.

Before you know it... its time to start seed! That's what we're doing now. We are also gearing up to start inoculating shiitake logs in early April. Let us know if you're interested in helping out, we'll let you know when we have a date lined up!

We are really excited about this season and looking forward to being your farmers again! Please be sure to let us know if you are planning to participate in our CSA again this year as we will only be growing for 40 shares.

Your farmers,

Bryan Crigler & Katelyn Foerster