This Week's Vegetable Share Harvest: Carrots (with tops!) Garlic Scapes Broccolini with Greens Romaine Lettuce Heart Green Oak Leaf Butter Lettuce Scallions Swiss Chard Brown Crimini Mushrooms - from River Valley Ranch, Burlington, WI Red Radishes & Japanese Salad Turnips (bagged) This Week's Fruit Share Harvest: Bounty of Fresh Strawberries! 'Jewel' variety

Farm Journal

Hello to you from your farm!

Last Friday, in preparation for the potential of rain, our longtime farmers took all of the important steps to better our odds. Jeff ignored the forecast and continued his 24 hour irrigation schedule. Tyler left his car windows open. Abbey and Arlet didn't bring raincoats with them as they traveled. And, the ol' farmer tricks finally worked -- IT RAINED!

The drought and heat can wear on plants, animals and people, so the storm's cooler temperature and rainfall put huge smiles are on our faces. While our thirsty crops could take about four times the amount, the half inch was enough to provide them with much needed relief.

Speaking of relief, the rain also provided Jeff an afternoon on the porch to do his favorite thing: the Times crossword puzzle.

That said, the fields and hoophouses are looking amazing right now, which is a testament to the hard work and dedicated attention of our farm crew.

Please continue any creative traditions you have for sending rain our way. In the meantime, our team is thrilled to bring you summer crops this week and there are plenty more to come, as you can see! Happy eating! ~ Jen, Jeff, Tyler, Abbey, Arlet, Ben, Alex P., Peggy, Alex J., Laura, Jack, Lucas, Orion, Silas & Owen

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

Like last week, early summer members will again receive a new crop for us called sprouting broccoli or broccolini. This young broccoli relative is tender, flavorful and is delicious steamed, sautéed, grilled, stir-fried, and eaten fresh. While generally harvested just for stems and florets, we've included the broccolini greens and stem as they are equally as delicious and packed with nutrients -- some consider the greens a superfood! See last week's newsletter for creative cooking ideas.

This week's fruit share includes a bountiful strawberry harvest! The variety is called 'Jewel' and its a favorite of many of growers (and eaters!) in our farming region. With this heat, the strawberry season will be short so we hope you can enjoy while they last or preserve for a later date. Blueberries, cherries and apricot are on their way soon! We are proud to offer fresh fruit grown by Mick Klug Farm. Mick Klug grew up on a 40-acre farm in St. Joseph Michigan his parents established in the 1930s. He took ownership in 1974, and has expanded the land to over 120 acres. His daughter, Abby and husband, Mark, work together to produce delicious fresh fruit for our CSA as well as restaurant and farmers market stands in Chicago. The Klugs are committed to sustainable agriculture and promoting locally grown produce. They use a growing system called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Farmers who use the IPM approach conduct extensive monitoring of insect and disease problems to ensure that a synthetic pesticide or fungicide is only used as a last resort and only in the smallest quantity necessary. This approach minimizes the impact on the natural environment.

Support Local Farmers and Small Businesses...and Have Fun!

Kroll's Farm (Tyler's family farm) and Pizzeria DeVille (Chef John Durning) are both good friends of our farm and they are both offering fun ways to be outside this summer.

Pack up your picnic blanket and head to the Tyler's family farm for dinner and a farm movie night! You can even visit with the Kroll's goats, chickens, donkey and even get a sneak peek into their corn maze planning for the fall. Reserve your tickets on their website or learn more on their Facebook event page here.

Pizzeria DeVille opened up beautiful outdoor seating for a great way to enjoy their popular pizza, salads and beer selections. This area also now serves as our Libertyville CSA pickup location for easier accessibility for our members!

Also, the Pizzeria DeVille's wood-fire pizza truck is now housed at Prairie Espresso in Lake Bluff where Chef Durning cooks up breakfast sandwiches on Sunday mornings starting at 10am. While the pizza truck is busy this summer, pizza nights are on hold but we're cooking up ideas for later this season. Stay tuned and in the meantime, enjoy being outside with these local family businesses!

Seasonal Recipes in the Farm Kitchen Spring Minestrone - Thanks to member, Gail, for recommending this great recipe! Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps  Green Goddess Soup Fish Tacos with Strawberry Salsa - Use thinly sliced scallions in place of chives Vegetable Kimchi Strawberry Summer Sheet Cake

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