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Veggies and Fruit for Grilling Season!

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Veggies and Fruit for Grilling Season!
This Week's Vegetable Harvest:
  • Gold and Red Beets
  • Broccoli or Green Beans
  • Green Curly Kale
  • Sweet Onions
  • Zucchini - off-farm shares will receive this week.
  • Heirloom and Beefsteak Tomatoes
  • Sweet Corn - from Didier Farms in Prairie View, IL
  • Garlic
This Week's Fruit Harvest:
  • Peaches
  • 'Early Golden' Plums
  • Blueberries
  • 'Pristine' Apples
Farm Journal
Good morning from the farm! 
We are beginning to feel the changing day length as we send our sons and some of our employees back to school soon. August is a bittersweet time of year as the changes feel early and yet, they are welcomed at the same time.
We continue to stay extremely busy with tending to and harvesting summer field crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini as they thrive in the late summer heat. At the same time, we prepare for fall and winter (and even some spring) hoophouse plantings. We also weed, water and tend to longer-term field crops like leeks, celery root and parsnips.
Caring for fall broccoli
As I was zipping around the farm on my regular crop review, I noticed us tending to different seasonal crops as I looked across fields. In one field, I found the crew harvesting summer zucchini. In another, Jeff and Tyler were tending to late summer broccoli. I captured a video of Tyler carefully driving the tractor down the bed of broccoli while Jeff steers the "finger" weeders to get as close to the broccoli plants as possible, removing tiny weeds that are barely visible. These early steps will make our harvest much easier when the time comes!
With our crew's help, we strive to look ahead towards the upcoming seasons and stay present to enjoy summer moments together. We hope you can do the same. Happy summer!

Your farmers,
~ Jen, Jeff, Owen, Gavin and the farm crew
Notes from the Farm Kitchen

We're happy to welcome the start of sweet corn season.  The sweet corn in this week's CSA shares comes from a nearby farm, Didier Farm, located in Prairie View, IL. While their sweet corn is not organic, it is local and delicious. 

This week's Golden Plums are perfectly ripe and ready to eat! I'd encourage you to savor them soon, as plums had a challenging winter (like peaches) on Michigan farms. Last week, I made my favorite muffins with a combination of peaches and plums. I always add extra fruit and cut the sugar in half (and eliminate sugar toppings). I also love to grill peaches and add vanilla yogurt for a sweet treat. This week's Pristine Apples are an early, delicate apples that are a great addition to grilled meats or kid's lunches.
Recipes from the Farm Kitchen

Grilled Vegetables - great tips and ideas for for summer vegetable grilling!

Beet Hummus - make a beautiful magenta color or golden yellow color hummus based on which beets you select to use. 

2 large red beets -or- 2 large golden beets 
1 clove garlic
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Tahini paste to taste, 2-3 tsp.
½ lemon
 
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Scrub beets and rub with 2 tsp. of olive oil reserving the remaining oil. Sprinkle with salt and place in a deep roasting dish. Cover with foil and bake until tender, about an hour. Let cool to room temperature and rub skins to remove.
 
Roughly chop the beets and garlic, and place in a food processor with the tahini. Begin blending while drizzling in the remaining olive oil to form a smooth spread. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Sauteed Kale with Garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 large bunch kale, stemmed, with leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable stock, white wine or water
salt, freshly ground black pepper and red-pepper flakes to taste
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add garlic, and cook until soft. Add kale to the pan, turn the heat to medium-high and add the stock. Use a spoon to toss the greens in the oil and stock, then cover and cook for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, until it is soft and wilted, but still quite green. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated, another 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and peppers, add vinegar and toss to combine. 
(source: nytimes.com)
Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... cabbage, plums, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet corn and more!

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