What's Growin' On at the Farm
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What’s in your box? Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes!
1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contactme at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks, My daughter and I were talking this last weekend about a old Disney book she likes to read. In it, Donald Duck has three nephews who go into the world and each bring back a magic item that allows them one thing. One nephew brings home a magic stick that can beat off anyone trying to harm you. One nephew brings home a donkey that gives any amount of gold coins you could ask for. And the third nephew brings home an old table that will always be full of delicious food.
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| This and That We are heading into the boxes having a little more fall in them! I am completely overjoyed with having some fresh spinach again. This has been an overall great year for vegetables but I have been missing spinach and lettuce. So this week we get a taste of some lovely spinach. The heat and dryness of the summer did not treat our greens well. The first thing my family thinks of when there is fresh spinach is the Gado Gado recipe I gave out earlier this year. We made it on Saturday night. Yum! If you have any beets left over from a couple of weeks ago and can use the ones in the box I highly recommend this borscht recipe. It is the best! One new vegetable this week is the small acorn squash. This winter squash, with its nutty-yet-sweet flavor, will keep in cool, dark, dry, and well-ventilated storage space for several months. It is a early-ripening squash, however, so it will not last all winter long. I have to put in a special plug for the roasted winter vegetable recipe this week. I love this recipe, it is so versatile and PERFECT for those CSA vegetables you just don't know what to do with. Simply turn on the oven, chop up 6 to 8 cups of whatever winter vegetables you have on-hand (like winter squash, carrots, beets, red and yellow onions and potatoes), toss with olive oil and salt, and roast in the oven until tender. It's so easy and always satisfying; serve it up with a side of rice or over a fresh spinach salad.
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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You might be wondering, "What in the world is that white carrot-like vegetable in my box?" Well, I am pleased to introduce you to the versatile
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What’s in your box? Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes! Secret Chocolate CakePeperonata Golden Corncakes Things to remember 1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contactme at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks,
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| This N That This week we are a little short on any greens. The dryness and heat as of late is really not the best for lettuce and greens. We have once again lost a crop of lettuce (this time Romaine) to bolting and going to seed. We ussually grow beautiful lettuce starting this time of year but we have lost 3 successions in the last few weeks. We have a few more possibilities of lettuce coming but we will have to wait and see. This is certainly a reason to relook at our variety selections and growing techniques for lettuce. On the flipside we are still getting beautiful red peppers and heirloom tomatoes! If you are looking for a unique way to save these red peppers try the Peperonatarecipe. Peperonata is as simple and delicious as it comes: ribbons of pepper preserved in oil and vinegar, to eat then and there or bottle and store for later. The vinegar preserves the peppers and the sugar softens the flavor. This takes a lot of peppers for just one jar, so this recipe is one for when they’re cheap in a market or you have more than you can eat from the garden. Peperonata is lovely eaten with hot or cold meat and excellent with cheese. I hope you all enjoy the return of green onions to the box this week. These delicate little bugers are delicious.For those of you who love beets I am assuming that you have no need for a recipe on how to use these perfect summer gems. However, if you or someone in your family suffers from beet weariness please try this delicious secret chocolate cake recipe that uses beets. Hint: do not tell folks it is made from beets until after they try it. That way they will be sure to love it! Happy eating! Aaron |
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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What’s in your box? Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes! Papaya Salad made with CucumbersMel's Jalepeno Cornbread Green Bean Salad Things to remember 1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contactme at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks,
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This N That  This week we are mixing it up a little bit with a recipe direct from the kitchen table of one of the farmers in our program. Vince Xiong, owner of Intrinsik Farm, wanted to share a favorite recipe of his family. We have been waiting for all of the ingredients to become ripe. The recipe is a papaya salad that the Hmong of Minnesota have adapted to use their bigger (maybe a little over ripe) cucmbers. So the little red hot peppers in the bag are thai peppers (THEY ARE HOT!), the cucumbers are bigger than most of us are used to, and the other ingredients may not be something you have in your house. However, I encourage you to try out this recipe. It is absolutely delicious and my wife and I used it as a learning experience for our 5 year old daughter. Also the beautiful Hmong long beans that we have in the box can be used just like regular green beans only they should be cooked a bit longer to get the same desired tenderness. Vince said in his house they keep the long beans next to the salad, so that when their mouths get too hot from the peppers the beans have a cooling effect. The beautiful colored peppers are going to keep coming, so if they are starting to build up in your fridge, then it might be time to start freezing them for the winter months and they are one of the easiest vegetables to freeze. Prepare the pepper as you would to use fresh, chopping to a size you like, put them in a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer. Flattening the peppers out in the bag makes it easier to break off and use smaller amounts when you are ready to use them. Sauté as you would fresh peppers. As always, if you come up with something good please share it with us! You can send me your recips at brfcsa@mnfoodassociation.org Happy eating! Aaron |
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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What’s in your box? Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes! Papaya Salad made with CucumbersMel's Jalepeno Cornbread Green Bean Salad Things to remember 1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contactme at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks,
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| This N That This week we are mixing it up a little bit with a recipe direct from the kitchen table of one of the farmers in our program. Vince Xiong, owner of Intrinsik Farm, wanted to share a favorite recipe of his family. We have been waiting for all of the ingredients to become ripe. The recipe is a papaya salad that the Hmong of Minnesota have adapted to use their bigger (maybe a little over ripe) cucmbers. So the little red hot peppers in the bag are thai peppers (THEY ARE HOT!), the cucumbers are bigger than most of us are used to, and the other ingredients may not be something you have in your house. However, I encourage you to try out this recipe. It is absolutely delicious and my wife and I used it as a learning experience for our 5 year old daughter. Also the beautiful Hmong long beans that we have in the box can be used just like regular green beans only they should be cooked a bit longer to get the same desired tenderness. Vince said in his house they keep the long beans next to the salad, so that when their mouths get too hot from the peppers the beans have a cooling effect. The beautiful colored peppers are going to keep coming, so if they are starting to build up in your fridge, then it might be time to start freezing them for the winter months and they are one of the easiest vegetables to freeze. Prepare the pepper as you would to use fresh, chopping to a size you like, put them in a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer. Flattening the peppers out in the bag makes it easier to break off and use smaller amounts when you are ready to use them. Sauté as you would fresh peppers. As always, if you come up with something good please share it with us! You can send me your recips at brfcsa@mnfoodassociation.org Happy eating! Aaron |
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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What’s in your box? Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes! Shredded Beets SaladSweet corn, tomatoes, and cucmber salad Herbed Zuchini Pancakes Gazpacho Things to remember 1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contact me at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks, At lunchtime I bought a huge orange- And that orange, it made me so happy, by Wendy Cope
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| This N That The box this week is our chiropractic special! Be careful picking it up. I think we can safely call this August Bounty. There should be a little of something for everyone in this box. I was so excited to get enough watermelon again for you all. A quick note on the red onion. We did our storage onion harvest last week and it is a beautiful harvest of both reds and yellows. However, in cutting open some of the red onions we noticed a little rot at the top of some of them. Without cutting them open we cannot know what they look like inside. So...if you come across some rot we are sorry, every onion we saw with rot still had a huge amount of good onion still in them. Check out all of the great recipes that we have this week! Katie, our training coordinator, hooked us up this week. She told me that she often uses the sweet corn salad as a salsa and that it goes great on top of the zuchini pancakes. As always, if you come up with something good please share it with us! You can send me your recips at brfcsa@mnfoodassociation.org Happy eating! Aaron |
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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What’s in your box? cherry tomatoes Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes! Sungold Tomato FocacciaChard stems with Saffron and Tomatoes Fresh Sour Pickles Zuchini Bread Things to remember 1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contact me at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks,
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| This N That The box this week is Heavy! I felt bad making Carly deliver all those boxes by herself today. The first round of watermelons are in and I believe most if not all should be delicious. When picking watermelons the key is to taste about 20 melons to make sure they are ripe. This is really fun and every melon we tasted was delicious. If you do not seem to get a nice melon let me know and we will try again for you. I am not a master melon picker. Zuchinis and summer squash. If you are having trouble getting inspired by these guys try making some bread. This recipe is from Katie, our training coordinator. We have been asking her to bring us donuts every week and she just keeps letting us down. However, today she brought us her beautiful bread and it was delicious. As always, if you come up with something good please share it with us! You can send me your recips at brfcsa@mnfoodassociation.org Happy eating! Aaron |
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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What’s in your box? cherry tomatoes Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes! Zuc-canoesGreen bean with carmelized onion Quinoa cucumber salad Things to remember 1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contact me at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks,
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| This N That I really enjoyed packing today's box this morning. It made me happy to see the tomatoes mixed with broccoli mixed with the sweet smell of basil. It is a fine box and I hope it treats you well. One sad part of today's box is that we are already in a corn lull. Our firsy succession came on fsat and hard last week. However, next week we are sure to be back in the corn business. Kale, kale, Kale. The kale got harvested a bit late in the day yesterday and is a little wilty. If you soak it in a sink full of water for about 20 minutes it should bounce back. I am actually very excited to have Kale again. I love it! I do understand that some folks out there find it a challenging vegetable. I would suggest doing krispy kale. This variety is best suited for this. Just chop up the kale it bite-size pieces, drizzle it with olive oil and salt, and bake it at 375 degrees. watch it carefully because it does not need much time in the oven. When it is crispy on the edges, but not burned, it should be ready. It tastes like popcorn and you will be surprised how many kids love this! As always, if you come up with something good please share it with us! You can send me your recips at brfcsa@mnfoodassociation.org Happy eating! Aaron |
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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Thank you Bud
Bud served as a soil fertility trainer in MFA’s Big River Farms Immigrant Farmer Training Program since 2005. Farmer’s in our program loved him, because he obviously knew his stuff, he knew how to communicate with farmers, and his passionate commitment was obvious. He was out here 2 hours before a training class, setting up the learning point spots, preparing the site. Bud served on MFA’s Board of Directors from 2008 through December 2011. He was a steadfast supporter of the whole organization and exceptional at interjecting the views of farmers and staff in our board discussions. So many times, I remember Bud saying something like, Hey, wait a minute, I am not sure I agree, what does this mean for the farmers (or staff). Or he would say, Wait a minute, this is not making sense, we need to put this in a new context. And every time, his comments were productive, constructive and right on. He was excellent in connecting us with new partners. Bud led MFA’s new Membership Program Task Force and was MFA’s first ‘sustaining member’ in recent history. Personally, I trusted Bud with my innermost thoughts and ideas, knowing I would get respected and confidential feedback. And most of all, In 2008, Bud gave me this tiny cactus that was started at the Student Organic Farm. He had it in his car when he came out to visit us and asked me if I wanted it. It was about 2” tall in a 3” pot. Today the cactus is about 12” tall and 12” wide and every 3 months or so it produces these beautiful white/pink blossoms. I nurture and care for it everyday, and everyday I look at it, I think of Bud. Thank you Bud, for everything you did for us, for me, and for our community.
Glen
Glen Hill
Executive Director
Minnesota Food Association
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What’s in your box? cherry tomatoes Get creative with your CSA box…try out our recipes! Beet and Carrot BurgerCreamy Broccoli Salad Five Quick Salsas Cucumber Dill Salad Things to remember 1. When you arrive to pick up your box, remember to check your name off of the appropriate roster. There will be one each for Summer's Best & Fruitshare members. If you are picking up both, you will need to check your name off of both lists. 2. Please bring a bag or other container to transfer your veggies into & follow the instructions for breaking down your box found in the CSA bin. The waxed cardboard boxes will need to stay at your site so that we may pick them up the following week for reuse. 3. In the spirit of community, please do not open or go through other boxes. Boxes are packed identically each week and there is no need to look for a better one. If you are concerned with the contents of your box, or something is missing, please let me know as soon as you can & I'll do my darndest to remedy the situation. 4. Planning a vacation this summer? You've got some options. Invite a friend or neighbor to pick up in your stead while you're away. OR, you can contact me at least 24 hours in advance to donate your box to Minneapolis Market (a foodshelf with dignity). All donations are tax deductible. We are unable to prorate or credit you for canceled or forgotten boxes.
Upcoming Events August 19th—Dinner on the Farm September 23rd—Slow Food MN presents a Slow Food meal at Big River Farms! |
Notes from the Field Hey Folks, |
| This N That Finally we are getting some great broccoli out of the field! We should be getting some good broccoli for a little while now. I personally just like eating steamed broccoli with butter and salt but check out this great Creamy Broccoli Salad. The stars have alligned well this week and we have all the requisite parts to make some great salsas. The cherry tomatoes are great in place of red tomatoes and the cucmber salsa is fantastic! Not sure what to do with beets? My wife made up these wonderful beet and carrot burgers and I grilled them up with some marinated zuchinis. It was delicious and even our five-year old loved them. The first cucumbers of the season! You’ll find two different varieties in your box – one is your standard market variety and the other long, unusual looking one is called Suyo Long. It’s a traditional variety from China that has great flavor and makes very nice looking slices because of the ribs. This Cucumber Dill Salad recipe is a simple way to enjoy your cucumbers or there’s always the simplest way to enjoy the first cucumbers of the season: slice the cucumbers, chop the dill, sprinkle the cucumbers with salt, dill and a little lemon…a taste of summer. As always, if you come up with something good please share it with us! You can send me your recips at brfcsa@mnfoodassociation.orgHappy eating! Aaron |
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©2012 Minnesota Food Association, 14220 B Ostlund Trail North, Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 651-433-3676 ph. 651 433-5050 fax
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Have you all heard of Terra Madre? Terra Madre is a network of food communities, each committed to producing quality food in a responsible, sustainable way. Terra Madre also refers to a major bi-annual conference held in Torino, Italy intended to foster discussion and introduce innovative concepts in the field of food, gastronomy, globalization, economics. Terra Madre is coordinated by the Slow Food organization. Each year, Slow Food Minnesota has been sponsoring folks to go to the conference event in Italy at the end of October, and this year Vince Xiong, a farmer in our program, has been awarded one of five scholarships. Vince is going to Italy to eat great food from all over the world! (and learn and network of course).
Interestingly enough, both the Slow Food movement and Terra Madre have been criticized for being an elitist movement, specifically on their stance on banning GMO foods.
I assume the criticizers are large multi-national corporations that want to nip the bud before it grows. The argument is that by banning GMO foods in the developed world (i.e., Russia, Poland, 18 of 19 Italian regions ban GMO food), corporations will instead export their foods to developing regions such as Africa and South Asia. READ MORE
You can visit Slow Food Minnesota here and sign up for our 3rd Annual Big River Slow Food Dinner at Big River Farms on Sunday Sept 23 from 2 pm till evening.
