Tangerini's Farm-CSA News

Dear CSA Members,

I'm sure everyone is tried of hearing about the weather. Now that you're CSA members, it has a larger affect on you than missing out on a weekend at the beach. Torrential down pours, lack of sunshine and raging rivers have washed away newly planted seeds and halted the growth of many crops including corn, tomatoes and melons. Many farmers believe that the CSA model makes farming less anxiety producing; I'm not so sure. We take very seriously our commitment to our shareholder.

We take advantage of every minute of good weather to care for the crops we've already planted and to get new ones in the ground. We are constantly evaluating and reevaluating what we are doing and how we are doing it. We have had days when we could have washed your lettuce right in the field and have even lost our boots while picking swiss chard. We keep on going because we take a lot of pride in what we do and we want to provide you with the best possible CSA experience.

Today we will go back into the greenhouse where we grew the spring shares and plant it into a lettuce mix. We seeded down broccoli, purple top turnips, beets, japanese turnips, fresh breakfast radishes and more carrots. This week we also seeded down more cucumbers, summer squash and zucchini in the greenhouse as well, just in case Mother Nature continues to give us a hard time. We will be ready for her! We continue to transplant three varieties of lettuce, cauliflower and storage cabbages.

I just want to give a pick THANKS TO THE 2008 CSA MEMBERS for allowing us to acquire a new vacuum seeder last season. It makes our seeding efficient and accurate. But better yet, even though our newly seeded carrot field was flooded twice this week (see photo) the seed stayed in place because of the seeders ability to place the seed and pack it in place. What a blessing!!! Thanks again!!!

We are expecting lots of sun this week. I'm off to get ready for tomorrows farmers' market and to check the tomato field for late blight.

See you at the farm,
Laura

Sincerely,

HeatherLaura Tangerini
Tangerini's Spring Street Farm
(508) 376-5024

Meet & Greet

Have you met Charlie Tangerini, Jr.?

Charlie is 19 years old and has been working on the farm for as long as he can remember. His first job was helpin

g to pack corn into mesh bags back in the farm's wholesaling days. He probably couldn't count to 62 back then but he was good at holding the bag, a very important job if you have ever packed 1000's of packs of corn during the summer.

Now he has a lot more fun around the farm. He spends most of his week teaching summer camp here at the farm. He get a big kick out of the kids and they seem to enjoy his laid back approach to learning and playing. This summer, he has also taken on some of the tractor work freeing up is dad to do other things.

Charlie attended St. Sebastian's School in Needham and graduated in 2008. He will be entering his sophomore year at Georgetown University this fall. His plans right now are to pursue a double major in Philosophy and English. He enjoys golf, skiing, lacrosse (Academic All-American) and Video games. His favorite movie is The patriot and his favorite book is Sound and the Fury.

Nice to meet you Charlie!

Gooseberries and Currants

Starting this week, gooseberries, currants, raspberries and black raspberries are available for order at the farm (see local produce section for pricing). In particular, gooseberries and currants are worth investigating if you've never tried them. They are a good source of Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese and are best in desserts and crisps.

Ribisel Cake- Austrian
9 oz. confectionier's Sugar
3 egg yolks + 3 TBS. water
2 oz. butter
9 oz. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1T vanilla extract
1/3 c. milk

Beat together first three ingredients. Mix in rest. Spread into a 9 X 14" buttered baking pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

For the topping:
Beat together 3 egg whites with 8 oz. of sugar. Add 1 Tbs. vanilla and fold in 28 oz. of red currants or gooseberries. Spread on slightly cooled cake and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes.

Currant Pie
(this can be used with gooseberries too)
Pastry for a 2 crust pie
4 c currants
2 c sugar
2 T flour or cornstarch
1 tsp nutmeg

Cut off the stems and blossom ends of the currants. Roll out a pie crust and arrange it in a pie pan. Place berries in pie pan on top of crust. Mix 2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. Sprinkle over currants. Put on top crust or lattice crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Put a cookie sheet under the pie pan, since the juices usually run over if a top crust is used. For less intense flavor, or if you only have 2 cups of currants, fill out with 2 cups sliced apples. Apples extend gooseberries and currants very well.

Meat from Misty Knoll Farms

As part of our effort to offer you local products, we are carrying meat from Misty Knoll Farms this year. Their chickens and turkeys are free roaming and have easy access to feed, water and fresh air. They view these things as essential to raising healthy and better tasting birds.

One of the recipes offered on their website is a quick grilled chicken on salad. If you prep and marinate the chicken the night before, you can have this for dinner in only 20 minutes. Why not pick up some chicken breasts this week and try this out for a quick and flavorful dinner?

Grilled Chicken on Arugula, Baby Beets, and Goat Cheese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Serves: 4

4 six-ounce Misty Knoll Farms boneless chicken breasts
1 T lemon zest (Reserve the lemon for the dressing)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 T extra virgin olive oil

Combine the lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic, and oil in a small bowl to make the marinade. Remove the skin from the chicken and coat the breasts on both sides with marinade. Place in a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill. Remove plastic wrap and cook the chicken about 10 minutes on each side, or until done. Slice and set aside.

To prepare the salad:
1 shallot, finely minced
½ lemon, juiced (1/8 cup)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 cups arugula (or spinach), washed and dried
8 small beets, roasted, peeled, and cubed
6 ounces goat cheese

Make dressing in a large salad bowl with shallot, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss in the arugula and beets and stir to coat. Divide among four salad plates, and sprinkle evenly with the goat cheese (about 2 tablespoons per serving). Top with the sliced grilled chicken, and serve.