|
 What's in the box this week?
CSA Office Hours
9am-4pm, Monday-Friday
Contact Karen or Jeff at
1-888-779-4511 opt 4
or
Email csa@froghollow.com
Can't pick up your box?
Call us the Friday before
your next delivery to
place a hold on your delivery.
|
|
|
Greetings!
We are happy to announce
two new sites opening up! On the 12th we'll begin delivery to
Belmont, and on the 18th a new site will be
available to residents
of the Presidio. The Presidio site has limited
capacity, but don't be
shy about signing up or encouraging any friends or loved ones you have
in the area. A healthy number of members at any given location is part
of what makes a CSA sustainable!
I find sustainability
is one of those words which gets tossed around
more and more to the
point where it's just another buzz-word that you can't put much stock
in. What makes the label even more difficult, at least from my
perspective, is there's a huge balance of factors to take into
consideration.
Take 'local food' for
example.
Choices Magazine is a
publication of the AAEA (Agricultural and
Applied Economics
Association) and they've got a great set of articles researching the topic of local food. CSAs naturally factor into this, and as a Frog Hollow
Farm CSA member, you already know that you support our farm
directly. It's a good reminder though that
subscribers during the
winter months when we're awaiting the return of our own stone fruits
are an essential part of keeping us fiscally
sustainable!
Farm-direct sales
across the US--of which CSAs, farmers markets, farm stands, and U-Pick are
all a part-make up less than 1% of all net sales in the farming
industry. To make the statistic even more
eye-opening is that
most of those direct sales are from farms dealing with livestock.
Farm-direct doesn't necessarily mean local either, and therein lies another
question of sustainability. Does a farm like us choose to ship across
the country in order to continue supporting our desire to furnish
customers with quality, organic products? We do, and we're proud that our
fruit is able to delight fans everywhere, but the question of what sort
of an impact that choice makes isn't dismissed.
I feel good knowing
that, and I hope you do as well, as there's
nothing quite like the
connection CSA members have. That fraction of a 1% statistic may seem
like a miniscule margin of support, but on a farm our size, with the
care that everyone and Farmer Al puts in to each step of the
farming process, the impact of a CSA subscription is a powerful one.
Thanks for being an
integral part of our operation!
Food Safety
Modernization Act:
I know at least one CSA
member has been following recent news articles relating to the
upcoming Senate bill on Food Safety (S.510). Farmer Al had me look in to the
bill to see how it's changed since November, and while many of the worst
provisions like extermination of wildlife have already been stripped
or amended, it's far from perfect and doesn't address some of the
core problems that have led to outbreaks of food-borne illness.
Small farms should not get a free pass when it comes to food safety
(of course!) but legislation needs to address that a small, organic
farm may require a different approach to regulations than those
aimed at industrial-scale farms. The vote has been pushed aside in
the wake of the Finance bill, but if you're concerned or
interested, I'd suggest reading up on the topic and see what conclusions you
come to.
Cheers,
Kimi Owens
|
Event:
The canning class with
Al and Becky has long since been sold out, but Leena of Leena Eats is
still looking for a few people to learn how to pickle cherries this
coming Monday the 10th. Joshua at Hands on
Gourmet has offered $10
off to any of our CSA members interested in attending the workshop.
Check Out My Cans
Monday, May 10th, 2010,
6pm-9pm
H.O.G. Kitchen, 2325
3rd St. no 330, San Francisco, 94107
email Joshua to
register - joshua@handsongourmet
|
Recipe of the Week
|
|
Chocolate Tangerine Praline Loaf
(adapted from a recipe found on the lovely food blog: Flour
Arrangements - any gluten-free bakers out there might want to check
out this blog!)
-2 1/2c flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2c sugar
-3/4c brown sugar
-1c tangerine juice
-1c chocolate chips
-two tangerines, zested
-1/3c milk
-1/3c vegetable oil
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1c hazelnut praline, finely ground
Preheat oven to 350.
Sift or whisk together dry ingredients, including the tangerine zest.
In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Add wet to dry slowly, and
avoid over mixing! Gently fold in the ground praline and chocolate
chips.
In a loaf pan, bake for 40-45 minutes or until set (toothpick test!).
To glaze, combine 1/3c cocoa, 1/2c powdered sugar, and about 2 Tbsp
tangerine juice.
|
|
|
