Greetings! Do you like eating them in salsas and salads and with eggs and stewed with other veggies? What about plain or with a pinch of salt? How about with goat cheese or mozzarella and a bit of basil? Olives? Parsley? Oven roasted? Me too. Me too.  How about with the cilantro that has finally reappeared in the box?  I could NOT for the life of me get that cilantro to germinate in the drought and the post drought seeding is finally ready.  With any luck there will be two week's worth in that patch. 

If you haven't guessed it already, we are in peak tomato season. You all should have between twelve and fifteen tomatoes in your box today. For full shares, you might see another week like this next week. For our A week half shares, this is as big as it's going to get for tomatoes this season. Which, if you ask me is a pretty good haul. So get out those favorite tomato recipes and see which ones are the best! Preservation tips below...

Greeting, Shareholders!

This week you are hearing from the person who started Wellspring 30 years ago and started this CSA twenty-five years ago. It feels good to connect with you. I was the farm manager here for 16 years and I still play a minor role with the farm - delivering share boxes, doing some bookkeeping, answering phone calls for the farm and processing leftover produce that needs attention. You can't keep a farm girl out of the farm.

I am delighted each year that we can share the harvest with the greater community through our Taste of Wellspring event. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, September 15th. Enjoy a gourmet meal prepared by local chefs from our own organic produce. Better yet, look over the invitation attached to this letter and let us know how many will be attending the dinner. There is a $15 discount if you register by Sept. 1st. Enjoy an evening of live music, games, a silent auction and, of course, good food. I hope we will see you at The Family Farm near Cedarburg. The doors open at 5:00pm. A buffet dinner is served from 6:30 - 7:30pm

Later in October we will celebrate the greater culture that Agriculture is by a 2-day festival on the Wellspring farm. Mark your calendars for that, too. It is free and open to the public. There will be more details in future CSA letters.

Besides an organic farm, Wellspring is also a Retreat and Conference center, a B&B and an International Hostel. That means, there are various way people can be guests here. Folks can come as individuals or in groups. We can house up to 30 overnight. Guests find this a healing and relaxing place and they love the food we serve here.

Feel free to give yourself a get-away treat or consider having a family reunion or party here. A B&B gift would be a nice holiday present for you or your loved ones. We are hosting a wedding in October - a former farm intern. These 36 acres are meant to be enjoyed and cherished.

If you want to learn more about our 30 year history, I recently wrote The Wellspring Story. The book is chucked full of interesting people, farm and CSA stories, events and lots of photos. You will enjoy it. Stop by or email us for a copy.

Well, it was nice chatting with you. Thank you for your loyal support of Community Supported Agriculture and thanks to Alissa for guiding the farm through a hot, dry and challenging summer. I think the crops look great despite the drought. I sure enjoy eating them.

See you at the Taste, at the Agri-Culture Fest or here at our B&B or Retreat Center.

Mary Ann Ihm

Wellspring founder

The news on the farm is that it is harvest time.  We harvested all day on Tuesday, all day on Wednesday (with many hands to help) and we will harvest all day Friday as well.  Sometimes in late August and early September it is hard to justify doing anything else.  Though we did sneak in a day's worth of weeding on Monday. 

I had an exciting moment today when I took a walk into the winter squash patch and saw a handful of delicata squash that had turned yellow - a sure sign that they are ready to be removed from the vine.  The delicata and their sibling squash sweet dumpling are some of the first winter squash to be ready each year, but this still seems a little early to me!  I think the warm weather really moved the squash crop along.  It seems hard to believe that early next week or maybe even late this week we will have to go in and pull out a few ripened winter squash!  I will go over the winter squash curing process in another week or two. 

Along those lines, I always find it fascinating the ways at which different crops intersect during the growing season.  Here we are having Peak Tomato Week - tomatoes of course being a major Summertime Crop - during the last week in August, (which is fairly normal for us considering our passive solar greenhouse can mean a bit later start on the tomato transplants) and on the exact same week the First Ripe Winter Squash, obviously a fall and winter staple, also make an appearance.  Again I say, I can plan all I want but these crops have a mind of their own. 

One more bit of Wandering Thought from the Brain of Farmer Alissa: Last Sunday I had the wonderful opportunity, thanks to some dear friends, to attend the Fondy Farm Feast - a farm to table dinner to benefit the Fondy Food Center.  If you aren't familiar with this amazing organization, which encompasses both the Fondy Farmers Market and the Fondy Farm Project, I encourage you to check out their work immediately.  One of the more interesting moments for me during the dinner (which was both tasty and beautiful) was when my friend Linda commented that she believed the world was changing, tipping, in favor of local and clean food.  S indicated that she believed this because she was sitting at a table with four young people who make their living as organic veggie farmers, and under a large tent with about 120 other people, a few of whom were also farmers and most of whom were there to support farming and local food.  (And had paid a fair sum for a ticket to do so.)  

During the beginning of the meal, each of the farmers who are farming on land (there are currently seven separate farm businesses) at the Fondy Farm were acknowledged by being asked to stand when their names were called, and the audience politely clapped for all of them.  At the end of the meal, when the fabulous food (about 80% of which was grown on the Fondy Farm by the very farmers who had been acknowledged) had been eaten, the chefs were asked to come out of the "kitchen" tent.  Again there were about seven different businesses participating.  As they made their way to the front of the tent, the place absolutely erupted with applause, cheers and whistles, and people started jumping to their feet to give them a standing ovation.  At which point I turned to Linda and said, "I will believe the world is really changing when the farmers in the room get this kind of applause."  

It's not that I don't think those chefs deserve that sort of recognition.  I work closely with several talented chefs, and am very good friends with several others.  I know what kind of hard work, long hours, unpleasant working conditions and dedication it takes to succeed in their world.  But I also know the kind of hard work, long hours, unpleasant working conditions and dedication that it takes to succeed in mine.  And it can be frustrating when even at an event meant to support this very small world that a few of us, yourselves included, are working to build - the focus and the praise and the acknowledgment of talent and hard work seems to be slightly off base.  I strongly believe that a lot of this comes down to the simple fact that many people find it really magical and astounding to turn a slew of raw ingredients into a delicious and beautiful meal.  But at the same time, people don't seem to find the same magic or amazement in a farmer's ability to turn a seed into tomato, or a young animal into a prized cut of meat.  I admit to being jaded, but I also know from experience that what I say is true.  

On Monday Linda sent me the following article by Mark Bittman, which I thought you all might like to read.  So there it is, just something to chew on.  To go along with all those other things you got today to chew on. 

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/celebrate-the-farmer/ 

Watermelon                           Yep          Watermelon 

Collards                         Yep 

Celery                            Yes                                Tango 

Sweet Onion(s)                Yes 

Garlic                                Yes  Ichellium Red, softneck 

Scallions                           Yes      Truly, the last week 

Tomatoes                         No                            See below....

Cherry Tomatoes            No                            Mostly sungold

Hot Peppers              Yes or No         1 Jalepeno, 1 Cherry Bomb and Serrano OR Maya Habenero 

Pepper                      Yes            Green or Red 

Potatoes                       No         Red Norland and All Blue 

Eggplant                     Yes   Asian (long, skinny) and traditional Italian Globe 

Parsley                       Yes 

Cilantro!                      Maybe   In a jar of water with a bag on top 

Green Beans              Yes 

OK! A few newbie items in the box this week to discuss. 

Celery: This celery is not like the stuff you have come to know from the grocery store.  celery grown on your local organic midwestern farm tends to be a bit different than the celery grown way out there in California.  This is especially true during a drought ridden summer, because celery enjoys a lot of water.  However, your local celery has a whole lot of something your grocery store variety does not - flavor!!! I was someone who thought I didn't like celery until I became a farmer.  Nothing says Back To School like Ants on a Log made with celery from your kid's CSA! 

Potatoes: The potatoes, you may remember, took a very serious beating back in June and July from that scoundrel leaf hopper.  (The same one that took down many heads of lettuce.)  They did not flower (which is something they are definitely supposed to do) and their foliage turned brown and crunchy and very dead much earlier than it was supposed to.  Like a month to six weeks earlier.  Which, to be totally honest, means that our potato yield in 2012 is going to suck.  But we have a small offering to share with you today - just enough for a lunchtime side dish or an afternoon roasted potato snack. 

These two varieties are call Red Norland and All Blue - the all blue are a purple color on the inside as well.  Their skin has a bit of what is called "potato scab" because we chose to leave them in the ground instead of pulling them out and storing them.  We don't really have a better place than the ground to store them, hence the decision.  The scab is fine to eat - just not as pretty to look at! 

I don't grow many potatoes to begin with - they take up a lot of space and our farmer friend Matt Gall of Everygreen Lane Farm grows wonderful and amazing potatoes and sells them to us for a reasonable price.  So for years we have been buying the majority of our spuds from Matt.  This year he is unsure of the totality of his yield due to the drought, but we will definitely have a couple weeks of a good amount of potatoes for you in the fall. 

Sweet Onions: These babies took a hit in the drought as well - onions really like proper water and we just couldn't get it to them this year.  Our yield was just over 1/2 of what we planted.  About 1/2 of you will get one rather large onion, the rest will get 2-3 small ones.  Sweet onions are just that - sweeter than your regular storage onion - think Vidalia.  They can be used just like a regular onion, but my favorite thing is to cut them into thick rings, place them on a cookie sheet, slather with olive oil and salt and roast them in the oven for 10-15 minutes per side and 350 degrees. Yum!  

Garlic: This we have seen before of course, but now it is fully cured.  You can leave this on your counter like garlic from the store. This variety is a soft neck called Ichellium Red. 

OK, so for storage tips this week I'm going to focus on tomatoes and hot peppers.  If the pile of tomatoes in your box is overwhelming, let me recommend a quick freezing method.  The quickest freezing method (and the one I implore) is to just remove the calyx (green thing) and core and put them in a freezer bag and stick in the freezer.  Another thing you can do is blanch them to remove the skins, core them and freeze them.  The tomatoes in your share aren't quite enough to can so I won't go into that here.  Other options are of course to make and freeze tomato soup or sauce. 

If the hot peppers are also overwhelming, I'd suggest drying them for use in a fabulous pot of chili (along with your tomatoes?) this winter.  Imagine your satisfaction this February when you defrost those maters, crunch up a dried cayenne (or whatever pepper you have), add some grass fed beef (or just beans if that's your style) and scarf down about the chili you made with local ingredients in the dead of winter.  Drying hot peppers is about as difficult as putting them on a plate in a sunny spot in your house and turning them once every few days, or as often as you remember.  Then seal them in a plastic bag or glass jar. 

We still have spots remaining for our new Winter Shares, and I will be promoting them periodically throughout the season until they are full.  If you have questions please contact me directly, or you can sign up online at our web site. (If the amount isn't accurate note that we will adjust and get back to you - the web site has been temperamental.) Thanks!

For the 2012 Season we have added a three week, every other week Winter Share Option.  The Winter Share provides a great way to eat locally and organically even later in the season because it includes crops with long-term storage ability in your fridge or a cool place in your home. It will consist of yummy root crops like carrots, potatoes, beets and garlic, several types of winter squash, cold hearty favorites like broccoli, spinach, herbs and much, much more!

Seasonal Produce Cooking Class -September 13th - 6-8 p.m.

Learn how to cook your CSA Box!

 Featured produce for the month of September are root veggies. Local chef and organic cooking coach, KC Thorson, demonstrates four recipes which are sampled by the class. All students also receive wine to drink and recipes to take home.

Menu for the evening:

* Root Vegetable Slaw with Spiced Tangerine Dressing

* Crispy Root Veggie & Onion Strings

* Rich Root Vegetable Risotto

* Sweet & Creamy Veggie Pudding

Cost: $20 before 9/11, $25 after.

To register, please contact wellspringeducation@gmail.com

Sat., Sept. 15, 2012

5 - 9:30 p.m.

The Family Farm

328 Port Washington Rd.

Grafton, WI

The Taste of Wellspring is the 7th annual fundraiser to generate support for educational programs at Wellspring! For the event, chefs from Wellspring's service area get creative and serve up gourmet dishes featuring Wellspring's organic produce - an evening full of local food!

Live music, silent auction and a raffle too! Just $60 per person until September 5th, $75 thereafter.

   1 Guest 

Register by clicking the link above or on our website, call 262-675-6755, or mail your check to:

Wellspring, Inc.

4382 Hickory Rd.

West Bend, WI 53090 

Parsley Gremolata from the Brain of Farmer Alissa 

When I have a lot of parsley I like to make a gremolata, which involves a few simple ingredients and is traditionally used for osso bucco.  But it is fabulous on meats of all types or as a spread for grilled veggies.  (Like the eggplant, zukes and pepper in your box!) It would probably also be awesome on toast. 

1 bunch parsley

1 or 2 cloves garlic (depending on your love of the stuff and the size of your cloves.) 

a lemon for zesting 

salt and pepper to taste

 (A commonly used ratio is 1/4 cup parsley, 2 tsp each garlic and lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.) 

Finely mince the parsley - I mean very finely.  Chop it up, then chop it some more.  Finely mince the garlic cloves also and mix those up in a bowl with the parsley.  Then zest some of that lemon and mix it in as well, add salt and pepper to taste.  

Roasted Tomatoes From the Brain of Farmer Alissa 

This is ridiculously simple, and gets even more simple if you want to use your cherry tomatoes.  You will need:

tomatoes

olive oil (some of the good stuff) 

salt

Preheat oven to 350. Core the tomatoes (if not using cherry tomatoes) and slice into chunks that are twice as big as bite sized.  (They will shrink down in the oven.)  Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast 20-30 minutes, or until your desired done-ness is achieved.

An additional step I like to take is to drizzle them with balsamic vinegar about 10 minutes before I'm going to remove them from the oven. Yums! 

Cherry Tomato Party Appetizer (adults only)

The first farm I worked on was called Chubby Bunny Farm and is located in Falls Village, CT.  One Friday evening while working the market in Sheffield, MA a woman came up to me and bought out nearly all of our cherry tomato pints.  During the transaction she said, "Let me tell you what I'm going to do with these." See below to find out...

Place cherry tomatoes in a large bowl (choose the bowl to fit the amount of cherry tomatoes you have.) 

Pour a bottle (or as much of the bottle as you need to cover the cherry tomatoes) of Absolut Peppar Vodka over the tomatoes. Place in refridgerator for several hours or overnight.  When ready to serve, chiffonade  some basil over the top of the bowl.  Hold on to your hats though, they go down fast!