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Week Six! - We are providing the e-news for ALL shareholders, however only Full Share and Week B Half Shares pick up this week!
Unfortunately, we have been noticing (or hearing about from our pick-up sites) that an abnormal number of boxes are getting ripped, are not being unfolded & flattened after emptying the contents, or are being taken from the pick-up sites. Please help us keep our pick-up sites happy & our costs down by being careful when unfolding the boxes, keeping the pick-up spots neat & tidy, and not taking the boxes home with you. When we have to buy new boxes, our prices go up and wax boxes are surprisingly expensive! Please take a look at the images below that show correct & incorrect ways to handle the boxes and be sure to share it with anyone else who might be picking up your box for you!
Sorry to be a nag on this. I wish I didn't have to! Thank you to all of you who take the time to read this and who regularly read the newsletters each week!
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Farm News from Farmer Evan
Registration for our annual farm to table event,The Taste of Wellspring, is open! The discounted price is only available until July 15th, so don't delay. Details are at the end of this email under our events section.
Hello and welcome to week 6 of the CSA.
After what felt like months of rain we have had a few (mostly) dry weeks, and we have been able to get into the fields to do some much needed weeding, planting and tilling. I could probably spend the whole newsletter talking about how things have been negatively affected by the rain, but I want to talk about something much more uplifting and exciting, Beets!!
I love beets. They are sweet, earthy, and delicious. They can be grown for the majority of our growing season and can also be stored with great affect. Before I get people too excited I should mention that beetroots are not a share item this week. The lesser known, and very underrated, half of this marvelous plant is however, the glorious beet green. The beet plant is so generous it gives not only a tasty root vegetable, it also gives an equally tasty leafy green.
To explain why there are beet greens instead of beets we will have to delve into the amazing world of beet seeds. A single beet seed, which resembles the head of a mace or spiky polygon, can contain anywhere from 1-8 embryos. Each one of these embryos will grow into a beet plant. This means that even if the beet seeds were planted at the ideal 1 seed/inch (which rarely happens) there could be 8 plants/inch instead of the 1 plant/inch desired. Because there is a finite set of nutrients in a bed in order for the beets to reach marketable size they need to be thinned to 1 or 2 plants/inch. To get the most out of our effort we waited to thin until the greens were big enough to use for the CSA and market.
Now that all of the boring technical details are out of the way we can delve into what to do with these delicious greens. Beets are in the same plant family as swiss chard (as well as spinach, quinoa, and amaranth) and as such, the greens share a similar flavor profile. I personally like beet greens much more than chard. The beet greens have a distinctly beet flavor that I prefer to the slight bitterness of the chard. To prepare I suggest cutting off the roots (some of the roots are big enough to use, I suggest roasting them lightly), steaming them stem and all and then toss with some butter and a little salt. They are equally good saut�ed with a little garlic and butter or added to soups or green smoothies or whatever else you feel like doing.
I hope you enjoy your box this week as much as I have enjoyed producing it (with a lot of help of course).
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What's In the Box and Where Does It Go?
CROP FRIDGE? NOTES/VARIETY
Scallions Yes aka green onions
Lettuce Head Yes Red/Green Butterhead, Romaine, or Salanova
Kale Yes Red Russian or White Russian
Peas Yes snow and/or sugar snap, bagged
Garlic Scapes Yes German White or Asian Tempest
Cilantro Yes Santo
Broccoli Yes Arcadia, Bay Meadows, Amadeus
Beet greens Yes Red Ace, w/ some baby beets attached
Cabbage Yes Farao
Cucumber Yes Marketmore, from the hoop house!
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Storage Tips
Though we wash all of the vegetables after harvest, it is impossible to get every last bit of dirt off of them all. Therefore we recommend giving all the greens another wash before storing in a bag/container with a piece of paper towel, in your crisper drawer. Later on in the week if your greens start to get limp, remember that this does not mean that they are rotting, it simply means that they have lost some water weight. A quick soak in ice cold water will rejuvenate them.
The broccoli should be eaten as soon as possible because the fresher it is, the better it tastes! Even though it will last in the fridge, I suggest not waiting. For the cilantro, remove the rubber band and place in a glass of water in the fridge w/ a loose bag over the top.
Save those scraps! Keep the stems, trimmings, peels, etc from your veggie prep each week in a gallon bag in the freezer. When you accumulate enough, you can make a delicious, homemade vegetable stock...from seemingly nothing at all! Check out this blog post for the details on how to do it.
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Recipes from Farmer Heather
More greens! What to do with them all? If you really are sick of kale, try freezing it for the winter when your body will be craving those chlorophyll-rich greens. I prefer to blanch the greens first, then put them in a bag, and stash them in your freezer. Now would be a good time to befriend someone with a chest freezer if you don't have one yourself :)
Or maybe you want to try putting kale in your muffins? Sure! Not much different from zucchini in your bread, right?
Apple Kale Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tspn baking soda
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cinnamon
1/2 tspn nutmeg
1/3 cup raw honey
1 egg
1/3 cup coconut oil (or canola oil)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups finely processed apples (pulse in a food processor)
1 cup finely chopped kale
1/2 cup nuts or dried fruit. walnuts would be delicious!
Preheat oven to 400. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and powder, salt and spices. In another bowl, mix honey, vanilla, egg, yogurt, oil, apples, kale, nuts. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir. Fill 12 greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a fork inserted in the muffin comes out clean.
Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potato Recipe
from 101 Cookbooks
If you don't like floppy leafiness in your potatoes, chop the kale quite finely. If you stir the kale in too much it can lend a slight green cast to your potatoes, so just barely stir it in right before serving. Also, on the potato front - feel free to use unpeeled potatoes if you like something a bit more rustic (and nutritious).
If you want to have some fun, try subbing in some beet greens and stems here. You just might end up with delicious pink mashed potatoes!
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (or 3-4 garlic scapes)
1 bunch kale, large stems stripped and discarded, leaves chopped
1/2+ cup warm milk or cream
freshly ground black pepper
5 scallions, white and tender green parts, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish (opt)
fried shallots, for garnish (optional)
Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chopped kale, a big pinch of salt, and saute just until tender - about a minute. Set aside.
Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork. Slowly stir in the milk a few big splashes at a time. You are after a thick, creamy texture, so if your potatoes are on the dry side keep adding milk until the texture is right. Season with salt and pepper.
Dump the kale on top of the potatoes and give a quick stir. Transfer to a serving bowl, make a well in the center of the potatoes and pour the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the scallions, Parmesan cheese, and shallots. Serves 6.
Roasted Bagna Cauda Broccoli
from Food52
Personal note: I made this bagna cauda sauce one time to serve over octopus. Now there is a jar of it permanently stashed in the fridge to have on hand at all times. It makes everything taste a bit more magical...fish, grilled/roasted veggies, pasta, eggs, toast. It could keep for months (if it ever lasted that long) but will solidify in the fridge. Do not fear; dig a spoon in there and it will melt effortlessly onto anything you just pulled off the stove/grill. My self control goes out the window when I spot that jar in the fridge, so you might want to (try to) hide it from yourself.
Serves 4
1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (or scapes!)
2 anchovy fillets
a splash of white wine
a big squeeze of lemon
Parmesan cheese, for dusting
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 425. Arrange broccoli florets on a foil or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes and remove.
- In a small skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and anchovy and saute for about three minutes. Add wine and lemon and allow to reduce for a minute or two. Season with black pepper if desired.
- Meantime, in another small skillet over medium heat, toast almonds until they are lightly browned, taking care not to burn them.
- Drizzle sauce and sprinkle almonds and parmesan cheese over broccoli, then serve. Or, dip the broccoli in the sauce at the table. Enjoy!
Maybe you don't need the reminder, but just in case, here are 10 recipes that remind us why cabbage is awesome.
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Upcoming Classes, Workshops and Events at Wellspring! Get your kids growing this summer!  Wellspring Farm Camps!
For more information and to register for classes, please visit
www.wellspringinc.org or call (847) 946-5565
Registration is now open for:
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The Taste of Wellspring - Farm to Table Dinner  Sunday, July 27th - 5 to 9 pm
8200 W County Line Rd, Mequon, WI 53097
The Taste of Wellspring is our annual fundraiser dinner held to generate support for Wellspring's education classes and community outreach programs. For the event, chefs from the local, regional area get creative and serve up gourmet dishes featuring Wellspring's produce, accompanied by local, sustainably sourced meats and dairy products. Live music and a silent auction are also part of the event to make for an evening full of local food and fun!
Visit our Website to view the participating chefs and menu!
Cost: $75 per guest till July 15th, $90 after. Sponsorship opportunities starting at $250 includes 2 guests for the event.
To register, visit www.wellspringinc.org call (262) 675-6755
Seasonal Produce Cooking Class - Culinary Herbs- Chef Karen Gill
 Thursday, July 10th - 6 to 8 pm
Wellspring offers a series of monthly cooking classes, inspiring students based on produce during peak season! In each class, a chef leads demos and tastings, and provides healthy cooking tips. Wine served to accompany each tasting and recipe handouts are available to take home.
Highlighted seasonal produce for July is Culinary Herbs!
Cost: $30 till 7/7, $35 after
- Multi-Herb & Greens Pesto
- Jicama Dill Salad
- Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Sunflower & Hemp Seed Pat�
- Fresh Sprouts and Mango Spring Rolls with Cilantro Peanut Sauce
Organic Baby Food Making With Master Preserver Christina Ward
Thursday, August 7th - 6 to 9 pm
Many baby foods can be overly processed and contain synthetic ingredients. Join Master Preserver, Christina Ward, in this hands on class to learn how easy it can be to make your own baby food with fresh, organic produce! Preparation, storage and recipes tips will be covered. Students will work together to make their own baby food to bring home. All supplies will be provided.
Cost: $50 until 8/4, $55 after.
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