Week Fourteen! - We are providing the e-news for ALL shareholders, however only Full Share and Week B Half Shares pick up this week!
Wellspring Winter CSA Shares - Sign up now before they're gone!
Want to have great veggies for your Thanksgiving or to eat when the snow is on the ground? These shares have wonderful greens and easy to store crops (onions, parsnips, carrots, winter squash, etc.) Sign up now as we do only 50 shares compared to our 110 CSA Summer Shares! Details and registration are on our website here:
Flower U-Pick
The flowers on the farm are blooming in abundance! Feel free to bring along a jar/vase of water and scissors to cut a few blooms when you pick up this week! Not an on-farm pickup? Stop by anytime between 9am-5pm on weekdays and we will show you where you can pick. Please remember to limit your picking to one handful per week - we want there to be enough for all to enjoy!
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Farm News from farmer Evan
Hello and welcome to week 14 of the Wellspring CSA. This has been a time of transition for the farm. As you know, both of our interns left last week to go on to the next exciting stage in their lives. Both Christina and Craig were great additions to the farm and their presence will be sorely missed. Luckily we have found a great candidate to replace them beginning next week. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I will let her introduce herself to you all in the next couple of weeks.
In addition to staff changing, the farm and farm work are also going through some transitions. As the days get shorter and the weather starts to get cool, the plantings are becoming more infrequent, and we are spending more time weeding and harvesting. As the fall progresses there will be less weeding and hopefully more harvesting, onions, shallots, winter squash and other storage veggies each have one big harvest that can take most of a day by themselves.
The tomatoes and eggplant are finally starting to produce decent yields but the cold, wet summer we had/are still having has taken its toll. The tomatoes developed the early blight fungus earlier in the season, and it is now infecting some of the fruits making them unsuitable for you, our loyal shareholders. If the weather stays warm and dry like it has been for the last week or so, we can keep the tomatoes coming, but the end is already in sight. In contrast, the peppers and eggplant are looking great, but require hot weather for maximum fruit set and development, so it has just been to cold here to give an outstanding yield yet.
The good news is that plants in the cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, etc.) and many other fall crops do great in cool damp conditions, so our fall plantings are looking extremely healthy. Our late season shares as well as our winter shares should be bountiful then.
The other great news is that this is a great looking share and should taste equally as good. Hope you enjoy eating it as much as I enjoyed growing it.
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What's In the Box and Where Does It Go?
CROP FRIDGE? NOTES/VARIETY
Tomatoes NO many kinds. check out these pictures for varieties. we pick most of our tomatoes ripe and ready to go, so eat them asap!
Basil No Genovese, bagged w/ beans
Carrots Yes separate the greens!
Green Beans Yes not washed, bagged
Cabbage Yes Farao (smooth) or Savoy (crinkled)
Beets Yes Chioggia, separate the greens
Scallions Yes Nabechan
Kale Yes Lacinato
Eggplant Yes, warmest part Asian or Italian Globe
watch out for spikes on the calyx (green cap where fruit attaches to the plant) of the eggplants! handle it by the purple part please!
OR Cucumber Yes, warmest part Pickling or Marketmore
OR Squash Yes, warmest part Zucchini or Patty Pan
Hot Peppers Yes Jalapeno, bagged w/ beans
Garlic No German White, bagged w/ beans
Escarole Yes bitter green, related to endive
Melon Yes Sunjewel, Sivan, or Sarah's Choice
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Storage Tips
Due to temporary shortage of staff, we really had to hustle to get everything harvested yesterday. Therefore, the veggie washing was not as thorough this week. We apologize for the extra dirt that may be in the boxes, but next week should be better! Thank you for understanding!
Basil and tomatoes should not go in the fridge! Basil turns black and tomatoes get mealy and lose flavor. Keep them on the counter or in the a cupboard if fruit flies are an issue.
The garlic is now cured and will keep in pantry or on the counter.
Beans are bagged and NOT washed. They should be washed just before eating. For the beets and carrots (and all root veggies in general), the roots should be cut from the tops and stored separately to prevent the greens from wicking moisture out of the root and making for some limp beets or carrots.
Squash, eggplant, cucumbers, melons all like to be stored around 50-60 degrees so keep them in the warmest part of your fridge, on the counter, or in the garage.
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
I did not think it was possible, but my mom made me like beets even more this weekend. AND she managed to convert some of our dearest friends to beet-eaters! (not to be confused with those dudes who guard the Tower of London) How on earth did she do it?? With this:
Carrot Beet Slaw with Pistachios & Raisins
from Bon Appetit via MK Hall*
*MK's magical adaptations: Didn't toast the pistachios, they are already too tasty for their own good. Added extra raisins (nearly doubled it. oh yea!). Skipped the red pepper flakes. Used half the parsley called for.
3/4 cup unsalted, shelled raw pistachios
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
6 medium carrots (about 1 pound), peeled, julienned
2 medium beets (any color; about 1 pound), peeled, julienned
1/2 cup (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 350�F. Spread out pistachios on a small rimmed baking sheet; toast, stirring occasionally until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop. Combine garlic, raisins, and vinegar in a large bowl; let sit 1 hour. Remove garlic from raisin mixture and discard. Add carrots, beets, pistachios, parsley, mint, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add oil; toss gently.
Even if you didn't get cucumbers in your share this week, you probably still have some rolling around in the bottom of your crisper drawer, right? No? Well then I'm proud of you, and as a reward for being a dedicated, cucumber-loving CSA shareholder, you should buy a couple more from the farmers market and make these pickles for yourself. They are so delicious and FAST! You can eat them the very next day. In the book, Ed says even 4 hours is allowed, but they are better if you wait overnight.
Caraway Pickles
for 1 quart
1 1/4 pounds cucumbers, cut into 1/8'-thick rounds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup rice vinegar (I used distilled white vinegar)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 3'-4' cinnamon stick
Place cucumbers in a stainless-steel or heatproof glass container; set aside. Bring sugar, all remaining ingredients, and 1/2 cup water just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Let cool for 10 minutes. Pour pickling liquid over cucumbers. Cover and chill overnight or up to 3 days.
Summer Panzanella with peaches and kale
from The First Mess
*Panzanella is a blank canvas! I'm pretty sure the only qualifiers are that it should have torn up, toasty bread and tomatoes in it. Simple and easy! (Those Italians are so smart.) Try adding some other veggies in there if you need to use them up. Some candidates that come to mind: green beans, escarole, grilled eggplant or squash, cucumbers, melon instead of peaches...go for it!
croutons:
4-5 cups tore up pieces of bread
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
salad:
1 big shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
4-5 cups chopped tomatoes
2 peaches, pitted and roughly chopped
2 stalks of kale, stemmed and sliced
2 big sprigs of basil, leaves finely sliced (reserve some whole leaves for garnish if you like)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the tore up bread on a large, parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat bread evenly in the oil. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping croutons at the halfway point to promote even browning. Remove from the oven and set aside. Place the chopped tomatoes, peaches, kale and basil in a large bowl. Drizzle the oil and white balsamic vinegar on top and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add the cooled croutons and toss once more.
Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes or so that the bread can soak up the juiciness from all the veggies and fruit. Serve with a big sprig of basil on top if you like.
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Upcoming Classes, Workshops and Events at Wellspring!
For more information and to register for classes, please visit www.wellspringinc.org or call (847) 946-5565
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Save the Date! FREE Agri-CULTURE Festival
Sunday, Oct. 12 - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wellspring Permaculture Tour 
Thursday, September 4th - 6 to 8 pm
Join Wellspring's permaculturist, Adrian Lee, for a two-hour tour of our grounds to view how we have integrated renewable technologies and regenerative agricultural systems to live more holistically. From the simple, to the complex, we will walk and discuss sustainable practices that can easily be integrated into your life. Whether you live on 120 acres or in the inner city, there is always something more within your reach. Come and be inspired!
Cost: $12/ person
Foraging for Wild Edibles and Herbs 
Saturday, September 6th
2 to 6 pm
Learn about foraging safety, ethics, and plant families. Collect, harvest, and taste wild edibles currently in season. After the foray, enjoy appetizers featuring plants found on the tour. Bring home what you collect as well as recipes and guides for future foraging!
Cost: $35/ person, $40 after 9/3
Tasting Tour
Saturday, September 6th - 10 to 11 am
New in 2014, Wellspring will be holding "Tasting Tours"! Tour participants will learn about all the systems and processes that work together on a diversified, organic veggie farm while walking the fields and, of course, sampling veggies in peak season!
This is a great opportunity for shareholders to see how their veggies grow out in the field!
Tours are capped at 20 people to keep groups interactive and personal.
Cost: $9/ adults, $6 for children 12 and under.
Preschoolers and Parents Farm Day 
Wednesday, September 10th - 9:30 to 10:30 am
Ages 2 to 5 welcome
Preschoolers will meet the Wellspring chickens, try new veggies, dig for worms, sing songs and participate in garden-based games and activities, all while learning about where our food comes from!
"We loved the preschool farm day at Wellspring! You keep the young ones occupied and entertained while including all of their senses - never a lull in the activity, which suits the active bodies and minds of the 2-5 year olds! It is a great, hands-on experience!" - Debbie W.
Cost: $6 per child (adult must accompany)
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