There is only one month left till  theSummer Share begins! On June 1st the trucks will roll out to the stops loaded up with the best fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and grains grown & made in Northeast Ohio.  

If you've already signed up, great!! We'll be sending you a confirmation email soon with details about your subscription. The week before the share begins, you'll also get a "Welcome to Summer, Fresh Forker!" with detailed information about your stop and answers to our most frequently asked questions. 

If you haven't signed up-- now is the time!!



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In celebration of the 4 weeks we have left, we've included some fun articles and posts in this email all about #4: 

"4 lbs of Tomatoes per Plant"

"4 Seasons of Food in NE Ohio"

"4 of Parker's Tips to Use Up Your Share" 

Please forward this email along to friends who might be interested in our program. See you at the stops!


- Your Fresh Fork Market Team

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P.S. In case you want to check them out, here are our past few countdowns:


4 lbs of Tomatoes per Plant  

Heirloom Tomatoes = summer. These speckled, striped and sweet beauties are delicious, but they're extremely difficult to grow and pack. Thankfully, we work with some amazing local farmers who don't need to worry about their prized tomatoes withstanding long hauls to grocery stores, so they can focus on flavor. Click here to read more about the joys and pitfalls of growing heirlooms. 

4 Seasons of Food in Northeast Ohio 

Here's a little selection of the produce available throughout the four seasons of growing and storing in Northeastern Ohio:

1) Spring - March till June
  • Asparagus, Beets, Chard, Collard Greens, Garlic, Herbs, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Maple Syrup, Mustard Greens, Parsnips, Potatoes, Radishes, Carrots, Ramps, Rhubarb, Spinach, Spring Greens, and Sprouts.


2) Summer - June to September
  • Apples, Apricots, Asparagus, Basil, Beets, Black Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Bok Choy/Tatsoi, Broccoli, Bunching Onions, Canary Melon, Candy Onion, Cantaloupe, Caraflex Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Cherries, Cherry Tomatoes, Cilantro, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Dill, Dragontongue Beans, Eggplant, Fennel, Garlic, Garlic Scapes, Grape Tomatoes, Green Beans, Green Cabbage, Green Onions, Green Peppers, Heirloom Tomatoes, Hot Hungarian Peppers, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions, Parsley, Patty Pan Squash, Peaches, Plums, Poblano Peppers, Potatoes, Purple Filet Beans, Radishes, Raspberries, Red Cabbage, Red Onion, Red Potatoes, Rhubarb, Roma Tomatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Snap Peas, Snow Peas, Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, Strawberries, Sugarcube Melon, Summer Squash, Sweet Corn, Swiss Chard, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Tuscan Kale, Watermelon, Yellow Doll Melon, Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Zucchini. 

 
3) Fall - September till December
  • Acorn Squash, Apple Cider, Apples, Beets, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac (Celery Root), Collard Greens, Concord Grapes, Daikon Radishes, Eggplant, Green Beans, Green Cabbage, Green Onions, Green Peppers, Hubbard Squash, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Longhorn Peppers, Napa Cabbage, Onions, Parsley, Parsley Root, Pears, Plums, Radishes, Red Cabbage, Rutabaga, Shallot, Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips, Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Zucchini.

4) Winter - December till March
  • Acorn Squash, Apple Cider, Apples, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Cabbage, Candy Onions, Carrots, Celeriac, Daikon Radishes, Fingerling Potatoes, Grape Cider, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Napa Cabbage, Onions, Parsnips, Pears, Potatoes, Rutabaga, Salad Greens, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Turnips, and Watermelon Radishes.


4 of Parker's Tips to Use Up Your Share
1) Take everything out of your bag, wash & dry it. 
  • Take everything out of your bag and set it out on the counter. 
     
  • Most items require just a cold rinse, a good dry, and then wrapping in loose paper towels and placing inside a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.
     
  • Tomatoes & melons (before they're cut) should stay out on the counter. Squashes, potatoes and onions should be stored out of direct sunlight and do not require washing right away. 
     
  • Separate roots/bulbs from their greens (carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, etc.) and store separately to keep crisp.
     
  • If you know you won't be using something right away, you can blanch it (quick dunk in boiling water then ice water, dry well) for freezing. Click here for more information on blanching times for produce. 
2) Eat the most perishable items first.
  • Eat lettuces, tender greens (sprouts, cilantro, basil), berries, and more fragile vegetables (ramps and thin asparagus) first-- within the first day or two. Make a habit of having a big salad for dinner on the day you pick up your share.
     
  • Extend the life of berries by soaking them in a white vinegar-water solution for 5-10 minutes and then rinsing well. Keep in fridge, or better yet right on counter where everyone passing by can eat a few.
     
  • If you're not going to eat your berries right away, wash them, remove any tops or hulls, and lay them on a cookie sheet in an even row. Place tray in freezer. When totally frozen (1-2 hours), pour them into a labeled freezer-safe bag and enjoy within a few months. 
3) Prepare the least familiar items second.

Dragon Tongue Beans
  • Don't be scared of your vegetables! Attack that Kohlrabi and Tatsoi head-on with dinner or lunch the second or third day after you pick up your share. If you let them sit in the back of your fridge, you will likely forget about them and not make the effort to learn a new recipe.   
     
  • In every newsletter we include recipes to help you prepare everything in your share. We also have lots of resources and recipes on our website and on our Pinterest page if you need more ideas. 

4) Enjoy the most familiar items last. 
  • Anything you know how to prepare quickly and easily for a last minute dinner should be used last--broccoli, spinach, green beans, etc. You're in no danger of letting it go bad in the crisper drawer, and that way you know you've got some goods to use throughout the week!
     
  • A great trick is to keep a small, erasable white board on your fridge. Write down everything you have ("Eggs, Yogurt, Ramps, Chicken Salad, Broccoli Soup, Carrots, etc.") so that you and everyone in your household knows what's still around and needs to be eaten.   

Click here to see pictures of last year's bags
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Click here to read last Summer's newsletters
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Click here to see our 2016 stops 
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