Week 8, 2023

Dear Country Valley Farm Community,

This is week #8 of the 2023 season! We received quite a bit of rain this week and the plants are all very happy and thriving.

We did some reflection this week about our farm and the amount of work that it takes to keep things going week in and week out. It is work that we love and we are grateful to be able to do it. There is a saying that a farmers’ work day starts early yesterday and ends late tomorrow… We are thankful to our CSA Farm Share Community for entrusting us to grow food for you and yours. We take the responsibility to heart. Our intention is for your membership in our farm to be fulfilling, bring joy, encourage healthy eating, be part of your interaction and support of the local community, and be a positive overall.

Thank you for your support and participation. It means a whole lot to us.

This week’s shares contain the following, some preparation inspiration is below:

1. Lettuce -1 head from our farm
2. Rainbow Chard – 1 bunch from our farm
3. Garlic Scapes – 1 bunch from our farm
4. Lavender – 1 bunch from our farm
5. Summer Squash Mix (green zucchini, gold zucchini, and yellow summer squash) – 2 quarts from Sunny Side Farm
6. Broccoli Sprouts – 1 package from Gardenworks

Medium shares contain the above listed items, and:

1. Lettuce – 1 extra head
2. Garlic Scapes – 1 extra bunch
3. Summer Squash Mix – 1 extra quart

Some preparation inspiration:

We recommend that everyone wash all produce before eating (the sprouts/microgreens are an exception as they are triple washed at Gardenworks Farm and do not need to be washed before eating). We are an organic farm and you may find an occasional insect as well as a clump of soil now and then. We personally in our home, like to wash produce 3 times to ensure it is nice and clean and has no debris.

• Lettuce, this is the last week of lettuce until Fall. We don’t have enough of one variety to give everyone the same type. You will receive either Green Romaine, Red Romaine, Butter, Green Leaf, Red Leaf, or Oak Leaf. It was a great lettuce season and we are thankful to have been able to include it in so many shares already this year.
• Rainbow Chard is a colorful and healthy addition to your menu. It can be eaten raw or cooked. We like to sauté it like any other green, it pairs real well with the garlic scapes. The leaves and stems are edible. The stems are a bit like celery in texture and the leaves are similar to spinach.
• Garlic Scapes are a seasonal favorite. This year we are experiencing an extended harvest window – yay! Next week will be the last week of garlic scapes. We encourage folks to do some internet searches for creative ways to use scapes, there are a lot of great recipes out there. The main thing to remember is don’t be shy, give scapes a try. Wash, chop and use the entire scape, no waste. You can use them raw in a salad if you like it a bit garlic-spicy, or make a scape pesto (with or without basil even), you can grill them, sauté them, include in a sauce, soup, or stew, etc. Anywhere you would use regular garlic bulbs, or onions, can be replaced with scapes.
• Lavender is a wonderful herb and we are having our best year for this crop so far. You can steep it alone or with other herbs and make a nice relaxing tea that can be sweetened or not and served hot or cold. You can also use lavender to make baked goods like rolls, muffins, scones, cookies, you name it. You could even dry it and make an aromatic sachet.
• Summer squashes are quintessential summer produce items. This is a colorful mix that would go great on the grill, could be sauteed with the rainbow chard, make your own zoodles for a grain free pasta option, the possibilities are endless.
• Broccoli Sprouts are known to be the champions in the microgreen world in terms of health promoting properties. They can be used anywhere you would use other sprouts or microgreens, and have a nice broccoli flavor. This will be the last week of sprouts and microgreens for a bit as we transition into more summer items. They will return again in the fall or if we have a gap in produce variety throughout the summer.

What is going on at the Farm:

We will include a detailed farm update again next week.

Here is the plan for deliveries:

Route:

8-10AM      Ypsilanti and Milan

9AM-1PM    Ann Arbor

12PM-2PM   Canton, Plymouth, and Northville

1PM-3PM    Farmington Hills and Bloomfield Hills

2PM-4PM    Troy, Hazel Park, Ferndale

We understand that there may be weeks that folks want to skip their share. That is okay so long as you confirm with us at least 7 days in advance of the skip week. In those cases, you can let us know if you want to add a share to the end of your season, or receive double shares some weeks etc. We encourage members to find a friend, family member, or neighbor to pick up your share from your porch and share the bounty of the harvest, instead of skipping weeks – if that is a viable option for you. Some members opt to notify us of skip weeks and ask that we donate the shares – we are happy to do that. We don’t donate to a food bank in those instances, we give the food directly to our neighbors or folks in the community that would benefit from it.

My phone number is (831) 706-1237. You can call or text if it is the day of or day before delivery if you have anything urgent to communicate. I don’t usually check emails much over the weekend but I do have my phone on me if you need to touch base.

There is lots of good info on our website www.countryvalleyfarm.com

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions at all.

Thank you for sharing this message and our contact info with anyone who you know who may be interested.  We appreciate the community support.

Kind regards,                 

Adam Mitchel

Country Valley Farm

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