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What’s in the Share and at the Market 7-14-21

Welcome to our new members this week – we are so glad to have you! 

Summer holidays – if you are traveling, don’t forget to put your shares on hold. Just a reminder – our CSA vacation is August 11th and 18th – there will NOT be any CSA those weeks. Please mark your calendars and make arrangements to feed your family if you are not on vacation those weeks. We hope you are loving the glorious abundance of summer fruit!!

Home Delivery – Richmond home delivery – your delivery day is TUESDAY.

Cooler Bins/Porch Pirates – Please try to have a cooler or bin out with ice for delivery people to leave your share in – some of you still do not have one out for us. With warmer temps, this will preserve your share, especially more delicate items. The bin method tucked away from your door (let us know where you want it) also helps to disguise your share if porch pirates roam your neighborhood looking for opportune booty – we have occasionally had shares stolen and we find this method an effective deterrant.

Below is the preview menu, subject to change. Reminder – if something is wrong with your share/delivery, let us know right away so we can remedy it for you!

Happy Cooking and Eating!

~ Suzi

PRODUCE – Produce is from Flores Family Farm (George, Omar and family) Hague; , Va unless otherwise indicated.

FRUIT share – We are really rocking the fruit now!

  • Blackberries 
  • Blueberries 
  • Peaches

MEATS –

  • Trout
  • Ground Beef
  • Duck and pork sausage

BREAD

Prairie Grain Mix

DAIRY

Cheese – fresh mozzarella – y.u.m. 

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CSA Farm Share CSA/Farm Market FarmStand Get Educated Local Food Recipes

OLD CHURCH CREAMERY MILK IS BACK! AND THIS WEEK’S DC FARMER’S MARKET HIGHLIGHTS + RECIPES

10649804_10153689250785935_8905127908953939178_nMILK!! YAY!! I have great news for dairy folks — Old Church Creamery milk is BACK this week!! so exciting – this is the best milk ever, from the best cows, Jersey cows!  We are hoping yogurt and kefir will return in about a month or so. If you find yourself having difficulty getting thru the milk, it is great to cook with (think soups, chowders, custards, old fashioned tapioca so good with our eggs) and It is easy to make ricotta (see Simona’s ricotta in 5 minutes on our Facebook group), mozzarella, yogurt and kefir. You will have to get cultures for everything but ricotta – We love Hill’s Kitchen! Tell them we sent you.

And YES!! we have a Facebook group for our CSA! IPLEASE post pictures of your share, recipes, and more. This is our online community and you will find recipes, tips, photos and more here. I also post updates there if there are changes in the share, and other information about delivery. What kind of stuff do you want to see on our group? let me know!  Join here.

Greens – You will start to see more greens as the weather cools off – lettuces, salad mixes, arugula, spinach, kale and more. The more delicate greens need to be eaten quickly – plan to cycle them in earlier in your week, and hardier greens like kale later. Take a look at all your greens when you get home and are putting them away and do a little prep with them so they last longer – its work, but worth it.  Here’s a guide to keeping your greens fresh.

Event – We will be at the Payne Elementary School Fall Festival this coming Saturday. Can you come help us for an hour or so? We need members to help us with fall membership drive – your experiences help! and will also have a mini pop-up market and will be raffling off some goodies. If you can help, email me. If you are invovled with an event you think might be good for us, let us know!

Here is what we anticipate being in the share this week. Keep in mind the share list is what we THINK will be in the share, and can often change last moment due to availability, weather and other factors – so we ask you to be flexible. For instance, the list has already switched around this weekend due to the excessive wind and rain our area received this weekend.  I will continue to try to get the list to you as soon as possible as I understand many of you like to preplan your meals, but Mark works so closely with the farmers, he often doesn’t have it finalized until late Sunday.

Happy Cooking!

Suzi

Produce

  • mushrooms –  These are so delicious! Here are tips on storing mushrooms. Poached eggs with shiitake and tatsoi toasts. Yum. Recipe calls for duck eggs (see if Mark has any) otherwise use hen eggs.
  • totsoi spinach – This is so delicious and versatile too! Here is a guide, and recipes. Hope you love it!
  • spicy salad mix – here’s Mark Bittman’s roasted beet salad with walnuts and goat cheese. 
  • yellow wax beans – Try Warm Yellow Wax Beans with Bacon vinaigrette – its a cross between a salad and a side dish and VERY yummy!  Skip the bacon to make it vegetarian.
  • beets – Beets are really amazing! We have gotten them all summer as they were growing, and now they have been harvested and stored.  They are really good for you, and chinese dietary therapy indicates they help you build blood. So many ways to use them – I love to roast them as it brings out the sweetness. I love them in salads, in soups, in sides and you can even bake with them like these vegan fudgey cupcakes. You can also use them as a sub for tomatoes like this nomato marinara sauce by my friend Amanda at the Curious Coconut  (great if you are nightshade sensitive or supporting autoimmune issues.) Try  French Peasant Beets with wine. Here is Victoria Boutenko’s delicious raw borscht!
  • broccoli – wow. this sounds amazing. Pasta, broccoli and ricotta! You can easily make your own ricotta by following Simona’s suggestions on our Facebook page.
  • apples – how about a healthy caramel apple?
  • garlic – how to store garlic. how to pickle garlic.
  • cherry tomatoes – enjoy these lovely late tomatoes. add them to salad, top a pizza, or add to the yellow bean recipe above.
  • hot chili peppers – I usually dry hot peppers to use later in the year. Here’s a great guide to preserving chills. Last year I made my own chili powder from dried chilis. There are lots of good recipes out there, but this one from Alton Brown starts with fresh chilis that you pan roast. When  you make your own, you control the flavor, the heat and best of all, no additives. When working with hot peppers, be careful. Here’s a safety guide.  Here’s how to infuse vodka with chili peppers. Here’s how to infuse honey, vinegar and oils with peppers.
  • delicata squash – This is my favorite squash – Wash it first, then cut in half, scoop out the seeds with the serrated edge of a grapefruit spoon (best squash and pumpkin tool ever!) and roast with a little butter, salt and pepper. You can also cut it into rounds and sautee it. Keep your seeds, and roast as a snack, or to top soups and salads. The skin is edible on delicata, so don’t throw it out. Here ‘s a guide to squash and its skins from Deborah Madison — All her recipes are amazing.
  • niagara grapes – grapes are one of my favorite fall fruit. These do have seeds (i eat the seeds), but pack a powerful flavor, so I encourage you to get your kids to try them. They are relatively fragile, so eat them or do something with them before too many days go by.  Here’s a great guide to them and some recipes to try. Remember grapes are poisonous to dogs, so don’t feed Fido any.

Meat

  • trout filets – Virginia Trout Company – We really love these! So fast, easy and delicous. You can easily pan fry them with butter or coconut oil, or get fancy with these recipes. These are great for kids – no need to worry about bones. Baked Trout with shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes and ginger. I would use the cherry tomatoes for this.
  • Puff BBQ – Southernmost Maple — This comes from our maple farmers, Mike Puffenberger andhis family at  Southernmost Maple. They are from Highland County, the “little Switzerland” of Virginia. They are famous for their maple products, and especially this BBQ! It comes frozen, and all you have to do is heat and eat! It is really packed into the container.  Just add some sides, and you have an awesome meal.
  • Polyface Pork Chops – try these Grilled Pork Chops with Grapes from Mario Batali – it calls for Concord grapes, but he says you can sub, so our grape this week would be really good I think. The Polyface porkchops are perfect for this recipe. I used to see Mario Batali shopping at the Union Square farmer’s Market when I lived in NYC, and I loved to watch him talk to the farmers and see what he was getting and try to figure out what he was going to make. Major Chef Crush. We are so lucky to be close enough to Polyface Farms to work with Joel Salatin and his family. Joel is probably the world’s most famous farmer.
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CSA Farm Share CSA/Farm Market FarmStand Get Educated Get Involved Local Food Recipes

First Week of Fall DC CSA, Farmer’s Markets – Crimson Crisp Apples, Pie Pumpkins, Turkey orders

ArtistProfile1-FarmBus-0397We  are so excited for this fall season, and it is already looking delicious! You will usually receive the what’s in the share email on Monday, and it is a guideline for what we think will be in the share. Sometimes it will change last minute due to availability or weather. We know that can be disappointing sometimes to see something yum on the list, and then not get it, but its how Mother Nature goes. I will make every effort to post any changes on our FACEBOOK social media group instead of inundating you with emails, so its good to be a member.

I also want to introduce Sarah Kelly, who will be assisting me with admin and customer service. She is new, so we are getting her up to speed to take over. You will hopefully get to see her in DC. She is a photographer and videographer, who specializes in weddings. You can visit her website and view her work.

Mark will be assisted in DC by Johnathan, and Sandra at Eastern Market and Gina and Katie at Patriot’s Plaza. They will guide you on how to do the pick up. Make sure if its your first time to check in with them, and follow the list they have posted on  where and what to grab. Bring bags!

Remember if you have last minute changes please let me know ASAP and text Mark at 804-397-7337 if you are running late to pickup. If something is not right in your share, let us know right away so we can fix it.

Happy Cooking!

Suzi and Sarah

HERE’S WHAT’S IN THE SHARE

PRODUCE

CHEESE – Peachy Family Farm – goat cheese medley – Some of you may know Mr. Peachy as he and his family have vended at Eastern Market for years. They are an Amish family from Pennsylvania and specialize in goat products. His cheeses are delicious and we are happy to have become friends with them.

DAIRY UPDATE- Good News! Old Church Creamery milk is expected to come in the next 2 weeks, and yogurt is coming soon too!

MEAT

  • Polyface Chuck Roast- Get out your pressure cookers, crock pots, and roasting pans! These kitchen tools were made for ingredients like this! Try this yummy Mocha- Rubbed Pot Roast recipe.
  • Morning Glory Chicken Wings- Don’t throw your grill in storage before you try this amazing Grilled Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe! 

HOLIDAY MEAT ORDERS – its almost turkey time! We will be getting turkeys from Polyface Farms again this year. Other meats are available, like roasts, fresh hams (country hams are hard to get), lamb leg/shoulders etc. Let me know

SOCIAL MEDIA/FACEBOOK GROUP – Mark said that many of you are interested in helping us more with social media. If you want to help with that, please email me. I would love to have someone in DC who can help me post pictures on FB, Instagram, Pinterest and do fun videos at pickup. We also have our own private Facebook group where we can communicate, post pictures, recipes and more. Please join if you haven’t. We are debating on making this group public, so others can see it and sign up, but I’d like feedback on how you feel about that.

REFERRAL REWARDS PROGRAM – If you love us, refer us to your friends, neighbors, coworkers. Everyone you refer who joins, earns you a 1x $25 credit you can use towards free food!

FALL SHARE FLYER DISTRIBUTION – Mark has a job handing out flyers – please see him if you or someone you know is interested. We also appreciate any flyers you can hand out at work, gym, yoga, coffee shop etc. I have an electronic version as well that can be posted via email, social media etc. Please be mindful of flyer placement, ask permission as we don’t want to litter or upset anyone with them.

DONATION SHARE/DISCOUNT – if you want to donate a share to a needy family this season, we will take 10% off the total, and match it with another 10% for you. please email me if you wish to donate a share! You can do this for the season, or donate a share as you go along.

FARMER SPOTLIGHT/MORNING GLORY FARM – HOW TO COOK THE CHICKEN!  AND WHY PASTURED CHICKEN IS DIFFERENT
The Porter family – Sandy and Tracy and kids from Morning Glory raise pastured and soy-free chicken, pork, eggs. Tracy is an Iraq War veteran and has a Masters in food safety, and he works doing this for Cooperative Extension — he is my go-to for any kind of technical food safety question. Sandy and her daughter Annabelle have taken over the poultry operation. Here is a note on Freedom Rangers from Tracy, and how to get the best out of it:  “Morning Glory raises Freedom Rangers, a traditional breed from France. They are known for their excellent flavor, are prized by chefs, and the breeder we got our breeding stock from was recently featured on CNN along with the notable chefs and restaurants they work with. They take longer to mature, and are larger than the Cornish Cross, which is what you’ll see from commercial poultry (Purdue or Tyson) as well as Polyface (also raised in pasture). Pastured raised chickens will have a different flavor and texture, as they actually use their muscles instead of sitting because their legs can’t support their body weight, like commercial chicken (Cornish Cross is bred to have extra breast meat. sm). Commercial chicken is also injected with up to 14% saline to increase size and tenderize it.

Morning Glory chicken is processed on site at the farm per VDAC (Virginia Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs) guidelines at between 12-13 weeks,  then vacuum sealed with a commercial vacuum sealer with allows zero air inside to grow bacteria. Store chicken is packaged with a combination of gases to include oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen to extend shelf life. They are frozen the same day they are butchered. (Tracy says he is happy to speak with you if you want to more about processing or about the birds themselves.)

In addition to NOT being injected with saline, please know historic breed chicken have more exercise over a longer time before it is butchered, which greatly increases flavor but also increases cooking time for those muscles – your legs and thighs in particular will have a chewier texture, which you may associate with older birds – don’t mistake chewy for tough and stringy. Breast will also have more texture. Pastured chicken may not seem like it has much meat on it, but that is because it is not swelled up with saline.

Tips on cooking — they will take less time to cook than thicker, water- filled commercial chicken. Don’t trust your normal time/temp you have used with store chicken or you may over cook it. Do not microwave! ”

Keep in mind most modern recipes and cookbooks are geared towards commercially raised chicken, so you may wish to check and adjust your dish as you go along. We find broiling is a great method. Mark made the legs and thighs the other night, and they were super, but they definitely have texture much different than Purdue! We ask you to keep this information in mind as you prepare and eat your birds. Let me know if you have more questions or concerns about the chicken, or any of our products.

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CSA Farm Share CSA/Farm Market FarmStand Get Involved Local Food Recipes Uncategorized

Join our DC Fall CSA Now! Patriot’s Plaza/Capitol Hill/Farmer’s Markets Menu This Week

DC Farmers Markets – Join Now for Fall CSA Shares #capitolhill #patriotsplaza #easternmarket #CSA #farmshares

Mark has some truly inspired local goods for you this week! Our Thursday Market is still on hold, please visit our other Markets: Tuesday – Eastern Market, 225 7th Street SE 4-7pm, Wednesday – Patriots Plaza, 315 E Street, SW 11-6:30 pm. If you have questions regarding the markets, please call or text Mark at 804-397-7337.Fall/ winter shares are LIVE for you to sign up for. I am so excited. The honey crisp apples we got last week were so delicious! And there are more this week PLUS Apple Cider!  If you are interested in signing up for Fall, please do so now here! Make sure to review our FAQ and Policies, as many of your questions may be answered there.   Please share us with your friends!

  •  Details: Starts the first week of October, runs 24 weeks with a two week break for winter holidays for Christmas and New Years,
  • Prices are $45/week for produce, $32/week for meat and dairy shares, $120 for Full share (produce, meat, dairy and bread). Add ons are available for eggs, bread etc.
  • Locations: Eastern Market, Patriot’s Plaza, and 7th/G drop (will revert to Eastern Market if we do not get 10 people.)

PROMOTIONS/DISCOUNTS (for shares only, does not apply to member fees)

  • PAID IN FULL upfront for the FULL share (includes produce, dairy, meat, bread) GET 10% off. Members still pay member fee. Expires 11/1. Coupon Code is WHOLESHEBANG16 (there is a place to enter it during checkout).  We appreciate our paid in full, full share members because your commitment is the glue to help us do what we do. You provide us working capital to work with our farmers in the best possible way at the beginning of the season, and supports our local farming micro-community. Our farmers put in a HUGE investment at the beginning of THEIR season for us, and this way we are able to pay them back in a timely manner. THANK YOU!
  • MILITARY DISCOUNT – 10% – for ACTIVE or VETERAN MILITARY – Thank you for your servce! Please email farmshares@thefarmbus.com for your verification and code. For those of us who have been with us before, the code is the same, so search your email or ask me again. 
  • REFERRAL REWARDS PROGRAM – For every friend, family member, co-worker or random person you refer who joins, you receive a $25 credit that goes towards FREE FOOD! Make sure to tell your friends to use YOUR NAME when they sign up, so you get your credit. THANK YOU!

What will you get? Virginia is a very diverse 4 season growing state – greens grow straight thru! We also work with innovative farmers using greenhouses and hoop houses to stretch the seasons. Many items are picked and stored, such as apples,  root veggies and squashes. Mushrooms move indoors.

  • Fruit: pears, grapes, different apples (straight thru), asian pears, possible late raspberries.
  • Veg: pumpkins, squashes, beets, turnips,carrots, leeks, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, herbs, sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke,  rutabagas, greens like chard, spinach, creasy greens, kale, kalettes, cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, we are hoping for fresh ginger and turmeric, and more.
  • In addition as the season progresses, or if we have bad weather (snow, cold and ice can affect greens and either items growing),  you will start getting 1 or two pantry items or added value item – this helps us get thru the winter season with diversity and supports our farmers who are preserving, drying or otherwise using their harvest from earlier in the year. What might you get?  honey, applesauce, apple butter, maple barbecue sauce, fermented veggies (kraut), dried black beans, frozen corn, buckwheat flour, Wade’s Mill (400 year old mill) cornmeal, polenta, grits, baking mixes and other grains, sorghum molasses, Virginia peanuts, Twin Oaks soy foods, heirloom popcorn, our own  jam, and more.

If you have questions about the Fall share, email me. Join Now, and Support the local food system.

Happy Cooking!
Suzi Lilly

PRODUCE

  • Squash
  • concord grapes – so delicous! they are really good juiced also
  • watermelon – sugar babies
  • honey crisp apples
  • pears
  • purslane/greens – these are super good for you and a little salty.  My dad used to harvest these for us when I was a kid. Some folks think these are a terrible weed, but smart folks know they are a superfood, packed with Omega fatty acids and are cultivated or foraged. How to eat them here. and Here. 
  • swiss chard
  • tuscan kale
  • thyme
  • cherry tomatoes
  • green tomatoes
  • cukes
  • red bell pepper
  • mushrooms


FRUIT

  • grapes
  • pears
  • apple cider

MEAT

  • Puff’s Maple Sausage
  • Puff’s Pork or Chicken BBQ (not sure which you will get)
  • Ground Beef

We’re Hiring for a Farmer’s Market Assistant + Interns

Farm to Family, based in Richmond, VA, has an immediate part time JOB opening for Farmer’s Market Associate/Customer Service for our well-established pop-up markets + CSA on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. Interships also available.

Schedule is currently Tuesday 2-7pm; Wed 9-7pm, Thursday 10-7pm (25-30 hrs/wk). $12/hr to start based on experience – advancement opportunities exist to grow with our company.

Job duties include but not limited to:

. Market management including customer service and sales, staffing, forecasting, reports
· Educating and interacting with community members at CSA pick-ups, farmers markets, and more.

· Marketing experience including social media and events

· Must be able to do heavy lifting

· Setup, breakdown of farmer’s markets

· Assist with CSA delivery
Skillset and Experience:

· Experience with retail, CSA model as well as farmers markets a+ including inventory management, ordering, interaction with farmers and vendors.

. Excel, Microsoft word, Square, Powerpoint, graphic design a plus.

· Excellent customer service skills required

· High level of responsibility reliability, motivation, passion about local food and a willingness to learn required

· Ability to work effectively and cooperatively with staff = Required

· Must be able to do heavy lifting – Required

· Clean driver’s license/ability to drive a box truck a +
This is a year-round position for someone who is enthusiastic about growing the CSA and Farmer’s Market experience with us.

For more info about us: www.thefarmbus.com

Please forward resume to mark@thefarmbus.com or call 804-397-7337
Categories
CSA Farm Share CSA/Farm Market FarmStand Get Educated Get Involved Local Food

DC Farmers Markets – Grapes, Honey Crisp + Gala apples, Pears, frogskin melon, edamame, shiitakes, okra, trout, #capitolhill #patriotsplaza #easternmarket

Apples and Onions, Delicious!
Apples and Onions, Delicious!

Hi everyone, what an amazing share  Mark has for you this week, as the first cooler days have come our way. Fall is on the way, and so is our Fall CSA!

  • I will have that info up online this week – I have had some technical difficulty, so bear with me!  Details: Starts the first week of October, runs 24 weeks with a two week break for winter holidays for Christmas and New Years,
  • Prices are the same for meat and dairy etc, except Produce is $40, and Full Share is $115 (produce is slightly smaller share).
  • Locations: Eastern Market, Patriot’s Plaza, and 7th/G drop (will revert to Eastern Market if we do not get 10 people.) We will not be offering Home Delivery – We are so grateful to our home delivery members for their patience and flexibility with delivery. Logistically it was very challenging for our small operation. We hope you will stay with us, and move over to the other locations. Eastern Market and Patriots Plaza offer the best flexibility, with ability to swap out items, and add more depending on what extra he has.
  • if you have credit, it will roll over to Fall (CSAware will pull from credit first, then your card on file). If you want to pass on Fall, but rejoin us in Spring, your credit will still  roll!
  •  If you still have boxes held from earlier in the season, and wish to convert them to credit, let me know as I do not automatically do that. They need to be manually moved. If you wish to redeem your held box by picking it up on an off week or doubling off, you need to let me know!
  • Please share us. When you refer us, ask folks to use your name upon signing up (there is a field) and you will receive a Referral Reward credit.
  • Partial season? A lot of people move, but still want to do a share for the time they are in the area. No problem. Email me to discuss options.

Spring Summer CSA Bounty
Spring Summer CSA Bounty

What will you get? Virginia is a very diverse 4 season growing state – greens grow straight thru! We also work with innovative farmers using greenhouses and hoop houses to stretch the seasons. Many items are picked and stored, such as apples,  root veggies and squashes. Mushrooms move indoors.

  • Fruit: pears, grapes, different apples (straight thru), asian pears, possible late raspberries.
  • Veg: pumpkins, squashes, beets, turnips,carrots, leeks, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, herbs, sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke,  rutabagas, greens like chard, spinach, creasy greens, kale, kalettes, cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, we are hoping for fresh ginger and turmeric, and more.
  • In addition as the season progresses, or if we have bad weather (snow, cold and ice can affect greens and either items growing),  you will start getting 1 or two pantry items or added value item – this helps us get thru the winter season with diversity and supports our farmers who are preserving, drying or otherwise using their harvest from earlier in the year. What might you get?  honey, applesauce, apple butter, maple barbecue sauce, fermented veggies (kraut), dried black beans, frozen corn, buckwheat flour, Wade’s Mill (400 year old mill) cornmeal, polenta, grits, baking mixes and other grains, sorghum molasses, Virginia peanuts, Twin Oaks soy foods, heirloom popcorn, our own  jam, and more.

Twin Oaks Tofu — two for one sale/BOGO continues on the best tofu and vegan sausage ever! Non-gmo and organic, this helps support the Twin Oaks intentional community in Louisa, Va. Twin Oaks Foods is a sister project to Southern Exposure heirloom seeds, and they also make hammocks!

Varieties included in the sale: plain, Italian Herb, Vegan chorizo sausage (not GF), Vegan Breakfast style sausage (not GF). This will be first come, first served (unless you email me to reserve). If you are receiving tofu or vegan sausage this week, you will get an extra item!  The expiration is up on some of them this week, but these are conservative for food safety, or freeze, they all freeze well and it imparts a chewier texture.

Here’s what’s in the share:

  • grapes (yum! They will have seeds, but don’t let that deter you from their amazing sweet tart flavor.
  • honey crisp apples (yum)
  • edamame – steam and salt Japanese style. make hummus!
  • swiss chard
  • sorrell
  • shiitake mushrooms
  • frog  skin melon – like honeydew
  • sweet banana peppers
  • roma tomatoes (roast them! make sauce!)
  • zuchini (anybody try that brownie recipe floating around?)
  • hanover tomatoes
  • pablano peppers

Fruit

  • gala apples
  • pears
  • sugar cube cantaloupe

Meat

  • trout filet
  • smoked trout (YUM!)
  • ground bison
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