The Farm Bus from Farm to Family

What’s in the Share – Week of 5/22/17

CSA Farm Share, CSA/Farm Market, Get Educated, Get Involved, Local Food, Recipes No Responses »

May 212017

Hi Members –

We are getting into summer holidays. Some of you may be away for your share – don’t forget to hold. When you put your share on hold via your dashboard, please send me an email letting me know how you wish to redeem that held share: move to another week, credit or donate. Held shares do not automatically get moved to the next time – I need to hear from you to know what to do with it. You can also give your shares to friends – but let me know. Thanks!

There are a few things in the share that look similar – dill, chamomile and baby fennel. Ive posted some pictures in the FB group, along with extra recipes.

Here’s what we anticipate to be in your share this week – subject to change. Often what we think will be in the share changes by the time Thursday rolls around. Mark often gives you extras of things. I hope you are enjoying it all.

PRODUCE

dill – feathery fronds – wonderful to add to salad, or vinaigrette. Here are some ideas.
tomatoes – zucchini noodles with raw tomato sauce
chamomile – like tiny daisies, with feathery fronds. might look like this – with the yellow center of the dairy most pronounced.
- Chamomile — so many neat things you can do: fresh tea is amazing, but you can use it in ice cream – here’s a vegan salted caramel chamomile version, make simple syrup, put it in cocktails, add it to salads, crostini, chop fine and add to yogurt like you would with dill. bake a cake here’s ideas. Here’s some health and beauty things you can do.
onions – Sicilian onion and tomato salad
purple kohlrabi – this looks a little like a purple spaceship. Part bulb, part bundle of greens, kohlrabi may seem like one of the more intimidating items at the farmers’ market, but it offers a delightful combination of familiar tastes. Kohlrabi has the texture of a radish and the sweetness of jicama, with a slight hint of broccoli, and the edible leaves are like a milder version of collards. It is super versatile. Here are some ideas.
zucchini – grill it
strawberries –strawberry gazpacho, balsamic strawberries with ricotta cream. Its easy to make ricotta at home, and a good way to use milk, if you are having trouble getting thru it. strawberry cocktails.
baby fennel – feathery fronds with a bulb. Smells like mild anise or licorice. My favorite way is in an Italian simple salad, shaved thin, with olive oil, squeeze of lemon, orange slices (blood orange is delicious), salt and pepper. You can add cheese, olives, dill, onions etc. I also love to roast it, or grill it.
bok choy – 9 ways
- Bok choy – bok choy with garlic
asparagus – slow butter braised asparagus with parmesan
pea shoots – these will have leaves, and tendrils. Treat like any green. They are delicious. Here is a guide.
beets – these have a red bulb, and greens. Use your greens early – cut them off and sauté – put the steps in first as they take longer than the leaves. sauteed beet greens with olive oil and garlic. roasted beets with dill, beet salad with dill and lemon
daikon radish – this looks like a white carrot. It is super versatile, and can be subbed for turnips. I like to make easy refrigerator pickles with it. Here are some ideas.
romaine – grill it. Its fantastic.

Fruit

strawberries – strawberries with balsamic vinegar (and blueberries!) swap the sugar with honey or maple syrup for a healthier option.
blueberries

Meat – Weekly people I do not know what the meat will be yet. Will try to send out an email as soon as Mark knows so you can plan – so sorry.

Biweeklies – this is what you might expect.

pork short ribs
trout filet (2 filets in the pack)
Sausage Craft Sat Nite Sausage – with Sriracha and beer (gluten alert)

Bread

Billy Bread — this is also lovely in grliled tomato bread salad and gazpacho!

Cheese – TBD

Happy Cooking!

Suzi

What’s in the Share – Week of 5/11

CSA Farm Share, CSA/Farm Market, Get Educated, Local Food, Recipes No Responses »

May 072017

Happy Cooking for this wonderful CSA share this week in Richmond, VA and Washington, DC.

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Veg is looking like:

Bibb
Romaine
Asparagus – grill bacon wrapped asparagus . We also made asparagus kale soup last week. Here’s a vegan version.
Strawberries – I posted info on how to freeze them to use later in the season in smoothies. You can also make fruit leather, dehydrate for snacks, or jam. Here is the boss small batch strawberry balsamic jam recipe I posted in the group that I made for Mother’s Day gifts last year. I cooked it in the slow cooker. this makes only 4 half pints, so refridgerate, eat on the biscuits, or give away. No need to process. But if you want to process, I used a saucepan, and a veggie steamer and it worked great. I used this on baked brie at mom’s for Easter.
Ramps or rhubarb – not sure yet
- if Ramps: Treat them like you would garlic or onions, only better, and you’ll be ok. Here’s a great video on how to find, clean and pickle them. They are forest foraged, so still have soil on them. Clean them well, dirt can hide in them, like leeks. Use the leaves to make pesto, or chimmichurri – this recipe puts it on grilled polenta. If you aren’t going to get to them for a bit, cut off your leaves – use those quickly, and keep the bottoms in a bag in your fridge. I have actually had them stay in the fridge for a month or so. They are great in biscuits. Put on pizza.
- If Rhubarb – Here’s sweet recipes. Here’s savory recipes. Here’s my blog on rhubarb that includes my grandma’s rhubarb pie recipe, and then down in the comments my mom posts how to make rhubarb ice cream, and rhubarb sauce.
Arugula – good on pizza with the ramps. add it to asparagus soup, Make strawberry arugula salad. .
Swiss chard – Swiss chard is delicious, versatile, and don’t forget to pickle the stems. It is hearty enough to stand in for pasta, say in a lasagna. The stems take longer to cook than leaves, so I usually put stems in first, then leaves. Here are some ideas.
Cilantro – use it in your ramp chimmichurri.
Red radishes – young radishes have a sweetness to them. Try roasted radishes with brown butter, radish tops, and lemon. You can also sautee the tops like any green. Slice and add to salad. Pickle. Here are some recipes. There is a radish corn salad in here, that would be good with your corn if you haven’t used it yet.
Garlic – this goes in your pesto, or chimmichurri
Bok choy – bok choy with garlic
Chamomile — so many neat things you can do: fresh tea is amazing, but you can use it in ice cream – here’s a vegan salted caramel chamomile version, make simple syrup, put it in cocktails, add it to salads, crostini, chop fine and add to yogurt like you would with dill. bake a cake here’s ideas. Here’s some health and beauty things you can do.
Sugar Snap Peas – quinoa salad with sugar snap peas, Here’s a few more ways.

Fruit – Strawberries. Possibly rhubarb, if he finds some.

Meats-

Rappahannock River Oysters

Oysters and Clams – how to shuck an oyster with Chef Pete at Merroir. How to prepare them raw 0 use your ramps, garlic, or green onions! Grill them. Here’s a few other methods of cooking like roasting, and steaming. Here’s how to steam clams. Here’s the Ultlimate Pasta with Clams – perfect if you still have your pasta from the other week! Clams with bacon, cilantro, ginger and galic (sub ramps!!) Make oyster shooters. You can use sake, tequila, vodka etc. Look them up. You’ll be in heaven.

Alt Meat – not sure yet. If you had alt meat last week — check with Mark to see what your selection is.

Cheese – Goat Feta from Peachy Family Farm – Snap pea salad with radish and feta. .

pea, feta and mint toasts (sub chamomile!)

Bread – Prairie Grain

What’s in the CSA- week of 5/1 – Oysters, Clams, Asparagus, Ramps, Strawberries!!!

CSA Farm Share, CSA/Farm Market, Get Involved, Local Food, Recipes No Responses »

Apr 302017

Hi members, Hope you are all staying cool!

We have a bang up share for you this week. Post pictures of what you are making on our facebook group page! Others love ideas and recipes. I also post other ideas and info. Thank you!

We will be having the option of oysters and clams again next week, so if you are getting a share with meat in it, and need to OPT OUT and get the ALTERNATE MEAT (I do not know what it will be), send me your OPT OUT email with no oysters clams in your subject. If you want them, do NOTHING – you will get 2 dozen each oysters and clams, or the quart of shucks (email if you want the shucks). If you want more, or a la carte oysters, clams by the dozen, or pints or quarts of shucks, please order via your dashboard under MEATS – Oysters Clams a la carte. NEED ORDERS BY WED next week. thank you.

Happy eating. Suzi

Veg share so far, subject to changes:

Swiss chard – Swiss chard is delicious, versatile, and don’t forget to pickle the stems. It is hearty enough to stand in for pasta, say in a lasagna. The stems take longer to cook than leaves, so I usually put stems in first, then leaves. Here are some ideas.
Baby spinach – put on pizza with the ramps. or make a salad.
Green onions – these guys may get overshadowed by the ramps this week, but put them in your salad with bibb lettuce, baby spinach and strawberries and they will shine.
Ramps – boy we love these, and we have a family tradition of getting them every year. Ive posted some ramp info on our FB group. Don’t be intimidated by them. Treat them like you would garlic or onions, only better, and you’ll be ok. Here’s a great video on how to find, clean and pickle them. They are forest foraged, so still have soil on them. Clean them well, dirt can hide in them, like leeks. Use the leaves to make pesto, or chimmichurri. If you aren’t going to get to them for a bit, cut off your leaves, and keep them in a bag in your fridge. I have actually had them stay in the fridge for a month or so. They are great in biscuits, which we included below. Put on pizza.
Bibb – make lettuce wraps, use it as a bun for your burger.
Radishes – young radishes have a sweetness to them. Try roasted radishes with brown butter, radish tops, and lemon. You can also sautee the tops like any green. Slice and add to salad. Pickle. Here are some recipes. There is a radish corn salad in here, that would be good with your corn if you haven’t used it yet.
Strawberries – I posted info on how to freeze them to use later in the season in smoothies. You can also make fruit leather, dehydrate for snacks, or jam. Here is the boss small batch strawberry balsamic jam recipe I posted in the group that I made for Mother’s Day gifts last year. I cooked it in the slow cooker. this makes only 4 half pints, so refridgerate, eat on the biscuits, or give away. No need to process. But if you want to process, I used a saucepan, and a veggie steamer and it worked great. I used this on baked brie at mom’s for Easter.
Asparagus – we are grilling bacon wrapped asparagus for dinner tonight. or put in salad.
Arugula – good on pizza with the ramps.
Cilantro (good with clams) – Clams with bacon, cilantro, ginger and galic (sub ramps!!)
Mushrooms – good on pizza with the ramps.
Golden biscuit mix from Wade’s Mill for strawberry shortcake and ramp biscuits. to make ramp biscuits: thinly slice the bulb and add it right in. Or you can use only the leaves. You can caramelize the bulbs in a little butter first. Cook as usual. Wade’s Mill is a circa 1750 water grist mill and we love their products. You will see them on the menu at fine restaurants.

Meat
Oysters and clams – how to shuck an oyster with Chef Pete at Merroir. How to prepare them raw 0 use your ramps, or green onions! Grill them. Here’s a few other methods of cooking like roasting, and steaming. Here’s how to steam clams. Here’s the Ultlimate Pasta with Clams – perfect if you still have your pasta from the other week! Make oyster shooters. You can use sake, tequila, vodka etc. Look them up. You’ll be in heaven.
If you opted out, looks like a picnic grill special:
Polyface hot dogs
ground beef
bison summer sausage – make a plate with the cheese from your share. You can add in sliced radishes, and make a delicious sauce with a spoon of our lovely jam with some stone ground mustard. You can slice it and add it to your salad. Or put it on the pizza!!!!

What’s in the Share – strawberries, asparagus, bison – week of 4/17

CSA Farm Share, CSA/Farm Market, Get Involved, Local Food, Recipes No Responses »

Apr 172017

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather and are settling into your CSA food. We have a lovely share coming your way this week. Keep in mind that these previews are what we think will be in the share, and may change due to a number of reasons. We ask you stay open minded when substitutions arise. Thank you!

Produce – so far:

bibb lettuce – Linda Bruce, Rain or Shine Greenhouse Gardens
mushrooms – Rob Woolfolk, Beaver Dam, VA
asparagus – Sneads Aparagus Farm, Emmet Snead, Fredericksburg, VA. We made eggs benedict with asparagus and bacon for my mom for Easter Brunch.
strawberries – Anne + Chuck Geyer, Agriberry, Hanover, VA – We also made vegan strawberry shortcake with coconut whip for my mom. I’ve taken her off dairy and gluten for her eczema, which has been super helpful. I am planning a batch of strawberry balsamic jam, and going to try it in my Instant Pot. I made it last year as gifts for Mother’s Day and it is the best jam I’ve ever made. This recipe makes 4 jars.
spinach – Flores Farm, Northern Neck VA – Try my spinach strawberry salad with caramelized nuts(uses honey, but you can sub maple syrup to make vegan) – you can top with chèvre! The Agriberry vinegars are amazing in this.
leeks – Flores Farm, Northern Neck, VA – Mac and Cheese with braised leeks, asiago + park breadcrumbs.
red onions – Flores Farm, Northern Neck, VA – spinach, mushroom, goat cheese pizza.
Chives or thyme – Flores Farm, Northern Neck, VA – Romanian gypsies are said to have used chives in their fortune-telling rites, and hung garlands of chives around their homes to ward off disease and evil spirits. I have them growing in my kitchen herb garden, and snip them into small bits, into eggs, potatoes, salads, vegetables. Here are thehealth benefits along with a fines herb omelet. Here are some other ways to use them.
honey** – Hungry Hill Farm – Try strawberry honey butter. Steal a strawberry and some yogurt away to make this face mask. Here is a strawberry honey smash cocktail perfect for porch sitting. **If you are vegan and home delivered, email me for a sub. Otherwise, check with Mark at pickup.
Virginia Peanut Company – chocolate peanuts – lightly salted. These are ridiculous. Store in your refrigerator. Hide them from your children.

Meat

ground bison – Edmonds Farm, Lancaster, VA – we love to make burgers with these – go easy on toppings and condiments, they are so flavorful all you really need is salt and pepper. You can use the Bibb lettuce as a bun. However, you can make almost anything wth bison you would use ground beef in. Bison is super lean, so make sure to use coconut oil, butter, ghee, olive oil, bacon fat or another fat when frying. Cooking time is fast, temperature is lower. Here are some cooking tips. We love Don and Kim Edmonds and their 3 little girls. Their farm is a Dr. Dolittle kind of place – Don was a vet tech, and has a soft spot for rescues and odd creatures. He has a pet possum, emus, some other exotic birds I can’t remember, a tame bison named Ginger that grew up in the house alongside a fawn, lots of cats, dogs, ducks of many types, chickens, pigs and of course the majestic bison.
Bison Jerky – Edmonds Farm, Lancaster, VA – super good snack to keep you from going hungry!
Smoked bacon – Edmonds Farm. This bacon is super tasty. Its got terrific smoked flavor, but not cured, so make sure to cook it up quickly after defrosting. Try roasted asparagus with mushrooms and bacon.Its amazing with greens,

Bread

Billy Bread– Leckers Baking Company, Richmond, VA – This bread is renowned in RVA and served in many of its best restaurants. It’s one of Mark’s favorites. Its a crusty artisan multi-grain sourdough, and includes spelt rye and whole wheat berries. It’s 100 percent hand-made and naturally leavened. Do not be dismayed by its hard exterior! it is best eaten quickly, but here are some tips to use it if you don’t. Try goat cheese toasts with honey and thyme. Use it to sop up sauces and to convey goat cheese to mouth. Eat spread with very good butter and very good preserves or the strawberry honey butter above.

Cheese

Peachy Family chèvre – We love the Peachys, an Amish farm family from Pennsylvania who we have gotten to know over the years, and we are happy to partner with them. One of my favorite easy treats is plain chevre drizzled with honey with strawberries. Its great on pizza, in a salad, on a cracker or veggies. Top the asparagus with it. Here’s 39 other ways to use goat cheese.

DC’s Hill Rag Coverage of our Eco-Friendly Home Delivered CSA

CSA Farm Share, CSA/Farm Market, Get Involved, Local Food, Uncategorized No Responses »

Mar 122017

We are grateful for this great article in Hill Rag this past week on our CSA’s new eco-friendly delivery by trike to Capitol Hill residents. We are excited to partner with Schlep. The trike home delivery will be available for the upcoming Spring/Summer season, debuting Tuesday, 3/28. We also offer home delivery for our Richmond, VA CSA members (free for folks within a 5 mile radius of our home base). Sign up now!

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