Farmer Phil's TOP 5 this week!
* These LOOK healthy!
* TASTE oh-so good!
* Harvesting PLENTY right NOW!
1. Kohlrabi- Easily prepared by peeling off the outermost bulb layer with a sharp knife. Simply eat slices like celery. Great healthy addition to a salad or as a snack. The taste and texture is somewhere between a sweet cabbage and broccoli. Store in a reusable air-tight container or plastic bag with a twist tie.
2. Fresh beans - Mixed colors. Keeping multiple colors in your tummy keeps your immune system stronger.
3. Tomatoes - All different kinds are coming on now! Heirloom, cherry, regular slicing.
4. Cone and Flathead Cabbage - Mild flavor with a buttery sweet taste. Be sure to store in the refrigerator. If the outer leaves begin to turn brown, just peel off a layer or two.
5. Farm Fresh Flowers - This week Kristy has extra flowers since one of her customers is on vacation. Please help her out and be sure to dress up your kitchen table with a beautiful bouquet of flowers...
You may be wondering why local flowers are any different than what you pick up at the store. Currently, more than 80% of flowers purchased in the United States are grown overseas, most commonly in South America.
Purchasing local means you are getting fresh flowers that are not full of dangerous pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
By picking a bouquet from a local farmer, you are saying no to these harsh chemicals, carbon emissions from long-distance shipping, and to a flower industry that tends to side on cheap rather than quality.
Kristy's flowers are also grown using sustainable practices and will have the kind of scent, color, and variety that you can't find anywhere else and she is very proud to be part of a new movement in the US toward sustainably grown, locally sourced, and seasonal flowers!
Here is Kristy's suggestions for longer blooms...
The best place to start is to always re-trim your stems when you get home so you have fresh stems to start up-taking water,
It is IMPORTANT to trim off any leaves that are below the water level to keep the water clean.
I found online a homemade flower food that is easy to make : "According to celebrity florist Michael Gaffney, founder of the New York School of Flower Design, 2 Tbsp. of sugar mixed with 2 Tbsp. of white vinegar works well to maintain fresh blooms".
Lastly, I recommend to always keep flowers out of direct sunlight, in a cool spot.
1. Kohlrabi- Easily prepared by peeling off the outermost bulb layer with a sharp knife. Simply eat slices like celery. Great healthy addition to a salad or as a snack. The taste and texture is somewhere between a sweet cabbage and broccoli. Store in a reusable air-tight container or plastic bag with a twist tie.
2. Fresh beans - Mixed colors. Keeping multiple colors in your tummy keeps your immune system stronger.
3. Tomatoes - All different kinds are coming on now! Heirloom, cherry, regular slicing.
4. Cone and Flathead Cabbage - Mild flavor with a buttery sweet taste. Be sure to store in the refrigerator. If the outer leaves begin to turn brown, just peel off a layer or two.
5. Farm Fresh Flowers - This week Kristy has extra flowers since one of her customers is on vacation. Please help her out and be sure to dress up your kitchen table with a beautiful bouquet of flowers...
You may be wondering why local flowers are any different than what you pick up at the store. Currently, more than 80% of flowers purchased in the United States are grown overseas, most commonly in South America.
Purchasing local means you are getting fresh flowers that are not full of dangerous pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
By picking a bouquet from a local farmer, you are saying no to these harsh chemicals, carbon emissions from long-distance shipping, and to a flower industry that tends to side on cheap rather than quality.
Kristy's flowers are also grown using sustainable practices and will have the kind of scent, color, and variety that you can't find anywhere else and she is very proud to be part of a new movement in the US toward sustainably grown, locally sourced, and seasonal flowers!
Here is Kristy's suggestions for longer blooms...
The best place to start is to always re-trim your stems when you get home so you have fresh stems to start up-taking water,
It is IMPORTANT to trim off any leaves that are below the water level to keep the water clean.
I found online a homemade flower food that is easy to make : "According to celebrity florist Michael Gaffney, founder of the New York School of Flower Design, 2 Tbsp. of sugar mixed with 2 Tbsp. of white vinegar works well to maintain fresh blooms".
Lastly, I recommend to always keep flowers out of direct sunlight, in a cool spot.
Sometimes you just need to do some good for your soul...!
We gathered 28 boxes of mixed squash and zucchini on Thursday morning and donated them to the Toledo Gospel Rescue Mission on Woodruff Avenue in Toledo.
No video this week due to Noah's surgery...
Doctors had to reconstruct grandson Noah's heart since he was born with Hypo plastic left heart syndrome. His Grammie Diane is watching Noah's brother and sister for a minimum of two weeks, so he can recover and jump right back into doing what little boys love to do. PLAY!
Soup for the Soul...
It was a God-wink that one of our CSA Market Box Members, Tom Restorick shared with us some information about a delicious soup he made inspired by last week's fennel post and cooking class he joined on a trip to Italy last year.
Tom said he used some of the discards from the tops and outer parts of the fennel and leeks, along with other veggies to make a vegetable stock to put in the freezer to use later.
Try a new recipe this week and let us know what you think.
Creamy Fennel and Leek Soup
Ingredients: makes 4 - 5 bowls
34 oz. water
1 can chicken broth
3 leeks
2 fennel bulbs (trim of the green tops and outer skin)
2 carrots
1/2 stick butter
2 medium potatoes (optional)
Grated parmesan (for garnish)
Salt and pepper
- Clean and coarsely slice the leeks and carrots and place in a pot with the water, salt and pepper to taste. Boil for 30 minutes.
- Clean and slice the fennel and sauté slowly in pan with the butter for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the fennel (and diced potatoes if you choose) to the broth with the leeks and carrots. Cook another 20-25 minutes.
- Remove about 1/3 of the cooked vegetables and a little liquid and puree. Add puree back to soup to give it a creamy smooth consistency.
- Top with some grated parmesan and pepper, and even a sprig of the fennel tops. Serve with a good crusty bread. Enjoy!
