We hope that everyone is surviving the heat!  Despite how hot it was this weekend, we had a nice turn-out for the open house Saturday.  We were saddened to learn that Dr. Amy had to cancel Saturday, due to a death in her family.  Our thought and prayers are with her and her family.  We are hoping to reschedule her talk at our next open house, but we will have to see what her schedule looks like.

We took an unprecedented move and took Sunday off!  We decided to take the day and spend it with friends – they helped us celebrate our anniversary!  We had a great time – doing nothing! And watching the US Women play Japan in the Women’s World Cup Soccer match.  If we had to loose, I’m glad it was to Japan, they have had a difficult year.

Thursday, we were excited to have head cabbage for every one, but Thursday night/Friday morning we got 2 inches of rain. Friday afternoon we got another 2 inches of rain.  And then Saturday, before dawn, we go another inch of rain.  Too much moisture – mixed with the extreme heat – the heads cracked open like Humpty Dumpty!  We keep trying. Thank you all for your patience! This has been a tough stretch of weather…

The honeys in your boxes this week are from BEE Happy.  The bees are located south of Anoka and the beekeeper is from Bloomington.  I took the time to provide this honey as a “thank you” to all of you for your over-whelming support in allowing us to “pause” a week on our deliveries.  For those of you who are sharing, we are sorry that it is only one honey bear.  But we are hopeful that you will be able to figure out how to “split” the honey.  Please enjoy the honey-mint recipe below and let us know how you like it.  Or how you “adapted” it to met your needs.

So from our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe

www.thefarmofmn.com

ITEM OF THE WEEK – MINT

Mint is a perennial herb.  It is easily grown in any temperature controlled climate.  As long as it has plenty of sunshine, you can grow mint anywhere.  It quickly spreads itself out and has small violet or purple-white flowers that bloom all of its growing season.  Most people are very familiar with peppermint and spearmint.  But did you know that mint comes in a wide variety of flavors?  Did you know that there is Banana Mint? Or Lemon Bergamot Mint? How about Pineapple mint? What about Apple Mint? What do you think about one of my favorites – Chocolate Mint?  There are over a dozen more varieties of mint.  How many can you name?

Mint has been around for a very long time and is best culturally known in India, the Middle East ad Europe.  Not only known for its wonderful aroma, soothing flavors and curative properties, Mint, both fresh and dried, are in a large number of recipes.  Mint is included in curries, soups, chutneys, salads, juices, juleps, candies and ice crème.

Mint has long been known for its medicinal aid with digestive issues.  Taken as a tea, mint soothes the digestive track and is wonderful at easing stomach aches.  A regular intake of herb mint tea will help reduce irritated bowel syndromes and help cleanse the stomach.  It does this by stimulating the biliary secretions and helps in the digestions of fats, known for their “upsetting” abilities.  Speaking personally, I (Donna) have used mint for many years to stay off of prescription medications for my “nervous” stomach.  Over the years, there have been several medications I had to take that really upset my system.  By drinking mint tea, I was able to keep the “upset” to a minimum or eliminate all together!

When mint is included in the diet on a regular basis it also helps reduce harmful bacteria and fungus in the body.  This reduction aids the body’s ability to stay healthy.  Mint is also a strong diuretic. This helps in eliminating toxins from the body.  Mint is known for helping get rid of headaches and migraines.  Its antifungal properties are associated with helping cure asthma and other allergic conditions – respiratory, as well as reactions to insect bites or stings.  Inhaled mint gives congestion relief from sinus infections and the common cold.

One other key point – current research indicates that mint has anti-cancer properties.    Mint contains a phytonutrient called perillyl alcohol.  This phytonutrient is believed to prevent colon, skin and lung cancers.  That is a lot of stuff for a small plant!

Recipes

Honey Mint Glazed Chicken Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 4-5 pound chicken, cut into parts
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2-3 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (or 2 Tbsp dried mint)

Directions:

1. Place chicken pieces in a bowl. Mix vinegar with olive oil and pour over chicken pieces. Turn chicken pieces so that all are coated with the simple marinade. Let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. In a small bowl mix honey, mint, and just enough water for a good basting consistency. Set aside for glazing the chicken.
3. Prepare grill for medium high heat. Remove chicken pieces from marinade. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces on the hot grill, skin side up. Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes, covered, turning every 7 or 8 minutes. For the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, baste all sides with the honey mint mixture. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165°F for the breast and 180°F for the thigh. Note that although the breast pieces are bigger, they may finish cooking earlier than the thighs.

Serves 6

Mint Chip Gelato

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole milk (for more richness, you can use Half & Half)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 bunch of mint (approximately 1 inch round), washed, dried and de-stemmed.  (You can use more or less depending on how strong you want your “mint” flavor.)
• 5 oz. dark chocolate (we used 72% cacao) – you can also use chips

Directions:

Make a slurry with about 3-4 tbs. of milk and corn starch in a bowl and set aside. Add the remainder of the milk to a sauce pan, mint, salt, and sugar under medium low heat. When mixture starts to bubble, turn off heat and allow mint to steep for about 1 hour. Then pour mixture over a sieve and squeeze out the fluid from mint and discard.

Reheat his mixture under medium low heat. When it begins to bubble, add your mixed slurry and stir making sure there are no clumps. Continue to heat until it thickens – you will know it is thick enough when you can run a line on a back of a spoon without the mixture coming together – it should be done. Cool completely (preferably over night) and then add to your ice cream maker, follow your ice cream makers directions.

Place the container that you plan on storing the ice cream in the freezer.

In the mean time, coarsely chop the chocolate into small pieces and heat over a water bath. When the ice cream maker is done, scribble the melted chocolate onto your cold container–it should freeze almost instantly. Scoop in a layer of ice cream and break up the chocolate. Scribble more chocolate and layer on more ice cream. Continue until done and freeze until firm. Before serving allow to thaw just slightly before scooping.

This Week’s Items – ½ Bushel:

• Mint
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Cucumbers
• Honey
• Radishes

This Week’s Items – Extended:

• Mint
• Cilantro
• Peas
• Chard
• Cucumbers
• Honey
• Radishes
• Chinese Cabbage

This Week’s Items – Large:

• Mint
• Cilantro
• Beans
• Kale
• Chard
• Cucumbers
• Honey
• Radishes
• Raspberries

So are the rest of you still trying to pick up braches, sticks and leaves?  Whether or not we have all of the “extra” tree parts picked up or not – the Open House scheduled for this Saturday is still a go!  The Farm will be open for visits from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.  There is a lot to see – from the animals, the new buildings, the lakes, the berries and the fields – there is something for everyone!  We hope to see you on Saturday, July 16^th.  Dr. Amy Willcockson, from Chiropractic USA in Long Lake, will be speaking here on Saturday from 11 am until 1 pm.  She will be talking at noon for a thirty minute discussion on healthy living.  She joined us in 2010 as one of our CSA family.  Her office focuses on healthy fresh local food as a part of your whole wellness.  You will enjoy this time if you can make some time to hear her speak.  She has educated us each time we get the pleasure to listen to her speak.

There has been a lot going on this last week.  We have spent a lot of it cleaning up and accessing the wind damage.  Structurally, we think that we did great!  We noticed that we are going to have to replace the plastic on the High Tunnel, but there was no damage done to the frame.  Another farm west of us had one of their tunnels completely destroyed.  We have another neighbor who had an oak tree fall into his car.  The other challenge is that the car was in the garage.  So although we are not happy about having to replace the plastic, we are thankful that we don’t have to replace the whole thing.  Cleaning up after the storm was not on our “need to do” list.  All these trees down has given us a good start on our winter fire wood needs.  I hope this is not any indication of what the winter will bring.  Parish that thought, we are in the middle of July enjoying this warm weather – finally.

The fields are giving us little victories at a time.  Thank you all for riding out this strange spring and early summer.  The raspberries are just starting to come into season.  We were able to bring in a few pints and split them out.  Everyone will get raspberries as they increase in production.  The zucchinis are starting to bloom finally.  The winter squash and pumpkins are starting to set.  Our onions have to be replanted so they will be sparse this season.  The tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers are enjoying this heat.  The potatoes are once again being attached by the Colorado potato beetle.  We have a better handle on them this year and are trying a new soap to fight with us.  Our corn is up in both plantings.  The goal is to have corn for a few weeks.  The biggest trick is to keep the deer out.  Tonight I noticed a row of cabbage that has been grazed on.   Other fun crops are starting to show life and have their heads up.  More to come as the season progresses….

Just as a note: Wendel’s bread will not be available next Tuesday, July 19^th.  If this is a challenge, please contact Wendel’s bread.  Their web site is up again but is having some browser issues.  If you would like to wait until the following week they should have the system cleaned up.

So from our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe

www.thefarmofmn.com

This Week’s Items – ½ Bushel:

• Cucumbers
• Radishes
• Lettuce
• Collards
• Swiss Chard
• Salad Mix

This Week’s Items – Bushel:

• Cucumbers
• Lettuce
• Turnips
• Collards
• Basil
• Salad Mix
• Garlic Scapes

This Week’s Items – Extended:

• Cucumbers
• Radishes
• Lettuce
• Collards
• Raspberries
• Salad Mix

ITEM OF THE WEEK – CUCUMBERS

Let’s start with a commonly asked question: is a cucumber a fruit or a vegetable?  Technically, a cucumber is a fruit because it contains the seeds needed to reproduce.  However, typically cucumbers are grouped with veggies due to how they are used.  The fruit is commonly harvested while still green, and eaten as a vegetable, whether it is raw, cooked, or pickled!  Did you know that cucumbers are in the same family as pumpkins, zucchinis and other squashes?  Most of us know that cucumbers have cooling properties and are extremely good for bringing relief to your eyes and your skin in the summertime. However, they are associated with a number of other health and nutrition benefits too.

Let’s start with the skin health.  The flesh of cucumbers is primarily composed of water but also contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid, both of which help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling.  The silica in cucumber is an essential component of healthy connective tissue, which includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bone. Cucumber juice is often recommended as a source of silica to improve the complexion and health of the skin, plus cucumber’s high water content makes it naturally hydrating – a must for glowing skin. Cucumbers are also used topically for various types of skin problems, including swelling under the eyes and sunburn. Two compounds in cucumbers, ascorbic acid and caffeic acid, prevent water retention, which may explain why cucumbers applied topically are often helpful for swollen eyes, burns and dermatitis.

Now, what about cucumber’s other nutritional benefits? Cucumber’s hard skin is rich in fiber and contains a variety of beneficial minerals including silica, potassium and magnesium.  Trying to get adequate dietary fiber on a daily basis is a challenge for many Americans. Adding a crunchy cool cucumber to your salads is an especially good way to increase your fiber intake because cucumbers are naturally prepackaged with the extra fluid you need when consuming more fiber.   Dietary fiber is beneficial in treating or preventing constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulitis.  Water-soluble fiber also helps decrease blood cholesterol levels and can help offer protection against colon cancers.  What you may not know is cucumbers contain compounds called sterols, which have been shown to lower cholesterol.  The heaviest concentration of sterols is in the skin of the cucumber, so you shouldn’t remove the peel before eating it.

Cucumbers are also a very good source of potassium, an important intra-cellular electrolyte.  Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte.  It helps reduce blood pressure and heart rates by countering the effects of sodium.  Cucumbers also contain a unique anti-oxidant blend, a good ratio of beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, zeaxanthin and lutein.  These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), these play a role in aging and various disease processes.   Per 100 g, cucumbers have a relatively high amount of vitamin-K, about 17 mcg.  Vitamin-K plays a critical role in your blood health and is often referred to as the “clotting” vitamin.  Vitamin-K also has the potential to increase bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone.

That is a lot of stuff for one little cucumber.  But here is the kicker – 1 cup of sliced raw cucumbers is less than 14 calories!

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Use half-inch thick cucumber slices as petite serving “dishes” for chopped vegetable salads.

Mix diced cucumbers with sugar snap peas and mint leaves and toss with rice wine vinaigrette.

For refreshing cold gazpacho soup that takes five minutes or less to make, simply purée cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Add diced cucumber to tuna fish or chicken salad recipes.

Recipes

Creamy Cucumber Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients.  Blend until smooth.  Refrigerate until chilled.  This creates approximately 16 servings for salads.  Or it can make a great dip!

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• dash ground cayenne pepper
• dash dried parsley flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• dash dried leaf basil

Combine all ingredients except cucumbers; heat until sugar melts. Pour warm mixture over cucumbers. Store covered in refrigerator.

Serves 6 to 8.   Serve with pork or as a relish with any meal.

HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY!  We are hoping that this holiday weekend finds you happy and well.  We hope that you we able to celebrate our nation’s birthday with family and friends.  We were hoping for a quiet and relaxing weekend ourselves, but nature had a different plan for us. 

Friday, like most of central Minnesota, we braced for thunder storms.  No one warned us that we would be dealing with 70-80 mph winds.  We took shelter in the basement more that once.  But, when it was all said and done, it could have been much worse for us.  We know that we have 20 trees down in the “yard”.  We are not certain yet how many more have been damaged beyond what they can survey and will still have to be brought down.  We had a friend’s van buried under or surrounded by 8 trees. By God’s grace, the van is fine, with only a few scratches.  We had one of our large trees behind the house split, but it missed the corner of the house by less that 2 inches.  In this case, an inch is as good as a mile.  When the tree dropped, it shook the house.  We had trees land on the dog kennel and the goose pen; inside the chicken coops; and all around the yard.  We have tree tops “hanging by a tread” in several trees and we have not determined the best way to resolve those issues yet.  We had several pieces of equipment under trees, but none were damaged.  We did have two canvas awnings destroyed during the storm. 

We have not yet determined how much roof damage has occurred on the house, shed and grainery, but we know that some damage occurred on each building.  Some of the fascia came off of Dan’s parent’s house and their motor home had the awning torn off. We know that we are very blessed; none of our buildings sustained any structural damage.  We know that God’s hands were holding us safe; so many others around us have sustained much worse damage.

We were very happy to discover that most of the crops appear not to be effected by Friday’s storm.  We only received a small amount of little tiny hail. We did have some of the lettuce torn by the storm’s fury.  But again, it could have been so very much worse.  We covet all of your prayers, but it seems as if nature is very angry.  We just have to keep praying that the weather will settle down.  We will continue to keep you all in our prayers! 

Just a reminder, our next open house is on July 16^th from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Hopefully, the trees will be cleaned up by then.  Our friend, Dr. Amy Willcockson, will be joining us that day to speak about healthy living.  We hope to see you all then.

We want to also remind every one that the boxes do need to be returned each week.  In most cases, the boxes get returned in the same spot you pick up, with one or two exceptions.  At the Harvest Moon location, there is a Blue tote with our name on it behind the store.  The broken down boxes go inside the tote.  We will be picking them up each week.   Remember, each host location is expecting you to pick up your boxes on Tuesday!  In most cases, there is no way to refrigerate your box to maintain its quality.  If we want to be able to continue using these host locations, we need to respect their spaces.  If you have an issue, please contact your host site and let them know what is happening and what your plans are.  They want to provide you with quality food also.

So from our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe

www.thefarmofmn.com 

This Week’s Items – ½ Bushel:

• Garlic Scapes
• Strawberries
• Lettuce
• Collards
• Kohlrabi

This Week’s Items – Bushel & Extended:

• Garlic Scapes
• Strawberries
• Lettuce
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Collards
• Tat Soi Heads

ITEM OF THE WEEK – STRAWBERRIES

Health Benefits

Strawberries not only look like a fruity heart-shaped valentine, smell heavenly, and melt in your mouth; they are filled with unusual phytonutrients that love to promote your health. They are famous in the phytonutrient world as a rich source of phenols. These phenols serve as potent antioxidants that have repeatedly been shown to help protect cell structures in the body and to prevent oxygen damage in all of the body’s organ systems. Strawberries’ unique phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one. The anti-inflammatory properties of strawberry include the ability of phenols to lessen activity of the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase, or COX. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen block pain by blocking this enzyme, whose over-activity has been shown to contribute to unwanted inflammation, such as that which is involved in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Unlike drugs that are COX-inhibitors, however, strawberries do not cause intestinal bleeding.

Phytonutrients Promote Health

The contents of strawberries have been associated with decreased rates of cancer related deaths. Strawberries topped a list of eight foods most linked to lower rates of cancer deaths among the elderly. Those eating the most strawberries were three times less likely to develop cancer compared to those eating few or no strawberries; compared to those eating few or no strawberries. In a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, strawberries were analyzed for their content of protective plant compounds (phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins) and their antioxidant capacities. Although the beneficial properties in each different type of strawberry differed significantly in their amounts, they all were able to significantly inhibit the growth of human liver cancer cells. Oddly, no relationship was found between the berry’s antioxidant content and its ability to inhibit cancer cell growth.  This suggests that the beneficial effects of strawberries are not just one nutrient, but the combination of their many beneficial compounds working together in the body.

Degeneration

Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.  Intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to either form of ARMD, fruit intake is definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to eat each day, but strawberries can help you reach this goal. Top your morning cereal, lunch time yogurt or cottage cheese with fresh strawberries. Dress up any green salad with sliced strawberries, slivered almonds and a splash of balsamic vinegar. For an easy, elegant dessert, blend fresh or frozen strawberries with a spoonful of honey and some soy or cow’s milk or yogurt. Freeze for 20 minutes, then spoon into serving cups and decorate with a sprig of mint. Strawberries are a tasty fruit to have for smoothies with dietary fiber additives and digestive enzymes for a body detoxification and cleanse.

In terms of traditional nutrients, strawberries emerged from our food ranking system as an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. They also qualified as a very good source of dietary fiber and iodine as well as a good source of potassium, folate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, vitamin K, magnesium, and copper.    One cup of strawberries, 144 grams, is only 43.2 calories.  However, that one cup contains the following nutrients:   Vitamin C – 81.65 mg; Manganese – 0.42 mg; Dietary fiber – 3.31 g; Iodine – 12.96 mcg; Potassium – 239.04 mg; Folate – 25.49 mcg; Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – 0.10 mg; Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) – 0.49 mg; Omega 3 fatty acids – 0.11 g; Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) – 0.08 mg; Vitamin K – 3.17 mcg; Magnesium – 14.40 mg; and Copper – 0.07 mg.  Remember all this is at a whopping 43.2 calories!  

How to Store

One last thought on these precious gems, now that you have them – how do you keep them? Like all berries, strawberries are very perishable, so great care should be taken in their handling and storage. Before storing in the refrigerator, remove any strawberries that are not in good condition or damaged so that they will not contaminate others. Replace unwashed and un-hulled berries in their original container or spread them out on a plate covered with a paper towel, then cover with plastic wrap. Strawberries will keep fresh in the refrigerator for one or two days. Make sure not to leave strawberries at room temperature or exposed to sunlight for too long, as this will cause them to spoil.

To freeze strawberries, first gently wash them and pat them dry. You can either remove the cap and stem or leave them intact. It just depends upon what you will do with them once they are thawed. Arrange them in a single layer on a flat pan or cookie sheet and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the berries to a heavy plastic bag and return them to the freezer where they will keep for up to one year. Adding a bit of lemon juice to the berries will help to preserve their color. While strawberries can be frozen whole, cut or crushed, they will retain a higher level of their vitamin C content if left whole.

RECIPES

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 4 large strawberries
• ¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 TBS tahine*
• 1 medium size banana
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 TBS honey

*Tahine seed butter and can be found in natural food stores or Middle Eastern groceries

Directions:

1. Remove stems from strawberries and wash.

2. Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

Makes 2 (8 oz glass servings)

NOTE:  Adding dietary fiber or digestive enzymes only adds to the benefits of this refreshing drink.

Fresh Berry Dessert with Yogurt and Chocolate

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 1 basket fresh strawberries
• 8 oz low fat vanilla yogurt
• 2 oz melted dark chocolate

Directions:

1.  Fold together yogurt and berries.

2. Melt chocolate in a double boiler with heat on medium. Place berries and yogurt in individual bowls and drizzle with melted chocolate.

NOTES:  For a more formal presentation you may want to pour a pool of yogurt on a plate and place berries on top of pool. Drizzle chocolate over berries.

We wanted to thank everyone for the patience this last week. The weather co-operated and even though we had rain, the plants seem to be “catching” up.  We are looking to be back on track and the plants look great. The strawberries are coming in fast and create a lot of extra work for every one!  You will find them in the boxes this week.  No guarantee just how long we will have them this year. With the strange weather we have had, it is anyone’s guess how long they will last.  To our surprise, you will also find Garlic Scapes this week.  In fact, that is the product of the week.  Nothing seems to be following the “normal” growth patterns this year.  It should lend itself to an interesting summer!

We have been able to get a few more “little” projects done this week.  Although the siding is not on the cold storage cooler yet, it is finished and works great!  We are still working on the grainery, as time permits.  We poured the concrete footings for the cool storage building and that cured this last week.  We will be moving it this week.  This means that we will be working on getting the pole barn up this week.  The projects are coming together, slowly but surely.

This is the second delivery run that we are making with the new labels.  Please help us by double checking your label.  We are trying to “catch” any errors or missing names, but we had to make changes from the last run, so we may have missed one.  If you see any errors, please let us know.  We are currently running only one batch of labels at a time – until we know we have all the changes or errors corrected. 

At this point, we wanted to let everyone know what the delivery schedule looks like.  The following is a listing of the stops, in their order, and the approximate times we will be delivering to those locations.  There may appear to be some back-tracking, but there is a time reason for some of this order.  If you follow us on Tweeter, the delivery times will be posted as they happen.  You can thank our Technical guy for handling this! 

1. Pick up Bread Orders – Chaska:  By 6:45 a.m.
2. BI Industries – Edina:  By 7:45 a.m.
3.  TRIA – Bloomington:  By 8:30 a.m.
4. Thomson Reuters – Egan:  By 9:15 a.m.
5. League of MN Cities – St. Paul:  By 10 a.m.
6. Kensington Park – Richfield:  By 10:30 a.m.
7. Golden Triangle – Eden Prairie:   By 11:10 a.m.
8. VRAD – Eden Prairie:  By 11:30 a.m.
9. Park Nicollet – St. Louis Park:  By 12:15 p.m.
10. Basilica – Minneapolis:  By 12:45 p.m.
11. Park Nicollet – Carlson Parkway:  By 1:15 pm
12. Lakewinds – Minnetonka:  By 1:30 p.m.
13. Harvest Moon – Long Lake:  By 2 p.m.

This is approximately the time frame that we have discovered on our first two runs.  These times are still approximates and we are going to verify them this run.  We may be adjusting the times a little bit, but we will be letting you know how it goes this week.  We will send out emails with confirmation times later this week. 

So from our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe

www.thefarmofmn.com 

This Week’s Items – ½ Bushel:

• Garlic Scapes
• Strawberries
• Green Lettuce
• Kohlrabi
• Red Lettuce

This Week’s Items – Bushel & Extended:

• Garlic Scapes
• Strawberries
• Green Lettuce
• Kohlrabi
• Micro-greens
• Collards
• Chinese Cabbage

ITEM OF THE WEEK – GARLIC SCAPES

What is a garlic scape, you ask?  While many are aware of the wide variety of uses for the garlic bulbs, not as many people are aware that the stalk of the garlic plant is also edible. That “stalk” is the garlic scape.  It contains flavor and can be used in a number of different ways.  As the bulb begins to grow and mature, garlic stalks also begin to lengthen. During the growth period, the garlic scape begins to curve. Contained within the garlic scape is a great deal of flavor, although the stalk never does reach the level of the pungent garlic bulb itself. Initially, the garlic scape is relatively tender, making it ideal for use as an ingredient in several dishes. As the plant continues to mature, the garlic scape gradually begins to straighten, creating more support for the bulb. At this juncture, the garlic scape is much tougher and ceases to be usable for most recipes.

When harvested while it is still young and tender and chopped into short sections, the garlic scape is a tasty addition to just about any type of stir-fry. The flavor of the garlic scape adds a mild aroma as well as taste to the stir-fry, easily integrating with the other ingredients. The texture of the small sections of the garlic scape also can help to make the stir fry recipe a little more appealing as well.

The garlic scape also has a place in many different pesto recipes. Used to compliment the addition of onions to the pesto, garlic scape provides just enough of a hint of the garlic flavor to be pleasing in the recipe. As with the stir-fry, garlic scape can also add another layer of texture to the pesto.  Pesto is a very versatile sauce and can be used as a bruschetta topping, on pasta, on cooked meats and even in soups.  Pesto sauces, made with numerous different ingredients, have been a part of Italian cuisines since Roman times. 

Anyone who wishes to add the taste of garlic to a recipe that calls for onions will find that using garlic scape will provide enough of a bite to fulfill the purpose of the onion, as well as give the recipe an added dash of aroma and flavor. For instance, the garlic scape works well with just about any tomato-based soup, as well as giving new life to old favorites such as chicken soup. Many ethnic based restaurants that offer some type of egg drop soup may also include a small amount of garlic scape in the recipe, along with chives and other greens.

Garlic Scape Ideas:

• You can add sliced scapes to any stir fry recipe.
• Slice and sprinkle over any pasta, or slice and cook them in almost any sauce recipe.
• Great in guacamole and fresh salsa, too.
• Chop & add to softened cream cheese.
• Add chopped fresh scapes when serving a light garlic soup; can also add them to buttered, French bread floated on the soup.
• Use them as you would green onions, they’re just better.
• Good in salads, on bruschetta, pizza.
• An excellent addition to stocks….and much Asian cuisine.
• Put in Thai chicken/basil/coconut soup.

RECIPES

Garlic Pesto

Ingredients:

• 4 parts fresh basil leaves
• 1 part Pecorino Sardo cheese
• 2 parts olive oil
• 1 part pine nuts
• 1 part minced fresh garlic

You can either mix the ingredients in a food processor or simply crush them together with a mortar and pestle. Make sure, in order to preserve the sauce for as long as possible, to add a layer of olive oil on top of the sauce once it has been placed in a jar. Pesto can keep in then refrigerator this way for over a week and can be kept in the freezer for up to three months.

NOTE: Pesto sauces, made with numerous different ingredients, have been part of Italian cuisines since Roman times. In addition to the two basic pesto recipes, others include red bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, walnuts, parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese. In fact, some pesto sauces are made with arugula instead of basil.

Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Scapes

Ingredients:

2 ½ lbs. russet potatoes – peeled and cut into 1″ pieces.

2 Tablespoons butter (can omit this if on a restricted fat diet/lifestyle)

1-2 Tbsp, olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped scapes

¼ cup hot milk (or more)

Cook potatoes until very tender. Drain and return to pot. Over medium high heat, melt butter with olive oil in a small skillet. Add scapes and sauté about 5 minutes. Add to potatoes and mash. Gradually add milk while stirring. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Last week I posted about how simple it is to order from Wendel’s Specialty Breads and have your order delivered with your CSA box from The Farm.   I also let you know that I would be ordering and writing about a different loaf each week.  The chosen bread last week was the most accessible one available, good ol’ white bread.  And it was good!  Good enough that my coworkers ate the majority of it before I could take it home!

This week, I moved into more interesting territory… Cranberry Walnut.  This is one of 4 signature recipes to which Wendel’s adds no refined sugars or added fats.  These signature recipe breads are low in calories, all natural, and high on flavor.

If I thought I had a hard time keeping some of the white bread to myself, this week was even harder, in a good way of course.  The Cranberry Walnut bread is so good, if you’re not careful, you’ll sit down for a snack and look up an hour later to find you’ve eaten the whole loaf!

As you would expect with a nut and fruit type bread, this is not a squishy, melt in your mouth loaf.  This is a meaty,  chewy, crunchy nut, burst of tart cranberry bread that has so much flavor that your brain tells you to savor every tasty bite at the same time your mouth is telling you to scarf it down like a piece of pizza and grab another slice with your other hand.  The loaf is a little bit smaller than the Country White, and the price is just a little bit more, but the character of this bread justifies the difference all day long, especially knowing the quality that went into making it.  This is a bread that could easily be considered a treat.

I highly recommend trying the Cranberry Walnut!

Next week I will be out of town, but when I return the following week – Honey Whole Grain

Wendel’s Specialty Breads

We received a couple of questions about the basil plants.  First, they like to be in full sun, with partial shade.  They like lots of water, but do not like “wet feet”. So make sure that they have adequate drainage.  They grow well in either the garden or in a container.  The green leaf plants are Italian Basil and the dark colored leaves are Opal Basil.  You harvest the leaves from the bottom of the plant.  They grow between 18-24 inches in height. They will flower, but this does not mean the end of their cycles.  One of the uses for fresh basil is grinding it up and freezing it for fresh pesto in the winter months. Another use is to dry the leaves for seasoning later.

Now let’s talk about the parsley plants you are receiving this week.  These are garden plants, but be sure to plant them where you would like them to come back in next year. Locate a spot that has full sun.  These plants need an average amount of water, but like to dry out a little bit, no more than a day of dry soil. These plants will be around for a while.  Harvest the leaves for garnish use; grind them for fresh soups; or dehydrate for later use.

In all loving, Dan tried to help one of the chicken’s stop coughing – he tried to “squeeze” the cough out of her.  He said he did not get an extra egg, but the coughing stopped.  We did get the meat chickens moved to their outdoor home.  This batch is sold out, but if you are interested in getting some we still have openings in the second batch.  We got the pigs shifted to a new location and boy, are they fun to watch.  They raced around the new location and played in the tall grass.

Work is progressing on the grainery and we are almost done with the new walk-in cooler.  Work starts this week on the pole-barn.  We have already laid the area out and started excavating the floor.  We are adding the pole-barn because we need a shaded area to clean produce and pack all of our CSA boxes.  The grainery is a means of becoming more sustainable by allowing us to glean and save our own seeds in the future.  The new walk-in cooler is required because we “out grew” the old one.  These are some of the “new” things you can see on July 16th at our open house.

So from our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe

This Week’s Items:

Swiss Chard
Parsley Plants
Carrots
Salad Mix
Wheat Berries
Radishes

ITEM OF THE WEEK – SWISS CHARD

Chard, commonly referred to as Swiss Chard, is a tall, green, leafy vegetable, with a thick crunchy stalk that can be white, red or yellow.  Swiss Chard belongs to the same family as beets and spinach.  They share a similar taste profile.  Their flavor is bitter, pungent and slightly salty.  However, Swiss Chard is truly one of the vegetable “super-stars” and has an exceptional list of health-promoting nutrients.   Although chard has not been studied as extensively as other chenopod vegetables, like beets and spinach, there is not question about the valuable role it plays in supporting our health!

We have become accustomed to understanding vegetables as great source of phytonutrients, but we don’t always understand just how big a role some of the play.  Recent research has shown that chard leaves contain at least 13 different types of antioxidants.  One key flavonoid is a cardio-protective flavonoid called kaempferol.  It is also found in broccoli, kale, strawberries and other food.  Another flavonoids found in chard is Syringic acid.  Syringic acid has recently received special attention due to its blood sugar regulating properties.  Syringic acid has been shown to inhibit activity of an enzyme called alpha-glucosidase.  When this enzyme gets inhibited, fewer carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars.  Blood sugar is able to stay better stabilized. This seems to be especially true after a meal.  In this way, chard may provide special benefits for individuals diagnosed with diabetes.

Swiss chard is also a great source of fiber and protein!  One cup of Swiss chard contains over 3.5 grams of fiber and almost 3.5 grams of protein.  Fiber and protein-rich foods are an excellent way to help stabilize blood sugar levels, since they help regulate the speed of digestion and keep food moving at the right pace through our digestive tract.  Among the health benefits, Swiss chard helps pancreatic beta cells regenerate.  These cells are responsible for insulin production.  It is impossible for our blood sugar to be regulated without the help of insulin.  Although we don’t understand which of the exact nutrients in chard are involved, we do know that studies have shown that Chard extracts help protect the liver from damage for diabetes.  Because liver protection is an important part of managing diabetes, chard’s ability to help protect the liver may be one additional reason why it should be thought of as providing special benefits for blood sugar regulation and as a dietary management tool for controlling diabetes.

As an excellent source of vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and the mineral manganese, and a good source of the mineral zinc, chard offers an outstanding variety of conventional antioxidants. But these conventional antioxidants are only part of chard’s fantastic health benefits with respect to prevention of oxidative stress and diseases related to chronic, unwanted oxidative stress.  Simply put, these antioxidants help your body deal with the kind of stress that causes inflammation.  Because chronic low level inflammation, especially when coupled with excessive oxidative stress, has repeatedly been shown to increase our risk of obesity, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and several forms of arthritis, chard is very likely to show up in future studies on humans as a key vegetable for lowering risk of these health problems.

With its very good supply of calcium, its excellent supply of magnesium, and the vitamin K. On cup of chard provides six to eight times higher than the Daily Value.  In this way, Chard provides standout bone support. Although many people have already learned about the connection between minerals like calcium and health of bones, the role of vitamin K in support of bone has not received nearly as much media attention. Vitamin K1 helps prevent excessive activation of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone. Additionally, friendly bacteria in our intestines convert vitamin K1 into vitamin K2, which activates osteocalcin, the major non-collagen protein in bone. Osteocalcin anchors calcium molecules inside of the bone. All of these vitamin K-related mechanisms point to the importance of vitamin K-rich foods for bone health.

How to Store Chard

Do not wash Swiss chard before storing as the exposure to water encourages spoilage. Place chard in a plastic storage bag and wrap the bag tightly around the chard, squeezing out as much of the air from the bag as possible. Place in refrigerator where it will keep fresh for up to 5 days. If you have large batches of chard, you can blanch the leaves and then freeze them.

Tips for Preparing Swiss Chard

Rinse Swiss chard under cold running water. Do not soak chard as this will result in the loss of water-soluble nutrients to the water. Remove any area of the leaves that may be brown, slimy, or have holes.

Stack the leaves and slice into 1-inch slices until you reach the stems. Only the white stems of the Fordhook variety of chard are tender enough to eat. Cut stems into ½-inch slices discarding the bottom 1 inch portion. We don’t recommend cooking the stems of the varieties with colored stems.
Swiss chard is only one of three vegetables we recommend boiling to free up acids and allowing them to leach into the boiling water; this brings out a sweeter taste from the chard. Discard the boiling water after cooking; do not drink it or use it for stock because of its acid content.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

• Toss penne pasta with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and cooked Swiss chard.
• Add zest to omelets and frittatas by adding some boiled Swiss chard.
• Use chard in place of or in addition to spinach when preparing vegetarian lasagna

RECIPES

3-Minute Swiss Chard

Note:  You can use any type of Greens – Mustard, Turnip or Collard Greens.

INGREDIENTS (For 4 Servings):

• 1 lb Swiss chard, chopped
• 1 medium clove Chopped Garlic
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste

Optional:

• 6 olives
• ½ cup feta cheese
• 1 tsp tamari soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out its health-promoting properties.
2. Use a large pot (3 quart) with lots of water. Make sure water is at a rapid boil before adding Swiss chard.
3. Cut off tough, bottom part of Swiss chard stems.
4. Add the chopped leaves to the boiling water. Do not cover. Cook for 3 minutes; begin timing as soon as you drop the Swiss chard into the boiling water.
5. Place in colander and press out excess water.
6. Transfer to serving dish and toss with rest of ingredients while it is still hot.
7. Using a knife and fork, cut Swiss chard into small pieces for better flavor.

Sweet Wheat Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• Wheat Berries
• water
• ½ cup crasins or other dried fruit
• 1 cup chopped greens (beet greens, kale, chard or collards) cooked or raw
• ½ cup beets, cooked and diced ½” cubes
• ½ cup green onion diced
• 1 green pepper, diced – Optional

Dressing:

• ½ cup Maple Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic or ginger
• 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar – optional
• Parsley to taste
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Hot peppers – optional – this makes is a sweet & spicy blend

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook wheat berries in a ration of 2 parts water to 1 part berries. For example: 1 cup berries – 2 cups water.
2. Cook until tender.
3. Rinse in colander under cool water.
4. Lightly toss with olive oil and set aside.
5. Mix dried fruit, chopped greens, beets, onion and green pepper in large bowl. Add Wheat Berries.
6. Add all of the dressing ingredients in a good processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
7. Pour dressing over Wheat Berry mixture. Toss to coat.

Eat as a side dish or over lettuce.

NOTE:  Wheat Berries can also be ground up into flour in your food processor or blender.  Grind wheat berries uncooked.

Flax is the #1 vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids – extremely important compounds that impact vital functions across your entire body.  Your body cannot produce omega-3′s, so it is critical that you get adequate amounts from the foods you eat or from nutritional supplements to ensure optimal health.  In addition to omega-3′s, flax is a good source of vitamin E and vitamin B complex.  It also contains good levels of calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, potassium, magnesium and selenium.  Flax has been around for a really long time, in fact dyed flax fibers have been found dating back over 30,000 years.

Here are a couple of quick tips when it comes to storing and preparing your flax seed:

• To maintain freshness longer, store your flax seed whole, and in a cool, dry, dark place.  Ground flax seed can go rancid in less than a week if not used/stored properly.
• To allow your body to get the maximum health benefit, whole flax seed should be ground before consuming.  You can use a (clean) coffee grinder, or food processor to accomplish this.
• Flax seed has a very light, nutty flavor, that is mild enough to compliment almost any dish, whether hot, cold, main dish, side, or even dessert.
• If you are not used to eating a high-fiber diet currently, add flax to your diet slowly.  Flax is extremely high in dietary fiber, and if the proper amount of water is not consumed along with the flax, you might find yourself somewhat plugged up later on.
• Consider adding a little flax to the following dishes, substituting out equal amounts of similar ingredients when appropriate:
• Cookies
• Cakes
• Meatloaf
• Smoothies
• Sprinkle on salads
• Meatballs
• Substitute for bread crumbs atop baked mac & cheese
• Sprinkle on ice cream
• The list goes on and on….

Flax can be incorporated into almost anything, so start adding this versatile seed into your diet today…your body will thank you!

I’m writing to kick off a series of posts over the next few weeks talking about Wendel’s Specialty Breads.  The Farm formed a partnership with Wendel’s this year to allow their members to get another high quality staple item delivered in a convenient way!  Wendel’s offers signature breads that are made with all-natural ingredients, rich whole grains, no added fats or refined sugars, and they are also low in calories.

I must admit, I’m not the best person to talk to about loving vegetables.  In that area, I am a work in progress.  In fact, people who know me hardly believe I would be part of a CSA, but we’re all here to grow aren’t we?  (And for the berries, am I right!?)  Talk to me about bread however, and my ears perk up and my mouth waters.

So I’ve committed to sharing with you my experiences ordering breads from Wendel’s and having them delivered with the CSA shares.  I’ll order a different loaf each week and tell you all about them.  The varieties available include Honey Whole Grain, Cranberry Walnut, Cinnamon Raisin, Whole Wheat, Caraway Rye, and Country-Style White.  I will confess right now that the only loaf I wont be ordering is the rye.  I’ve tried to like rye, but I just don’t, so my apologies to you corned beef and hot pastrami lovers out there, you’ll have to try that one on your own.

I’m starting this all off with the most accessible bread there is – Country White.  Note – this is not a signature loaf.  This is good old, squishy, yeasty, delicious white bread, baked and delivered fresh!

The ordering process was really simple.

1) Click the link to Wendel’s on the Partnerships page of The Farm’s website.

2) Click the Login link in the upper right on Wendel’s site and create a new account or log in to your existing account.

3) Read about and add to the cart the bread(s) you want to order, and click to check out.

4) On the first check out screen, select “Depot Pickup” vs. Shipping if given the option, and use the drop down menu to select “Hutchinson, MN: The Farm”

5) Continue with the rest of check out (payment info, confirmation, etc.), and you’re done!

As long as you placed your order by 5 PM on Sunday, your freshly baked bread will arrive with your CSA box on Tuesday!

The bread came with my CSA box this morning, and the verdict is very positive.  The loaf is 6 inches wide and a little over a foot long, and weighs in at about 2 pounds, so it is substantial.  At $4.99/loaf, it’s not inexpensive for a loaf of white bread, but it is really delicious, and the people I’ve let try it keep coming back and taking more!  If you want something far better than Wonder bread, that you don’t have to bake yourself, and that you can get conveniently delivered with your produce, I definitely recommend it!

Next week:  Cranberry Walnut

Wendel’s Specialty Breads

Wow, we have come to our first box for everyone. We have grown again this year with many different business teams allowing us to bring our boxes to their place of work. Welcome to all of you to the 2011 CSA season. For any of you that would like to come and see The Farm, we have an open door policy. I ask that you give Dan a call so he can make room in his schedule to meet with you. Think of this farm as your farm. We have a “meet the team” page on our web site in our about us section. Come and take a look at who is growing your food. Please do check from time to time because so of the team is only here from short periods of time.

New also to our web site is our partnership with Wendel’s breads. This week, we have two members of our family receiving bread with their CSA box. How do I get fresh baked bread? You ask. Luke Johnson at Wendel’s has made a system for us that I think is wonderful. Come to our web site, click on the Wendel’s link on our front page and learn about the breads that are available. Once you find the variety of bread that fits your family and would like a loaf, add it to your cart on Wendel’s site, “The Farm” is your promotion code. At the Depot selection page, Click on The Farm (depots are listed alphabetically and we are in the “H’s” for Hutchinson) as your depot for the bread, we get the bread fresh Tuesday morning to bring with us to add to your box. All orders placed by 5pm Sunday will have their bread baked Monday night for us to get Tuesday. This is a service I am offering to our CSA family. Do not send me the payments. Please pay with your credit card on Wendel’s site. We like the Cinnamon Raison for French toast, the Walnut Cranberry is just great, and good sandwich bread is their wheat choices for us. We have enjoyed the bread for the last year and I thought you may want an option for fresh breads.

Also new this year is our fresh Range Free eggs. For our returning CSA family you can recall us talking about the addition of laying hens. We have eggs now and the response has been so large that I have another batch of chicks growing up now to increase our egg production. Some of the CSA family has purchased eggs each week with their CSA box. Not everyone wants a dozen eggs each week. If you would like to try some of our eggs, please send me an email to get your eggs the next week. NOTE please, if everyone orders eggs one week, we do not have enough hens to meet that demand. I have been asking the hens to lay two eggs each day. They are not listening. I have also been asking the little ones (who are about two months old) to start laying eggs. They too are ignoring me. I will do what I can to get everyone their eggs when they want but we do have our limits.

This season has been challenging because of the weather changes. May is supposed to be the month to get most of the fields planted. We are behind. We decided to continue with this week’s box because we know how much each of you is looking forward to the season starting. The rain has made planting rough. The wind has been another story. You may find in your box some evidence of wind damage, especially on the Collard greens. Our discussion Friday while we were being blasted is that a few burnt edges was not enough to stop the week. We did lose a bed of salad mix because most of the green had their leaves dried out. Dry leaf salad is not my idea of enjoyable. In your box you will find a selection of vegetables unlike we have ever had for our first box in June. This selection is due to the great crew we have this year. Please join me in thanking our crew the next time you get the chance to share with any one here. Some of these first few boxes might be lighter than we hoped but with our heat that is coming around the plants will catch up. This will be a great season.

Please remember that next week when you come to pick up that box, to bring your empty box back. We do reuse the clean boxes and this is a way to keep our landfills open. The recycling people have plenty of other boxes to work with. Please keep an eye on the events tab on the web site. If you want to mark your calendars for July 16th, that is our next open house. This is a formal invitation to come for those of you that may think you are imposing on us to drop in. I am finalizing arrangements with one of our CSA family members, who’s a doctor, to come and talk about health with us that day. Last year this was a fun day and I am looking forward to this year’s July event.

About the Flax seed that you are all getting; I have a friend in Redwood Falls who supplied the Flax. Flax seed is something that I find enjoyable sprinkled onto different things I am eating that meal. Add it to your breakfast hot or cold cereal and get a nice Omega boost in the morning. Add them to your salad for a different toping that I think you will enjoy. Please do share how you found to use your raw flax seed so we can share with the rest of the CSA family. Flax has the most nutritional value eaten as raw seed. I can not wait for the great stories that will be shared.

Well the sun is starting to rise and I better get out to the fields. Thanks again for joining our CSA family. Please have a blessed week. Talk with us about anything that your may be thinking about.

So from our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe

www.thefarmofmn.com

This Week’s Items:

• Turnip Greens

• Collards

• Basil Plants

• Green Lettuce

• Beets

• Flax Seed

ITEM OF THE WEEK – COLLARDS

Collards are a part of the cruciferous-vegetable family, better known as members of the Brassica family, which also include cabbages, turnip greens and mustard greens. The sulfur-containing glycosides in collard are phytonutrients that can be converted into isothiocyanates (ITCs) with cancer-preventing properties. All cruciferous vegetables have long been known to contain glucosinolates, but it has taken recent research to show us exactly how valuable these glucosinolates are in helping to prevent cancer.

This connection between greens and cancer prevention should not be surprising since they provide special nutrient support for three body systems that are closely connected with cancer development as well as cancer prevention. These three systems are (1) the body’s detox system, (2) its antioxidant system, and (3) its inflammatory/anti-inflammatory system. Chronic imbalances in any of these three systems can increase risk of cancer, and when imbalances in all three systems occur simultaneously, the risk of cancer increases significantly. Among all types of cancer, prevention of the following cancer types is most closely associated with intake of turnip greens: bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer.

For over 20 years, we’ve known that phytonutrients work as antioxidants to disarm free radicals before they can damage DNA, cell membranes and fat-containing molecules such as cholesterol. Current research is revealing that phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables, such as collard greens, work at a much deeper level. These compounds actually signal our genes to increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, the cleansing process through which our bodies eliminate harmful compounds. The phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables initiate an intricate dance inside our cells in which gene response elements direct and balance the steps among dozens of detoxification enzyme partners, each performing its own protective role in perfect balance with the other dancers. The natural synergy that results optimizes our cells’ ability to disarm and clear free radicals and toxins, including potential carcinogens, which may be why crucifers appear to lower our risk of cancer more effectively than any other fruit or vegetable.

How many weekly servings of cruciferous vegetables do you need to lower your risk of cancer? Just 3 to 5 servings-less than one serving a day! (1 serving = 1 cup) Now what do you get in that one cup? Take a look…

• Vitamin K – 704 mcg

• Vitamin A – 5945 IU

• Vitamin C – 34.58 mg

• Manganese – 1.07 mg

• Folate – 176.7 mcg

• Calcium – 226 mg

• Dietary Fiber – 5.32 g

• Tryptophan – 0.05 g

• Potassium – 494 mg

• Vitamin B6 – 0.24 mg

• Vitamin B2 – 0.20 mg

• Vitamin E – 1.67 mg

• Magnesium – 32.3 mg

• Protein – 4.01 g

• Omega 3 fatty acids – 0.18 g

• Vitamin B3 – 1.09 mg

• Zinc – 0.80 mg

• Vitamin B1 – 0.08 mg

• Phosphorus – 49.4 mg

• Iron – 0.87 mg

• Vitamin B5 – 0.41 mg

As an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (in the form of alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA), these greens provide us with two hallmark anti-inflammatory nutrients. Vitamin K acts as a direct regulator of our inflammatory response, and ALA is the building block for several of the body’s most widely-used families of anti-inflammatory messaging molecules. So how is this important? Chronic unwanted inflammation can significantly increase our risk of cancers and other chronic diseases – especially cardiovascular diseases. The role of unwanted inflammation in creating problems for our blood vessels and circulation has become increasingly fundamental to an understanding of cardiovascular diseases.

A second area you can count on is that greens help provide cardiovascular support with their cholesterol-lowering ability. When we eat greens, the fiber-related nutrients in this cruciferous vegetable bind together with some of the bile acids in the intestine in such a way that they simply stay inside the intestine and pass out of our body in a bowel movement, rather than getting absorbed along with the fat they have emulsified. When this happens, our liver needs to replace the lost bile acids by drawing upon our existing supply of cholesterol, and as a result, our cholesterol level drops down. Collards and other greens provide us with this cholesterol-lowering benefit whether they are raw or cooked. However, a recent study has shown that the cholesterol-lowering ability of raw greens improves significantly when they are steamed.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

We recommend Healthy Steaming greens for maximum nutrition and flavor. Cut greens into ½-inch slices and let sit for at least 5 minutes to enhance it health-promoting benefits and steam for 5 minutes. Toss with our Mediterranean Dressing. (See below).

Drizzle cooked collard greens with olive oil and lemon juice.

Serve steamed collard greens with black-eyed peas and brown rice for a Southern inspired meal.

Use lightly steamed, cooled and chopped collard greens as a filling in your sushi vegetable rolls.

Healthy sauté collard greens with tofu, garlic and crushed chili peppers for a meal that will definitely add spice to your life.

RECIPES

Steamed Greens

Note: You can use any type of Greens – Mustard, Turnip or Collard Greens.

INGREDIENTS (For 4 Servings):

• greens

• 1 onion

• 4 slices of bacon

• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dice onion and fry bacon in skillet over medium heat. Crumble bacon.
2. Stem greens until tender.
3. Once greens are tender, add onion/bacon mix.
4. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Another way to enjoy this – stems the greens and toss with our Mediterranean Dressing.

Mediterranean Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• sea salt and pepper to taste

Garlic Greens

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds collard greens or turnip greens, boiled or steamed until tender

• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 to 3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 large cloves)

• salt and black pepper, to taste

• hot pepper sauce

Preparation:

1. Drain greens well.
2. In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook garlic in the vegetable oil until it just begins to brown.
3. Add the drained greens; season to taste with salt and pepper then add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.

Serves 4 to 6.

We hope you had a happy, blessed and safe Memorial Weekend.  We have had a great weekend! Dan’s sister and her two boys are joining the family for a couple of weeks.  We are having a wonderful time catching up.

All of the 16,000 strawberry plants are in the ground! So now we move on to the onion transplants.  We are getting more and more of the seedlings in the ground.  Now if the weather would co-operate – some warmer days would be great – the plants would be able to grow at their normal rate.  Because of the cooler weather, most of the plants are behind schedule.  But, if we can have a few more days like today, they will “catch up” quickly.

This has been a very busy week.  We have moved the new laying chicks to their next “home”.  They are out of their “baby” container and are now in what we call their “half-way” house.  They still need to be kept in a warmer environment and are not ready to be outdoors yet.  We will be splitting the meat chick into two containers this week as well.  They are getting to big to be kept in one container.  Most of these meat birds are sold; if you would like to get more information about our range free meat birds, send us a note and we can explain what is available.

So from our home to yours,

Dan & Donna Moe
www.thefarmofmn.com

This Week’s Items:

Beets With Fresh Beet Greens
Micro-greens
Cimarron Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Radishes
Kohlrabi
Green Onions

ITEM OF THE WEEK – BEET & GREENS

Did you know that both beets and Swiss chard are different varieties within the same plant family and their edible leaves share a resemblance in both taste and texture? Although typically a beautiful reddish-purple hue, beets also come in varieties that feature white or golden roots. Beets’ sweet taste reflects their high sugar content, which makes beets an important source for the production of refined sugar. Raw beet roots have a crunchy texture that turns soft and buttery when they are cooked. Beet leaves have a lively, bitter taste similar to chard. The main ingredient in the traditional eastern European soup, borscht, beets are delicious eaten raw, but are more typically cooked or pickled. The greens attached to the beet roots are delicious and can be prepared like spinach or Swiss chard. They are incredibly rich in nutrients, concentrated in vitamins and minerals as well as such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin.

These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrients, concentrated in vitamins and minerals as well as such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin. These compounds help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer.  The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color (betacyanin) is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent.

The liver is the body’s primary detoxification organ where toxic substances are broken down and eliminated, a process that generates a lot of free radicals. Glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase are the bodyguards for liver cells, protecting them from free radical attack, so they can continue to protect us.  Scientists have noted that a diet high in beet fiber can produce an increase in the number of colonic CD8 cells, special immune cells responsible for detecting and eliminating abnormal cells.

Nitrates, commonly used as a chemical preservative in processed meats, form nitrosamines – a cancer-causing compound produced in the stomach.  Beet juice has been found to be a potent inhibitor of the cell mutations caused by these compounds.

In aiding the fight against heart disease, beet fiber increases the protective antioxidant activity in the liver.  This helps lover cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood (the harmful stuff) and helps to increase the HDL (the beneficial cholesterol) level significantly.

Beets contain betaine which helps lessen chronic inflammation. Diets that provide more than 360 mg per day of betaine have, on average 10% lower concentrations of homocysteine; 19% lower concentrations of C-reactive protein; and 12% lower concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha.  Each of these markers of chronic inflammation has been linked to a wide range of conditions including heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s, and type-2 diabetes.

Beets are particularly rich in the B vitamin Folate, which is essential for normal tissue growth. Eating Folate-rich foods is especially important during pregnancy since without adequate Folate, the infant’s spinal column does not develop properly.

Now what about the Beet Greens?  Don’t throw them away! One cup of Beet Greens contains zero Saturated Fat or Cholesterol. They’re a good source of Protein, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a great source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.  In fact, one cup contains 48% of the RDA for Vitamin A and 19% of the RDA for Vitamin C.  Beet greens can be used in place of cooked spinach or as a garnish.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Simply grate raw beets for a delicious and colorful addition to salads or decorative garnish for soups.

Add chunks of beet when roasting vegetables in the oven.

Serving homemade vegetable juice? A quarter of a beet will turn any green drink into a sweet pink concoction, pleasing both the eyes and the taste buds.

Healthy sauté beet greens with other braising greens such as chard and mustard greens.

Marinate steamed beets in fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh herbs.

RECIPES

Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens

INGREDIENTS (For 4 Servings):

• 1 bunch beets with greens
• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.
2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.
3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.

Beets with Onion and Cumin

INGREDIENTS (4 Servings):

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seed
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 medium beets, peeled and quartered
• 2 tomatoes – peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour in oil and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Mix in cumin seed and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and sauté 1 minute more.
2. Stir in beets, tomatoes, water, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover pan with lid, and simmer 30 to 45 minutes, until beets are tender.