Week 7                                                      Geauga County, Ohio                                                   July 19, 2016

The Fair Share     

What's cropping up!
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"Looking back, there is nothing wrong with that peace, love and equality that the hippies espoused.
In many ways, we have regressed because they were into organic food, back to nature, make love not war, be good to all men, share and share alike -
which is what many are talking about now."
~ Imelda Staunton




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Support
Welcome to Week 7 of the Geauga Family Farms Summer 2016 season. As the news fills with stories of disharmony, anger and violence, we want to provide an activity that brings us all closer together, despite our personal differences. Let Geauga Family Farms provide a bright spot of community and civility to your week. We can all agree on a desire for healthy and delicious food for our families, and we think that's a great place to start. Our hope is that this food does more than nourish your body - we hope your experience with our community supported agriculture program nourishes your soul as well. Let's use this as a starting point for supporting one another through our similarities and our differences.

With this in mind, we are really excited about the planning underway for our upcoming farm visit Wednesday evening, July 27. The farm families have been talking about ways we can share our traditions with our members. We recognize that while some people enjoy walking through the farm fields and learning about our techniques, it's not for everyone. To make this a memorable evening, we are planning some traditional Amish games, activities and treats to share with our friends. See details below for more information on this very special farm experience.

Finally, I wanted to personally thank you for your patience these last few weeks. It has been a bit of a technical nightmare. Over the span of a few days, my computer died and all of my e-mail history prior to July was hacked and deleted. I sincerely apologize for taking longer than usual to get back to you, or not getting back to you at all if I lost your note. I am working hard to get back to normal with a new machine, and am nearly there. Many thanks to Laura and Rachel for stepping in and helping to minimize the impact of this on our operations and member experience. 

Thanks for your support in ways both large and small. We couldn't ask for a better community of members.

Warmly,
Michelle Bandy-Zalatoris
~ with Laura Dobson, Rachel Machesky and the farmers of Geauga Family Farms
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In this week's shares
Look for some of these items in your share this week.

Lettuce (red leaf, green leaf, Romaine), kale (Lacinato, Winterbore, Red Russian), Swiss chard, Swiss chard, green beans, sweet corn, pickling cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, parsley, basil, dill, garlic, sweet onions, bunching onions, beets, kohlrabi, cabbage, tomatoes (regular, heirloom, yellow, cherry) and blueberries.

NOTE: Y ou will not receive all of the types of produce listed above. This is a list of possible items. Different size shares and shares received at different times of the week may include different items.
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Now in our farm store
Want to add some favorites to your weekly share or make a giant batch of your grandmother's famous strawberry jam? Look for quantities of these items, small and large, in our farm store. Look for more items as we progress through the season. 

Sweet corn - $6/dozen or 50 cents each
Dill - $2.50/bunch 
Canning beets - $10/half bushel (imperfect)
Yellow squash - $24/half bushel
Cucumbers - $30/half bushel
Bunching onions - $1.50/bunch
Sweet onions - $1.75 each
Green beans - $40/bushel, $20/half bushel, $12/peck
Kohlrabi - $2.50/a bunch
Rhubarb - $3.50/a pound
Garlic scapes - $1.50 each
Swiss chard - $2.50 a bunch
Red Russian or Winterbore kale - $2.50 a bunch
Green leaf, red leaf or Romaine lettuce - $2 a head
Green cabbage - $2 a 2-3 pound head
Yellow squash - $1 each
Cauliflower - $4 each
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Farm visit
Please make plans to join us Wednesday, July 27 at the farm of Andy and Laura Miller for a very special farm visit. Feel free to bring a picnic to enjoy on the lawn or grab dinner on the way. We will have some snacks and treats, but not a full meal. There will be tours, games, wagon rides, cornhole competitions, ice cream churning and more. Traditional Amish treats will be available for sale, as well as grass-fed beef, organic eggs and produce.

Please remember to bring bug spray and sturdy shoes. You might also want to bring a cooler for your purchases.

The farm visit will run from 6 - 9 p.m. You are welcome to show up any time. The Miller's address is 17201 Bundysburg Road in Middlefield. Find a link to a map, here. We ask that our members reserve free tickets for this event so we will know how many to expect. Find a link to our farm store here.

We hope to see you on the evening of the 27 th !
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REMINDER: No deliveries downtown during convention week
We just want to provide one more reminder that there will not be deliveries downtown this week, due to security and access issues for the convention. Members who pick up their shares at downtown locations have been contacted to let us know when they would like to receive a make-up share. Please let us know by July 31, or we will choose a make-up date for you. 

Thank you!
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Cook-out special
We are having a mid-summer sale on our delicious grass-fed beef! Fill your grill with one-pound packages of ground beef for $6 each. It's a great time to stock up. This special sale pricing will be available on deliveries with your share and at our farm visit event. Find a link to our farm store, here.
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Recipes
We include recipes each week using the items in your share. While our in-house chefs Rachel and Michelle always have great recipes to share, we'd love for you to send us your favorite recipes as well. We will include them in the next newsletter. Please e-mail them to LDobson@geaugafamilyfarms.org.

"We have been having fun experimenting with new ways of using our vegetables, as well as revisiting old classics."                                     ~ Michelle Bandy Zalatoris
 
Grilled Gruyere and Zucchini Sandwiches
1 packed cup basil leaves
1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. hot smoked paprika
3 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Salt
1 8-ounce zucchini, cut into 4 lengthwise slices
4 English muffins, preferably Bays split
4 ounces Gruyère or Appenzeller cheese, cut into 8 thin slices

In a mini food processor, combine the basil, garlic and paprika and process until finely chopped. With the machine on, gradually pour in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil until blended. Season the pesto with salt.
Light a grill. Brush the zucchini slices with olive oil and season with salt. Grill over high heat until nicely charred and just tender, about 2 minutes per side. Cut each zucchini slice in half crosswise. 
Grill the English muffins, cut side down, over low heat, until just soft, about 30 seconds. Turn and grill until the muffins start to brown, about 1 minute. Spread the cut sides of the muffins with the pesto. Layer 1 slice of cheese, 2 zucchini pieces and 1 more slice of cheese on the bottom halves of each muffin. Close the sandwiches and brush the tops and bottoms with olive oil. Grill the sandwiches over low heat, turning, until they're crisp on the outside and the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes total. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve right away.
Recipe from Food and Wine

Green Bean Blue Cheese Salad
1 pound fresh green beans, cut into 2
inch pieces
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
4 Tbsps. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Allow to cool.  In a medium bowl, combine beans, onion, blue cheese and pecans. Stir in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Last week's tomatoes lent themselves perfectly to this simple sandwich.

Open-Faced Tomato Sandwiches
¼" - ½" thick slices of tomato
1 onion bagel, sliced in half and toasted
Cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Slather cream cheese on each of the bagel halves. Place a slice of tomato on top. Season with salt and pepper. 
Recipe from Michelle Bandy Zalatoris
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Area events
Women's Self-Defense Class
Ladies, join our partner Family Karate for a Women's Self-Defense class beginning Wednesday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. and running four weeks until Aug. 3. Cost is $49/person. This class will include information on ways to survive in active shooter scenarios. To register, call 440-255-7300.
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Local food, farming, environment in the news
We have so many things we'd like to share with you regarding the local food movement and things like the farm bill, the latest news on GMO foods, and much, much more, but we don't want to make our newsletter any longer. Until we get our blog up and running on our website, we are going to include links to articles that you may find interesting. Here are a couple. If you run across any articles you think would be of interest to our members, feel free to send us the link for inclusion here.
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CONTACT US
(Between the regular business hours of 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday ONLY PLEASE!)
 
Farm Representatives

Laura Dobson, 440-478-9849, LDobson@GeaugaFamilyFarms.org
Rachel Machesky216-246-8254, RMachesky@GeaugaFamilyFarms.org
Michelle Bandy-Zalatoris , 216-321-7109, MichelleBZ@GeaugaFamilyFarms.org

Geauga Family Farms, Middlefield, Ohio 44062