Week 5                       Geauga Family Farms CSA                     July 4, 2017             

The Fair Share     

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According to an old farming adage,
the 
Fourth of July isn't just our nation's birthday,
it's also an important benchmark for your 
corn crop.
If all's going well, it should be
"knee-high by the Fourth of July."

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Learning to cook CSA veggies
Welcome to Week 5 of the CSA season. As we get further into the season, we are seeing a wider variety of veggies in our shares, some familiar and some that are maybe not quite as familiar. Some members, especially first-time members, struggle with how to cook, and even with identifying, these more unfamiliar items.

New CSA cooking tool: Cooking classes
This year, we have a new tool to help out members, both new and returning: CSA cooking classes at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking in Chesterland. 
 Anyone can participate in a CSA cooking class at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking.

First class a hit!
The first CSA cooking class was held last Friday and was sold out! Students learned  how to handle the items in their share and were shown several options of what to do with each veggie. The class members also learned basics such as selecting a knife, caring for it, simple knife skills and the importance of a good cutting board.

Delicious recipes included
Chef Kate Csepegi comes up with original recipes using CSA ingredients, such as Fried Beet Salad with Cucumber and Blue Cheese Dressing, Yukon Gold & Kohlrabi Bake and Honey-Balsamic Cabbage Steaks. Each week's class will feature new and different recipes.

Membership not required
And, you don't have to be a member to participate. But membership does have its privileges; members pay $20 less because non-members pay for and receive a full share for that week.

Former member? Get a CSA fix
Are you a former member who couldn't sign up this season for one reason or another, but are desperately missing receiving a share each week? Sign up for a class and get a CSA fix along with the class.

Have you always wanted to try a CSA, but aren't quite ready to commit?
Taking a CSA cooking class is a great way to try out CSA membership. You will receive a full week's share when you sign up for the class. See what you're missing and what could be yours with membership.

Sign up now for future classes
The next class will be held July 28, so click here to sign up now. Monthly classes run each month through the end of the Summer CSA season.

Click here to sign up for a future class. Or two! Or even better, sign up for every one of them. See below for more photos from the first class of the season.

Warmly,
Laura Dalheim
~ with Rachel Machesky and the farmers and families 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), kohlrabi, beets, kale (Lacinato, Winterbore, Red Russian), cabbage, green garlic, garlic scapes, cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, Swiss chard, bunching onions, chives, yellow squash and sweet onions.

NOTE: You 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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Reminder: No deliveries today
There will be no deliveries today, July 4. I f you have not selected a date for your make-up share,  you may schedule it for any time during the remainder of the season. 

Remember, like vacation holds, you will need to schedule it no later than the Sunday of the full week before the week you would like to receive it. 
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Now available in our farm store
Want to add some favorites to your weekly share or preserve a bunch of your favorite veggies to eat all winter? Look for quantities of these items, small and large, in our farm store. Look for more items as we progress through the season. 

Lettuce 
- $2.50/head
Kohlrabi - $3/bunch
Beets - $3/bunch
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Vacation holds - important scheduling info
It has come to our attention that our members are experiencing difficulties scheduling vacation holds. As you know, we have new software this season. It requires you to schedule your vacation hold the Sunday of the full week prior to the week you want to place your share on hold.

For example, if you are going on vacation July 12 and your pick-up day is on Thursdays, it falls during the week of July 9. That means you will need to place your hold no later than Sunday, July 2.

Please be sure to place your vacation hold in time. As always, if you miss scheduling your hold, you may send someone to pick it up for you; otherwise, it will be donated to a food pantry or family in need.
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Pastured chicken for sale at some pick-up sites
Have you been looking for quality pastured chicken? Premium Pastured Meats is a small family farm near Alliance. Premium Pastured Meats' mission is to provide the local community with good wholesome meats. Owner Seth Sharp raises his meats to the highest standard to provide the highest quality. The farm is pasture-based and makes all of its feed on farm with organic and non-GMO ingredients. Seth will have boneless skinless breasts, boneless skinless thighs, Italian chicken sausage and whole birds. 

Seth will be selling his chicken during pick-up times this Saturday from approximately 8 - 8:30 at St. Paul's in Cleveland Heights, approximately 9 - 9:30 a.m. at St. Noel Church in Willoughby Hills and from approximately 9:45 - 10:30  a.m. at Hill's Family Karate in Mentor.

Some of you may already be familiar with the farm - many of you received your Thanksgiving turkeys from Seth last year. Learn more about Premium Pastured Meats here.
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Recipes
We include recipes each week using the items in your share. While we always find 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 LDalheim@geaugafamilyfarms.org

Members Bill and Sharon Howser sent in this recipe for cabbage. 
They wrote, "Here is a recipe I would like to share. So simple but very tasty! We are having a great time finding ways to use our share!" ~  Bill and Sharon Howser

Irish Pork and Cabbage
1 pound ground pork
1/2 head of green cabbage shredded
4 thinly sliced or spiralized carrots
1 large diced onion (about 1/4" pieces)
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
Cook onions and carrots in skillet until somewhat soft (about 5 minutes)
Add salt, turmeric, cabbage and pork.
Cook until pork and cabbage are done (about 15 minutes)

PF Chang-esque Lettuce Wraps
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbsps. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp. Sriracha, optional
1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 head lettuce
Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Brown ground chicken, crumbling the chicken as it cooks, about 3-5 minutes; drain excess fat.
Stir in onion and cook until onions have become translucent. Sauté garlic then add hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha and cook about 1-2 minutes longer.
Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.
Recipe adapted from a recipe on DamnDelicious.com

Zucchini Pancakes 
4 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsps. olive oil
4 tsps. baking powder 1/4 cup butter, melted.
Preheat grill to 425 to 450 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, add shredded zucchini and mix well using a fork. Add flour, sugar, salt and vegetable oil and stir to blend well. Finally, add baking powder and mix well using a large spoon. The batter's consistency should be like heavy whipping cream. Spoon batter on hot grill (about 2 tablespoons) for each pancake. Cook until there are no longer bubbles forming in the pancake about 2 minutes; turn over and cook for 2 minutes longer. Rub pancakes with melted butter and serve immediately.
Recipe from AllRecipes.com 
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It's never too late to sign up for the remainder of the season
We introduced this last year, but remember, you can sign up anytime during the season. Taking a summer vacation in early June and want to wait until mid-June to sign up? No problem! The price of your share will be pro-rated to charge you only for the remaining weeks in the program.

Click here to sign up now.
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Area Events

CSA Cooking Classes
July 28, 6 p.m.
Loretta Paganini School of Cooking,  8613 Mayfield Road, Chesterland
Cost: $45 for members, $65 for non-members (The extra $20 covers the cost of a week's share, which is sent home with the student.)
Using products delivered straight from Geauga Family Farms Community Supported Agriculture bags, attendees will prepare and take home the week's share for several wholesome and delicious dishes. Chef Kate will lead the group in all aspects of preparation, packaging, will offer tips on handling and storage, and demonstrate how to make three dishes as she prepares a tasty meal for the group. One of the Farmers will also be at each class to answer questions. If you've ever been stumped by how to use the surprise items in your CSA, this is the place to find inspiration!
There will be additional classes each month. Visit lpscinc.com for more information.

To sign up for the classes, click here.

Farm-to-Table Dinner at Sapore
Aug. 23, 6 p.m.
Sapore Restaurant, 8623 Mayfield Road, Chesterland
Join Chef Loretta Paganini and Geauga Family Farms as they join together for a farm-to-table dinner. The dinner will feature Chef Loretta's excellent cuisine fashioned from Geauga Family Farms' finest produce and meats.
Menu: Goat Cheese Stuffed Sweet Peppers; Cheddar Corn Chowder with Crispy Bacon Chips; Summer Mixed Melon Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette; Pan-Seared Walleye with Fresh Vegetable Ratatouille; Grilled Beef with Tomato Balsamic Steak Sauce, Heirloom Potato Salad; Peach & Blackberry Cobbler with Honey Gelato

Click here for reservations.
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Cooking class highlights
The first CSA cooking class at LPSC was a huge success! It's not too late to sign up for the remaining classes. There will be a class the last Friday of every month through October. The next class is July 28.

 
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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, what is affecting the food you eat and the world around us, and much, much more, but we don't want to make our newsletter any longer. So, we include links to articles you may find interesting. Here are a few. If you run across any articles you find interesting and think other members would be interested in reading, feel free to send us the link for inclusion in an upcoming newsletter.
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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 Dalheim, 440-478-9849, LDalheim@GeaugaFamilyFarms.org
Rachel Machesky216-246-8254, RMachesky@GeaugaFamilyFarms.org 

Geauga Family Farms, Middlefield, Ohio 44062