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August 9, 2016 
Dear Members, 

     Have you ever thought about canning or freezing tomatoes for winter?  We are offering a great deal with a 20# box of tomatoes for $30. You can choose between early girl and orange blossom.  Laguna Farm will have bulk tomatoes at the farm stand and available online for our members who get their CSA delivered. 
     In addition to bulk tomatoes, we have fresh cabbage perfect for kraut.  Small firm heads of green cabbage and savoy are discounted at 20# for $15.00.  This offer will only last a couple of weeks, so unlike the tomatoes who's season will last throughout September, the time to kraut your cabbage is NOW! Speaking of fermentation, I encourage folks interested in learning to go to the annual Fermentation Festival.  I went last year for the first time and was dazzled by the array of workshops, kitchen tools, books and samples offered. 
     I hope to see everyone at the Gravenstein Apple Fair this weekend.  On Saturday, I will be offering up samples from Laguna Farm in the Artisan Tasting Lounge and will teach a demonstration on how to make apple sauce at 1:00 in the DIY arena.  On Sunday, I'll look for members on the bike trail during the Tour d'Organics bike ride. While this event is sold out, consider joining the fun next year if you haven't done it before.
     Ahhhh,  so much to do and so much beautiful food to celebrate.  The best part about it all is the kids go back to school next week so we can again focus on healthy lunch ideas and family dinners.  

Eat well,
Jennifer Branham-Burns
Produce Box:  
Salad Mix, Beets, Kale, Broccoli, Fresh Onions  and Tomatoes!
Tomato preservation ideas. 
Canning season!
August and September are perfect months to put up tomatoes for the winter.  Here are some ideas on how you can preserve the harvest.  
Canning:  Follow a USDA approved recipe to either make sauce or can stewed tomatoes. I suggest keeping your sauce simple.  You can always add garlic, onions and seasonings to it while you are heating it up in the winter.
Drying: Our juicy tomatoes can be challenging to dry as you need to remove the moisture from the tomatoes in a warm enviornment with enough air circulation so they actually dry rather than cook or bake.  For this, I suggest a dehydrator that can be homemade or purchased.  The method of drying fruits on the car dash-board has been reported as possible, though for me the dehydrator is the way to go!
Freezing:  Zip-lock freezer bags are your best friend when you want to put up lots of tomatoes and sauce in a short amount of time.  Because they will turn soft after freezing, it is best to actually make a tomato sauce or roast your tomatoes before putting them up to freeze.  Add garlic, onions and spices so your sauce is ready to go.  Unlike canning tomatoes, you don't have to worry about the ph before freezing, so this is the time to get creative with your own recipe. 

Remember!  You should always label your food that you are putting up!  Stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and salsa all look the same in a frozen zip-lock bag!

CSA trades and exchanges:  If you pick your produce up at the farm, you will see an exchange basket.  This basket is for you to swap produce on the exchange list.  Please limit your exchanges to what is available in the basket, and pay for the items you take out of the store. This way we ensure there is enough diverse produce in the store for everyone.  Thanks!
Juice Boxes
Cucumber, Carrots, Kale, Berries, Beets, Apples, Fennel.

Fennel, lime and cucumber over ice.

Refreshing for the summer is a trio of fennel, lime and cucumber blended over ice.  Simply juice 1 bulb of fennel, 1 cucumber and 1/2 lime or lemon.  Blend the juice with several cubes of ice to the point where the ice is still chunky.  Pour into a glass and enjoy!

 

While I enjoy the sweetness of fennel blended with tart citrus and savory cucumber, fennel also blends well with sweet carrots and apple.  If you are not sure how much to use, simply juice your apple and carrot first then add fennel to taste.  Once juiced, fennel is much milder than raw. It is refreshing and hydrating.  

Laguna Farm  | (707) 823-0823 | jennifer@lagunafarm.com | www.lagunafarm.com