Farm Fresh Newsletter, August 27, 2011

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for the late email.  I'll be at Farmers Market tomorrow morning from 7:30-11 if you want to buy some veggies there, or you can always schedule a farm pickup at your convenience, just email wishfulacres@gmail.com or call me at 815-990-2380.

Have you checked out our Fall CSA  (shareholder program with weekly home delivery of vegetables, eggs, etc)?  It begins September 23 and runs through November 25 (10 weeks).  More info here on the web: http://wishfulacres.blogspot.com/2011/07/csa-community-supported-agriculture.html .  This is a great value for your money, and it includes delivery to your home, work, or business.

Save the date!  Our Farm Open House is Monday, September 5 from 2-4 pm (Labor Day).   If you need to contact me for directions, you can email wishfulacres@gmail.com .

Our tomatoes are now available in bulk, and we're still doing cukes & squash in bulk, too.  Tomatoes are super easy to can, but did you know they can also be frozen?  To freeze, simply toss them whole into a gallon ziplock bag.  Then lay in the freezer.  That's it!  You can pull them out all winter to toss into the crockpot, soup pot, or casserole.  We sell bulk by the half-bushel, prices:

• Tomatoes - 1/2 bushel grade A - $25 (this is about 25-26 pounds of tomatoes, a 50% savings off normal price)
• Cucumbers - 1/2 bushel - $10
• Squash - 1/2 bushel - $10

Speaking of cost, I was recently in 2 local grocery stores and checked out their produce prices.  I saw some old-looking summer squash (let's face it, anything in the grocery store is at least a week or two old before it even gets put out) and at Aldi it cost $1.89 for a 3-pack.  At Sullivan's, it was $1.69 per pound.  I weighed the Sullivan's not-so-fresh summer squash, and 2 of them weighed 1.25 pounds.  So... that summer squash (zucchini, yellow, etc) cost over 90 cents each.  At Aldi, it cost over 60 cents each.  This is for non-organic. For weeks now, my squash at market has been priced at 50 cents each for the same size as those at the store (the gigantic squash the size of an arm and weighing 5 plus pounds cost $1 at my stand or farm).  So, you can buy organic, super-fresh, locally-grown produce for cheaper than the chemical-coated, old, shipped-in vegetables.  I didn't check all vegetables, but noticed their cucumbers were also higher.  So I need to ask... why buy the old, shipped in, non-organic vegetables when you can have super fresh, organic, vegetables that actually taste so much better, support a local farmer, keep our local money in the local economy ...  and spend less money doing it?

Now available at farmers market or farm pickup:

-Tomatoes - Ripe red tomatoes as well as heirlooms of various colors.  $2 / pd. (or buy in bulk for $1 / pd, 1/2 bushel or more)

-Cherry & Pear Tomatoes - beautiful colors, a rainbow all mixed together.  $3 per box

-Green Beans (Italian Flat) & Yellow Wax Beans - $2 pd

-Radishes - $1 per bunch (the mild variety called French Breakfast)

-Hot Peppers - Green chili & jalapeno.  $1 per bag

-Squash - for this week's minestrone recipe or the recipe of your choice. 50 cents small, 1.00 large.

-Basil.  .$1 bag

-Cucumbers - .50 cents each or save even more buying in bulk, $10 per half bushel.


And here are some recipe ideas for all those delicious organic veggies! 

Minestrone Soup (farm favorite)
-2 quarts beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
-1 cup chopped summer squash
-1 cup green beans, stemmed & cut in half
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-4 tomatoes, chopped
-1 sweet pepper, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 jar marinara sauce (use your favorite type of spaghetti sauce)
-1 cup dry pasta (we prefer whole wheat)
-2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
-salt and pepper
-parmesan or romano cheese, optional, for topping each bowl of soup.

This is so easy.  Heat broth to a boil, toss in all the chopped veggies.  Allow to simmer for 15-30 minutes or so.  Then add in the pasta & marinara sauce and allow to simmer on low until pasta is cooked through.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  The basil can be added chopped fresh on each bowl with the cheese (or added at the beginning with all the vegetables, your choice).
You can play around with this recipe, add more of this, less of that, it's very easy to make your own!



Farm Fresh Veggies Salad
-1 bag salad mix
-1 bunch radishes, chopped (if you like the taste of the radish greens, you can use these too!)
-1 cucumber, sliced
-1 small summer squash, chopped
-1 small sweet onion, chopped
-1 small sweet green pepper, chopped

Toss all together, serve with your favorite dressing.

Thanks, everyone!  Hope to see you soon.

Penny Peterson
Wishful Acres Farm
http://wishfulacres.blogspot.com