Winter CSA: Week 16

Some days on the farm it feels like spring is just around the corner. Other days it does not. So I've been hedging the bets, starting a few seeds indoors as well as directly in the hoophouses. We'll see which are ready first. As for this week...



Sweet spinach



Arugula



Collards



Claytonia



Carrots

Winter CSA: Week 15

Well we are back at it and the baby greens look pretty good. One thing about the below average cold temperatures we've been experiencing this year, they have made some of the greens like the spinach, plus the carrots, super, super sweet.



Big bag of baby spinach



Baby arugula



Baby kale



Claytonia



Sweet carrots



A sweet potato or two (definitely the last of these)



Like the bag says... Dried onion and pepper.






And the last of Brines Farm frozen tomatoes for most or a jar of our tomatoes in paste/ketchup form for the rest.

Enjoy!

Real Time Farms re-launched!

I was admiring the aesthetics of the new RealTimeFarms.com website when a background slideshow photo caught my eye. I just thought it looked nice and wondered who else was planting greens so tightly... lo and behold it turns out to be a photo from Brines Farm. Now I guess I shouldn't be surprised, for Karl and Cara Rosaen are fantastic people (and Winter CSA shareholders) who I met when they moved back to Michigan with the idea of starting a really special online space to help people know where their food comes from. But the crispness and coolness of the website - I think some might say the "wow" factor - is so national you can see why I was still taken aback to realize my greens were on the front page. Anyway, the website really is spreading national with farmers markets from all over already added and with restaurants soon to be added in New York, Washington, and California, in addition to the generous helping of Michigan already. And why wouldn't it? There is something here for everyone. Even eaters. In fact, especially eaters. They can help market the farmers and restaurants (using local food) they love by adding photos, data, comments, and more. So head on over to RealTimeFarms.com and give it a whirl. Then let that local restaurant you are fond of (the one that sources some things locally) know that they should consider getting exposure on RealTimeFarms.

"Changing the Way We Eat" viewing party

Slow Food Huron Valley partnered with the Ross Net Impact and Sustainable Ag Working Group at UofM are all hosting an official viewing party of the TEDx Manhattan "Changing the Way We Eat" event tomorrow in Room 1220 of the Ross Business School (enter off of Tappan). See our TEDx Manhattan Meetup page here and more details about the daylong lineup here. While I'll be farming much of the day I hope to catch part of it. Thanks to all who helped make this happen!

Winter CSA: Week 14

Hmm. We realize it is winter (and frankly quite a beautiful one in terms of snow) but it has been a bit below average in terms of clouds and temperatures (at least below average with respect to the winters since 2005 when I started with hoophouses). And actually the forecast for this coming week looks to be one of the worse this winter. Consequently we will postpone the Sat. Feb. 12 pickup a week, extending into May a week (feel free to contact me if that doesn't work for you). Anyway on with the week at hand:



Winter salad mix with the emphasis on winter.



Mustard greens



Baby red Russian kale and collards (one thing that can be said about the cold temperatures is that they have drawn out about as high of a sugar level in these greens you will ever taste).



Last of the onion



For the first time this winter, carrots!! Like the greens, super high sugar content right now.



Hakurei turnips, although somewhat soup or stew grade.



And the last of our dried hot peppers.