Winter CSA: Week 25

Congratulations to some of out shareholders who are graduating from graduate school! Best wishes.

Alright, enjoy this week's share everyone:



Spring salad mix



D'avignon radishes



Baby red pac choi



Spinach



Swiss chard (mixed varieties)



Kale



Claytonia

Average Daily Calories Per Capita infographic

The infographic at this web story "Where Do Americans Get Their Calories? (Infographic)" is quite interesting, particularly seeing how the calories from food groups has or hasn't changed over the last 40 years. Guess how many of the 2673 average daily calories for an American come from fruits and vegetables?

Eat Hyper Local with a Front Yard Garden

I've been brainstorming how to team up with and increase AnnArbor350.org 's campaign to encourage folks to build front yard gardens. Why in the front yard? Many reasons really including usually that part of peoples yards are under-utilized as well as the super important fact that you will overtly show the world your garden (and subtly encourage the world to make a garden as well)! Here is an nice write up "Want to Eat Local and Reduce Carbon Pollution? Start a Front Yard Food Garden" and accompanying video:


So go to it! I'll be happy to give growing tips. Once you make your front yard garden you can register it with AnnArbor350.org and you can choose to show up on the following map:

View Washtenaw County 350 Garden Challenge in a larger map

Winter CSA: Week 24

Spring starting to feel official.



Spring salad mix



D'avignon radishes (great on top of the salad, greens and all)



Claytonia



Spinach (mostly Bordeaux type)



Red giant mustard greens



Collards



Arugula

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day with some earth photos.

Winter CSA: Week 23

Things are picking up in the farm (i.e. Nearly a full week of sun!). So a big week:



Big bag o spinach



Arugula



The claytonia marches on (now lilypad like leaves with edible flower forming)



Spring salad mix including heirloom lettuce, minutina, claytonia, beet greens, along with spinach and a few mustard greens.



Radishes - d'avignon variety, one of my favorites (be sure to put the greens in your salad)



Kale and chard (sorry they ended up in the same bag, you may want to separate)






And in the knotted bag you will find cress. This is the same presto variety we had leaves of earlier, just very mature at this point. Eat just the leaves (taste with caution!) and/or include the stalky stem in brewing soups or stews (you can always skip eating the stem)

Winter CSA: Week 22

Oops, sorry this was late getting posted...



Claytonia



Spinach



Arugula



Red giant mustard greens



Kale

What's On My Food?

I found this interesting (and a bit troublesome) online application - What's On My Food - that details pesticides this group found on food. To be clear;-) this application is great not for figuring out what is on your foods from Brines Farm (because I can tell you that) but great for figuring out what comes on your foods (on average) from elsewhere (conventional farms, supermarkets, restaurants, etc.). I can say that with full confidence since in the history of Brines Farm we have only ever used a limited amount of a certified organic dust that goes after worms during summer months... and we only have used that during nasty outbreaks of cabbage worms/loopers or tomato worms. Additionally we are located miles from other farms and users of pesticides.

Anyway, peruse this application. If anything it should give you some feel for which produce and veggies should be washed as well as a feel for the differences between "mass-produced organic" and conventional. Particularly, it is a bit startling how much pesticide residue is actually showing up on the USDA Organic veggies/produce this group sampled. Albeit certainly is less than conventional. But I'll save a discussion of what's allowed with USDA Organic for another time.

FoolMoon

If you weren't able to make it down to FoolMoon in downtown Ann Arbor on April Fool's Day, check out these photos.

Winter CSA: Week 21

Five more pickups remaining with the last one being Saturday, May 7th. This week s bit of lettuce returns.



Spring salad including some lettuce, spinach, claytonia, minutina, beet greens, and more.



Arugula



Claytonia



Spinach (aesthetically not the greatest but same sweet springtime taste)



Brassica mix (mostly collards but some pac choi, vitamin green, etc as well)



The very last of the sweet overwintered carrots. Enjoy.