I interrupt your veggie news to bring this urgent message. Reproductive rights in Michigan are currently protected only by a temporary injunction. If you want to secure women's reproductive rights, please sign a petition to put an amendment on the ballot this fall.

You can sign a petition this Saturday at Eastern Market or the Royal Oak Farmers' Market. You can also search for a place to sign the petition here: https://www.mobilize.us/mireprofreedom/?event_type=22&show_all_events=true
Use the filters to find a location and time that work for you.

Please don't wait and keep in mind, this is an in person petition only. The deadline to acquire 425,059 signatures from registered voters is July 11th. If you realize how important reproductive rights and freedom are, please take action.

Here is more information about what signing this petition will do. https://mireproductivefreedom.org/learn-more/
Here is more information from PBS about the ballot initiative. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/a-ballot-initiative-in-michigan-could-let-voters-choose-whether-abortion-is-a-protected-right
 
 
In this email:

• Generally important notes
  • Farm Members, if you haven't checked out our new membership agreement please see a copy here. If this works for you, please send me an email saying so. If it doesn't, please let me know and we will sort it out. Thank you!
  • Stockbridge Members: Look for the email from a couple weeks ago. Please email me with any questions or thoughts.
  • Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
  • Please find a location to sign the Reproductive Freedom for All initiative: https://www.mobilize.us/mireprofreedom/?event_type=22&show_all_events=true
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe: Fennel Top Pesto. Holy $m@ke$! It is delicious.
• Market Details
• Tales from the Farm!​

Fresh From the Field- 
Greens:
Chard
Kale
Pea shoots

All Manner of Deliciousness
Baby Green Garlic
Cucumbers
Baby Fennel
Garlic Scapes
Kohlrabi 
Snap Peas
Radishes
Sweet turnips- limited
Summer Squash!

Herbs (If we have time)
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme

Coming soon:
Basil
Beets
Carrots
Parsley
Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe: Fennel Top Pesto
I tried making this for the first time last week and it was INSANELY delicious. 

I got the perfect amount of tops for the recipe from one bunch. I then braised the bulbs in white wine. All in all, it was a delicious day that if you saw me Saturday, you probably heard about. 
 
From: Whole Food Bellies
If you have ever wondered just what to do with those fennel fronds, fennel leaves, fennel tops or fennel greens once you have used up the bulb, then this lush Fennel Fronds Pesto is for you. Just a handful of ingredients and you have a completely delicious and freezer friendly pesto to use wherever you would use a normal pesto.
Ingredients

• 1 cup toasted walnuts (could skip the toasting if you're in a hurry but it takes very little time and really gourmets the whole situation.)
• 3 cups loosely packed fennel fronds
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup olive oil (plus extra)

Directions

• Toast the walnuts over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until they start to turn a nice golden brown color. Set aside to cool.
• Add the walnuts, fennel fronds, lemon juice, garlic and salt to a food processor. Add in half of the olive oil and pulse or blend until incorporated. Continue blending while slowly pouring in the rest of the olive oil and desired consistency is reached (you may need to add in a little more olive oil or water 1 teaspoon at a time if you prefer it thinner)
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze for later use

Market Details: We are at market this week
 
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Helen and Tyler and radish aficionado Wiley! 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)

Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Nicole! 6 am to 2:30 pmRoyal Oak, Saturday with Jim and special guest Hannah! 7 am to 1 pm

​Tales from the Farm:
Thank goodness for machines. I got a chance to do a lot of cultivation yesterday and today. For us this generally means wrecking weeds with tractor attachments. Every time I'm on the tractor doing this task, I am grateful it is the metal being worn down instead of my body.

Many farmers understandably use plastic as a weed barrier. They put it down at the beginning of the year and plant into it. It warms the soil and keeps weeds down. At the growing season's end, the plastic comes up. There is a similar biodegradable mulch on the market but it is not allowed in organic production yet. 

We do not use single use plastic in our fields. I can't convince myself to make it a practice. We have have tried a lot of methods and many a method needs perfection by us. We use reusable ground cloth. It is a lot of work and is still plastic but at least it isn't getting thrown out every year?

Weed management is a whole division of labor on a farm. Weeds are tenacious. They grow quickly, compete effectively, and produce an almost unimaginable number of seeds that remain viable in the years to come. When I first started farming I thought that i would manage my fields so the weed population would decline to negligible numbers. (Thought or hoped?) That would mean not letting weeds go to seed and working to bring weeds seeds up, germinate them, and then kill them. This would reduce the weed seed bank. We try to do all these things and some fields have been managed better than others but now my goal is management and reduction, rather than elimination.

The cultivating tractors let us manage more land than we could by hand. Any weed disturbed by the tractor is one we don't have to manually remove with our hands. 

Sign the petition to keep our reproductive rights in place. 

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley, Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)

Happy solstice indeed! The lightening bugs are sparkling in the trees, the days are long, and (most) of the nights are cool. The plants are using all that sunlight to power their systems. The market table will show it.
 
In this email:

• ​Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe
• Market Details
• Tales from the Farm!

Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!
Greens:
Chard
Head lettuce
Kale
Pea shoots- Back next week

All Manner of Deliciousness
Baby Green Garlic
Cucumbers
Baby Fennel (New this week!)
Kohlrabi 
Snap Peas
Radishes
Sweet turnips
Summer Squash!

Herbs (If we have time)
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme

Coming soon:
Basil
Beets
Carrots
Parsley
Cherry Tomatoes!
 
Recipe: Steamed Kale

Not to be overlooked, steamed kale is delicious. It is a fast and easy way to tenderize kale. After it is steamed, it can be used for a variety of things or seasoned and eaten as is. I also considered steaming large leaves and using them to wrap some delicious filling. 

This recipe calls for using a steamer but note that you can also steam kale in the microwave, in a pan with water on the bottom, or in an instant pot. Just a few nights back I cooked rice in the instant pot and added two bunches of kale (destemmed) before I closed it up. Just 6 minutes in there did the trick with no extra work.
 
From: Rouxbe

Ingredients:
• pinch sea salt
• 1 bunch kale, cleaned
• squeeze of lemon or citrus of your choice
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• sea salt, to taste

Directions:
Set up a steamer. Fill with one inch of water and place over medium-high heat. Refer to the lessons on Steaming for more information, if necessary.
To prepare the kale, remove the leaves from the stem. Tear into bite size pieces. Wash thoroughly in cold water and spin dry.

Place the kale into the steamer basket. Place the basket over the simmering water. Cover with a lid and let steam until tender and cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure to toss the kale half way through to ensure even cooking.

Once the kale is done to your liking, use tongs to remove it from the steamer basket. Shake the excess water off of the kale before transferring it to a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon or your choice of citrus over the kale and toss well.
Lastly, taste the kale for seasoning and serve immediately.

Market Details: We are at market this week
 
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Helen and Tyler and radish aficionado Wiley! 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)

Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Nicole! 6 am to 2:30 pmRoyal Oak, Saturday with Jim and Lisa! 7 am to 1 pm

​Tales from the Farm:
The yearly peak of daylight and yet summer has just begun, how is this possible? I was going to compare it to a hang glider that is launched and then glides back to the earth's surface. Before I did, I read about hang gliders to make sure it was a reasonable comparison and realized they are super cool! Maybe we can all carry on like turkey vultures in the sky. They are not the best comparison because modern hang gliders are able to manage updraft and stay in the air for longer than ever, even ascending further after launch! Old-fashioned ones that only go down? That's more comparable. The energy went into the launch, and even though reunification with the baseline is eminent, the ride is still ahead.

We are weeding and prepping, irrigation for sure, and harvest demands are picking up. Did you know for optimal ripeness, snap peas, summer squash (zucchini included), cucumbers, and tomatoes prefer to be harvested every other day? In order to get a touch of breathing room in high summer, we harvest these crops 2-3 times per week. We "go hard" on the harvest Fridays, which often leads to delectable young fruit for squash, cukes, and peas, and to fruit that will last a bit longer on the counter for tomatoes. 

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)

Ahoy!
​
​We're on a weather roller coaster. Wednesday was a peak! Hot. We ended just a touch early (at 5) and went to the lake. 
The plants don't like it this hot either. 
 
In this email:

• Generally important notes
  • Farm Members, if you haven't read and responded to the email we sent out about changing membership rules
    • You can find your most up to date balance in that email. You can use the subject line to search for it in your inbox: "LDF News: Farm Membership Update PLEASE READ AND RESPOND!"
    • If you have questions or the arrangement proposed in that email doesn't work for you, please let us know that too. Let's work together!
    • If you can't find the email, let me know and I will forward a copy to you.
  • Stockbridge Members: Look for the email from a couple weeks ago. Please email me with any questions or thoughts.
  • Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe
• Market Details
• Tales from the Farm!

Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!

Greens:
Chard
Head lettuce
Kale
Pea shoots

All Manner of Deliciousness
Baby Green Garlic (see the tales from the farm to see why we still have green garlic now)
Kohlrabi (New this week! Just starting to come in)
Snap Peas
Spring radishes
Sweet turnips
Summer Squash!

Herbs
Dill (New this week!)
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme

Coming soon:
Carrots
Cucumbers (There's a little this week!)
Fennel

​Tales from the Farm:
We sailors of the soil and the weather is our mistress. This week brought us a swing of 48°F between high and low. Our human bodies are adaptable. We able to make microclimate adjustments. We go in the shade. We pour ourselves a glass of cool, glistening water. We submerge ourselves in water. We add or remove clothes. 

The plants sit in place. The sun shines down on them all hours of the day. Maybe through the clouds or maybe directly. At reasonable temperatures (85°F and below), most plants are doing good. The sun is the engine that keeps it all moving. They need the sun. The plants take up water and use it to make food. They use the flow of water to collect nutrients. Herbaceous plants like most of our crops use water to stay upright (turgor pressure). Water flows from their roots to their leaves (transpiration). Is that rudimentary plant biology section of science class coming back to you? Its all true!

When temperatures head north of 85°F, the plants may start to suffer. They can get stressed directly from the heat and their tissues can be damaged, they become more susceptible to some pests and diseases, and they may drop their blossoms. They may also suffer because the need more water. Why? Processes are moving at double time and the plants need more water than usual. The rate of water moving through them picks up as does the rate of photosynthesis. First step to keep plants happy when its hot? Water! Then stay even keel over the crest and hope for a gentle landing. 

This week we crested at 96°F plus humidity feels like factors. And tonight we'll surf into a trough of 48°F. That is a big adjustment for a stationary creature. We kept up on the water and vented all our tunnels and houses to the max. Here's to hoping the plants aren't too bothered. In any evet, the weather tomorrow is going to be beautiful. The perfect day for collecting beautiful fresh ingredients from market and heading to the lake.

Want more about plant heat stress? Check out this article. 

Onward and lakeward!

Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)

Every time we put a plant in the ground, I silently will it to thrive. We planted the wintersquash, watermelon, and cantaloupe yesterday and I reflexively wished again. And as we weeded the onions, the dill, and the beets, I sent out my quiet plea. 
It seems mother nature is cooperating with our plans so far. Despite the big winds, the cold, and the extensive rain. I am grateful with every green leaf and sign of new growth. 
 
In this email:

• Generally important notes
  • Farm Members, if you haven't read and responded to the email we sent out about changing membership rules
    • You can find your most up to date balance in that email. You can use the subject line to search for it in your inbox: "LDF News: Farm Membership Update PLEASE READ AND RESPOND!"
    • If you have questions or the arrangement proposed in that email doesn't work for you, please let us know that too. Let's work together!
    • If you can't find the email, let me know and I will forward a copy to you.
  • Stockbridge Members: Look for the email from a couple weeks ago. Please email me with any questions or thoughts.
  • Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe
• Market Details
• Tales from the Farm!

​
Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!
Greens:
Chard (limited)
Head lettuce
Kale
Pea shoots
Spinach

All Manner of Deliciousness
Baby Green Garlic (see the tales from the farm to see why we still have green garlic now)
Green Onions 
Snap Peas (New this week!), may be limited
Spring radishes (limited)
Sweet turnips
Summer Squash! Just coming in and may be limited this week.

Herbs (If we have time)
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme

Coming soon:
Cucumbers
Dill
Kohlrabi
 
Recipe: Braised Sweet Turnips
If you don't just devour them immediately, braise your sweet turnips! They are so succulent and juicy even after they are cooked! I discovered braising this winter. It all started with some carrots for me (honey rosemary braised carrots, what??? so good!) With that dish I realized that braising sounds fancy but is simple. It  can make many a new flavor. 
 
From: New Morning Farm
Note from Helen: I am skeptical that the turnip greens would be cooked to my satisfaction this way. Try it how you like but if I was doing it, I would chop add them in when the broth et al. was added. Ingredients2 bunches Sweet White Turnips
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon honey
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Trim the greens off the turnips. Chop greens and set aside. Cut the turnips in half.
2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turnips, cut side down. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable broth, honey, vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until turnips are tender and the liquid has reduced.
4. Uncover, increase heat to medium and add the turnip greens. Cook until greens are just wilted, 2 or 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Drizzle with sesame oil. Enjoy!

Market Details: We are at market this week
 
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Helen and Tyler and radish aficionado Wiley! 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)

Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Special guest Nicole is back! 6 am to 2:30 pmRoyal Oak, Saturday with Jim and Lisa! 7 am to 1 pm

​Tales from the Farm:
You may wonder why oh why we are still bringing green garlic to market when this is the season it matures to garlic garlic. Well, you could say we are making lemonade. As you may know, last year was a bit of a bucking tornadocoaster for us. In the swirl of it, we didn't manage to get all of our garlic out of the field.When garlic is left in the ground, at first it becomes unharvestable. The skin that encases all the individual cloves breaks apart and the weather seeps into the head. This was disappointing but we accepted our fate.

But as time passes those individual cloves, cloves that are just like what we would have planted for the next years crop, make a crop of their own. They send up shoots intended to power the formation of new garlic heads. This is what we have been bringing to market so far. Because they haven't been split and spaced out, we have no expectation that the head of garlic being made by these hold out garlics will be a marketable size. However! As you may have noticed, green garlic is delicious. It is only continuing on its delicious trajectory. The green tops have become less tender, all the while, the bases are forming new heads. As of now, you can eat the whole bottom! Find where it snaps, scrub and chop (or whole) just like you would regular garlic but no need to peel. You can still use the tops but they may need to be peeled or cooked. 
Help us make garlic lemondae by enjoying our long harvest window of green garlic!

Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)

The answer is yes, yes it is still spring. Don't listen to those hot hot days. Or perhaps change your mentality to allow them into the definition.

Of course I had to look it up, the "definition of spring" and "springtime". And while I did that, I wondered why, especially in my profession and with my deep admiration for the natural world, I couldn't say for sure when spring ends.
I found some of what I know and some of what was familiar. Here's the core. In the Northern hemisphere, spring begins with the vernal equinox on March 20th or 21st, when day and night are equal lengths. It ends with the summer solstice on June 21st or 22nd, the longest period of daylight of the year. Even though these dates are familiar to me, I never perceived them as connected. I also never considered them endings, the vernal equinox being the end of winter, the summer solstice being the end of spring. To me they were both only beginnings. And their times went on until another began, but never really ended.
 
But it makes sense really. Daylight powers our systems. In the Spring, daylength waxes, things heat up, and energy builds. The sun powers us up! The buzz of the world is palpable. On the farm (and the world) we see that in flourishing life. The sparrows have a nest in our eave, the anthills are piling (turns out they kind of hibernate in the winter), the dragonflies are back, and the turtles are trudging to their nesting grounds. And the plants! They are growing!
All the energy builds quickly until the summer solstice when daylight hours peak. We float on top through summer, adding energy in smaller increments as daylength wanes until there is less daylight than moonlight.

So yep! It's still spring for another 18 days!
 
In this email:

• Generally important notes
  • Farm Members, if you haven't read and responded to the email we sent out about changing membership rules
    • You can find your most up to date balance in that email. You can use the subject line to search for it in your inbox: "LDF News: Farm Membership Update PLEASE READ AND RESPOND!"
    • If you have questions or the arrangement proposed in that email doesn't work for you, please let us know that too. Let's work together!
    • If you can't find the email, let me know and I will forward a copy to you.
  • Stockbridge Members: Please see the email directly to you sent Tuesday afternoon.
  • Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe
• Market Details
• Tales from the Farm!

Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!

Greens:
Chard (limited) (New this week!)
Head lettuce (limited) (New this week!)
Kale (New this week!)
Pea shoots

All Manner of Deliciousness
Green Garlic
Green Onions (New this week!)
Spring radishes
Sweet turnips (New this week!)
Purple Daikon
Purple top turnips!

Herbs (New this week!)
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme

Coming soon:
Dill
Kohlrabi
Summer Squash (possibly a small amount this week!)

Recipe: Kale and Spring Onion Quiche
A quiche is a delicious, low energy meal.
It's true, you need to have the dairy on hand but whatever vegetables you have typically work. You could use spinach instead of kale, add sweet potatoes or squash, chives, you name it. Meat is also a good addition if you sway that way.  

From: Food.com 
While quiches are simple, I did find this more elaborate recipe that sounded good. INGREDIENTS

• 1 prepared 9 inch pie shell
• 3 eggs
• 3⁄4 cup half and half
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 5 green onions, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped- could substitute green garlic or garlic powder.
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425-degrees F.
• Tear off a piece of foil large enough to fit inside of pie crust and then press it into the pie crust and fill with dried beans. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and discard foil and beans. Set aside.
• In a bowl whisk together eggs, half and half, milk, salt, red pepper flakes (if using) and black pepper. Set aside.
• In a skillet on medium high heat oil and butter and add onions and garlic, cooking until softened (3-5 minutes). Stir in kale and cook stirring until wilted (5 minutes).
• Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese. Pour egg/milk mixture over all.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set.

Market Details:
 
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Helen and Tyler and radish aficionado Wiley! 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)

Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Special guest Shana! 6 am to 2:30 pm

​Royal Oak, Saturday with Jim and Lisa! 7 am to 1 pm

Tales from the Farm:
The sun engine is powering the plants (power plants? hah). The landscape exploded in green almost too abruptly for my mind. Leaves changed the horizon. I can't see as far. I almost felt crowded. That was a first. Usually I am begging for the first leaves to unfurl. In any event, it isn't just the vegetables and trees that are appreciating the sun! The fast cycling annual weeds are LOVING it. We are working double step to keep them at bay using fingers and steel. I never have to cut my nails this time of year as they are worn down from mingling with the soil. 

This week we set up irrigation to make sure all our crops stayed hydrated in the heat, hustled planting the fall's Brussels, direct seeded more rounds, pruned and trellis tomatoes, and as with every week, tried to take down the next level of weed growth. I sampled the first snap pea of the season (yum!), first sweet turnip (double yum!), and experimented with flowering scallions (turns out they are super delicious and you can eat the flowers!). We have so much to do now. As the daylight gets long, so do our days. I am relishing existing in nature time, although I wouldn't mind a couple more hours in the day. Maybe a 28 hour day would suit me better? Come on heavenly bodies, get on it!

We also frantically searched for childcare, as arrangements fell through one after the other. We are still possibly on the prowl so if you know of a sitter in the Stockbridge area, don't hold back! Wiley had his first lake float and was a good little scientist, finding the best splashes and observing fish behavior. One of the definitions of springtime was "an early or flourishing time of development." By that definition, I would say that Wiley is in a springtime of sorts. The seasons of life. 

Alright, enough from me! See you at market!

Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)