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Rising River Farm
13208 201st Ave SW
Rochester, WA 98579 360-273-5368
info@risingriverfarm.com
www.risingriverfarm.com
June 18 *****Box 1
Hello,
You are all getting a paper copy of the newsletter today.
I will send it out via email later today as well. If you did
not get it in your email that means either I don’t have
your correct address, it got sent to your bulk/spam folder
or I am not a recognized sender. So check your other folders
to see where the newsletter ended up. If you want the letter
in email form from now on, be sure I have your address. For
those of you splitting shares, make sure I get all parties’
email addresses. I will always leave a handful of paper copies
at the site for those who prefer that. I will also post the
newsletters on the website.
As you all know, these last few weeks have been horrendous
-weather wise. I just can’t believe it is not hot yet.
It is ridiculous! It has been substantially cooler than a
typical spring. (Though I am coming to realize there is no
typical spring. It is what it is, and we must deal.) Everything
is a bit behind schedule. Thankfully it has been dry enough
to get our weekly plantings in on time. (Spring rains are
our usual challenge). Things are just growing slower than
usual. I’m sure the sun will come out soon and everything
will grow like gangbusters. However, this unseasonable coolness
translates into a slim first box. Carrots, peas and beets
are still a few weeks away. For now, though, savor your salads
and the sweetest spinach I have ever tasted. (Fear not, you
first time subscribers. It will get better!)
WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX?????
LETTUCE-We grow four types of lettuce and the varieties will
vary each week. You’ll see red leaf, green leaf, romaine,
and red oak leaf.
SPINACH-This is some of the sweetest spinach ever (thanks
be to cold weather). We hardly ever cook it, as it is so good
raw. Sometimes we’ll put out a bowl of raw whole spinach
leaves as part of the vegetable portion of a meal. Mostly,
though it gets added to salad.
RADISHES-This variety is called “Easter egg” blend.
Again, because it has been so cold, even the large radishes
are mild and juicy.
GREEN ONIONS- (a.k.a. scallions) We use these in place of
onions is our cooking until the real deal is ready. They are
also good raw, of course.
GARLIC-This variety is called “Chinese Early”.
It has a medium pungency. It is still curing, so store it
out in the open rather than in a garlic jar. It can be used
now.
GARLIC TOPS (scapes)-This is the seed stalk of the garlic
plant. It has a milder garlic flavor than actual garlic cloves.
Chop them up and use them anywhere you’d use garlic:
stir fry, soups, casserole, whatever. They are excellent grilled
on the b-b-q. Brush or toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Keep an eye on them, though. I burned my first attempt to
a crisp!
DILL: Fresh dill weed adds a refreshing flavor to salad. It
also goes well with potatoes, fish, and yogurt based dressings
and dips.
*This time of year we often make enormous salads for dinner.
We’ll put out little bowls of nuts, sunflower seeds,
cheeses, maybe tuna, raisins, etc. and let everyone build
their own. It works great for kids who often have to be bribed
into eating salad.
Cookbooks: This is the same cookbook we have handed out for
years. Only new members get one. If you need additional copies
they are $6.00. Call or email and I’ll leave one at
your pick-up site, just mail in the payment. If I somehow
overlooked you and didn’t give you a book, let me know
and I’ll get one to ya.
I am hoping to re-do the cookbook this winter. If anyone is
proficient in Adobe or Publisher and would be willing to give
me a tutorial and/or be my crisis coach, let me know. I realistically
won’t have time to start it until November, but it would
be nice to know someone is out there willing to help!
Flood: As most of you know we were hit pretty hard by the
December flooding. Thanks to the unbelievable amount of support
from our thoughtful customers and other community members
we are up and running and doing very well. Thank you for your
donations of money, firewood, help with clean-up, meals, and
well wishes. To get the full flood story and see some pictures
go to the website www.risingriverfarm.com and check it out.
Other odds and ends:
-Please return your CSA box next week. CAREFULLY unfold them
and stack neatly at your site. These boxes are pricey and
we wish to conserve resources. Also, on a resource conservation
note, we will be sparing with the plastic bags in your box.
We’ll only use them when necessary and will try to combine
more than one crop in a bag. We all have tons of plastic bags
crowding our kitchens. This is a call to conserve and re-use.
-We left some Direct Sales farm map and Tilth brochures at
each site. Please take one. The farm map is a great resource
to find other local products from meat to eggs to honey to
berries and more. Keep it with your phone book and use it
often!
-Tilth Producers is a non-profit organic farming advocacy
group that has done great work to affect local farm policies,
hosts a yearly conference which offers a networking opportunity
for farmers to share their knowledge, and puts our a yearly
directory of Washington farmers highlighting products they
sell and how to get them. Consider becoming a member.
That is all for now. Please call or email with any questions
you may have.
Jennifer and Jim
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