Category: Blog

    We are planting seeds everyday and have loads of activity happening in the nursery greenhouse. I wanted to post some pictures so you can see what the nursery greenhouse looks like, some baby plants etc. It is our smallest house at 9’x45′, so is the easiest to heat which we do with a simple propane heater.

   We have begun to take CSA shareholders commitments for the 2009 season. All previous shareholders should have gotten a brochure in the mail last week. If for some reason you didn’t receive a brochure from the farm, e-mail me and I will get one out to you ASAP. More than likely we will take approximately the same amount of shareholders as last year so if you know you want to do CSA again this year, don’t delay. Good to hear from all of you. I’ll add pictures later.

     We are up and running! Most of the seeds have arrivedfrom our favorite seed companies and we have started planting. Yesterday we seeded in some leeks, snapdragons, early greenhouse tomatoes and the first lettuce of the season. I plan to send out the 2009 CSA brochures on March 1 so you should be getting them in the mail next week. If you did not get a brochure and  would like to join our CSA or just find out more info, e-mail me your adress and I will get one off to you. We are very excited about this season with some new veggies varities to try and some refined planting schudules to keep those veggies coming all season long.I hope to do some regular blogs to keep everyone updated on our season.

The thermometer reads -4 degrees this morning! Wow, about makes your snot freeze when you go outside.  My good buddie, CSA member and fabulous musician Doug Berch continues to teach me more about managing this website so hopefully I will be able to add some pictures and have a continuing communication via this blog part of Owosso Organics. I’m working on getting the 2009 CSA  brochure up on the website so folks can download a copy, fill it out and mail with payment to the farm.  I’ll be mailing all former CSAers a copy in February.  For now, here are some pictures from last year so we all still remember what the weather was like when it was warm.  Stay warm everybody.

Bitter cold winter day.  Sadly,our big winter greenhouse collapsed on December 19 due to heavy snowfall followed quickly by 25+ mile per hour winds.  We are waiting to hear from our insurance company to see what will happen for rebuilding. It is very sad to look at each day right out the front door of the farmhouse. Also a ton of cleanup work once the weather warms. Other than that we are ordering seeds, working on the website and planning for this spring. Keep in touch. I’m hoping to be adding some pictures soon also the 2009 brochure should be on the website soon. I will be mailing everyone a brochure via snail-mail in February. Stay warm everyone…

I missed writing the newsletter last week. After distribution we had some time but the ground was near-perfect for some major large weed cultivation, especially in the flower garden, so that’s where my energies went. But all week long I had a huge case of the “I should have.”

Last week was a huge week because we harvested the garlic. That always seems almost like a rite of passage; a clear mid-point of the summer when the real summer veggies start in earnest. The garlic looks great. We still need to sequester the largest bulbs for planting so what you are getting early on are smaller ones but just as potent and delicious. We grow both soft neck (redder on the outside, stronger flavor) and hard neck (white bulbs, doesnt last as long as soft neck) varieties. The garlic you got last week should have dried a bit longer. If you used it , it was probably hard to peel. All the garlic should be dried down by this week.

Beans, beans beans….they are really coming in now. See recipe below. We hope to have them for a couple more weeks depending on the rain fall. It looks like we are coming in to a dry spell. We could use some rain.

If anyone wants a flower bouquet on a given week call me in the morning and we can have one for you, either at the farm or Okemos. They are $8.00 each. Thanks everyone for bringing your boxes back. Here’s something else: we sometimes get a gathering of kids on the farm during pick-up time running around here and there. Probably a good idea to drive up the driveway slowly.

In your boxes this week:(Things may change between this post and pick-up time)

1. Beans: green, yellow and possibly purple. (The purple turn green when cooked)

2. Onions: probably some yellow ones too.

3. Cucumbers: They are starting slow, both in the field and in the greenhouse.

4. Garlic:Very strong so use wisely.Oh so delicious! It will keep for up th 9 months. Did you know that most of the garlic at grocery stores comes from China?

5. Tomatoes: Yeah! The first red ones of the season.Enjoy….lots more to come.

6. Beets: Red ace, Bulls Blood and Golden. Remember to use the greens as you would spinach.

7. Zucchini: Maybe, probably just for full shares. More to come.

8. Hot Peppers:Last week everyone received Anaheim peppers. The long skinny green peppers. They are medium in heat. If you want less heat, don’t use the seeds. Can be dries by stringing upside down, away from the sun.

9. Bell peppers:The first on the bell peppers. The variety is called Ace. Very sweet and juicy.

10. Peas:So, so good. They are sugar snap peas, same as last week.Eatable pod and all. Great fresh or cooked.  This is the first year we have grown this tall variety. Greta to be able to stand while harvesting.

11. Fresh herbs. Basil for sure, hopefully thyme and oregano.

GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH WALNUTS PARMESEAN IN LEMON DRESSING

Serves 4 to 6

1/4cup coarsly chopped walnuts

1 pound green beans

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces Parmesan cheese. Best thinly shaved but you can use grated

1. Toast walnuts in a dry heavy skillet over high heat until the start to brown and become fragrant. Careful not to burn.

2. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add beans and salt; cook until tender but still firm, 3-5 minutes

3. Transfer beans to a colander and run cold water over them. Trim beans if desired.

4. Toss beans with walnuts. Season with salt and pepper.

5. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice and olive oil. Pour over beans and toss until well coated. Cover with parmesan right before serving.

Well that’s about it for week #8. Thanks again everyone for supporting the farm.

                                             Always, Pooh, Richard, Cody and Taylor

  Welcome to week #5. We had some great rains this week and today as we were harvesting. The tomatoes in the greenhouse are getting bigger, (see your green ones in the box) and the lettuce mix just keeps on growing. We trellised up the snap peas on Sunday and should be picking on those in the next couple of weeks. The zucchinis have flowers so they aren’t too far away as well as the cucumbers, in the greenhouse and in the field. The flower shares have finally started. If anyone wants to get in on a flower share, just let me know; we can prorate a seasons share for the next few weeks.

   So far, pick-up on the farm and in Okemos has gone pretty smooth. Here are a few reminders about some details:

1. If you are not in town to pick-up your box, the best thing to do is have a friend pick it up for you. If this is impossible, let us know 24 hours in advance and we can try to work something out. The only safe way to reach us is by our cell at 989-494-8247. We don’t regularly check our E-mail in the summer so don’t try to reach us there.

2. On the farm pick-up is from 5:00 -7:00 PM. If you are going to be late, just let me know, your box will be there until dark, with the CSA shed door open. With prior arrangements, you can pick-up your box on Tues AM but we don’t have refrigeration so some items won’t hold. Okemos pick-up options are more limited. We are there in Okemos from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. That is pretty much the window to pick-up. It’s never an option to go to our friends who live at the Van Atta road house to ask them anything about your box.  We really don’t want the pick-up to be a hassle for them in any way.

In your boxes this week:

Growers Mix: Another blend of baby and leaf lettuce with baby Swiss Chard

Braising Mix: Probably the end of the collards. We will do a kale mix from here.

Fresh Thyme:Use now or dry for later. See recipe below. Thyme is great for fish recipes, Quiche and of course

spaghetti.

Beets: Red and Golden beets together. See recipe below

Green Tomatoes:Use in your favorite green tomato recipe or save on your windowsill until red.

Dill:These were meant to come with the cucumbers but came early.

JULIENNED BEET SALAD WITH FRESH DILL

3-4 LARGE BEETS

1T FRESH DILL CHOPPED

3T UMEBOSHI VINEGAR

1T BARLEY MALT OR RICE SYRUP  (I DIDN’T USE THIS)

1T SOY SAUCE OF TAMARI

1 1/2 t OLIVE OIL

1.  cook beets until tender

2.Cool beets, slip skins off by running them under water. Julienne strips to match stick size.

3.Put beets in bowl; add fresh dill

4.Whisk the Umeboshi vinegar, barley malt or rice syrup, tamari and olive oil in a small bowl. Pour mixture over beets and toss until well combined. Set aside at room temperature to marinate for 30 minutes.

SAUTEED BEET AND POTATO HASH

 This is an easy, hearty dish It’s great with steamed beet greens or braising Mix and fish of broiled Tofu.

 3 T vegetable oil

2 small onions diced

4 medium red or white potatoes grated

2 medium beets, peeled and grated, (uncooked)

2 t fresh thyme

1t minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cook for 5-7minutes.

2. Stir in potatoes, beets Thyme and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally until potatoes and beets are tender and slightly crisp, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, add more salt and pepper if desired.

We are completely filled in the nursery greenhouse and have moved into the Quonset greenhouse! This is the earliest ever! In order to save on propane we built a room within the greenhouse made out of old plastic that came off the winter greenhouse. All of the lettuce, Pak Choy, herbs and other cold tolerant veggies are living in there while we keep the warm loving veggies in the warmer nursery greenhouse. I want to add a picture soon so everyone can see all the little veggies. 

It’s hard to believe but the nursery greenhouse is almost full. We’ve been really busy seeding in lots of different veggies and flowers: four different kinds of lettuce, Pak Choy, leeks, snaps, eggplant, sweet peppers and hot peppers. We transplanted the greenhouse tomatoes into 4″ pots where they will grow until we plant then into the hoophouse. And today the lisianthus arrived so I am up to my elbows in transplant work. We will have to move into the quonset greenhouse very soon, possibly this weekend. All good things…..Next week we will clean out the hoophouses for planting. Oh boy, the season is here!

We are getting seeds in every day. Tomorrow we will plant some tomatoes in the green house. Yippie!

Our first blog….. We are busy ordering seeds! The entire dinning room tables gets covered with seed catalogs. We are trying this year to order as many organic seed sources as we can so we are ending up doing lots of research. We are really excited about some of the new tomato varities we have found and some cool new flowers  

This website is also new. Pleas bear with us as we figure this thing out.