• Micro Celery
• Micro Color Mix
• Watercress
• Arugula 10×10
• Yellow Squash
• Gold Bar Zucchini
• Tomatoes
• Oregano
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Thai Basil
• Cucumbers
• Green Bell Pepper
• Anaheim Peppers

Micro Celery is great for potato salad, chicken salad sandwiches, as a garnish for any dish that calls for celery (easy flavor replacement and no chopping!), like gumbo, etouffee, jambalaya… Le Bon Temps Roule!

Micro Color Mix is a crisp fresh take on a fancy roll up: spring rolls! Add a few edible flowers, a sprinkle of micros, a pinch of baby salad mix, slivers of veggies like your Gold Bar zucchini, even fruit can be used to enhance and sweeten a spring roll. If you eat meat, some chicken, fish, crab, shrimp, eel, pork or steak will all work well tucked into the center of your roll. Think of sweet, tangy, salty ingredients for your dipping sauce. Since I was in a crunch and didn’t have plum or mustard sauce, I whipped up some honey, black vinegar, barbeque sauce & soy sauce into a dish for dip and garnish.

Stretch the meal! and serve your spring rolls on a bed of rice pilaf. If you have any of your fig leaves left, use them to infuse flavor as your steam your rice by just laying one on top before covering. I used cashews, black sesame seeds, grated ginger and turmeric, black pepper, and half a can of coconut milk to flavor the rice. With the fig leaf laid on top and cooked. Cinch a nice presentation of your colorful spring rolls!

• Makrut Lime and Leaves
• Lemongrass
• Gold Bar Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Tomatoes
• Lemon Verbena
• Thai Basil
• Bunched Purple Sweet Potato leaves
• 10×10 Mixed Salad Greens
• Cucumbers
• Green Bell Pepper
• Anaheim Peppers
• Fresh Dug Ginger

Tropical Citrus flavors highlighted this week with Asian

Pacific favorites like Fresh dug Ginger, Makrut Lime, lemongrass and Thai Basil.

Makrut Lime can be frozen to be zested later, as needed, and then stored in the freezer. The leaves freeze well, too. The same method can be used for your ginger if you don’t like leaving it out on the counter.

While searching for savory recipes online for the purple sweet potato leaves, i came across an article that mentioned information regarding sweet potato leaves having curative properties and used as a measure to combat cervical cancer in women.Just a reminder that these Hatch favorites are a fine model for fashioning Mike’s decadent indulgence: The Pepper Dog. A farmer’s market favorite, his method is to slice long ways and remove seeds, stuff with cheese, wrap with bacon, fastening the ends to the pepper with toothpicks and grilling it until dripping goodness and wafting smoked pepper aroma, it signals done with

Just a reminder that these Hatch favorites are a fine model for fashioning Mike’s decadent indulgence: The Pepper Dog. A farmer’s market favorite, his method is to slice long ways and remove seeds, stuff with cheese, wrap with bacon, fastening the ends to the pepper with toothpicks and grilling it until dripping goodness and wafting smoked pepper aroma, it signals done with crispy fried exterior. Tradiitonally we dress it with our house made barbeque sauce made from the fruits of our labor.

• Baby Carrots
• Ginger & Turmeric
• Calamondin Oranges
• Thai Basil Cuttings
• Potatoes
• Yellow Summer Squash
• Bell Pepper
• Baby Salad Mix
• Watercress
• Tomatoes
• Cucumber

Just a peak at a few of the creatures that visit the farm… the second photo at right was being shared around: accessible food brings new friends The deer and the groundhogs have been the worst for us, taking out broccoli, kale and a few others. We have replanted but hard to wait.. our sweet potatoes have been getting hit and we have been vigilant, transplanting from greenhouse kept cuttings. But squash is finally going fast, hence the plethora in your share. The thai basil cuttings include a few flowers and quite possibly some seed, if you would like to sprinkle it in a pot nearby your kitchen. Thanks for helping me out with the carrots: a section of plantings of carrots, spinach, etc, got overrun by weeds and grasses. Since this section needs to be dealt with, i wanted you to at least enjoy the delicacy of baby carrots and fresh tops before it all gets turned over. The greens are edible, can be run thru the juicer, be made into pesto, soup or dressing.

The photo of the juvenile constrictor, the black snake as we know them, against the blue background is to introduce you to a local friend that is sometimes mistaken for a venomous snake because of its markings. These snakes are a sigh of relief…less fear of stumbling across a copperhead. Only once have i seen a copperhead here, and nowhere near the busy cultivated areas of the farm. Now the black snake on the other hand…see ‘em all the time.

• Bag of Arugula
• Bag of Field Mix
• Marjoram
• Chives
• Second Tomatoes
• Petite Tomatoes
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Scorpion Peppers *use gloves!
• Beet Greens
• Tatsoi

2017 CSA Winter February 18th: Photos of several greenhouses for illustration on behalf of our newest members.Photo at bottom right shows how bold Michael is in his never ending quest to care for the farm. Ideas for your CSA items this week: pizza, salads and pepper jam. For a simple tomato sauce, cut your tomatoes in half along the “equator” and grate over a bowl down to the skin. This can be spread onto pizza dough (or poured over pasta) and then topped with chopped arugula, jalapenos or fresh leaves pulled from the stem of the marjoram. Simple jam recipes can include just a few ingredients: sugar, vinegar, chopped peppers and pectin. The recipe at http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/super-easy-hot-pepper-jelly/ looks very similar to what my Mom used to make, especially the type of “no sugar needed” pectin from Sure Jell which can be found at the grocery store. Besides the mixed greens, consider a basic salad of your beet greens, adding some goat cheese on top and finished with a drizzle of balsamic. Chopped arugula, a few walnut pieces and a touch of honey would also combine well with this.

• Bag of Arugula
• Papaya
• Epazote
• Thai Basil
• Chervil
• Tomatoes
• Gourmet Cucumber
• Mix of Peppers Hot! & Mild
• Chard
• Mustard Greens
• Salad Mix
• Sage

Exotic choices for your greens this week..and something new to explore everyday. Surprise! Don’t throw those ribs away! No im not talking about pork or beef but sweet Red Mustard. These often discarded parts are sweet right now and serve as a luscious replacement for celery stalks. Try it! you just might like it Of course the leaf is sweetly spiced and serves both the health and palate of the practitioner. I appreciate the ability of red mustard to invigorate me even in the dead of winter. Heats you up as the days chill down, mustard is a wonderful medicine. To save your greens, they can be chopped into zip bags and stored in the freezer to quickly braise in a seasoned pan later. The frozen greens can also be pureed into pestos, soups or sauces. !Note that the small peppers are very hot, and the longer classic chili’s are mild. Use gloves when handling the hot peppers and apply sparingly. And surpirse! There is a cucumber in your share this week! Keep covered in the fridge to extend freshness…Enjoy!

• Fresh Ginger
• Fresh Turmeric
• Papaya
• Jalapenos
• Mixed Greens
• Baby Kale
• Arugula
• Chervil
• Delicata Squash
• Cherry Tomatoes

2017 CSA Winter January 14: Yes! there are some jalapenos in your share this week! A nice southwestern soup can be enhanced by these…just add one to a pureed squash base, adding a bit of cream, cumin, sage, garlic or onion, the jalapeno can be roasted or diced raw and then simmered until soft. We like to stuff the jalapenos with cheese and roast, leaving some unstuffed for future dishes. The soup can be topped with cheese and garnished with halves of the cherry tomatoes. Dip in with a nicely toasted bread or some tortilla chips. Speaking of tortilla chips, the jalapeno would also go well with the papaya for a salsa…To make quick work of the kale, Mike likes to roast up veggies into stew and add in the kale leaves at the end, so that they are just wilted when they reach his bowl. For an incredible fresh tea experience, grate the fresh ginger and turmeric into a pot of water (1½ in. of each, per serving) and boil. Add a dash of black pepper to enhance absorption. Strain into cups, using lemon and honey to taste. Powerful! Enjoy!

Sunday November 13, 2016 …Roasting all day … Come pick your own..last chance for saving the last peppers of the season… shushito, hatch, bells, carmen, habanero, Serrano, jalapeño, padron …etc

Pepper Roaster

https://www.facebook.com/PlanetEarthDiversified/posts/10153841386026249

Temperature Nov 13 2016 frost

• Big Pumpkin
• Gourmet Cucumber
• Sweet Potatoes
• Jalapeno peppers
• Serrano peppers
• Bell Peppers
• Eggplant
• Butternut Squash
• Baby Ginger
• Tatsoi Greens
• Patty Pan Squash
• Field Arugula
• Sage 10×10

There is a large bag of bulk cut sage for you in your share this week. It can be bundled and used as a smudge, hung up to dry, or chopped and frozen for later use. The way my grandmother would save it was to hang it to dry and then she would take the leaves between her hands and rub it into a puffy powder that would then go into a jar. Try scissor cutting some very finely over roasted pumpkin or butternut soup. “Sage has been held in high regard throughout history both for it culinary and medicinal properties. Its reputation as a panacea is even represented in its scientific name, Salvia officinalis, derived from the Latin word, salvere, which means “to be saved.” Increased intake of sage as a seasoning in food is recommended for persons with inflammatory conditions (like rheumatoid arthritis),as well as bronchial asthma, and atherosclerosis. The ability of sage to protect oils from oxidation has also led some companies to experiment with sage as a natural antioxidant additive to cooking oils that can extend shelf life and help avoid rancidity.” This quote is from whfoods.com on the page about sage. Please visit for more info and a brief look back in history for different cultures beliefs and usages regarding this important herb. There are also excellent scientific references and a nutritional chart. Make it a great week!

• Gourmet Cucumber
• Sweet Potatoes
• Hatch peppers
• Padron peppers
• Bell Peppers
• Eggplant
• Butternut Squash
• Baby Ginger
• Tatsoi Greens
• Patty Pan Squash
• Baby Arugula

First Digging of sweet potatoes. High Moisture variations this year create the Cracking and splitting – but they are tasty!

Oct 21_2016 sweet potatoes

Pictured at right is a view of the baby arugula growing on the bench in the greenhouse. And below, Mike is out in the lower field working in the raised beds. Being the engineer, he specially welded his own implement to lay and shape the compost enriched soil.

To answer a question posed by one of our members, “What do i do with this patty pan squash?” here are a few suggestions: roast slices in the oven, using olive oil or butter, for about 30 minutes until tender. It can also be grilled, stuffed, or  made into a soup. We rarely have the opportunity to spend a lot of time on dinner, so often it is either cut into slices and sautéed in the cast iron or it ends up in the crock pot. Be sure to use a wide, sharp knife when cutting for the best results; a dull knife can be dangerous.

In the microcosm of the farm, there is evidence of the great biodiversity that is the Blue Ridge. With the touch of rain yesterday, it is the perfect time to catch a peek of the most prolific time of year for fungi in these parts. Hope you get an opportunity to get a walk-about to perchance encounter a mycorrhizal relationship or other fungi. Some take longer to mature but most are growing in the first half of the day, reaching peak around noon. Often specimens encountered late in the day have already been decimated by bugs or other critters. These cooler overcast days are ideal for discovery! J At right, is a type of amanita.

• Green Beans
• Bell Peppers
• Roasting Peppers
• Baby Arugula Box
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Okra
• Eggplant
• Squash
• Gourmet Cucumber

2016 CSA Summer August 27: Care and protection are reflected in the flavor and healthy benefits of what some have called “medicinal quality” products.  This mindfulness is also revealed in the distinctive methods used to tend the soil, via compost, some no-till, and an ecologically based focus all the way down to microscopic levels.  Michael picked up some spawn to set spores in his compost, courtesy of Sharondale farm’s Mark Jones.  They have long enjoyed sharing insights about permaculture and biology.  Both also explore the habitat and relationships of microbial action in their climates. The spawn to seed the compost was the “garden ally” stropharia rugoso-annulata which according to Mark’s website “attracts earthworms, captures phosphorus in the soil, and eats coliform bacteria”.  The journey began for this strain at another friend’s farm: Ted’s Last Stand.  They are just one aisle over from us at the Saturday market in Charlottesville.

This week’s tender baby arugula is an all time favorite for many.  The flavor does not have the big spicy bite of adult arugula, but rather a sweet nuttiness.  We hope you enjoy!