Week 7 Newsletter 2019

Hello Everyone,

Wunsch Farms continues to march on with cherry harvest. We are still hand picking sweet cherries and mechanical harvest of tart cherries is going strong. It has been a challenging year with all of the moisture and managing pests. We also have "no wind" posted on our weather wish list. Tart cherries bruise easily and warm temperatures and wind can be troublesome. Our shaking crew refer to the bruising as "wind whip" and it makes a negative impact on the grading of the fruit.

We had an impromptu cookout at the packing shed at lunch time this past week. Usually we have an end of the season celebrations when harvest has been completed. Often times some people miss out because they are moving on as we continue to pack and distribute fruit that accumulates in cooler. Wednesday was the perfect day to get everyone together, to marvel at the how many people it takes to pull off cherry harvest and to show a little gratitude.

The vegetable garden has changed over to a summer garden. The zucchini plants are in heavy productions, pepper and tomato plants have set fruit and the onions are developing large bulbs.


What to expect to find in your bin this week:

Cherries
Lettuce or Mixed Greens
Carrots
Escarole
Red Onions
Zucchini
Sweet Hungarian Peppers
Dill

... and buckets:

Cherries
Zucchini
Lettuce
Red Onions
Basil

Here are a couple of recipes that include zucchini:

Summer Pasta With Zucchini, Ricotta and Basil

DAVID TANIS

YIELD 4 to 6 servings
TIME 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

 Extra-virgin olive oil
1  small onion, finely diced
2  pounds zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)
 Salt and pepper
2  garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic
1  ounce basil, about 2 cups loose leaves
1  pound ziti or other dry pasta
8  ounces ricotta, about 1 cup (see recipe)
 Pinch of crushed red pepper
 Zest of 1 lemon
2  ounces grated Parmesan, pecorino or a mixture, about 1 cup, plus more for serving

PREPARATION

Put a pot of water on to boil. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to keep onions from browning. Add zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until rather soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to pound garlic, basil and a little salt into a rough paste (or use a mini food processor). Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Salt the pasta water well and put in the pasta, stirring. Boil per package instructions but make sure to keep pasta quite al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
Add cooked pasta to zucchini in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 cup cooking water, then the ricotta, crushed red pepper and lemon zest, stirring to distribute. Check seasoning and adjust. Cook for 1 minute more. Mixture should look creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Add the basil paste and half the grated cheese and quickly stir to incorporate. Spoon pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately.

Marinated Zucchini Salad

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

YIELD Serves four
TIME 40 minutes, plus 6 hours' refrigeration


INGREDIENTS

1  pound medium or small zucchini, preferably a mix of green and yellow
 Salt to taste
3  tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1  garlic clove, crushed
3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2  tablespoons finely chopped parsley, mint, chives, dill or a combination

PREPARATION

Slice the squash as thinly as you can. Sprinkle with salt, preferably kosher salt, and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse and drain on paper towels.
Mix together the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Toss with the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for four to six hours.
Remove from the refrigerator, and remove the garlic clove. Add the fresh herbs, and toss together. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Week 6 Newsletter 2019

Hello Everyone,

We are in the heat of the summer now, and brighter-colored veggies are going to start filling up your bins and buckets where there was once only green. Along with all the heat we've been dodging some intense storms. It has been a great season in the garden and the heat loving plants have really moved ahead this week.

As you can imagine, things are a little crazy on our farm right now. Our refrigerated truck has made 4 trips down state with fresh cherries and many loads are planned for this week. It takes quite a team to get cherries picked, packed and delivered. The group that sometimes gets forgotten are those that are still tending the orchards. We have one fellow who visits weekly to scout for pests and disease, then there is follow up on his recommendations, mowing, spraying and maintaining equipment. Another ring of the circus started this week, we rolled out the mechanical harvester. Yes, cherry season is the adrenaline season on our farm!

My experiment this year was escarole. I have tried for years to grow radicchio with very little success. Escarole has the same type of bitterness and grew wonderfully in the hoophouse. Please share any outstanding recipes you have or find that include this green.

What to expect in your bin this week:

Black Sweet Cherries

Mixed Greens

Lettuce

Escarole

Broccoli

Zucchini or Cucumber

Basil

Rattail Radishes

.....and in the buckets:

Black Sweet Cherries

Strawberries

Mixed Greens

Sugar Snap or Snow Peas

Escarole

Lentil and Escarole Soup

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

YIELD Serves four to six

TIME 1 hour 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1  small onion, finely chopped

1  large or 2 small carrots, cut in small dice

3 to 4  garlic cloves, minced

¼  teaspoon red pepper flakes

1  14-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice; or 3/4 pound tomatoes, seeded and grated

1  cup lentils, washed and picked over

 A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a few sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a Parmesan rind

6  cups water

 Salt

 freshly ground pepper

1  small head escarole, washed and roughly chopped about 6 cups

 Optional: 4 to 6 slices country bread, toasted and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, five to 10 minutes. Add the lentils and simmer with the tomato mixture for a few minutes, then add the bouquet garni and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and add salt to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons). Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add the escarole, and bring back to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the escarole and the lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bouquet garni.

Toast slices of country bread if desired and rub with a cut clove of garlic. Place a slice in each bowl, ladle in the soup and serve.

Advance preparation: The soup will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

Leafy Greens With Spicy Garlic Oil

CHRIS MOROCCO BON APPÉTIT JULY 2016

YIELD Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large bunches Swiss chard or Tuscan kale, or 1/2 head escarole, leaves separated

PREPARATION

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Bring garlic, oil, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium. Cook until garlic is golden. Let cool; season with salt and pepper.

Combine greens and oil in a large bowl, massaging oil into greens. Grill until lightly charred and softened, about 1 minute per side.

Week 5 Newsletter 2019

Hello Everyone,

 I saw this Eastern gray tree frog this past week on my hoophouse door. It startled me when I put my thumb on it when I was opening up the hoophouse early in the morning.  It did not move and allowed for a perfect moment to get a closer look and snap this photo.

The Eastern gray tree frogs have very warty, rough skin and rather large toe pads that are very sticky because of the slimy mucus they produce. They range in color from greenish or brownish to grey and adults have several large, dark blotches on their backs. Also, there is often a dark-edged light spot under their eyes. Eastern gray tree frogs also have a bright yellow or orange coloring on the inside of their thighs that they can flash at predators to confuse them when they are under attack.


We have officially started cherry harvest 2019! The first day of handpicking was Thursday and the packing line fired up on Sunday. This year we did not have cherries available for the roadside stand customers during the Cherry Festival. The storm that was suppose to bring hail did not come our way. The cooler is beginning to fill up and our refrigerated truck will make the first trip down state on Monday to spread some cherry joy far and wide! It feels like it is all coming together. We are very lucky to have a fabulous crew and are looking forward to a safe and successful harvest. As the season kicks-off, expect to taste your first Michigan dark sweet cherry of the year this week!

 Here is the full line-up:

Black Sweet Cherries
Mixed Greens
Strawberries
Lettuce
Sugar Snap Peas
Bok Choy
Purple Onions
Broccoli/ Sun Gold Tomatoes


Small Share


Black Sweet Cherries
Strawberries
Lettuce
Bok Choy
Radishes/Snow Peas









Here are a couple of my favorite recipes:



Cherry Salsa

2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T sugar
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 – 2 jalapenos, very thinly sliced
2 Cup black sweet cherries split in half

Mix all together. This goes well with grilled fish.


Spicy Garlic Grilled Baby Bok Choy


  Yield: Serves 4
  Total: 25 Minutes

Ingredients

  2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  2 tablespoons Asian chili garlic sauce
  2 tablespoons canola oil
  3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  1 tablespoon sugar
  2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
  4 heads baby bok choy (about 1 lb. total), halved lengthwise
  1/4 cup chopped roasted cashews

Preparation

1. Heat grill to medium (350° to 450°). Combine soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar, and garlic in a small bowl. Set bok choy in a rimmed baking dish and brush with two-thirds of soy-garlic mixture. Wrap bok choy tops with foil.
2. Grill bok choy, turning once, until slightly softened and streaked brown, 5 to 6 minutes total. Remove foil from leaves and set bok choy on a platter. Brush with remaining soy-garlic mixture and sprinkle with cashews.

Sunset June 2011

Week 4 Newsletter 2019

Hello Everyone,


I hope you had a great time this past week celebrating the Fourth of July.  Summer is in the air and the perfect time of year to create memories with your family and friends. We continue to gear up for cherry season which will start this week on our farm. It has been  particularly wet this summer and the sprayers have been nonstop spraying the fruit trees to prevent diseases. The wet condition are an invitation for molds which effect both the fruit and foliage on our fruit trees. Lucky for all the salad lovers, the greens have loved all the moisture and the slow warm up this year.


What to expect to find in your bin:

Strawberries
Bok choy
Mixed Greens
Green Lettuce
Radishes
Sugar snap peas
Snow peas/ Broccoli
Mint


Small Share


Strawberries
Bok choy
White turnips
Green lettuce


Here are a couple of recipes to try this week.

Buttered Green Sugar Snap Peas

PIERRE FRANEY

YIELD 4 servings
TIME 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1  pound sugar snap peas
 Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2  tablespoons butter
1  tablespoon shredded fresh mint


PREPARATION

Pluck off and discard the string from each pea pod.
Bring salted water to boil; there should be enough to cover peas when added. Add peas. When water returns to a boil, cook about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain.
Return peas to saucepan. Add pepper, salt, butter and mint. Stir to blend until the pieces are well coated and hot. Serve immediately.

Strawberries With Swedish Cream

MARK BITTMAN

YIELD 4 to 6 servings
TIME 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1  cup heavy cream
½  cup sour cream
 Sugar or honey to taste
1  tablespoon any liqueur, like Cointreau or amaretto (optional)
1  quart strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved or quartered, if necessary

PREPARATION

Whip the sweet cream until it holds soft peaks, then fold it into the sour cream; add sugar to taste and liqueur if you like.
Put the berries in four to six bowls or stemmed glasses and top with the cream. If desired, garnish with a leaf of fresh mint.