Hmong American Farmers Association

Growing community wealth since 2011

Summer CSA Newsletter, Week 12

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Originally published on September 11, 2018
NEWSLETTER:  SUMMER CSA WEEK 12
HAFA super star, Cindy Koy, poses during her tabling shift at Mississippi Market Selby. Word on the street is that our ground cherries were hot sellers that evening.
 
Dear CSA Members,
 
Greetings from the HAFA Farm and welcome to the twelfth and final week of your summer share! How many new veggies did you encounter this summer? What were some of your favorites? Let us know!

For the entire month of September, HAFA is the proud recipient of Mississippi Market’s Positive Change Program. Co-op shoppers can support HAFA by choosing to round up their total or donate their 10¢ bag credit to HAFA. In addition, HAFA staff members will be tabling at the West 7th Street location on 9/13/18 at 4:00 PM and the East 7th Street location on 9/27/18 at 5:00 PM (this date also coincides with Mississippi Market’s September $3 Community Dinner). If you have time, stop by, grab a meal and say hi! 

As we transition into the fall, we want to take a moment to thank all of you for supporting the HAFA Summer CSA. Without your commitment to our farmers, we couldn’t have had such a successful season. Everyone’s feedback and open communication contributed to our ability to better serve you (our members), our farmers and our community. 

If you are joining us for the fall share, stay tuned as more announcements will go out in the coming week. As a reminder, the fall share starts on September 26 and 27.

We hope you enjoy the final summer CSA box and, as always, happy eating!

In solidarity,
The HAFA Family
 
 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sign up for a Fall Full and/or Thanksgiving Share!
hafa-farmers-veggies-collage
Fall CSA, 7 weeks

September 27 – November 8
Full Share $200
Half shares are sold out
Flower shares are sold out
 
Thanksgiving Share*
Pick-up November 15 and 16
Veggie Share $50

Optional turkey:
Small – $28
Medium – $36
Large – $45
 
Sign Up Now!
*Thanksgiving shares are only available for pick-up at the Good Acre on November 15 and 16.
 
HAFA needs volunteers for September and October CSA packing! For more information, please respond to this newsletter or email info@hmongfarmers.com.
 

WHAT’S IN YOUR CSA BOX?
This week you can expect the following in your CSA box:
FULL SHARES

Beets – 2 pounds
Carrots – 2 pounds
Eggplant Medley – 1 pound
Green Beans – 1.5 pounds
Ground Cherries – 1 pint
Napa Cabbage – 1 head
Rosemary – 1 bunch
Yellow Onion – 3 pounds
Yukon Gold Potatoes – 3 pounds
HALF SHARES
Carrots – 2 pounds
Globe Eggplant – 1 pound
Ground Cherries – 1 pint
Napa Cabbage – 1 head
Rosemary – 1 bunch
Yellow Onion – 2 pounds
Yukon Gold Potatoes – 2 pounds
 
RECIPES
Ground cherries harvested from the HAFA Farm. Photo credit: Mike Hazard.
Ground Cherry Clafoutis
from Chezus
INGREDIENTS
  • 1/4 lb ground cherries, left whole
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • butter

 

DIRECTIONS
  1. Heat oven to 350.
  2. Butter small gratin dish and sprinkle ground cherries in it.
  3. Mix the egg, sugar, flour, milk and almond extract, until well blended.
  4. Pour over the ground cherries and place on a cookie sheet.
  5. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, until golden and lightly puffed. Serve immediately.
 
Roasted Vegetables
At this point in the CSA how good are you at identifying and pairing vegetables for a dish? One glance at this week’s box and many of our staff members exclaimed, “Roasted veggies!” With the cooler weather, one doesn’t have to worry about overheating the house, instead everyone gets to enjoy the delicious aromas as they waft through each room.

To roast your veggies:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425ºF.
  2. Cut up your carrots, potatoes and onions (any ratio you prefer) into 1/2 inch pieces and place in baking dish
  3. Strip the rosemary needles from the stem of the herb (as much as you would like), give them a quick chop and add to the baking dish.
  4. Drizzle the vegetables with just enough olive oil to lightly coat everything, add salt and pepper to taste and toss.
  5. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover the dish, stir and let bake (uncovered) until browned to your liking.
 

PROFILE: GABRIELLA WALKER
 
As you know, HAFA has partnered with the University of Minnesota Grossman Labs to study the effects of white clover cover crops planted between crop rows. We were lucky to have intern Gabriella Walker work with our Farm and Research team this summer and wanted to share a bit of her experience. In her own words, “I had such a wonderful learning experience during my internship! Working with the Grossman Lab gave me the opportunity to see what research was like, but also see what it was like to work with hardworking farmers and connect and build relationships as well. I learned that a big part of research is to communicate and build strong relationships with anyone and everyone you work with. Now that the internship is over, I am currently in community college at MCTC and hope to transfer to the U of MN for nutrition this spring. I love learning about food and our bodies and I know this research provided well-needed skills in the field of nutrition. I had a fun time working with our lab as well as HAFA and will carry the experience with me wherever I go! “

Thanks for all your hard work this summer, Gabriella!