Turnip the Beet!
They're here! The beets are finally here!! We love beets. They are so vibrant, sweet and versatile. One of our favorite beet dishes is a roasted beet and goat cheese salad, rich but refreshing for these brutally hot days of summer.
This week we also have Fava Beans from Volehalla Farm. There are many, many ways to prepare these lovely legumes but some of our favorite ways are blanched, peeled, paired with lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and blended into a beautiful green dip, and if you are not averse to pork these beans are excellent sauteed in pork fat with shallots and garlic. Additionally these buttery treats work well in soups or grilled and eaten straight from the pod. For more info or recipes check out this spruce eats page: https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-fava-beans-995664
Meet your farmer:
Patrick is one of the two owners/founders of Flat Tack Farm. He has been studying agriculture since 2012, since that time He and Kelly have worked/volunteered on many farms throughout Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and the United States. In a previous life Patrick went to university to pursue a career in animation. After a few years working professionally in the animation industry as a character rigger Patrick felt the call of the Earth, he could no longer see the glorious, sunny days of summer pass by through a window. After seeing a Geoff Lawton video about "greening" the Jordanian dessert using Permaculture, Patrick knew his future would involve growing food.
As many of you may already know Patrick is an avid chili pepper enthusiast. In fact, this enthusiasm for the fiery side of life has allowed us at Flat Tack to join forces with three local Hot Sauce Companies: Silagy Sauce in Battleground, WA, Two Angry Cats in Vancouver, WA, and HAB Sauce out of Portland, OR. When Patrick is not farming he enjoys rock climbing, drawing, painting, cooking, brewing beer, hiking and camping.
Local Partner Spotlight:
We love partnering with other local producers and makers of deliciousness! This months featured local business is Lackner Family Farm from Scio, OR. Lackner Family Farm grows a small orchard of Certified Organic Sacajawea hazelnuts. They are a small three generation family farm nestled in the Cascade foothills of the Willamette Valley. Their family has been farming in Oregon since 1884. Only recently have they "gone nuts" with the filbert orchard being a young eight years old. They hope to cultivate a customer base along with the growing orchard! Their family is dedicated to raising the highest quality product and their orchard has been managed with organic practices since the very first day it was planted. The variety they planted is prized for its excellent "Italian" flavor profile; making it an outstanding choice for roasting, snacking, baking, candy making. The husks are very light and are not as bitter as other varieties can be, which makes for a delicious raw or roasted treat. The possibilities are limitless!
A few reminders and notes for those who are starting their summer share this week:
Our mission and hope is that we can help our community enjoy locally grown, fresh and nutritious produce! We thank you so much for your support this season and commend you for choosing to help support a movement that not only creates health for you and your family, but also tends to the land by supporting small farms that use regenerative agricultural practices. As a reminder, please wash your produce prior to consuming. We do wash most things at the farm to cool them down from the field and get the majority of dirt off of them, however a second rinse never hurts!
Want to know the best way to keep all of this season's bounty fresh?! Below is a link included with great storage tips and details from Zenger Farm in Portland, OR.
For many of you this will be your first time using the Harvie.farm online CSA shares. As a reminder- you can set your preferences using your online profile.
https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021794754-How-do-preferences-work-
The Harvie system uses an advanced algorithm that "fills" your boxes according to what you like. So by setting preferences, you can rest assured you'll be getting more of what you want. That being said- you can always change it up!!! Every week you will get an email early in the week to "customize your share". You have a ~2 day period to make changes to your box, swap items, add on additional items or even reschedule your share if you're out of town. https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001667414-How-Swaps-and-Extras-Work
For more details on how to customize your box click this link:
https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/1260802865550-Customize-Your-Share-Version-2
And finally, from your Harvie Dashboard you can do lots of things like change your delivery dates, update your credit card on file, view charges or past deliveries, and access farm resources. Click below to learn more:
https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001542234-What-can-I-do-in-my-Dashboard-
You're always welcome to contact us by sending an email if you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing/meeting everyone!
Your farmers,
Patrick (& the rest of the Flat Tack Farm/Sprout & Blossom Farm team)
