Week of March 19th, 2012

In This Week’s Box

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• Navel Oranges, Hass Avocados, Olsen Organic Farms, Lindsay, CA
• Kiwis, Brandt Farms,Reedly, CA
• Fuji Apples, Rider and Sons, Watsonville, CA
• Grapefruit, Sundance, Oceanside, CA
• Nectarine and Plum Conserves, Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood, CA

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From Farmer Al

Greetings from Pear Pollen Puffing on Frog Hollow….

“What!?!?” You Ask. “us this one day to get the job done– the entire pear crop could depend on this day of work. Stay Tuned, we’ll let you know in about 3 weeks if it worked! What is Pear Pollen Puffing?”

We can’t rely on bees to pollinate the pears because pear flowers are NOT the bees favorite place to get their pollen. And since the bees are not attracted to pear pollen, we need to give an assist. “How?” you ask…first we buy pear pollen (which is more expensive than gold per ounce) and then we hire and ATV fitted with a custom pear puffer to distribute the pear pollen for us. We affectionately call it “pear pollen puffing” because we used to do this all using a hand held puffer that distributed a “puff” of pollen in each tree as we walked by (applied by Sarah AKA: The Pear Puffing Princess).

The window for pollinating pear trees is only about a week– when the trees are almost and then in full bloom. This year, the one week window we are allowed by nature has been very wet and muddy, and worse; windy, making the job difficult or next to impossible. But today, no wind, no mud, and we’re on the road to pear puffing pollen which should lead to enough Warren Pears, Taylor’s Gold and Bosc Pears to grace your tables beginning in October, though the holidays!

So, we’re breathing a sigh of relief that Mother Nature granted

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Asian Tempeh Kebobs
Ingredients:
Marinade

1/4 cup Tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons rice syrup, honey, or agave syrup
1 teaspoon ginger juice, or small piece of ginger peeled and grated
1 tablespoon garlic (2-3 cloves in garlic press or minced)
Juice from half an orange

Kabobs

1 package tempeh
3 tablespoons olive oil or high heat safflower oil
6 6” inch skewers.

Procedure:

1. In a small bowl, mix tamari, vinegar, rice syrup, ginger juice, garlic and orange juice until rice syrup has dissolved.

2. Cut tempeh into 1 inch cubes. Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add tempeh and cook until browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side, turning over with tongs.

3. Pour marinade into frying pan and simmer, about 8 minutes, turning tempeh occasionally so that they soak up the marinade evenly. Remove from heat. Place tempeh cubes onto skewers, 4/5 cubes each, and place on serving dish.

The key to really good tempeh is all in the marinade. Frying the tempeh first creates a crunchier texture and the marinade gives it a rich meaty flavor. Make extra marinade and save it in the fridge for quick meal prep later, or use it to marinate beef or other meat/tofu for a stir fry.

Recipe from Andre Boje– CSA Member, chef, and creator of theholisticchef.com

CSA News

Next season’s CSA, the Beloved Spring/Summer season, is almost ready on happchildcsa.com! You can enroll in the Spring Season, which begins in May, shortly! Thanks for your patience and support.
As continuing members from one season to another, you will be eligible for a discount of up to %15 if you pay for the whole season.

We have a new CSA Community Outreach position, filled by Lael Gerhardt. We’ll formally introduce Lael to everyone soon, but if you hear from Lael in the meantime, be sure to welcome her to Frog Hollow!