Summer CSA Newsletter: Week 3
Inter-planted Heirloom house.
WHATS IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK AND HOW TO USE IT
LETTUCE MIX - Store in a plastic bag loosely in your refrigerator. The ideal temperature for storing lettuce is at or near 32 degrees. Wash prior to use. Lettuce stores normally for UP to two weeks. $5
BEETS - cut off immediately. Store the roots in a bag in your refrigerator. Before use wash your beets., you can peel them with a knife or peeler, or you can roast them in foil or boil them, and the peels will come right off. Turnips do not require you to peel them, but you should use prior to use. $6.50
RADISH - Remove the greens from the root. If you choose to keep the greens, wash them and then store wrapped in a damp paper towel in a bag. Place in the crisper of the refrigerator. The root can store up to two weeks in the fridge in a plastic bag. Wash before use. $5
SPRING ONIONS - Store in the refrigerator crisper drawer for up to one week. You can peel off layers that become dry or slimy if used after one week. $2.50
SPINACH - Maintain loosely in a bag in your crisper drawer. Wash well prior to use. Stores normally for one - two weeks. $5
HERBS - Cilantro: Trim a little off of the bottoms of the stems so that they can take in more water. Fill a jar or glass partially with water and set the dill inside. An inch or two of the stems should be submerged.: Cover the jar of herbs loosely with a plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator. Change the water when it becomes cloudy (every few days). The herbs should stay fresh for 1 to 2 weeks. $2.50
HEAD LETTUCE: Whole heads of lettuce are perfect for stacking on sandwiches or serving as the foundation of salads. Leave the heads intact and do not wash until you’re ready to use them. Whole heads of lettuce will stay fresher much longer than chopped pieces or individual leaves. Place in a lightly vented bag and store in your crisper drawer. Can store for up to 7 days. $5
Week 3
Welcome to week 3. We hope that you enjoyed your bag last week and that you were able to utilize all the items we packed for you. Here at the farm, this week we ripped out our remaining strawberry plants, which wasn’t what we wanted to do but, they have not produced as we had hoped and we are pretty sure they were part of the group that contracted Neo-P. Refer to CSA newsletter week 1 to read what Neo-P is and how it affected many strawberry growers this year.
As many of you are new to our CSA, we thought now would be a good time to introduce you to team members that you might come in contact with during the season.
We, Matt and Kim Tennill, are the proud owners of Triple H Family Farms and serve as your dedicated farmers. We have owned our farm since 2012 and started farming for market in 2017. Matt and I work together on most things on the farm but, Matt primarily takes charge as our contractor, tractor driver, equipment fixer, root crop harvester, and pest management supervisor. On the other hand, Kim efficiently manages all computer-related tasks, farm market setup, customer service, and daily farm operations. When you visit the farmer's market, it is highly likely that you will encounter either one or both of us.
Kim with our middle son Wyatt.
How we want to look
How we actually look on a daily basis!
Matt and I have been married for 19 years and we are blessed to have six children and one granddaughter. Our children's ages range from 3 to 23, and four of them still reside with us at home. While spring and summer demand our attention and dedication to the farm, during fall and winter, we shift gears and focus on our children's extracurricular activities, school events, holidays, and family vacation. This year, we are also dipping our toe into year round farming and we will try to be at the Columbia Farmers Market as much as possible during the 2025-2026 winter market.
During the spring and summer, we look like the image on the right, but during the winter we do try to look like the picture on the left. This picture was taken in Mexico and it has become one of our favorite places to visit in the off season. We have taken our children who LOVE to travel and get out of school for a week to swim, snorkel, explore and stuff themselves with unlimited treats while we’re there. We are trying to make plans to go to the Dominican or Jamaica this winter as our middle son will be in his senior year and unlikely to be able to take many family vacations with us after he graduates.
Introducing one of our new additions to our farm this year is our dedicated team member, Kaleb. Kaleb’s sister Kylie worked for us last year in our wash pack shed. Kaleb is currently a high school student in Sweet Springs. He plays numerous sports and participates in his local FFA chapter. His primary responsibilities will be to assist with cultivation, seeding, harvest, wash/pack, irrigation and any place we need a set of extra hands.
Our other new addition this year is Brent. Brent and his family live in the Marshall area. He brings an enthusiasm to learn and a willingness to do whatever we put in his path. Similar to Kalb, Brent’s primary responsibilities will be to assist with cultivation, seeding, harvest, wash/pack, irrigation and any other task we set before him. We are excited to have him this summer!
VEGGIE OF THE WEEK
Beets
Beets, often underestimated and can be intimating to many. These are colorful root vegetables that bring a wealth of health benefits to the table. Rich in essential vitamins and minerals, beets are incredibly nutrient-dense while being low in calories, making them a perfect addition to your daily plate.
When I, (Kim), grew up we never ate beets. I was in my late 30’s before ever trying to incorporate them into a meal. I was pleased to find that I could roast, boil, pickle or juice them which all can be fairly simple. Beets also pair well in salads and you can eat the greens.
Photo Credit: Daring Gourmet
Sauteed Beet Greens
1 bunch of beet greens
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons golden raisins
Lemon wedge, for squeezing
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts or pistachios
Instructions
Separate the stems from the beet greens. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the leaves.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and the beet stems and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the beet greens, a few pinches of salt, and several grinds of pepper. Sauté, tossing, until just wilted.
Turn off the heat, add the raisins, and squeeze with lemon juice. Toss to combine. Transfer to a platter, top with the walnuts, and season to taste with more salt and pepper.
Sautéed Beet Greens Recipe - Love and Lemons
Whole Wheat Strawberry Beet Muffins Recipe - Super Healthy Kids
These look fun and something I might try with my kids!
Beet Smoothie | Healthy Breakfast Smoothie Recipe (wellplated.com)
Wilted Lettuce Salad Recipe (allrecipes.com)
Too many greens to deal with? Freeze your spinach and use it in the future in omelets, chicken alfredo, quiche and many other recipes.
This is a favorite of ours. It will use your lettuce, green onions and cilantro. We are cheaters and buy over the counter premade tzatziki sauce and I marinate boneless skinless thighs in Olive Garden Italian dressing for 4-6 hours, dump it in a pan and saute slowly while covered. I then dice up the chicken and serve with warm pitas with a dollop of the tzatziki sauce, cut up cucumbers, onion and cherry tomatoes. YUM!
Photo Credit: Garlic and Zest
This is a yummy option for kale but you can substitute spinach! My kids don’t even realize there is spinach in it!
Bacon Cheddar Kale Quiche - Garlic & Zest (garlicandzest.com)
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
If your week has been crazy and you haven’t had time to do a thing with items in your bag, focus on these tasks:
Make sure the greens are removed from the root vegetables. Your roots will store for a good while, your greens from your root vegetables need to be used or lose them.
Lettuce and Spinach will store for at least 7 days. We wash and spin dry your lettuce one time. You should wash and dry again before consumption. Keep in mind moisture leads to spoilage. You can wait to wash your greens until you plan to consumer them. Place greens in an airtight container such as a bag or Tupperware.
You can freeze green onions including the leafy green tops, the white bulb end, and the stem in between. After freezing, the texture changes somewhat. Stem and bulb portions become soft, while the green parts sometimes become tough.
Greens such as carrot tops or other veggie scraps can be saved and used for homemade vegetable broth. Try this recipe: How to Make Vegetable Broth Using Saved Kitchen Scraps ~ Homestead and Chill
NEXT WEEK’S POSSIBILITY’S
Your bag next week will include 6-7 of the following depending on availability and if it’s ready to harvest.
Carrots
Herbs (Oregano, Sage, Basil or Rosemary)
Green Onions
Lettuce (head or mixed)
Beets
Kale
Spinach
Radish
Turnips
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead, see you next week!