Summer CSA Week Nine | Busy Bees

Week 9: August 13th - August 16th

We have an amazing team of farmers at 10th Street Farm, working hard every day to seed, plant, water, weed, harvest, wash, and pack every single vegetable we put in our CSA, sell in our market, or deliver to our grocery partners. But there’s one thing we can’t do: pollinate. Well, theoretically we could pollinate - seed breeders do it with Q-tips, going plant to plant and ensuring proper pollination. But there’s an easier way. 

For us, that easier way comes in the form of the various bugs that call the farm home. According to the Minnesota bee lab, more than 500 different species of bees live in Minnesota. And beyond the native bees we see buzzing around the farm, pollination is also carried out by butterflies, beetles, flies, and even moths. Any bug that moves from flower to flower can carry pollen along with it, helping our plants produce delicious fruits. 

We do a lot to encourage these pollinators. Driving onto the farm you can’t miss the beautiful flowers we grow for cut flowers or the native pollinator gardens that are quite literally overflowing into the parking lot. Behind our main fields we have a one-acre prairie with native wildflowers, and we leave undisturbed areas of leaves and other ground cover in the spring to protect nesting habitats. Add to that the abundance of flowering crops (including bolted veggies in spring that we keep just for their flowers) and you’ve got a paradise for our insect friends. 

On top of those efforts to encourage native pollinators, we have a secret squad working on our behalf: Joe’s bees. Just up the hill from our farm kitchen, a local beekeeper named Joe has been raising hives for the past few years, ensuring an ample supply of pollinating friends. He’s an avid bee lover, and has recently been working with other beekeepers in the area to raise locally-adapted queens and more winter-hardy hives. I’ve never met someone who knows more about bees, and I learn something fascinating every time I talk to him.

Joe’s bees are a real win-win-win. Joe has plenty of space to mindfully raise bees, the farm has enough flowers to feed them, and the bees help play a critical role in vegetable production. And there’s one more big win in the equation: honey. We’re biased, but we think the honey produced by the bees on the farm is absolutely incredible - full of the rich flavor that comes from a diverse, natural foraging menu. 

On Saturday, Joe will be extracting this season’s honey from the hives on the farm. And we’re excited to invite anyone who is interested to come check it out! He’ll be in the big (non-market) barn between 1-3pm, and would love to chat about bees, beekeeping, honey, and other related topics. If you’ve never seen honey extraction before, it’s pretty cool! And we’ll also have the freshest honey imaginable available to taste and purchase!

Our big thanks to Joe and his bees for their hard work on the farm!

Have a week that’s sweet like honey,

Chris, Ashley, and the 10th Street Farmers

A NOTE ABOUT FOOD SAFETY:

As you have no doubt seen in the headlines, a pretty nasty bug called cyclospora has been making its way around the country. We want to assure you that our produce is not affected! This parasite is transmitted through human feces, and likely originated at a farm or food processing facility with improper water management practices and/or poor labor conditions. We are food safety certified through FSMA (the Food Safety Modernization Act) and our farm is certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. We follow best practices by (of course) providing a bathroom with running water to our employees and emphasizing hygiene on the farm. All of our produce is washed with clean well-water (the same well we use for our own home) and we test that well regularly to ensure its safety. So go forth and eat salad! And tell your friends to support local farms!

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In Your Share This Week

Choice:

• Cucumbers: Crunchy and refreshing, chop up for a salad, add to sandwiches or just eat raw! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Peppers: Sweet peppers are amazing raw, with dips, or added to a skillet or grill. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Carrots: These carrots are sweet, crunchy, and oh so addicting! Remove tops and store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Green Beans: The classic taste of summer - these green beans are flavorful and ready to rock. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Melon: Please note - due to our early season hail storm, we have a limited supply of melon this year. If you don’t get one this week, we will have more next week! Your choice (while supplies last) of cantaloupe or watermelon! Store in your fridge.

• Broccolini: Tasty tender broccoli shoots - eat them leaves and all. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

  
  

Choice:

• Farm Mix Salad Mix: A diverse mix of tasty red and green lettuces. Delicious with just olive oil and salt, or dress it up! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Flavor Mix microgreens: Mild and tasty, these make an easy salad on their own or can add some color to any other salad. Try them on eggs or sandwiches – or anything, really! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Kale: Hearty yet still tender, the kale is tasting great this summer. Maybe time for some kale chips? Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Dill: Fresh and herbaceous, this dill is a great addition to sauces and salads. Store in a bag in your fridge (in a cup of water, if possible!)

• Tropea Onions: Our favorite fresh red onions - mild and versatile. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Cilantro microgreens: Zippy micros to add a little flavor to whatever's on your plate! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Power Greens Micro Mix: Our newest micro mix! A nutrient-dense blend of broccoli, kale, daikon, and bekana sure to power up any dish!

• Radishes: Beautiful red radishes have a mild heat and a great crunch. Add to salads or sandwiches for a little extra flavor. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Head Lettuce: Beautiful lettuce heads. Great for everything from lettuce wraps to salads and sandwiches. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Large Tomato: The taste of summertime! Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

• Cherry Tomatoes: A rainbow of flavor, packed in a pint. Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

Choice: 

• Garlic: The best cooking advice we ever received? When a recipe calls for a clove of garlic, use two or three! Store on your counter.

• Basil: The perfect partner for tomatoes and other summer veggies! Herbaceous and tasty. Store in a glass of water outside the fridge.

• Small Tomato: The taste of summertime! Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

Kitchen Inspiration

We’ve got delicious dill this week, along with the return of green beans. Clearly a sign that it’s time to whip up some dilly beans! Or switch it up with these spicy dilly beans! And if you’re already making some jarred veg, try a batch of these lacto-fermented carrots. Salty, good for your gut, and just the slightest bit effervescent!

The arrival of sweet peppers has me thinking about shakshuka, YUM. Or keep it simple and just make a cucumber dip to eat with fresh peppers (and beans, carrots, radishes…). It’s hard to go wrong with something fresh at this point in the season!

If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and share with other members!

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Please remember to check your name off on the list! And please bring back your Purple or Blue bag each week! Thank you.