Online Meal Planning for Your CSA Box & GIVEAWAY!

Farm Fresh To You members get 20% off Design My Meals' Online Meal Planner.
Click image to enlarge.

We are excited to announce a special promotion with online meal planner Design My Meals, a great service that automatically downloads the contents of your CSA box type into your menu planner each week and suggests recipes that make the best use of the food that you have — with nutritional information too!

Easily drag and drop recipes into your meal planning calendar.
Click image to enlarge.

Sign up now and try Design My Meals for 30 days free, and once your free trial period ends, Farm Fresh To You members get 20% off the subscription! 

Suggested recipes are taylored to the contents in your FFTY box and provide nutritional information. Click image to enlarge.

 Design My Meals Features:  

• CSA box contents are automatically downloaded into your account each week. (Box contents are added weekly, regardless of your delivery schedule. Excluded items will still appear in your online pantry.)

• Easily drag and drop healthy recipes into your meal planning calendar. Customize nutritional information for each household member. 

• Substitute ingredients and see how nutritional values change.

To sign up for your 30-day free trial and receive a special 20% off your subscription go to: www.designmymeals.com/farmfreshtoyou

GIVEAWAY! (Contest is now closed)

Enter to Win One of Two 6-month Subscriptions:

For a chance to win one of two 6-month subscriptions to Design My Meals online meal planning, simply leave a comment below answering this question by Tuesday, March 19th. Limit 1 entry per person, please.

Which produce item/s would you like the most meal planning help with?

We have chosen TWO WINNERS! CONGRATULATIONS!!

The first winner chosen at random is Karen M. who wrote:

“Need help with fennel.”

The second winner chosen at random is Amy P. who wrote:

“Fennel?”

 
Thank you to everyone who participated in our giveaway!! Like us on Facebook as we will be posting more recipes for items such as fennel, kale, beets, endive and greens that were listed here the most!

Don’t forget – you can try Design My Meals for free for 30 days, and after the trial period, you get 20% off your monthly subscription. www.designmymeals.com/farmfreshtoyou  

Details of Giveaway: No purchase required. Limit one entry per person, please. Entries will close on Tuesday, March 19th, at 8:00 a.m. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced on our blog on Tuesday, March 19th.

Ice on the Mandarin Trees

From the Fields - Farm News, January 21, 2013

I awake sometime after midnight thinking about the orchard of mandarin trees we planted last spring. They are frost-hardy; it is the reason we selected them. Literature says they can handle a few hours at 27 degrees F. I am not worried about the established orchards. Their new growth might get burned back a bit, but they will live. It is this orchard we planted last spring that I worry about. This is their most vulnerable season. Lying awake in bed, I realize this cold snap is most likely their most vulnerable 72 hours. Mom lost a new orchard to a hard frost when I was a child. I remember the financial and emotional toll it took in our home.

Our plan had been set a week ago. Turn the water on at midnight. An irrigation system wetting the orchard with water does two things; it adds as small amount of energy due to the warmth of the water. The freezing of water is an exothermic reaction, which means that when water freezes, it releases a small amount of energy. The other thing we have going for us is the location of the orchard. It was placed on a small hill that sits above the valley that allows the dense cold air to drain off the orchard.

I think about the tree wrap we installed to protect the base of the trees from rodents and the 2 degrees of frost protection the salesman said they delivered. I don’t believe him, but I want to. There are the wind machines that we don’t have that could protect the trees and for one moment, I wish that we did. I can see a picture of someone selling helicopter services in an ag magazine. I think that paying someone to fly around the orchard in a helicopter at night is dangerous and not effective, but I do think about it. The single degree that separates your orchard from life and death is an elusive, but finite fact that will absorb as much time and money as you will give it.

On my drive over to the orchard first thing in the morning, I pass my farm manager returning from it. I arrive to a winter wonderland, micro sprinklers running and ice everywhere. It is pretty. I stop to take photos. Most of the ice is on the ground and on the base of the tree, the leaves have no ice, but they look as cold as the ice below them.

On the hill, there is a line where the irrigation water did not turn into ice (you can see this in the photo above).  The bulk of the orchard is below the line, sitting in what I hope to be a protective layer of ice. It crosses my mind that I don’t know what dead mandarin trees look like, and I hope I never do. The ones I am looking at could be alive or they could be dead. I shout out to them, “How you guys feeling – did you make it? Got another cold night coming.” They don’t respond. 

As I drive back to the office, I pass my brother heading to the orchard. It is a popular place this morning. Chatting with our farm manager, we both agree that it wasn’t that cold, and they might get burned a bit, but they will live. Being optimistic is a prerequisite for being a farmer. We both agree that we won’t know for a week or so. 


Many of you have asked, how are the trees doing now?

The trees look great and we didn't loose a single tree! They were planted on a hill, so the cold air rolled right off.  Thank you for asking, and for thinking of us.

We are looking forward to another good year of growth on them this year!

Satsuma Mandarins

The perfect pick-me-up! Healthy, sweet, juicy and easy to peel.  

Satsuma Mandarins are soft, yet heavy with sweet juices. The longer the fruit stays on the tree, the higher their sugar content - or brix, so earlier in the season, they can be a little more firm and tart. Once your fruit is to your desired ripeness, place your fruit in the refrigerator to extend their shelf life.

Satsuma Mandarins are usually eaten out of hand, but make a great addition to salads and savory dishes.They are often paired with bold-flavored foods, such as fennel and blue cheese because their sweetness provides a complementary effect.   

We are excited about a new Satsuma Mandarin orchard we planted earlier this year. Two years ago, we ordered the trees, and this summer they showed up neatly organized into bins that were delivered from the nursery.

Now the trees have been tucked into their homes that were precisely located with the help of a GPS and a surveying crew.

The new trees look good in the field, but they are so tiny! From the distance, the trees appear as little, green toothpicks neatly organized in a brown field that rolls up and down with the contour of the gently sloping hills.

The thought of a mature orchard seems so far away, but we know that slowly and steadily those little trees will make great use of the soil, sun, water and love that we will provide them.

How have you been enjoying your Satsumas this winter? Looking for new ways to enjoy them? Here's a list of suggestions:

Juice Them!  Drink your juice straight from the juicer or add it to your favorite tea or cocktail. Fresh citrus juice is also a great ingredient for sauces, dressings and vinaigrette.

Freeze Them!  Separate the segments then freeze them - perfect for smoothies!  Use the juice to make sorbet, granita or a frozen orange souffle.

Bake Them!  Use Satsumas in your next cake, muffin, biscotti, scone or cheesecake. 

Preserve Them!  Satsumas are some of the best citrus fruits to preserve. Turn your fresh fruit into a sweet marmalade, jam, jelly or syrup to enjoy long after Satsuma season is over. 

Peel Them!  Candy your peels, or dry them and add chunks of peel to braises or sauces. You can grind the dried peels and mix with your favorite herbs and spices to create a savory-yet-sweet spice rub to enhance just about anything.  

Eat Them!  Add fresh Satsuma segments to salads, garnish seafood dishes, make a compote or salsa, include in side dishes such as shaved fennel, fruit salad or cous cous.

Decorate With Them!  Satsumas add a hint of color to any centerpiece, wreath or garland. Craft your peel into a simple, lovely candle that uses the pith as a wick.