*Note: If we don't have enough of one item for each bag, we substitute with another item.  This is why you might see some vegetables on the list that you did not recieve, but we make sure the bags are of equal value.

Wednesday, September  8

Eggplant

Japanese Eggplant

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Peppers

Basil

Monday, September 6

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Eggplant

Japanese Eggplant

Sweet Basil

Peppers

Saturday, September 4

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Eggplant

Japanese Eggplant

Sweet Basil

Peppers

Wednesday, September 1

Eggplant

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Peppers

Basil

Purple Hull Peas

Monday, August 30

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Eggplant

Basil

Peppers

Purple Hull Peas

Saturday, August 28

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Eggplant

Basil

Peppers

Purple Hull Peas

Wednesday, August 25

Eggplant

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Peppers

Basil

Monday, August 23

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Eggplant

Basil

Peppers

Saturday, August 21

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Eggplant

Basil

Peppers

Wednesday, August 18

Squash

Cucumbers

Okra

Eggplant

Basil

Peppers

Mint

Rosemary

Monday, August 16

Squash

Okra

Eggplant

Peppers

Basil

Saturday, August 14

Squash

Okra

Eggplant

Peppers

Basil

Rosemary

Mint

Wednesday, August 11

Squash

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Okra

Basil

Peppers

Monday, August 9

Squash

Okra

Eggplant

Peppers

Basil

Saturday, August 7

Peppers

Squash

Cucumbers

Basil

Eggplant

Okra

Wednesday, August 4

Eggplant

Squash or Zucchini

Cucumbers

Peppers

Basil

Okra

Onions

Monday, August 2

Eggplant

Cucumbers

Peppers

Zucchini

Squash

Basil

Saturday, July 30

Bell Peppers

Hot Peppers

Eggplant

Okra

Cucumbers

Zucchini

Basil

Parsley

Wednesday, July 28

Squash

Zucchini

Bell Peppers

Hot Peppers

Eggplant

Cucumbers

Thai Basil

Lemon Basil

Parsley

Oregano

Tarragon

Melons

Monday, July 26

Squash

Zucchini

Tomatoes

Basil

Cucumbers

Peppers

Okra

Saturday, July 24

Squash

Zucchini

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Basil

Cucumbers

Peppers

Okra

Onions

Wednesday, July 21

Squash

Zucchini

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Basil

Cucumbers

Watermelons

Peppers

Okra

Onions

Monday, July 19

Squash

Zucchini

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Basil

Cucumbers

Watermelons

Bell Peppers

Okra

Saturday, July 17

Squash

Zucchini

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Basil

Cucumbers

Watermelons

Bell Peppers

Okra

Wednesday, July 14

Squash

Zucchini

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Lemon Basil

Cucumbers

Watermelons

Peppers

Monday, July 12

Squash

Zucchini

Eggplant

Blueberries

Acorn Squash

Tomatoes

Basil

Cucumbers

Watermelons

Hot Peppers

Bell Peppers

Saturday, July 10

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Yellow Squash

Winter Squash

Zucchini

Blueberries

Basil

Cucumbers

Rosemary

Mint

Watermelon

Wednesday, July 7

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Squash

Zucchini

Blueberries

Bell Peppers

Basil

Cucumbers

Rosemary

Watermelon

Monday, July 5

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Squash

Zucchini

Blueberries

Bell Peppers

Basil

Cucumbers

Butternut Squash

Watermelon

Oyster Mushrooms (From Manatee Mushrooms in Quincy, FL)

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Through our CSA, members receive fresh, healthy vegetables on a weekly basis. By signing up, our members share in the risks and the rewards of our farm. Since Nature doesn’t provide any guarantee, we can‘t either, but so far (even with severe flooding and extreme temperatures) we have been able to meet our demand.

USDA Organic Certification

We have worked hard to achieve the USDA Organic Certification, which means the vegetables we provide for your families are 100% sustainably and organically grown, with absolutely no chemicals or pesticides.

Share Sizes

Share sizes range from full shares, which feed a family of four, to half shares, which feed a family of two. Half shares pick-up every other week.

Pick-Up Locations

For your convenience, there are 3 pick-up locations to choose from:

• Mondays - at the farm after 3:00 p.m.
• Wednesdays - Lake Ella Growers’ Market from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Saturdays - Tallahassee Market Square from 8:00 a.m. - Noon

In case of a missed pickup, we are unable to swap your pickup location or re-make your bag, but we will always keep your bag in the farm refrigerators for 24 hours.

Join Us

To join, go to "Member Sign-up" under the "CSA" tab, and we will contact you a soon as possible with confirmation of your request. We will continue accepting members until our available shares are spoken for.

Cost

Our CSA year runs year round, and is broken down into four payment periods.  Please see schedule below for payment options.  Members have the option of paying for the full year, but are only required to pay for one session at a time.

Payment

After receiving confirmation of your membership, checks should be made out to Orchard Pond Organics and mailed to 500 Orchard Pond Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312. Checks for the current period must be received 2 weeks before the first pickup date to secure your spot.

Adjacent to Orchard Pond Organics on Meridian Road

50'x30' Plots Available

$20 Per Month

One Tillage Provided Annually, Free of Charge

Water and Spigot Provided Free of Charge

No Herbicides, Pesticides, or GMO's

Call or Email with Questions

(850)591-5766 or orchardpond@gmail.com

For more information please contact Mary at orchardpondorganics@gmail.com.

Where to begin?!

The weather's been up and down and backwards and around again... but things are growing moderately well. It's very heartening to see the little ones burgeoning into larger and larger versions of themselves. Cabbages, cauliflower, lots of kohlrabi, brussels sprouts!!! and more!

Closer and closer to pouncing on our new 8 acre field across the street... just waiting for the weather to permit the irrigation dudes to lay the piping. We can hardly wait!

New equipment to make Lydia and myself into six people instead of the amazing four people we are (speaking in terms of efficiency)! Many thanks to fairy godfather Phipps for his support in hunting down and procuring said equipment!

And finally... Some of you may have noticed a strage be-flowered green entity in your bags recently. I won't assume ALL of you are as ignorant as this bewildered yankee... but some must be curious as to a. what this is and b. what in the world to do with it!

Broccoli Raab

A. WHAT IS THIS?!?!?

Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe (or Raap), Broccoli Rabe, Broccoletti, Broccoli di Rape, Cime di Rapa, Rappi, Friarielli (in Naples), and Grelos) is a common vegetable in the cuisines of Southern Italy (in particular Bari and Sicily), Galicia, China, and Portugal . The plant is a member of the Brassiceae tribe of the Brassicaceae, whose taxonomy is very difficult.^[1] Rapini is classified scientifically as Brassica rapa subspecies rapa,^[2] in the same subspecies as the turnip, but has had various other designations, including Brassica rapa ruvo, Brassica rapa rapifera, Brassica ruvo, Brassica campestris ruvo.

Rapini has many spiked leaves that surround a green bud which looks very similar to a small head of broccoli. There may be small yellow flowers blooming from the buds, which are edible.

The flavor of rapini has been described as nutty, bitter, pungent, and "an acquired taste". The Italian cultivar is similar to, but much more bitter than the Chinese. The Chinese cultivar is of a lighter green color, not at all bitter or pungent, and more tender.

Rapini is a source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium, calcium, and iron.^[3]

The vegetable probably descends from a wild herb, a relative of the turnip, that grew either in China or the Mediterranean region. It is similar in shape to the Chinese Brassica oleracea cultivar called kai-lan.

Rapini is now grown throughout the world. Rapini is available all year long, but its peak season is fall to spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

B. WHAT SHALL I DO WITH IT?!?

Here's some ideas!!

RAPINI (also known as Broccoli Raab)

Rapini & Garbanzo Pita Pizzas

2 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
a 19-ounce can garbanzos, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
1 pound rapini tips, rinsed and roughly chopped, eat the leaves and tender stems!
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
three 6-inch whole wheat or other pita breads, halved horizontally to form 6 rounds
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large heavy skillet cook garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden. Transfer garlic and 1 tablespoon oil to a food processor. Add chick-peas, 1/4 cup water, and salt and pepper to taste and blend mixture until smooth.

Heat oil remaining in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook
rapini until wilted. Add remaining 1/4 cup water and pepper flakes and simmer, covered partially, until the greens are crisp-tender and almost all liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Spread rough sides of pita with chick-pea purée and top with rapini and Parmesan.

Arrange pita pizzas on a large baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Serves 6 as an entrée or 10 to 12 as an hors d'oeuvre.

Broccoli Rabe with Orechetti Pasta and Sausage

1 bunch Broccoli Rabe
1 Lb or so of your favorite sausage (no casings, or remove from casings), I use hot Italian
4 cloves garlic, or more if you wish
Orechetti Pasta (Italian for little ears) Penne and Farfalle work well too if you can not find.
1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken stock

Brown sausage in large skillet (best in bite size crumbles). While sausage is browning, clean Broccoli Rabe and remove only the thick tougher ends of stalks. Chop rabe into bite sized pieces. Drain sausage and set aside. Start your water for the pasta and cook according to directions for aldente pasta. In same large skillet as sausage sauté chopped garlic cloves in a bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes (do not clean pan as remaining fat from sausage will add more flavor). Add Broccoli Rabe and some chicken broth to pan and cook until greens have wilted. Add sausage and heat through. Toss with cooked pasta and enjoy. Watch the salt on this as some sausages will have a lot of it and could potentially make this dish to salty if more salt is added. Keep the salt added to pasta water to a minimum.
This dish also works well with vegetarian substitutions for a yummy vegan alternative, make sure to increase the olive oil accordingly… Yummy!

I found a one-page article about it in Cook's Illustrated (Jan/Feb 1999) that told me more about rapini than a shelf of vegetable cookbooks. Here's some thoughts and recipes from Anne Yamanaka who wrote the article:

After trying several ways of blanching the greens, she decided the best was boiling 1 bunch of rapini in 3 quarts of salted water. Here's the official recipe:

Blanched Rapini (Broccoli Raab)

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Using a salad spinner makes easy work of drying the cooled blanched rapini.

1 pound rapini (broccoli rabe), washed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt

Bring 3 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Stir in rapini greens and salt and cook until wilted and tender, about 2 1/2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cool empty saucepan by rinsing under cold running water. Fill cooled saucepan with cold water and submerge greens to stop the cooking process. Drain again; squeeze well to dry and proceed with one of the following recipes.

Rapini with garlic and red pepper flakes

2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 recipe blanched rapini greens (above)

Heat oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in medium skillet over medium heat until garlic begins to sizzle, about 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, add blanched rapini greens, and cook, stirring to coat with oil, until heated through, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt, serve immediately.

Rapini with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

Follow recipe for Rapini with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes, adding 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips, along with garlic and red pepper flakes. Add 3 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts to skillet along with rapini greens.

Rapini with Asian Flavors

Mix 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar in small bowl; set aside. Follow recipe for Rapini with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes, substituting vegetable oil for the olive oil and adding 1/2 teaspoon finely grated ginger along with garlic and red pepper flakes. Add reserved soy sauce mixture to skillet along with rapini.

We've been having some considerably more favorable weather... Still cold, but more temperated. We got about 200 pounds of potatoes planted this last week, around the raining spells and we're working on prepping new fields.

We were very lucky to have our sister organic garden donate some of their lovely produce so that we could give our rows some much needed rest. We hope you enjoyed the bounty! Things are looking great and we're excited to see what this next month brings. Stay tuned for a delicious recipe from Mary for your sour oranges. I'll post it in the next few days!

http://users.kymp.net/citruspages/souroranges.html

Here are a few recipes I rustled up for ya'll! Let us know how they turn out if you try them!!!

Sour Orange/Mojo Sauce

1/3 cup olive oil
6 to 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
2/3 cup sour orange juice or lime juice
(or equal portions orange juice and lime juice)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly toasted. Don't let it brown or it will be acrid tasting, just about 30 seconds should do it.

Add the sour orange juice, cumin and salt and pepper. STAND BACK; the sauce may sputter. Bring to a rolling boil. Taste and correct seasoning, if needed

Cool before serving. Mojo is best when served within a couple of hours of making, but it will keep for several days, well capped in a jar or bottle, in the refrigerator.

Sour Orange Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons grated sour orange peel, or 1 teaspoon each grated lemon and orange peel
• 1 1/2 cups fresh sour orange juice, strained, or 1 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 9-inch baked pastry shell, homemade or purchased
• .
• Meringue:
• 4 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

In a saucepan combine 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, the cornstarch and the salt. Add the water, grated peel and juice, and whisk until smooth. Bring the mixture to the boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. Remove from the heat.

With an electric mixer, beat together the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and the egg yolks until thicken and light in color. Beat in 1/2 cup of the hot juice mixture, then add all of the yolk mixture to the contents of the saucepan, stirring constantly. Stir over medium-low heat until thickened, but do not let the mixture boil. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and pour the filling into the pie shell. Let cool. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Meanwhile, make the meringue topping. Beat the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks. Gradually beat in the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form and all the sugar has dissolved. Spread the meringue over the filling, touching the edge of the pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes, until the meringue is golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Cool thoroughly before serving.

We've been up to our belly buttons in water for a while. Lydia's been hoping to get on the tractor, but every time we think we're almost dry enough to brave the big wheels on the field, it rains... again... and we have to take a "rain check". We've planted a lot in the last few weeks and hopefully the ridiculous downpours we've had haven't washed them away. The following is a list of the seeds we've started-either in flats to be transplanted or direct seeded:

shell peas   
carrots   
cabbage         
kohlrabi               
onions   
Brussels sprouts
shallots    
broccoli  
pink radishes 
purple radishes   
fennel     
cauliflower
arugula       
cress      
red Russian kale
golden frill mustard
homi z mustard
lettuce

Hopefully you can anticipate all these delicious veggies in your bags in the near future. Some of these crops i.e. radishes and kale.. are 20 day crops, but some taken a little longer to mature. We've also almost run out of room in the main garden and are going to be expanding into some new fields very soon!

BAG PICK-UP POLICY REMINDER

Because of the number of members we have, and the innumerable variables and possibilities for error and confusion as a result of our numbers, we wanted to remind everyone of the bag pick up policy. If you are not able to pick up your bag on your designated pick up day/location, we will keep your bag in the refrigerators at the farm for 24 hours following your pick up. After that time, your bag may be assimilated back into the farm machine to make up another bag for the next pick up.

COMPOST CONTRIBUTIONS

Although we already have a lot of fun things to compost with at the farm, I thought you all might be interested in putting your household's compost to use back at the farm (that is if you're not composting for your own garden). We will be accepting compost donations at the market pickups and at the farm. I will also keep you abreast of our composting techniques and inform you of any radical, world changing, organic composting techniques we decide to adopt. Putting deliciousness back into the earth we garden from is one of the most important aspects of sustainable farming and we are learning as much as we can about a variety of composting techniques.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE NEWS FROM OPO!!

WE APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE FARM'S ADVENTURES!!