Any share changes must be submitted to lucsa@theurbancanopy.org by Monday at noon!
In your box this week:
ASPARAGUS - SALAD MIX- CARROTS
- SPUTNIK COFFEE BEANS - RADISHES - GREEN GARLIC - EGGS - MUSHROOMS - GOLDEN DELICIOUS
APPLES
PLUM TREEES IN BLOOM, MICK KLUG FARM, ST. JOSEPH, MI, APRIL 2024
WELCOME!
SOME HELPFUL HINTS FOR OUR NEW LUCSA MEMBERS
NEWS FROM THE FARM:
The farm crew is looking forward to this summer LUCSA season and all the produce to come! 75 of our 78 beds have been planted and our first round of radishes and salad greens are ready for harvest! Turnips, green garlic, and mustard greens are not far behind. We have spent the last week transplanting romaine, kale, chard, and parsley, and then installing drip irrigation to ensure the seedlings survive during hot, sunny days. We have also been enjoying visits from the local fauna: a coyote, hawks, cardinals, and a resident cat.
Photo: Mix of newly planted seedling and ready to harvest green beds at the UC Farm.
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
If you missed a week and want to see what was in a previous share, we archive a PDF of all our previous newsletters here. You can also use it to look at previous seasons if you are interested to see what crops are coming!
WEEKLY ADD ONS FOR YOUR BOX
Locally-sourced food and home goods to round out your CSA box! Save trips to the grocery store and get what you need delivered inside your LUCSA share.
For returning LUCSA members, we’re doing Add Ons a little differently these days… you will access the Shop through your very own member portal! Link below.
Add On Order form must be submitted by noon on Monday!
THE UC KITCHEN AT THE HATCHERY IN GARFIELD PARK
ADD ONS FROM THE UC PROCESSING KITCHEN
We have been hard at work here in our commercial kitchen space. We aim to utilize surplus food or produce that might go to waste to make a range of amazing products. We work with local farmers and a number of larger distributors in Pilsen to minimize food waste and create handmade goods to fill your pantry and fridge and freezer. We try to offer a number of staples like salsa and fruit jams, but we also like to get creative and dabble with things like chow chow and pickled watermelon rind.
From pickles and jams to fermented sauerkraut and even pre-rolled pie crusts, there is a lot that we can do.
Keep checking back since we add new things all of the time like our handmade dog treats made with sweet potatoes, beef fat, applesauce and flour. We are always looking for new recipes to try and new products to develop so this time of year with new local crops coming in all of the time is really exciting. And we love sharing recipes so check out what we are doing on Instagram each week.
Share Contents
Refer back to this page for updated share contents and photos to help you identify produce!
Please keep in mind that share contents may vary due to market availability so contents may vary slightly from this list. Farming is never 100% predictable. We appreciate your flexibility.
Pro-tip: When your share arrives, immediately unpack your produce and move into proper storage containers!
Wash produce before eating!
Remember to return your wax box, egg cartons, and pint containers during your next delivery. We re-use all of these items!
Beverage:
Coffee Beans, Sputnik Roasters (Back of the Yards, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Coffee beans should be stored in an air-tight and opaque container to avoid light and oxygen. Coffee beans are best used within a month of the roast date. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Bread:
Wednesday: Pullman Sourdough, Publican Quality Bread (Fulton Market, Chicago, IL)
Thursday: Whole Wheat Boule, FranHer Bakery (Pilsen, Chicago, IL)
Friday: Country Sourdough, pHlour Bakery (Edgewater, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Keep your bread cut side down in a bag on your counter for two to three days. At that point you will want to slice or rip/cut your bread into pieces and freeze for future toast, croutons, or panzanella! If it’s particularly hot, you may want to move it to the refrigerator after a day or two (the only time we will tell you to refrigerate bread).
Mushrooms:
Crimini, Portabella: River Valley Ranch (Burlington, WI)
Lion’s Mane: Windy City Mushroom (Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Open the paper bag to reduce moisture, and keep mushrooms out of plastic. Smoke, dehydrate, or par-cook and freeze for longer storage.
Eggs: Finn's Steak and Egg Ranch (Buchanan, MI)
Storage Tip - You can freeze your eggs to make them last longer. Crack and scramble in a container, or crack whole into oiled muffin tins, and keep frozen for up to 6 months.
Green Garlic: Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, IL)
Storage Tip - Keep green garlic and garlic scapes in your refrigerator's crisper drawer in loose plastic or mesh bags so that air circulates around them. They should stay fresh for at least one week and up to two weeks.
Asparagus from mick klug
Asparagus: Mick Klug Farm (St. Joseph, MI)
Storage Tip - Trim any woody ends from the stems, stand upright in an inch of water in a jar or glass, cover tips with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Change the water if it starts to discolor.
Golden Delicious Apples: Mick Klug Farm (St. Joseph, MI)
Storage Tip - Keep at a consistent temperature on the counter for up to a week, or in the crisper for up to a month.
Salad Mix: The Urban Canopy (Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Repackage in a non-biodegradable plastic bag or container with a towel or paper towel for up to a week.
Radishes: The Urban Canopy (Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL) & Down at the Farms (Fairbury, IL)
Storage Tip - Remove greens, keep in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper for up to a week. Keep root or stem dry in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to three weeks.
Carrots: Family Farm Fresh (Rockville, IN)
Storage Tip - Store in the crisper in a plastic bag for a few weeks.
Substitutions
Kholrabi, swiss chard & green garlic
Items for those already opting out of beverage, bread, mushrooms, or eggs or having a conflicting allergy - subject to change, even if specified. Please refer back to this newsletter throughout the week for updates.
Sweet Potatoes: Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, IL)
Storage Tip - Sweet potatoes should never be cold til cooked! Keep them dry at a stable temperature out of direct light, on your counter or in a cupboard, for up to 6 months.
Kohlrabi: Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, IL)
Storage Tip - Remove greens, keep in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper for up to a week. Keep root or stem dry in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to three weeks.
Rhubarb: Family Farm Fresh (Rockville, IN)
Storage Tip - Storage Tip - You can keep rhubarb stalks wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days. If you snip off the base, place it upright in a jar with an inch of water and cover the tops with a plastic bag, it will last for a week or more. Rhubarb also does really well when frozen and can store for an entire year. A rhubarb freezing tutorial from Martha Stewart: https://www.marthastewart.com/1063796/how-store-rhubarb
Potatoes: Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, IL)
Storage Tip - Keep cool, dry and out of direct light, on your counter, in a cupboard or in a perforated paper bag, for up to 6 months.
Turnips: Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, IL)
Storage Tip - Remove any greens and clean off any soil. Best stored in the refrigerator crisper or lowest shelf.
Pea Shoot Microgreens: Closed Loop Farms (Back of the Yards, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - The micros from Closed Loop Farm will come in a green compostable bag, Remove your greens from the bag and store them in a plastic container with a paper towel covering.
For more recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram! Our recipe reels provide additional information on how to use produce and processing items each week!
