September 24, 2024

Andrea Bemis

2024 Harvest 19

September 24, 2024

Andrea Bemis

Howdy folks and welcome to week 19 of your Tumbleweed Farm CSA! We hope you all are enjoying this beautiful early fall weather and are up for another box of veggies. This week it’s a full on marriage of summer crops coming together with the fall bounty. The winter squash variety this week is one of our favorites. It’s the North Georgia Candy Roaster. Don’t let the size or shape scare you! This squash is actually not that hard to cut into and has the most flavorful flesh. It’s sweet, nutty and perfect for pies, soups, sauces or simply cubing it up and roasting. You can use half of it and store the other half for a few weeks in your garage. You may have to slice a little of the exposed flesh off if it gets a bit soft but the untouched part of the squash should be just fine if you only use part of it this week.

We are also excited for the debut of our lunch box peppers this week! These are our FAVORITE peppers on the farm. They are so darn sweet and the perfect thing to snack on. Whip up some hummus and dip away!

We hope you all enjoy the harvest this week!

Your farmers,

Andrea, Taylor Pepper, Maize and our amazing crew!

Harvest 19

Collard Greens—High in vitamin K they are also a good source of cancer fighting compounds and are rich in glucosinolates which is a sulfur-containing compound which is thought to help stop cancer process at different stages of development. Pretty rad!
Spinach— Spinach— rich in iron, potassium, vitamins C & E, and magnesium. Spinach can also aid in digestion and has anticancer properties. Eat this veggie up!!
Lunch Box Peppers— Besides Vitamin C, shishito peppers have a high amount of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E. These contribute to improving the immune system as well as the body's nervous system. Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E also prevent the cells and tissues from getting damaged. This keeps immunity levels up at all times.
Parsley—This herb is an all-purpose pathogen-fighter; it keeps bacteria, parasites, and fungus at bay. It helps alkalize all systems in the body and includes important vitamins and minerals such as vitamins B, A, C, and K. It’s also a highly remineralizing food, especially for those low in trace minerals; parsley provides magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, chromium, selenium, iodine, and calcium.
Broccoli— Broccoli contains many vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Broccoli’s benefits include helping reduce inflammation, keeping blood sugar stable, and strengthening the immune system.
Cauliflower— it’s a good source of protective antioxidants, is rich in sulforaphane, high in choline and may support hormonal balance.
Potatoes—Potato skins and flesh are both very beneficial to human health. Fun fact—potato plants draw some of the highest concentration of macro and trace minerals from the earth. This was news to me!! They are high in potassium and rich in vitamin B6, as well as a fantastic source of amino acids, especially lysine in its bioactive form. Lysine is a powerful weapon against viruses such as Epstein-Barr and shingles that are behind rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, autoimmune disease, and more. Potatoes also contain tyrosine, a chemical needed to produce thyroid hormones. So cool! Eat more potatoes folks!
Winter Squash (North Georgia Candy Roaster)—Winter Squash is a highly nutritious and alkaline food which is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants. It’s easy to digest and contains high amounts of Vitamins A, E, C, B-complex, and beta carotene, iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium which are vital for a healthy and strong immune and nervous system.
Red Onions—Onions are high in probiotics and fiber which is great for gut health. They are also high in vitamin C, which may help regulate your immune health, collagen production, and iron absorption. Onions are rich in B vitamins, including folate and vitamin B6.
Full Size Tomatoes—Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

Recipe Suggetions

**Winter Squash & Potato Casserole** (this was so delightfully delicious and a good thing to whip up now and again for Thanksgiving!)

**Warm Collard Greens Salad with Coconut & Burst Tomatoes** (This combination may sound weird but you gotta try it! It’s so simple and absolutely divine. Trust us on this one!)

**White Bean Cauliflower Soup with Bacon Gremolata** (this is SO easy and good!)

**Harissa Roasted Chicken & Cauliflower with Chickpeas** (hands down one of the best meals ever!)

**Pumpkin Pot Pie With Sausage And Kale** (this recipe also made one of my cookbooks because it’s been such a hit for many years)

**Winter Squash Miso Soup** (best soup to make with an abundance of winter squash!)

Below are recipes from my children’s website that we absolutely love to serve the whole family!

**High Protein Spinach Banana Pancakes** (my kid’s favorite breakfast!)

**Savory Spinach & Goat Cheese Blondies** (this is so tasty and good, great for breakfast or dinner!)

**Spinach Pesto Pasta** (this is the best way to get your kids to eat spinach!)

**Flourless Double Chocolate Spinach Brownies** **(if you haven’t made these yet you’re in for a treat!)**

**Cheesy Cauliflower Fritters** (toddler approved!)

**spinach & feta meatballs** (some of our favorites!)

September 17, 2024

Andrea Bemis

2024 Harvest 18

September 17, 2024

Andrea Bemis

Howdy folks and welcome to week 18 of your Tumbleweed Farm CSA. It’s getting pretty chilly out here in the fields. It’s been cold enough in the mornings that we’ve actually been rocking hand warmers out in the field. By mid morning things are warm and comfortable and by evening chores it’s back to chilly weather again. We love this time of the year and the changing of the seasons really has such a magical feel to it.

We hope you all enjoy this week’s haul. Happy cooking and eating everyone!

Your farmers,
Andrea, Taylor, Pepper, Maize and our amazing crew.

harvest 18

Cilantro—Cilantro is one of the most potent and detoxifying herbs for our bodies. It helps remove heavy metals from our bodies and has antibacterial properties along with being one of the most adrenal supporting herbs out there.
Beets—rich in folate, manganese and copper. Copper is very important as it helps make red blood cells and helps keep your immune system healthy.
Potatoes— Potato skins and flesh are both very beneficial to human health. Fun fact—potato plants draw some of the highest concentration of macro and trace minerals from the earth. This was news to me!! They are high in potassium and rich in vitamin B6, as well as a fantastic source of amino acids, especially lysine in its bioactive form. Lysine is a powerful weapon against viruses such as Epstein-Barr and shingles that are behind rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, autoimmune disease, and more. Potatoes also contain tyrosine, a chemical needed to produce thyroid hormones. So cool! Eat more potatoes folks!
Lettuce Mix—A rich source of vitamins A, K and folate. Also anti- inflammatory!
Bok Choy—Full of anti-cancer properties such as Vitamins C & E, beta carotene, and selenium which is thought to slow the growth rate of tumor
Bell Peppers—Bell peppers are very high in vitamin C, with a single one providing up to 169% of the recommended daily value. Other vitamins and minerals in bell peppers include vitamin K1, vitamin E, vitamin A, folate, and potassium.
Full Size Tomatoes—Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
Fennel—This anise flavored veggie is packed with important vitamins and minerals to help maintain overall health. Rich in Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and manganese fennel is also been proven to help reduce inflammation and contains antibacterial properties.
Cabbage—this tasty brassica helps reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the leading cause of disease and incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods is very beneficial.
Onions— Onions are high in probiotics and fiber which is great for gut health. They are also high in vitamin C, which may help regulate your immune health, collagen production, and iron absorption. Onions are rich in B vitamins, including folate and vitamin B6.

Recipe Suggetsions

**Beet & Fennel Soup** (so easy and delicious!)

**Cilantro-Lime Sauce** (put this healthy dressing on everything you can!!)

**Lentil Soup with Fennel, Sausage & Bitter Greens** (this is so dang flavorful and easy to prepare!)

**Warm Beet, Fennel & White Bean Salad with Beet Greens Chimichurri** (if your beet greens don’t look great substitute with cilantro and bok choy leaves)

**Bok Choy and Beet Slaw with Creamy Cashew Dressing** (this is absolutely divine!)

Beet Pasta with Caramelized Leeks, Hazelnuts and Blue Cheese

**Bok Choy Coconut Curry** **(if you haven’t made this one yet, definitely put it on your list!)**

September 10, 2024

Andrea Bemis

2024 Harvest 17

September 10, 2024

Andrea Bemis

Howdy folks and welcome to week 17 of your Tumbleweed Farm CSA. We hope y’all are enjoying the clear skies this morning and slightly cooler temps! The heat and smoke was getting old. We’re grateful for a little reprieve.

This week we are happy to have broccoli and cabbage back in rotation! And I know many of you are probably sick of cucumbers but hot damn! Our cucumbers cranked this year and we need to keep picking them and offloading them. A few things we’ve been doing to help our family enjoy the cucumbers (even though we’re getting tired of them too!) We’re making cucumber coolers (just blending cucumbers, ice, lime juice and honey until a “slushly” forms. It’s refreshing and so easy! We’re also slicing cucumbers and putting them in our water glasses for “fancy” water. My toddlers are totally into fancy water these days. And of course, just slicing and eating them with hummus or homemade ranch. I promise the cucumbers will end soon, but in the meantime I hope you can manage to stomach a few ore! Arugula is also back. It’s very delicate and so it only needs a tiny bit of olive oil and lemon juice to make a killer salad. Too much dressing will over saturate the leaves. It’s also wonderful blended into a green sauce or thrown into a bowl of hot pasta or on top of pizza to wilt on its own.

This is the last week for the melons. It’s been a really great melon crop for us but this last week was harder picking. As the melons fade out the winter squash is slowly trickling in! Look for that in your boxes in the next few weeks! We still have cherry tomatoes cranking for a while longer. My 4-year-old helped harvest the tomatoes for the boxes and she’s very proud of her work. I hope you can taste the love that went into those pints this week.

Alright everyone, we hope you enjoy this week’s haul.

Your farmers,
Andrea, Taylor, Pepper, Maize and our kick ass crew!

Harvest 17

Arugula—Arugula is thought to be one of the most nutrient dense leafy green veggies. It’s high in calcium, potassium, folate, and vitamins A, C, and K. It’s also an excellent source of phytochemicals like flavonoids and glucosinolates that can scavenge free radicals and offer anticancer properties.
Broccoli—Broccoli contains many vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Research suggests that some of broccoli’s plant compounds are thought to help prevent cancer when eaten often. Broccoli’s benefits include helping reduce inflammation, keeping blood sugar stable, and strengthening the immune system.
Cabbage—this tasty brassica helps reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the leading cause of disease and incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods is very beneficial.
Dill—is great for digestion and helps with bloating. Because of its antacid properties it’s great at easing indigestion, gastritis and other inflammatory conditions.
Cucumber— If you are feeling dehydrated eat a cucumber! Cucumbers are hydrating and contain more than 50 trace minerals. They contain chlorophyll in their skins that’s bonded to B vitamins and vitamins A and C. And cucumbers support digestion and hydration.
Full Size Tomatoes—Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
Cherry Tomatoes— See above
Shisito Peppers— Besides Vitamin C, shishito peppers have a high amount of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E. These contribute to improving the immune system as well as the body's nervous system. Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E also prevent the cells and tissues from getting damaged. This keeps immunity levels up at all times.
Jalapeno Peppers—jalapeños are rich in vitamins A and C and potassium. They also have carotene -- an antioxidant that helps protect your cells from disease– as well as folate, vitamin K, and B vitamins.
Cantaloupe—Cantaloupe is an amazing fruit that has over 19 vitamins and minerals that help to boost the immune system, detoxify the organs, and deeply hydrate and alkalinize the body.