Community Supported Agriculture CSA Program Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Your 2015 GNFF CSA Newsletter - WEEK 1 - May 28, 2014 WELCOME to Week 1 of the GNFF 2015 CSA. We hope that you find your commitment to eating better and saving money. Each week, we will search out the very best in local food products so that you will eagerly anticipate your weekly box. As a pioneer in the local food movement, we recognize the value of keeping your food dollars close to home. Please let us know ASAP if you have any comments, questions, or ideas by emailing CSA@GNFF.org. Thank-you and ENJOY! Whats in Your BOX this Week? Item Family Farm Location Quantity Hydroponic Butter Lettuce Jesse Young Family Springfield, MO 1 head Fresh Strawberries Wohletz Farm Fresh Lawrence, KS <1 pint Greenhouse Tomatoes Pendleton s Lawrence, KS 1 lb Farmstead Cheese (Boulevard Wheat) Jisa Cheese Brainerd, NE 8 oz. bar Bok Choy Twin County Farms Rich Hill, MO 1 head Local Honey Bear Hawley Honey Iola, KS 12 ounces Cage Free Eggs Dale Schrock Farm Smithton, MO 1 dozen Sliced Sourdough Bread Farm to Market Bread Company Kansas City, MO 1 loaf Million Dollar Pickles Twin County Farms Rich Hill, MO 1 pint
OH, Honey! GNFF is proud to offer delicious Golden Honey from Hawley Honey Farm. For nearly 120 years, this family owned farm has provided honey to regular customers around Iola, Kansas. In 1896, Cyrus Hawley decided that satisfying people's sweet tooth could be profitable. So, he tapped beehives by sawing a wedge out of the side of trees and cutting out the honey. Today, fourth generation beekeeper, Raymond Cooper, operates the business with his wife, Madeline "Mickey," his daughter and son-in-law, Benita and Robert, and their two children, Tiffany and Brittany, and his grandson, Chris. They have grown the Hawley Honey Farm to over 1800 colonies. Operating from a 100-year old, five-story flour mill in Iola, Hawley Honey Farm produces up to 18 barrels of honey per day. "We process our honey just like the company did in the beginning," says Raymond, "We do all the work ourselves, from building the bee houses, working the hives and harvesting to processing, bottling and packaging the honey. And you can tell we care when you taste our honey. It's pure and smooth, not slick or creamy. And there's no bitterness or aftertaste. It has the same health benefits it did when Cyrus Hawley cut it right from the tree." SWEET FACTS LEARN MORE HERE Like many products, honey is often marketed in a confusing, often misleading, manner. Some facts that, hopefully, will help you become a more informed consumer. Knowledge is Power! RAW HONEY is honey that has not been heated above natural temperatures, about 120 F. Raw honey is higher in enzymes and antioxidants because they have not been destroyed by the heat. Raw does not mean that comb or other items have been left in the honey, BUT comb honey is raw. The honey bear in your CSA this week is raw. LOCAL HONEY that has been coarsely strained (instead of highly filtered) contains quite a variety of tiny pollen grains. This is thought to help prevent allergies. Under this theory, you should use honey produced close to your home. No one has proven this scientifically (the people with the resources to do this are busy selling pills), but many swear by it. Our honey is produced in Iola, KS - about 75 miles from KC. No other major brand is produced closer to KC.
Try Something Fresh & Delicious! Jesse Young s Greenhouse Springfield, MO Finally Answered - Which Comes First, the Chicken or the Egg? At Cage-Free Family Farms like the ones that provide Good Natured Family Farms, the CHICKENS come first and, therefore, are treated humanely in comparison to their unfortunate commercial counterparts - where the EGGS (and the profits) come first.
As ongoing GNFF CSA members know, we frequently include various products from Kansas City s Farm to Market Bread company in the weekly box. This Local company started in 1993. They bake fresh daily, using only the finest natural ingredients. Our production is based off of customer orders, so rather than mass producing and pulling from a shelf, our products are made to order. They guarantee that each order is as fresh as possible. Because they do not use preservatives in their products, they are intended to be eaten within 3-5 days, or frozen. If frozen, the product may thaw to room temperature and will be as good as new. Farm to Market takes makes their community and their employees a priority, as reflected in their Mission Statement: Farm to Market Bread Company will strive through continuous improvement to be the industry s premier leader in quality, producing the freshest, all-natural, artisan breads delivered daily to local grocery stores and the food service industry. Farm to Market Bread Company will have a positive and transformative impact on the community by providing competitive job opportunities, charitable functions, and education on artisan breads. Today s box includes a sliced sourdough bread, Which Farm to Market Bread would you like to see in an upcoming CSA? CLICK HERE to see Your CHOICES THEN.Click Here to let us know your FAVORITE Check your email, or with your local coordinator for the e-version to take this survey
What s Ahead? We understand the value of planning ahead, unfortunately Mother Nature does not. Therefore, we know some of the items for future CSAs in advance - and some will be last minute surprises or changes. Here is what we know about next week, so far: - Whole Free Range Chicken from Campo Lindo Farms in Lathrop, MO - Green Onions from Paul Kuhns in Dunnegan, MO - Farm Fresh Strawberries from Paul Kuhns in Dunnegan, MO It s NOT too Late - Tell Your Friends, Family, Co-Workers! Our CSA runs for 18 weeks and we are still accepting new members. Everyone is welcome and have have a special fund to help families in financial need to discreetly receive their shares for half-price. Email us at the address below for MORE INFO. Want More Strawberries? The delicious strawberries in this week s CSA box came from Wohletz Farm Fresh, near Lawrence. They are a You-Pick operation, so we had to visit their farm and pick these for you. If you d like more, visit their website or Facebook for daily hours. We would love to hear from you. If you would like to contribute an article or recipe to the weekly newsletter, or if you have general comments or questions for GNFF, please contact us via email at CSA@gnff.org. Thank you and we hope you enjoy the bounty this week.