CSA Shares July 8 - 10

Produce

Corn

Half runner beans

Squash, zucchini, gold zucchini

Kale, swiss chard, or shiso greens

Lettuce

Red or white potatoes

Blackberries

Blueberries

Peaches

Spring onions

Bakery

Another part has just arrived in hopes to repair our pasta machine…Fingers crossed we’ll get it functional again this week! We are still crediting accounts for each missing pasta portion.

Quinoa wheat loaf

Fudgy zucchini brownies

Squash cake with cream cheese icing

Tomato basil focaccia

Pizza kit x 2 with dough, sauce & cheese

CSA Shares July 1 - 3

Pepper seedlings going in the ground!

Bakery Shares

Another week missing pasta! We are crediting accounts for the missing portions.

Honey wheat loaf

Lemon sugar cookies

Garlic knots

Pecan blondies

Pizza kit x 2 with dough, sauce & cheese

Produce

Corn

Squash, zucchini, & gold zucchini

Cucumber

White or red potatoes

Strawberries or peaches

Blackberries

Spring onion

Swiss chard

Kale, mustards, or shiso greens

Lettuce

CSA Shares June 24 - 26

Bakery Shares

Our pasta machine is still broken! We hope to have repairs finished soon.

This week includes:

Sunflower seed loaf

Zucchini fritters

Chocolate chip cookies

#4

Pizza kit x 2 with dough, sauce & cheese

Herbal Wellness Shares

The herb of focus for June is Yarrow. Each share will include:

Tennessee Jed -Natural Bug Spray

Down to Earth -Handmade Herbal Infused Soap

Keep on Truckin’ -Deep Bruising and Varicose Vein repair salve

Move Me Brightly - Vanilla & Ylang-Ylang After Sun Care Lotion Bar

Yarrow Protection and Boundry Ritual with dried yarrow herb, candle, crystal, and ritual guide

Produce

Cherry plums

Corn

Broccoli

Carrots

Strawberries

Red potatoes

Swiss chard, kale, or miso greens

Lettuce

Squash, zucchini & gold zucchini

Spring onions

Garlic scapes

CSA Shares June 17 - 19

Produce Shares

Kale, swiss chard or shiso greens

Lettuce

Spring onions

Strawberries

Garlic scapes

Baby leeks or stir fry mix

Broccoli

Corn

Purple Kohlrabi

Bakery Shares

White bread loaf

Zucchini bread with chocolate chips

Peanut butter pie cups

Pound cake with strawberry filling

CSA Shares June 10 - 12

Produce

Broccoli rabe

Cauliflower

Sugar snap peas, snow peas, bok choy, mustard greens, or broccoli

Spring onions

Kale, swiss chard or shiso greens

Lettuce

Strawberries

Garlic scapes

Baby leeks or snap peas

Bakery Shares

White bread sandwich loaf

Navajo fry bread

Savory breakfast muffins

Shortbread cookies

Herbal Wellness Shares

The herb of focus for June is Yarrow. Each share will include:

Tennessee Jed -Natural Bug Spray

Down to Earth -Handmade Herbal Infused Soap

Keep on Truckin’ -Deep Bruising and Varicose Vein repair salve

Move Me Brightly - Vanilla & Ylang-Ylang After Sun Care Lotion Bar

Yarrow Protection and Boundry Ritual with dried yarrow herb, candle, crystal, and ritual guide

June Appalachian Alchemy Herbal Wellness Shares

The herb of focus for June is Yarrow. Each share will include:

*Tennessee Jed - Herbal Bug Spray - This herbal formula harnesses the power of yarrow tincture and other herbal oils that contain natural bug repellent properties instead of the toxic chemicals found in Deet and other sprays. Shake well before each use. Spray on every other hour for best results. Spray around the neck, head, and ankles before going on a hike to prevent ticks.

*Down to Earth- Herbal Infused Soap - A gentle bar with the earthy scents of frankincense, cedarwood, and lemon leaves you feeling grounded and uplifted. The oils of castor, cocoa butter, and shea butter make this bar extra moisturizing for dry, irritated skin.

*Keep Truckin’n On - Repair Salve - This salve is especially valuable for distended veins and capillaries, tightening and firming blood vessels, and clearing blood congestion, which makes it useful for treating hemorrhoids varicose veins, and deep bruising. Apply liberally. Use several times a day for best results.

*Move Me Brightly - After Sun Care Lotion Bar - Enjoy the perfect balance of sweet vanilla and pleasantly floral Ylang Ylang. This uplifting lotion bar goes to work fast on sun-kissed skin and helps relieve the after sun redness and itchiness. Also great as a dry skin bar to use daily. To use, rub the bar on the skin, letting the heat of your skin melt the bar. Apply to irritated areas of the skin or as an all-over moisturizer. Rub excess deep into knuckles. Store in a cool dark place for up to a year.

*Yarrow Protection and Boundry Ritual - with dried yarrow herb, candle, crystal, and ritual guide

With gratitude, 

Lesley Vernon Appalachian Alchemy 

CSA Shares June 3 - 5

BROCCOLI RAAB

Bakery Shares

Sweet potato casserole

Lemon sugar cookies

Buttermilk drop biscuits

Strawberry jam

Honey wheat loaf

Shiso aka Perilla Leaves

New hydroponic shiso from Why Not Farm! We'll start to see less kale in the warmer months ahead.

Shiso has a mildly astringent flavor, reminiscent of a cross between mint and cinnamon with a hint of clove.

Produce

Broccoli raab, bok choy, mustard greens, or squash & zucchini

Stir fry mix

Sugar snap peas

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Strawberries

Kale, swiss chard or shiso greens

Lettuce

Spring onions

STIR FRY MIX

CSA Shares May 27 - 29

Produce

Strawberries

Broccoli

Frilly or wasabina mustard greens

Radish

Onions

Kale

Spinach or broccoli rabe

Swiss chard

Squash and zucchini

Peas

Lettuce

STIR FRY BEEF WITH BROCCOLI, ASPARAGUS & PEAS

A simple dish! Flash fry veggies in sesame oil. Remove veggies from wok; add soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and dried peppers for some heat. Add thinly sliced beef raw to the sauce and stir fry till cooked through.

CSA Shares May 20 - 22

Produce Shares

Red cabbage or beets

Red onion or bok choy

Raddichio

Sugar snap peas

Hakurei Turnips, swiss chard or kale

Spinach

Mustard greens

Broccoli

Strawberries

Lettuce

CSA Shares May 13 - 15

greens, left to right, top to bottom: baby spinach, wasabina mustard, mature spinach, frilly mustard, arugula, tatsoi

Produce

2 ea of Shiitake mushrooms, Hakurei turnips or beets

Red cabbage

3 ea of Spinach, wasabina or frilly mustard greens, arugula, kale, swiss chard, or tatsoi

Strawberries

Onions

Lettuce

Bakery

Birdseed sandwich loaf

Olive & herb batard

Peanut butter cookies

Old fashioned granola

Creste rigate, spaghetti or fettuccine pasta

Pizza kit x 2 with dough, sauce & cheese

Protein

Whole chickens have made their return this week from Watson Farms in Chester, South Carolina

CSA Shares May 6 - 8

This week brings the last of the ramps! Make great use of the whole plant by pickling the bulbs and making pesto with the greens to savor this flavor for weeks to come.

Our radishes are packing a punch this week from the higher temperatures we've had early this year. We always recommend: if you haven't tried roasting your radishes in just a bit of butter and olive oil, you are really missing out! Roasting will sweeten up the radishes if you find them too spicy for your taste.

Produce

Ramps

Cabbage

Strawberries

Mustard greens or radishes

Spinach

Kale or swiss chard

Lettuce

Vidalia onions or beets

Asparagus

Appalachian Alchemy Herbal Wellness Shares

May's featured herb is dandelion. Dandelion is used as a spring detox tonic for the kidneys, liver, and other digestive organs, as a blood builder and purifier.
Shares this month include

• Dandelion and Burdock Herbal Bitters - a digestive bitter to help detox kidney, liver, and other digestive organs. Taken as a daily tonic or before meals to assist in indigestion.

• Eyes of the World - Morning Blend Tea - Roasted Dandelion root, yerba mate, peppermint, tulsi, stinging nettle loose leaf tea. Morning wake-up without the coffee jitters and packed with adaptogens and nutrient-based herbs.

Bakery

Brioche loaf

Chocolate chip cookies

Navajo corn bread

Concha pastries

Roasted chickpeas

Penne or creste rigate pasta

Pizza kit x 2 with dough, sauce & cheese

Protein Shares

We have added in a bit more variety to the protein shares by sourcing Asheville-based No Evil meat alternative products! This week, reduce your carbon footprint when you check out the chicken-esque shred in your favorite recipes.

• Pollinator Flower Seed Paper - Plantable paper is a biodegradable eco-paper that is made with post-consumer materials (no trees harmed for this paper!) and embedded with seeds. When the paper is planted in a pot of soil, the seeds grow, and the paper composts away. All that is left behind are flowers.

• Dandelion Oxymel - A tangy-sweet blend of dandelion, apple cider vinegar, and honey.

• Wild Flower Jelly - with dandelion, calendula, and orange peel

Happy eating! ~ Jamie, Elise & the crew at River Creek Farm

CSA Shares April 29 - May 1

Bakery

Multigrain sandwich loaf

Cream cheese cookies

Garden focaccia

Pineapple cupcakes

Penne semolina pasta

Pizza kit x2 with sauce & cheese

Produce

Asparagus

Bamboo shoots

Strawberries

Mustard greens

Swiss chard or kale

Lettuce

Ramps

Vidalia onions

CSA Shares April 22 - 24

Produce Shares

Beets

Asparagus

Cucumbers, peas or radish micro greens

Red kale

Swiss chard, red mustards or curly kale

Ramps

Strawberries

Spinach

Lettuce

Bakery Shares

Honey wheat sandwich loaf

Chocolate almond biscotti

Barley Almond Porridge with Blueberries

Cheddar Rosemary Scones

Semolina spaghetti pasta

Pizza kit with 2x dough, mozzarella & pizza sauce

CSA Shares April 15 - 17

Summer seedlings in the greenhouse

Produce

Asparagus

Beets

Kale or swiss chard

Red radish

Ramps

Sweet potatoes

Spinach or purple mustards

Strawberries

Lettuce

Bakery Shares

Potato bread sandwich loaf

Blackberry bread pudding

Cranberry almond biscotti

Savory breakfast muffins

Spaghetti or penne pasta

Pizza kit with 2 dough balls

CSA Shares April 8-10

Produce Shares

Lettuce

2 ea Lacinato or curly Kale, Swiss chard, or Collard greens

Apples or sweet potatoes

Asparagus

Radish

Cilantro

Ramps

Bakery Shares

Rosemary buttermilk loaf

Lemon poppyseed muffins

Ginger molasses cookies

Garlic knots

Penne pasta

Pizza kit x 2 with sauce, cheese & dough

To enjoy your RAMPS…Start off by sustainably enjoying your ramps by trimming the root base and planting in rich, moist soil. We started our own patch to watch grow in over the years to come!

Prepare your pasta—from thawed, our fresh semolina pasta takes only 4 minutes to boil to al dente. Simply clean & trim your ramps then saute like any other alium (onion & garlic) family. Add a bit of stock to deglaze your pan and cream to enrich your sauce. Add any other herbs & spices, salt & pepper, and a (restaurant tip here!) bit of gelatin for that velvety mouth feel. Toss your finished pasta in your sauce with a splash of the spent pasta water, and plate it up with a bit of hard cheese, lemon, and olive oil to finish.

Appalachian Alchemy April Herbal Wellness Share

Appalachian Alchemy April Herbal Wellness Share

I hope this finds you well. It’s been refreshing to feel the warm sun, have longer days and feel the earth come alive again. The bright colors of blooming daffodils, magnolia trees, redbuds, and that color green that only happens during those early days of spring have got this herbalist VERY excited about this coming year. I wanted to create a CSA that uses the abundance of wild food and medicine popping up all around us right now. Chickweed, dandelion, dead nettle, ground ivy, and wild ramps. These are all great “spring cleaners.” They help to clean our blood, move our lymph, and detox our organs and tissues. They also work on the exterior too by relieving dry, irritated, and itchy skin. I hope you enjoy this CSA filled with Spring abundance. Bless your seeds, both green growing ones and the seeds of your dreams, and let this powerful cusp energize the life and passion within them. Thank you for your support. It means so much to me.

Lesley, Appalachian Alchemy

Spring Vitality - Herbal Loose Leaf Tea -I created this tea with a sense of spring cleaning in mind. I selected each herb to help your body detox the liver and move lymph after a long winter’s rest. The herbs will revitalize and breathe life into your organs and tissues. It will assist your body’s ability to deal with incoming pollen too. This tea will be a great way to start your mornings and cleanse your body! Ingredients: LOVE, stinging nettle, dead nettle, red clover blossom, meadowsweet, ginkgo, plantain, goldenseal leaf, orange peel, and ginger.

Samadhi Rose - Herbal Lotion -There are lovely “weeds” popping up around us in the cool days of spring. These herbs, such as dead nettle and chickweed, are excellent for dry skin. I have infused herbs from my garden into olive oil and preserved them in this decadent moisturizing lotion. Protect your skin by using this lotion that only contains natural ingredients. Due to the lack of chemicals and preservatives, please use them within two months. Ingredients: LOVE, calendula, dead nettle, chickweed, comfrey, & rose blossom infused olive oil, coconut oil, rose hydrosol, alcohol, oils of sandalwood & rose.

Spring Equinox - Herbal soap - Hand-crafted and hand-cut in Tennessee, all batches of soap begin with dark green Italian food-grade olive oil to which herbs, plant butters, natural extracts, and essential oils are infused. This soap is made with all-natural ingredients. This soap produces an exceptional lather and leaves skin silky to the touch. Ingredients: LOVE, chamomile & calendula infused olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, distilled water, lye, and oils of lavender and chamomile.

Wise Women - Nourishing Herbal Seasoning Salt -This salt blends familiar kitchen herbs with bitter wild and cultivated medicinal herbs to help build immunity and act as antiviral, antibacterial anti-inflammatory agents. Use on veggies, in soups, and as finishing salt. Ingredients: LOVE, wild ramp leaves, bee balm, dead nettle, stinging nettle, black garlic, thyme, summer savory, and sea salt. Great on veggies, pasta dishes, and as a finishing salt. Great for bread dipping oil. Mix olive oil and seasoning. Dip in hard crusty bread as a flavorful appetizer or side.

CSA Shares April 1 - 3

Produce Shares

Lettuce

Kale or Swiss chard

Collard greens

Spinach

Oyster mushrooms

Green onions

Strawberries

Apples

Sweet potatoes or cabbage

Bakery Shares

Sweet semolina sandwich loaf

Caramel apple crisp

Burger buns

Carrot cupcakes

Fettuccine

Pizza kit x 2 with sauce, cheese & dough

new Lamb Bratwurst from Hoodley Creek Farm

a 200 acre Tennessee Century Farm in Afton Tennessee, established in 1850

CSA Shares March 25 - 27

Bakery Shares

Everything Seed Sandwich Loaf

Kale & strawberry seasonal foccacia

Blueberry or Strawberry Blondies

Sugar cookies

Fettuccine pasta

2x Pizza kit with dough, sauce & cheese

Produce Shares

Lettuce

Kale or Swiss chard

Collard greens

Purple sweet potatoes

Carrots

Fuji apples

Spring onions

Basil, thyme, bronze fennel, or mint

Protein shares this week are restocked with ground bison from Ararat Farm in Jonesville, Virginia

image courtesy of www.araratfarm.com

from Ararat Farm, on Grass Finished Bison

This is a summary of the bison and how we grazed them. This was a huge experiment and we went into it with very little knowledge because there is not a lot of information on the grazing methods for bison. So here is what we did and what we learned in the process!

Bison are in the same family as cattle with some differences. At Ararat Farm we purchased the bison older so they have only been grass finished and have not been fully grass fed. Being grass finished however provide them with a good finishing growth and fattening. Their condition improved tremendously within about 2 months of grazing. The bison were an amazing demonstration of the results of proper grazing practices.

When we first got the bison they were very skinny and their hips were very sunk in (a typical indication of a limited “hungry” animal) and their coats were matted and smelled worse then a wet dog. All of these signs are the same signs we watch for with our cattle herd to make sure the health of the animal is the best it can be. So when the bison came to the farm they started off with a very high parasite load, hungry and very easily spooked.

The bison managed just like the cattle and didn’t push fences (including the poly wire). They opted to go under or walk over if they were pressured in a direction. Once they finally settled in with grazing we found they grazed more like sheep then cattle. They would go through and graze the grass and pick the best stuff but did not browse like the cattle do. Once they were moving with the herd, they settled into the mob grazing routine of the daily to twice-daily moves their condition improved very quickly and their temperament calmed to the point that you could nearly pet them.

By about 3 months they did not stink and had no scent at all. Their winter fuzz nearly all fell of and their hindquarters were sleek and they started filling out just like our South Polls do! They also tended to be the first to come to a call and move to the new paddock.

Taking them for their one bad day went pretty well. Because they settled in the herd but did not integrate into the herd, we ended up having to take all 4 animals They were their own little herd unit. In the future if we have the opportunity to do bison again, we hope to organize the grazing to move the bison into the herd sooner and maybe get younger animals that will want to be in the herd more. Over all it was a good experience and we will see what the future brings as to whether we graze bison again.

The bison meat is very lean and tastes just like beef. Different cuts do have a slight after flavor depending on where that cut is from on the animal. The texture is so lean that it must be cooked even slower then grassfed beef. It is a very tasty meat and we are excited to offer this item!

CSA Shares March 18 - 20

Produce

Fuji apples

Red or white cabbage

Rutabaga or purple sweet potato

Carrot

Broccoli rabe — see preparation tips below!

Water cress

Lettuce

Swiss chard or kale

Bakery Shares

Irish soda bread

Brioche

Key lime cupcakes

Pistachio pudding cookies

Spaghetti or fettuccine semolina pasta

2 x pizza kits with dough, sauce & mozzarella

BROCCOLI RABE aka RAPINI

Don’t confuse this green with a newer lookalike hybrid, broccolini—while that may be fitting for raw consumption, you’ll find this rapini has far too strong a bite to consume raw. Remove the bottom inch and a half of strong stems, then take an extra moment to blanch your broccoli rabe 4 - 6 minutes for best results before a quick saute with garlic and lemon zest….This method will remove any bitterness that comes from this turnip family vegetable. Chop and add to a short pasta like penne or creste rigate, or serve with parmesan for a low calorie side dish.

CSA Shares March 11 - 13

Produce Shares

sweet potato, rutabaga, or collard green x 2 pieces

broccoli rabe

fuji apples

carrots

kale or swiss chard

lettuce

red cabbage

Bakery Shares

Honey quinoa sandwich loaf

Blueberry muffins

Cheesy foccacia

Cream cheese cookies

Spaghetti or creste rigate pasta

2x pizza kit

March Herbal Wellness Shares

Spring greetings!! The days are getting longer, the sun is warming the earth and our skin, and all the plants are awakening. I see daffodils, dandelions, chickweed, and stinging nettles pushing through the soil and gifting their particular medicines!!  Spring is the most exciting time for me as an herbalist. I find so much joy in seeing the herbs come to life.   When I was planning this March CSA share, the changing of the seasons came to mind.   Soon we will start moving more, getting outdoors, and emerging from our long winter’s rest.   The items in this CSA support your body as the cold season dwindles and allergy season kicks into full swing.  I have created some brand new hygiene products as well!  This month I feature my all-time favorite herb, STINGING NETTLE!! I hope you enjoy this gift from the earth, and I thank you for your support. 

Elderberry with Echinacea - Our bodies need a little extra defense during the seasons’ changing; this is a time where elderberry shines.  Did you know a daily tablespoon of elderberry can also help with seasonal allergies?  Adults take one tablespoon daily through spring to strengthen the immune system and assist in the prevention of seasonal allergies. 

Stinging Nettle and Jiogulan tincture - Nettle will help build blood, raise iron levels, prepare the body for allergy season, support healthy skin, hair, and nails, and act as a nourishing spring cleanse.  Jiogulan is a powerful adaptogen that increases endurance while reducing the negative effects of stress.  Adults take 1-2 droppers full as part of the daily spring regime. 

Smile, Smile, Smile - Remineralizing Tooth Powder -  Adults dip a wet toothbrush into the powder and brush gently as you would normally brush your teeth.  I created this product with activated charcoal to whiten teeth, bentonite clay to pull toxins out of teeth and mouth, and aluminum-free baking soda to alkalize teeth. I then combined herbs from my garden for their antibacterial and antiviral qualities. The minerals contained in the herbs work to build and strengthen enamel.  Use daily. 

Mountain Magic - Nettle and Clay face mask -I chose the herbs in this blend for their highly nourishing minerals and anti-aging properties.  Adults take one tablespoon of powder and combine with ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well into a paste.  You can increase the recipe if more is needed to cover the skin surface.  Apply liberally on the face and neck. Let it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing off.