On Sunday morning, my mother-in-law and I packed up the three girls and we went and picked strawberries at Burr Oak Gardens. The two older girls did fantastic and Pip was a great cheerleader that had more fun feeding the dog her treats than eating them herself. 

The main force driving us to pick strawberries was that I wanted to make these patriotic strawberries that I saw on Pinterest for Cedi’s 4k picnic and I didn’t want to go to the store to buy strawberries when they’re in season here. 

So, this morning I melted my white chocolate, put my blue sprinkles in a bowl and made up some Patriotic Strawberries!

Not quite as pretty as the Pinterest picture but I’m pretty proud of them – and they were delicious!

Now that you’re mouth is watering I would love to share with you a little interview I did with Burr Oak Gardens – what it is, who started it, why they do it, and how you can become a member of their CSA.

Why did you decided to start a CSA?
We graduated from UW-Madison in the fall of 2008. Tyler always liked growing vegetables and had been kicking around the idea of starting a CSA. After about a year of not being able to find a job in the Horticulture field because of the poor job market we decided he should give it a go. I ended up loving it so much that I quit graduate school to help him run the CSA. After two full seasons, I can't imagine doing anything else for a living. CSAs allow you to have a relationship with your customers and that closer connection to the people who are eating your produce is really rewarding. Not to mention the fact that we get to work outside all day.

What's your favorite thing about working with vegetables?
One of the most enjoyable things is to see our plants go from the seed packets to seedlings in our greenhouses. A lot of our vegetables are started inside in February and March and to see green things growing is such a pleasure when there is snow on the ground. Tyler loves to see the field right after our we transplant the plants from the greenhouses into the field. Right after you transplant there are no weeds and the rows of green plants appear in a matter of a couple of hours. He calls it instant gratification.

What's your favorite item to harvest and enjoy during the season?

Tyler really loves to harvest Brussels sprouts because he goes out into the field by himself with a machete and hacks down the stems.

What's the most difficult thing about the CSA?

From a customer's perspective, the most difficult thing about a CSA is not knowing what will be in your box each week. For many people being at the mercy of Mother Nature does not work with their busy schedule. But if you think of it as an eating adventure you will get a lot out of the experience.

As a grower, losing crops to the weather, disease, weeds, or other pests is very frustrating. We try very hard not to use even OMRI listed chemicals on our farm, so we sometimes have to destroy crops to prevent the spread of disease. When that happens it is a very rough day.

What's the most rewarding thing about the CSA?

Finding alternatives to chemical controls of pests and diseases is very satisfying. We use traps, beneficial insects, and other methods to try to control insect and disease damage. Another huge reward is when we have members tell us how much better our food tastes than what you get in the grocery store. One of our best days last season was when a member thanked us for giving him a recipe that got his eight year old to like Swiss chard.

How can I sign up for your CSA?

Go to our website, www.burroakgardens.com, and download our sign-up form. Fill it out and send it and a check to Burr Oak Gardens, LLC W5511 County Road B, Rio, WI 53960.
We are two thirds of the way through our transition period to become certified organic. We are also members of FRESH Food Connection. As part of that membership we sign a pledge that can be found on our website.

Do you have a special recipe you'd like to share with my readers?
One of the most popular recipes we have is for kale chips.

1 bunch kale
1 Tbls olive oil
Sea salt, curry powder, garlic salt or other
spice

Preheat oven to 325. Wash kale leaves and remove stems. Pat dry to remove any excess water. Place leaves on baking sheet and brush the top side lightly with olive oil. Cook for 8-12 minutes until crisp. Sprinkle salt or other spice on the leaves. Serve immediately.

Burr Oak Gardens featured in Eat Local Video

The following link is for that Eat Local video:.
https://www.heartlandcu.org/Go-Local/Eat-Local/Monty-s-Blue-Plate-Diner.aspx

Watch.  Win.  Wow!

Your chance at a $20 Monty's gift card is only a comment away! 

Just watch the video, then comment on our Facebook wall  [Heartland Credit Union] or using the comment button under the video.  Make sure to enter by end of day Friday, June 8 for your chance to win! 

Thanks!!

Tyler and Kate still have shares to sell but not many – don’t wait too long to reserve your share today!