Adam Comes Home
It’s every back-to-the-landers dream to be able to someday live and work on their land and earn their living from their land. After 8 years of dreaming of this idea, wondering if the farm could support our family, wondering if we had what it took to earn our living off of the farm, wondering if we would ever have the guts for Adam to quit his off-farm job, we will soon be making the plunge. While farmer Adam has been working at the Organic Valley Cooperative currently as a Produce Coordinator and with the Produce department for over 7 years, he put in his notice last month that he is planning to leave the coop in early January. Brussels Sprouts growing on their stalk. Notice that we snapped a lot of leaves off before we harvested the stalk of them.
It’s not an easy decision to make-to quit your job. To quit a job with benefits, fair pay and plenty of perks. A job you like doing while working with people you like being around at a company that some people apply for years to try to get into. There needs to be a pretty good reason to quit your job and ample security of knowing that you’ll be able to make it out there on your own as a self-employed farmer with a wife and children who need you. We’re not the risk-taking type of folks and we’ve always played it on the safe of the fence with our financial responsibilities. It has taken this Small Family 8 years of building up the farm to where it is now for us to make this decision-certainly not one that we made easily.
Adam has been something of a Super Man these last few years, ever since our first child was born. Quickly, after Ayla was born, Adam started taking over more and more of the farm responsibilities on his own accord. He was now doing the animal chores, the seed ordering, the member Sign-Ups and communication, the cultivating, and managing the crop successions. He would work his off-farm job and literally come home at the end of the day, change his clothes (or to my endless frustration, not change out of his nice clothes) and then walk back out the door with barely minutes to say hello. He would be on his Farmall 140 cultivating carrot and broccoli beds until dusk. He spent his summer evenings spraying for flea beetles, cabbage moths and powdery mildew. He was even willing to wake up at 5:30am with me if need be to load chickens before Ayla woke up in the morning and his work phone started ringing.
Now, with baby #2 on the way, and me thinking about how I was going to be able to run the farm in 2015 and the crews with a 3year-old and a 6-month old in arms, we knew something needed to shift. Adam was feeling over-extended with his work needing more of him and this farm asking more of him ever still. We saw that we had too many irons in the fire, that the farm was able to financially support our family now, and that in this life of ours that feels as fast-paced as a speeding car, we needed to slow down in one small way.
Ironically, I do think of this decision as a ‘slowing down’. It’s funny because truly no-one is actually planning to slow down just yet. We’ll still be working from dusk until dawn and giving this farm 200% of ourselves, but at least we will be giving this farm 200% and not dividing our energy and focus for an off-farm job. Adam will soon be home all day, within range of his wife and children, doing work that he is most passionate and knowledgeable for. Ultimately our family life will strengthen, our marriage will (because there is no other option) strengthen, and this farm will probably become the coolest CSA farm that there ever was. We’re really lucky to have him, y’all! Adam is one of the most focused, patient and driven people I know. His ability to work hard until a job is done, study and research on subjects related to farming that we need to improve on, and problem solve are all strengths of his that will help our farm grow and improve with his attention and focus at home. I am excited for the future of this farm now with Adam on our side. One more young, U.S, organic farm family earning their living entirely from the farm. Thank you for your support!
Sweet Potatoes (2 lbs.)- This variety of sweet potato is called Beauregard (French for beautiful). We had many different sizes so you may have received either a large one or several smaller ones. We cure them by placing them in a room with the heat turned up to 80 degrees and high humidity (to help heal any wounds). Store at room temperature. Yummy!
A beautiful looking cauliflower shyly peeking through. They look so perfect and white and clean before we start handling them.
Brussels Sprouts– We’ve left all the trimming work up to you! We’ve been nursing them along since their birth in May as tiny little seedlings! Snap the sprouts off of their stalk and remove any blackened outer layers. Once the sprouts are removed from the stalk- you can store them in a plastic bag in the fridge. If you’re new to eating and cooking with Brussels Sprouts, my best advice is to not overcook them and eat them as fresh as possible once cooked. They become too mushy and bitter if overcooked and allowed to sit for too long. Serve with lotts of butter! Mmmmmm, a Fall Delight!
Green, Red or Savoy Cabbage– Our cabbage plantings are nearing their final days, but we were happy to find some beautiful, dense heads of cabbage to share.
Butternut Squash- This hard squash is a favorite amongst squash lovers. Hard squash should keep on your counter for months. Want to eat it now? Cut your butternut in half lengthwise, scoop the seeds out, place it face down in a pan with a little water, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. When it’s done, add plenty of butter and enjoy!
Beets- Keep your beets refrigerated and in a plastic bag to help retain moisture. They should store for over a month.
Broccoli, Cauliflower or Romanesco- Enjoy these treats while they are still in season… the cold is coming!
Bell Peppers– Four or five peppers for everyone this week. Colors range from green to red and everything in between. We clear cut all of our peppers on Friday and rushed them to the cooler in anticipation of the weekend frost. The plants are sadly now done for the season, but we are happy to have plenty to give this week and next!
Leek- One or two, depending on the size. Leeks add such a unique flavor to your fall recipes. We started our leeks from seed in the greenhouse on March 1st. It’s been a long haul, but they’ve finally made it into the box!
Swiss Chard- The chard has been through a lot this year. Repeated heavy rains in the spring left it shredded- pickings were slim. But this crop bounced back mid-summer and has been bountiful ever since!
Parsnips- These white roots resemble carrots and can be used in similar ways but have a sweeter taste when cooked. A nice addition to a roasted root vegetable recipe or a home made shepards pie!
Cilantro- Beautiful bunches of cilantro this week. Aroma Therapy.
Hot Peppers- A handful of jalepeno and hot wax peppers for a bit of spice.
Garlic- Another bulb of garlic to keep your immunity strong as we enter the fall season.
Parsnip Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
