A few days ago Adam started talking to me about ordering wood for greenhouse season. I was stunned. The gears in his mind are already starting to turn and think about the 2027 season. I am forever in awe of his dedication to his work and his commitment to the growth of this farm. His head is always ‘in the game’. Personally, I’m thinking about collapsing on my bed at the end of this season and seeing how many hours I can sleep in one night. I’m looking forward to a period of hibernation, spending time with my kids and deep cleaning my house! I have goals to make apple pies and just survive soccer season. But I can’t get too far ahead of myself. We still have almost two months of the season left before we can call the season ‘over’. And Fall is my favorite season, if I haven’t said that before, so I’m trying very hard not to wish it away.
Our 20-Week Summer share program does end on Wednesday, October 14th (next Wednesday). We then take one week off from our harvest and delivery schedule before our Fall Share deliveries begin on October 28th. In late October we will plant and mulch our garlic before the ground starts to freeze hard at night.
We still have a good amount of root vegetables to get out of the ground. There are parsnips, celeriac root, carrots, beets and fall radishes to dig. There are brussles sprouts to harvest before it freezes and strawberries to mulch. Everyone’s least favorite task of all is pulling up all of the plastic mulch and drip line that was used this season. Finally we will roll up our irrigation lines and take down the deer fencing as one of our concluding rituals. The deer finally, at long last, will get to come into the fields, do their gleaning and have their feast for their Thanksgiving Day dinner.
In the fall I love to watch the trees turn colors and the leaves slowly fall. The way the leaves seem to glow and glisten in the low, fall light is magical. I love sweet potatoes and soup and eating winter squash and brussles sprouts. I love bundling up in sweaters and cozy hats and scarves and working in the cool weather. I love coming into a warm house after working outside all morning or afternoon. I love that the peak of our production phase is over, stress is lifting and the promise of a period of restoration is on the horizon. I do love my work. I love that I get to work outside and that exercise, sunshine and fresh air are built into my lifestyle. I love experiencing the seasonal rhythms with its temperature fluctuations, daylight transitions, and the witnessing of wildlife coming and going.
No matter the season, the work at hand or the tasks of the day, the lesson is to treasure each day. We can observe and honor the cadence of the seasons to give us perspective so that we may value each day for it’s exclusive, unique and precious place in time.
What’s in the Box?
Tomatoes- Just a few tomatoes per box this week averaging between. .5 and .7 lbs of tomatoes per member. We mostly just filled holes in the boxes if there was room. Brussels Sprouts- That right folks, we lop the entire stalk off for you and give it to you just like that. We left the work of snapping the brussels off the stalk to you. Each sprout could be cleaned up a little extra as well. We did the best we could with the time we had this week. Brussles are a very fun fall treat! How do you like yours? Roasted? Steamed? Made into a hash? Sweet Potatoes- 2.5lbs per member. These guys were dug a couple weeks ago and then put into a room that is at 80 degrees and as close to 100% humidity as we can get it to cure. They are allowed to cure for a minimum of two weeks which helps their starches turn to sugars and tuffens up their skins a little. Many of the sweet potatoes were dug when we were having all of that rain so many of them were muddier than we like them to be. We didn’t wash them, but we brushed them clean a little as best we could for you. Celeriac Root- These are a special celery cultivar where the root grows large instead of the celery stalks. Celeriac Root is a fabulous keeper. Remove the greens and add them to soups or stocks if you like. The root itself will keep for months in a plastic bag in the fridge. To cook with it, peel the rough, outer skin off. The inner flesh is dense like a potato and can be boiled and mashed with potatoes for a Celeriac Mashed Potato. Celeriacs are also delicious if you cut them into small cubes and add them to a chicken noodle soup or any kind of stew. Green Curly Kale- We’re getting back into the season of enjoying our cooking greens. Kale is lovely in soups, casseroles, on pizza, in egg bakes or toasted with a little oil in the oven! Parsnips- 1lb per member! Stores best in a plastic bag in the fridge. Thyme- One Bunch fresh thyme per member. Thyme keeps remarkably well. If you can’t use it up fresh, it dries very easily. Often I have bunches that just dry out naturally in my house and then when I’m cooking I crunch a little dried thyme right off the stems over my chicken that I’m roasting or into my soup that I’m making. Cauliflower and Broccoli- One of each per member. They varied in size quite a bit. Leek- One large leek per member. These can be eaten all the way up the stalk. Leeks are a wonderful addition to your fall soups! Fennel- One Large bulb of fennel per member. The fall fennel turned out fantastic. Very meaty bulbs this time. Butternut Squash- Butternut prefer to be stored between 50-70 degree temps. Do not refrigerate. We had a bit of a rough year with our butternuts. We did still ship a few with some dark staining on the skins if they were hard and sizable. Next Week’s Best Guess: Pie Pumpkin, brussels Sprouts, Sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, spinach, pepeprs, broccoli, cauliflower, leek, parsley, diakon radish or watermelon radish
