October Sixth

This last week we harvested all of our sweet potatoes for the season. Sweet potatoes are a very interesting crop that is planted with a little ‘slip” which is a small piece of root attached to skimpy little stem with a whithered little leaf that arrives in bundles by mail in the Spring. Our goal is always to plat them on or before June 1^st to ensure a long enough growing season that we can still get a nice crop. The last couple years our shipments have arrived late and we haven’t been able to get them planted until the end of the first or second week of June. This year they went in on June 15^th which is a full two weeks later than when we hoped to have the planted.

The sweet potatoes are planted into plastic mulch because it helps a lot with the weed pressure and since they are a crop that grows for almost four months on the farm and needs to be weeded three times, it can be tricky to keep them out of the weeds. We did a good job of keeping them out of the weeds and met their watering needs. We then stepped back and hoped for a decent harvest.

We were pleasantly surprised by the harvest this year considering how late they went in. The tubers in the higher ground that is more well-drained soil sized up a little nicer and the tubers in the lower ground that we called a ‘wash out zone” from heavy rains were smaller. Over all we thought the harvest was fair. Our heavy clay and rocky soils aren’t what sweet potatoes prefer coming from their native lands in the south where they have sandier and more well-drained soils. They tolerate our farm just fine, but I don’t think we’ll be going into business as large scale sweet potato growers any time soon;)

Another interesting fact about sweet potatoes is that they need to be ‘cured’ for 1-2 weeks before they are eaten where their skins tuffen up a little and their starches turn to sugars. These tubers could have used a little longer to cure, but we wanted to give them in this week’s box. The curing process is 1-2 weeks long in an 80 degree room with very high humidity. We have the perfect little room attached to our packing shed where we stack the bins as high as we can lift and then keep them cozy and moist for the curing process, again mimicking a southern climate for curing.

Sweet potatoes prefer a warm, dry storage which is then a little difficult for us to find here on the farm in the fall. We have our packing shed which cools to around 52 degrees and then our walk in cooler at 33. We will be sharing all of our sweet potatoes in the last two summer share deliveries and then in our Fall and Thanksgiving Share deliveries which will use up our harvest for this year. We are not equipped to store them for longer than this time period unless we start running heaters for them which is not economical.

In the weeks to come we will focus on digging the carrots, beets, parsnips, leeks, Brussels sprouts and fall radishes. We will be planting garlic, mulching garlic and doing filed clean up. A festive fall feel carries us through.

Sooo….What’s in the Box????

Brussels Sprouts- We had a very good Brussels sprout year. We left the work of snapping the sprouts off of the stalk up to you. Once they are snapped off of the stalk they should keep in a plastic bag in your fridge for up to a couple weeks. Peel off any unsightly layers before you cook them up and enjoy their lovely flavor.

Green Cabbage- We had a nice planting of fall cabbages we wanted to share with you before the season is over. While this is not a storage variety, it will keep for a good month or so.

Sweet Potatoes- 2.5 lbs sweet potatoes per member this week. Did you know the skins of sweet potatoes are edible. You can even cut these into pieces and pan fry them in coconut oil. They also make delicious sweet potato fries either baked or fried. If allowed to sit on your counter for another week or two, they may become sweeter if you can resist eating them. Do no refrigerate sweet potatoes.

Leek- One nice leek for your fall soups. They also make a nice crunchy garnish to a soup if pan fried in coconut oil and sprinkled as ‘crispies’ on top of a soup. Leeks can be used like an onion with their own unique flavor.

Butternut Squash- Does not like refrigeration. Butternuts are the gem of the winter squash family. They are so versatile they can be used in place of pumpkin in any fall

‘pumpkin’ recipe. Did you know that pumpkin pie filling in the stores is actually butternuts squash? Yep! It’s so creamy and smooth and sweet!

Broccoli- 1-2 Broccoli per member. We are so thrilled to have such nice Fall Broccoli. We had our summer broccoli plantings fail on us. Stores best in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Cauliflower- 1-2 nice cauliflower per member. We are also having a very nice cauliflower crop this fall. Very happy to share it with you!

Peppers- About 4-8 peppers per member this week depending on size and space in he box. We went ahead and started picking them greener this week knowing that frost could really surprise us any day now. We’re always thrilled when we can continue to give peppers all the way to the end of the season because frost holds off. We picked anything with any kind of color this week. Peppers will continue to turn colors slowly off the vine if held at 50 degree storage which is difficult to achieve at home. We suggest using them up as is. We only grow colored peppers, but you can always pick them before they turn colors at the end of the season like this.

Fennel- One fennel per member. These guys are little on the smaller side. Fennel will caramelize up nicely like onions and loose much of it’s licorice flavor once cooked. It it lovely raw on salads if shaved very thinly. The frawns can be used for garnish.

Jalapeno Pepper- They’re hot!

Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper- They’re not as hot, but can surprise you!

Kohlrabi- These guys were pretty small due to lack of rain this Fall. It has been quite dry on the farm. They may have sized up better with a little more moisture. We decided to give them this week as we are running out of time to share some of our fall plantings with you!

Next Week’s Best Guess- Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, pie pumpkins, napa cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, leek, mini sweet peppers

Recipes-

Sweet Potato Pancakes-Gluten Free!

Broccoli Cranberry Salad with Walnuts and Bacon

Butternut Squash Lasagne

Caramelized Fennel Paccheri with Sausage and Pistachios

September Twenty-Nineth

I’m a bit old fashioned in some ways. Perhaps I’m simply my mother’s daughter. But I’m a firm believer in the power of “pleases” and “thank you’s”. I’m trying my darndest to raise our children to recite these words even if they don’t embody a complete understanding of their importance at their young ages (3, 6, 9). I also believe that gratitude may be one of the secrets to happiness and fulfillment in life. When we learn to experience gratitude for every small thing that comes into our lives we can find awe and beauty and reverence at every turn. Gratitude that our car started, for a good night’s sleep, for a smile from a neighbor, or even a simple meal.

We have a basic ritual of offering gratitude before meals at our home. Everyone is called to the table and generally we wait for everyone to be seated and holding hands to partake in this customary prayer before we pick up our spoons and forks and dig in. Interestingly it takes years to train children to this simple ceremony. Hunger is never helpful when training young humans to leave their forks on the table. But self control and restraint are good virtues to learn, so why not exercise these values at the dinner table? Our 9-year-old seems to finally be getting it, with a few more years of training on the wee ones to go. I guess you only need to tell a developing human something one million times before it finally sinks in. (Dogs are easier to train it turns out).

I’ll admit that since this ritual is such an engraved part of our lives, and we are busy people, occasionally there is a lack of sincerity and deep reflection in this moment of pause. When lacking creativity or feeling particularly hungry or grumpy on any given day, we can always fall back on saying that we’re thankful for the food and for our family. I know that this procedure means something to my children because they will be the ones to remind us that we still need to “do thankfuls” if anyone has become forgetful and begins to dig in without offering gratitude first.

We really do have so much to be thankful for. In a world saturated in fear, disease, hunger, busy-ness, and distractions it can be challenging to allow ourselves to slow down long enough so that we can feel vulnerable, empathetic and appreciative. I am a farmer after all. A mother too. I’ve traveled in the “third world” and have seen true hunger, homelessness and illness. I know hardship and can easily feel overwhelmed by the sadness I feel for myself or others. What helps me to see the beauty in the world again and feel awe and wonder and mindful is the humble act of expressing gratitude.

I know that you eat well because you get these stunning boxes of seasonal vegetables from a local, organic, small family farm. You’re privileged enough to partake in a vibrant local food system. If your day has been “one of those days”, I challenge you to express your gratitude out loud to someone around you for your meals, running water, washing machines, flushing toilets, light bulbs, your mattress, or the company around you as you share your meal. It may be contagious. I do feel that love and gratitude and mindfulness are one of the most lovely contagious things we can spread.

On Week 18 I am THANKFUL to be your farmer. I am thankful for my health and my strong body my intelligent and hardworking husband. I am thankful for my endlessly helpful and engaged mother who is so present in our lives. I am thankful for my three beautiful children, a season of bounty and meals fit for royalty around my grandmother’s old kitchen table.

Soooo….What’s in the Box????

Brussels Sprouts- These puppies are still on the stalks. We left the work of snapping them off the stalks to you. Snap all of your Brussels off of their stalks and store in a plastic bag in the fridge. They will keep longer and stay fresher and greener in cold storage. Discard the stalk itself. Brussels are such a wonderful fall treat and so nutritious!

Acorn Squash- Acorn Squash is a classic winter squash variety that we are thrilled to be sharing! Their flesh is sweet and they can even be used to make pumpkin bars, soup, or simply served with a little butter and brown sugar if that’s your thing.

Carrots- 1 pound per member. These are still our summer carrots we have had in cooler that we’re sharing now. Still plenty of fall carrots to dig!

Cauliflower and/or Broccoli- You may have received 1 large head of cauliflower or two smaller heads of cauliflower or one small cauliflower and one small broccoli.  

Sweet Peppers- 2-3 sweet peppers per member. Sweet Pepper production seems to be waning a little. We should be able to continue to pick them up until frost.

Kohlrabi-  We're so happy to have an encore kohlrabi appearance.  These are young, tender kohlrabi that are so crispy and tender eaten raw!  Remember to peel off their outer skins.  The leaves of the kohlrabi can be used like kale!

Celeraic Root- Celeriac root is in the same family as celery. It is specially cultivated so that the roots of the celery plant grow large instead of the stalks. We left the stalks on these celeriac root so that you can still use them in your cooking. They would be a nice addition to soups or even fresh salads! Just boil and mash them with potatoes and plenty of butter and cream and you’ll fall in love with celeriac root! Will keep best in a plastic bag in the fridge. With the greens removed, celeriac root is a fantastic storage vegetable. It will keep nearly all winter long in cold storage. It is also nice par boiled and then grated into a hash with or without potatoes!

Russet Potatoes- We feel like this may have been one of our best russet potatoe years ever on this farm. Maybe it was the variety we tried this year. The potatoe harvest in general this year looks good. Russets are great baked or because of their density and tougher skins, the hold up very nicely in soups, when baked or even fried.

Mini Sweet Peppers- One pint of mini sweets per member. The mini sweet peppers came in a plastic clamshell this week. Wonderful for snacking or putting on salads.

Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper- Watch out for a couple hot peppers floating around in your box this week!

Jalapeno Pepper- Another hot pepper this week!

Garlic- One bulb of chesnook red again this week.

Onion- Yellow onions this week.

Green Curly Kale- To keep you stocked in greens and eating something green at every meal!

Thyme- We were very happy to be able to offer an herb this week. Fresh thyme is wonderful added to soups, curry, vegetable pot pies, or even made into tea. If you don’t think you’ll use it fresh, you can always unbunch the thyme bundle and lay it out on a tray to dry or in the oven on very, very low heat (maybe with the door cracked). Once dried, store in an air tight canning jar with a tight lid.  

Recipes-

Potato Leek Soup with Celeriac

Southwest Stuffed Acorn Squash

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

September Twenty-Second

This week the farm shifts from feeling like summer to looking and feeling very much like Fall. The maple tree that sits high atop our farm that feels ancient and wise is filled with leaves turning yellow and orange. The north wind blows through her branches making a rustling sound that make the dry leaves rattle a little. I hear crows in the neighbors corn. I hear crickets singing their songs on the long foggy mornings that trail through the better part of the day. I feel tired and excited and nervous and joyful all in one glorious Fall day.

As I walk the fields I see a farm that looks like it has had a season. I see the old onion beds waiting for the plastic mulch to be lifted. I see the dried sweet corn stalks still standing, waiting to be mowed down. I see the old green bean beds over taken by weeds now and the tomato trellising still standing with spent looking plants hanging over the trellis line. So much work to be done to put the farm to rest for a season.

At the end of a season, one cannot help but think of their own mortality. It’s a little like a birthday, somewhat joyful on the day of the occasion, but a reminder of the climbing number of years one has under their belt. The end of a season feels like an accomplishment, a bountiful achievement, and yet symbolizes the fleeting and determinate nature of a season, an experience, a life cycle.

Interestingly, there are still signs of youthful life in the fields. There are fall carrot planting still bright green with tender foliage. There are napa cabbage plantings that look as succulent and tender as spring lettuce. There is even a hopful planting of lettuce that we are watching and hoping will size up so we can share them with you yet this fall before the freezes come. There are very clean spinach beds that could pass as spring spinach if you didn’t know better.

The bright, earthy, warm and sun-soaked colors in the fall peppers and winter squash emanate a warmth brilliant enough to bring cheer to weariest of eyes. The shiny red apples, the glossy yellow peppers, the rainbow swiss chard and the beloved red kuri kabocha squash ignite a kind of fire within my heart that will carry me warmly into the coldest days of the upcoming fall. What is it about this food that connects me so intimately to the seasons and assists my mood and restructuring spirit for it? I feel thankful for these vegetables and what they do for my disposition.

Alas we feel deep gratitude for such bounty. We are packing CSA boxes filled to the top with amazing looking produce. In a season with a very long drought in the Spring followed by two sets of flooding rains mid summer, your farmers worry for the crops. We worry about vegetable diseases, insect pressure, the plants getting enough water when they need it most, weed control and so many other production related variables. It always feels a bit like a miracle to me when we pull off these fabulous looking boxes to the very end of the season. It is not without a fair amount hard decisions being made that we keep this ship a sailing.

Here’s to another week which is another day which is another season which is another year of season, fresh, local, organic, seasonal produce from your favorite small family farm.

Sooo…What’s in the Box????

Sunshine Red Kabocha Squash- These are the large, orange winter squash towards the bottom of your box. These are my personal favorite squash by FAR! Their flesh is sweet, creamy, flaky and absolutely everything you could ever dream of wanting out of a winter squash! They should keep for months on your counter top if you can resist eating them for that long and if they don’t develop any decay spots. Squash prefer a 60-70 degree dry storage temp, so your counter should be perfect!

Brussels Sprouts- These puppies are still on the stalks. We left the work of snapping them off the stalks to you. Snap all of your Brussels off of their stalks and store in a plastic bag in the fridge. They will keep longer and stay fresher and greener in cold storage. Discard the stalk itself. Brussels are such a wonderful fall treat and so nutritious!

Yellow Potatoes- 2lbs per member. We’re working on getting all of our potatoes out of the ground. The harvest is decent this year considering how worried we were about them this Spring after planting when we had a very long stretch of very hot and dry weather that took out a percentage of the plants right away. Nice looking potatoes.

Beets- Two to three large beets per member. Will keep best in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Carrots- 1 pound per member. These are still our summer carrots we have had in cooler that we’re sharing now. Still plenty of fall carrots to dig!

Eggplant- What a terrific eggplant year! We’ve never had one quite like it! I’m hoping that you’ve found ways to cook eggplant that are appetizing to you! I truly believe that every vegetable is delicious when prepared properly!

Onion- One onion to keep your dishes tasting delicious!

Garlic- This is the Chesnook red variety. It is a hardneck variety with 6-8 cloves per bulb. We have really fallen in love with this variety in the last couple years. Will keep on your counter through the new year, but needs refrigeration for long term storage.

Sweet Bell Peppers- 4-5 peppers per member this week. The pepper patch is really bumping right now. We’re so happy to be sharing such beautiful pepper harvests such as these with you after a hard pepper season we had last year. Our children really love stuffed peppers. We also love to make fajitas and put them on pizza.

Jalapeno Pepper- To add a little spice to your life.

Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper- A little more tame than the Jalapenos. Also called a Bananna Pepper

Swiss Chard- We don’t harvest swiss chard as much as we would like to in the summer because it’s such a time consuming harvest. In the same family as spinach and beets, we’re very happy to be sharing swiss chard with you this week!

Celeriac Root- Celeriac root is in the same family as celery. It is specially cultivated so that the roots of the celery plant grow large instead of the stalks. We left the stalks on these celeriac root so that you can still use them in your cooking. They would be a nice addition to soups or even fresh salads. Check out our celeriac mashed potatoes recipe below! Just boil and mash them with potatoes and you’ll fall in love with celeriac root! Will keep best in a plastic bag in the fridge. With the greens removed, celeriac root is a fantastic storage vegetable. It will keep nearly all winter long in cold storage. It is also nice par boiled and then grated into a hash with or without potatoes!

Lettuce- One smaller head of lettuce this week. Some received a green oakleaf head of lettuce or green buttercrunch or red buttercrunch. It’s a tricky time of year to have fresh lettuce heads, so we’re very happy to be offering this!

Next Week’s Best Guess- Sweet bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, Hungarian hot wax, acorn squash, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, broccoli or cauliflower, celeriac root, mini sweet peppers, eggplant, collards or kale, kohlrabi?

Recipes-

 Mashed Potatoes with Celeriac Root

 Stuffed Sweet Bell Peppers

 Jalapeno Poppers

 Stuffed Bananna peppers with Chorizo

September Fifteenth

On the sixteenth CSA delivery week out of 20 summer share deliveries, the farm is looking like it has had a season. The crew is in miraculously good spirits while your farmers are looking a little tired and worn. While tired, we also feel excited and energized knowing that we are in the home-stretch part of our season. The Fall Harvest season brings a warm, festive feel as we pile up our winter squash, begin to harvest our fall root crops and start to think about garlic planting.

This week we harvested some beds of beets that were needing to be cleared out and started the celeriac root harvest. We weeded some of our Fall carrot and beet beds. We are also continuing on with our winter squash harvest. We have run out of the large macro bins that we usually put our winter squash in and are waiting for this week’s delivery of CSA boxes to go out so we can empty out a few more macro bins so that we can fill them up with more winter squash and root storage crops.

We are excited to start sharing some of our favorite fall veggies with you in the coming weeks such as Brussels sprouts, celeriac root, sweet potatoes, leeks and a variety of winter squashes. Sadly this was the final giving of tomatoes this week. This year was not our best tomato harvest season due to the mid summer storms and rains that fired up the blight on the tomato plants.

We are excited about our Fall Potluck next Sunday, September 26^th from 3-6pm. We hope you can make it out to the farm where we will offer wagon ride tours of the farm, apple cider pressing, Turtle Stack beer and a fabulous potluck dinner from 5-6pm. We hope you can make it out the farm. This event is usually well attended and we hope you can make it out! This is a chance for you to come out the farm and see the place where your food is grown, have an experience here that leaves an impression on you to take home and hold the farm in your heart for the future seasons to come.

We are also selling more Fall Shares and Thanksgiving Shares this time of year. If you have loved the summer veggies and are wanting to make sure you have plenty to carry you into the winter months ahead, consider signing up for a Fall Share and a Thanksgiving Share. The Fall Share/Thanksgiving Share boxes contain larger quantities of your favorite storage veggies with 5# bags of carrots, 5# bags of potatoes, 3# bags of onions, 3# bags of sweet potatoes and plenty of winter squash, celeriac, rutabagas and more! The boxes contain many items that will store in your fridge and will keep you eating locally and seasonally for weeks after the deliveries have ended. Last year these Fall Shares sold out rather quickly, so don’t hesitate to reserve yours now.  

We are loving working in these days with cool mornings where we begin the day with our sweaters and even winter hats and then shed our layers as the day warms up. We watch the leaves turn on the horizon around us while the crickets play their music for us throughout the day.

Soooo….What’s in the Box????

Spaghetti Squah- These are the large yellow round items toward the bottom of your box. You may have received 1 large spaghetti squash or two smaller spaghetti squashes. These guys will keep at room temperature for a good month or more. Make sure you use them up if they develop any spots. Noodle like flesh once cooked up!

Beets- About 1 pound of beets per member. We had a nice beet harvest this week that we’re happy to share with you. Will keep for months in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Carrots- 1 pound of carrots per member. Carrots will also keep for months in a plastic bag in the fridge. For all of your fresh salads and fall soups!

Sweet Peppers- Sweet peppers are in good production now. We’re happy to be sharing three to four pepper per member this week. They may be red, yellow, orange or shades of pink. Enjoy this seasonal delicacy.

Tomatoes- .5lbs per member. A very small giving of tomatoes this week. This is likely our final giving of tomatoes for the season. This late in the season quality is lacking a bit, so feel free to use these up quickly as they likely won’t keep long.

Jalapeno- In the bag with your tomatoes. These would be a nice addition to your spaghetti squash hash!

Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper- In the bag with your tomatoes. A nice addition to your salsas or even your soups to keep your immune system awake and active! It never hurts to add a little spice to your life!

Eggplant- For some reason we’re having a really great eggplant year! Wowzers! When we go out to harvest there are fruits almost every week, and lots of them! I’m hoping you’re finding ways to learn to love eggplant if you didn’t already! I do believe that everything tastes delicious when prepared correctly or to your liking! Find a way to love this seasonal fruit!

Potatoes- 2lbs. Red potatoes again this week. It’s not hard to find ways to use these papas up!

Onion- 1-2 yellow onions per box this week.

Green Cabbage- Lovely, tender heads of fall cabbage that we’re happy to share this week. Should keep in your fridge for a good month or so, although this is not technically a storage variety of cabbage. Egg rolls? Did you make enough of your favorite cabbage slaws this summer?

Green Curly Kale- To keep you stocked in cooking greens.

Basil- We finally found some time this week to harvest a fresh herb for the box. The basil plants this late in the season are looking less then young and fresh. We’re sorry for the mix of quality in the leaves, but we thought you could pluck the good leaves off of the stems and use what you can. Basil does not refrigerate well, it turns black in the refrigerator. Stick in a glass of water and keep like fresh cut flowers, but they won’t re-hydrated as well as they may have if they had been put in water right away. Try re-trimming the stems to see if they will take to the water.

Mini Sweet Peppers/Cherry Tomatoes- A very small final harvest of cherry tomatoes and also a surprisingly small mini sweet harvest this week. So we weighed them out and shared the weight amongst us all in these cute little paper bags.

Next Weeks Best Guess:  Potatoes, celeriac root, carrots, sweet bell peppers, hot peppers, mini sweet peppers, swiss chard, onion, garlic, sunshine kabocha squash, kohlrabi?