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Below are current issues of The Weekly Dig Newsletter, from Jillian Varney, owner of the Small Family Farm. Stay up to date on what's happening on the farm!
Week 4
June Twenty-Second
This week on the farm has been hot! A breezy hot so far. A humid hot. A hot that makes it feel like Summer. As Summer is officially here now, she is making her presence known with the 90 degree temps! As long as there is a breeze, we can usually make it through okay! Frequent water breaks and splashy washing work to be done in the cool packing shed help the body stay feeling cool and strong. With all of the heat this week we’re already hoping for the chances of rain later this week to materialize or we may have to start thinking about irrigating.
For a crop update, we are noticing that many of our summer crops are a little behind this year. Because of the long, cool, wet spring many of our crops went out a little later than usual or because we couldn’t get in the fields because it was too wet. We also had an issue with our soil mix this Spring that we get from a soil mix company called Cowsmo that didn’t have as consistent of a product this year than what we have received in previous years. Our transplants didn’t go out looking as healthy as in years past so took a little longer to snap out of their ‘transplant shock’ and recover from their stunted beginning.
Many of our Spring crops have loved the cool temperatures and moist soil and have been made all the sweeter and crispier because of it. The wetness has made cultivation and weeding difficult at times to get into the fields to weed when we have crews here to do the work. But, some how we manage to stay on top of it all.
If you could fly a drone over the farm right now, you would see that the crops are looking fantastic overall though! The rows are all recently cultivated, the plants are all young and healthy.
We will start picking Strawberries on the farm this week. Even our Strawberries are a little behind this year because of being mulched a little to heavy last Fall. We cover Strawberry plants with mulch so that they overwinter okay and the roots survive the freeze and winter wind effects. We like to be generous with the mulch because it adds organic matter to the soil, preserves soil moisture and helps suppress the weeds. So they were a little late to bloom this year, but they come at a perfect time!
We are also excited to start picking broccoli this week which is always a favorite. Soon our summer squashes and zucchini plants will start producing as well. Usually cucumbers aren’t too far behind at that point!
We are excited to be sharing rhubarb this week. Rhubarb is a plant we have tried to grow in the past, but haven’t had enough success in our rhubarb patch to have established enough plants that we could actually harvest off of them. This year the Rhubarb looks amazing and we’re going for it! We’re hoping for increased production in future seasons as the plants look very healthy and strong at this point.
What’s in the Box?
Potatoes- 2.25lbs per member. These are overwintered Potatoes from last season that kept wonderfully in our cooler. They won’t keep long at room temperature. Plan to store them in your fridge or use them up soon so they don’t sprout at room temp. You may have received russet, gold or red potatoes.
Hakurai Salad Turnips- These are the delicious, white turnips in your box with green tops. These turnips are different from storage turnips. Hakurai salad turnips are meant to be used fresh on salads. My children love to snack on these! They’re wonderful sliced onto salads or just chopped up and sprinkled with a little salt for a snack. They can also be added to stir fry, eaten with a dip or put into spring rolls or whatever you can dream up!
Lacinato Kale- This is the dark green bunch of greens in your box. Lacinato is the most popular variety of kale these days. It’s smooth texture, dark green color, and mild flavor make it a wonderful addition to any soup, egg dish or salad.
Red Oakleaf Lettuce- We really love these red oakleaf varieties that can only be grown in the early Summer and Spring months. Enjoy these funky varieties of lettuce before it gets too hot and they go out of season!
Green Oakleaf Lettuce- Another fun lettuce variety that can only be grown in the early summer and cooler season. These are a rare find and so tender and smooth!
Green Onions- The green onions were still a little small this week, but we wanted to start sharing them with you
Kohlrabi- 1 kohlrabi per member. You may have received either a purple or green kohlrabi. They are the same flavor and color on the inside. Remember that your kohlrabi leaves can be used like kale.
Cilantro- A nice bunch of cilantro per member.
Rhubarb- .4lbs We were excited to share rhubarb. This is our first year of having plants big enough that we could harvest off of. We were careful not to take too much off of the plants so they continue to grow big and strong for future years. There are still lots of smaller plants out there that we didn’t harvest from. We’re excited about nurturing our rhubarb patch to be big and healthy and strong! Perennials are so much fun!
Next Week’s Best Guess: Broccoli, Lettuce, Kohlrabi, Sugar Snap Peas, Bunching Onion, Turnips?, Swiss Chard, Dill, Strawberries, Garlic Scapes?
Recipes
Hakurai Turnip and Apple Salad
Kid Approved Classic Green Monster Smoothie with Kale
Layerd Lettuce Salad (This is really good with peas even though we don't have them yet! Use whatever veggies you have!)
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale-Potato-Sausage-Soup Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale-Potato-Sausage-Soup
June Thirteenth
I’m reading a book, or listening to a book while I work, right now by Robin Wall Kimmerer called Braiding Sweetgrass that seems to have come into my life at an appropriate time. Robin is a Native American woman who is a biologist, writer, teacher and mother. There are many profound lessons in her book that are still soaking into my reality, but at present I am contemplating something she and the Haudenosaunee people call the “Thanksgiving Address” that I feel compelled to share with you.
I am attempting to raise my children to be aware of their consumption. To think twice about their use of plastics, fossil fuels, waste and materials of utilization which are great. While there is an acute awareness of what we are expending and the effects of our consumption, I wish also not to teach them to feel guilty or ashamed or sorry for their own existence. Is there a way to exist on the planet and consume resources, but also a way to honor that which we are taking? A way to kill a plant or an animal and show respect and reverence at the same time? I have struggled with, and see others struggling with, their own carbon footprint and consumption and I have wondered if all humans really are all ‘bad’. I wish not to raise my children to think such things about themselves.
What I like about the “Thanksgiving Address” is that if all death and consumption begins with awareness and deep gratitude for that which we are taking, rather than an attitude of entitlement and dis-contentment that stems out of unmet expectations, we are already behaving like honorable beings. The Thanksgiving Address asks you to examine your own relationship to nature. The Thanksgiving Address teaches mutual respect, conservation, love, generosity, and the responsibility to understand that what we have done to one part of the Web of Life, we have done to ourselves. In expressing gratitude, we become spiritually tied to the forces that sustain us and invest in their care and protection.
On a farm where there is death and life and rain and wind and plastic and human bodies all around us, this subject is relevant. Every day we take so much. Many days it feels like we take much more than we give back to the land. The challenge is to find ways to reciprocate. While I do believe that gratitude is powerful and many times our gratitude is enough, I believe that we can do more.
We can do more by protecting beneficial insect and wildlife habitats. We can teach our friends and family about the importance of buying organic food and protecting our water. We can use every morsel from our CSA boxes and buy less food from far-away places. We can walk more. We can purchase sustainably sourced foods, recycle building materials, and support nature conservancy and protection in our neighborhoods. We can teach our children how to do these things. We can teach them to express gratitude for that which they are consuming. We can teach them to be spiritually connected to the life forces that produce all that they consume. This is how healing and reciprocity happens.
In a time of resource scarcity, when is there a better time to talk about this? Let us remember our ancestors and the simple ways we can give back for all that we receive.
What's in the Box?
2 lbs. Red Potato- These are potatoes we kept in our cooler all winter long from harvest last fall. When we bagged them they were dry with only a little dirt on them, but after we had them out of the cooler for a while they started to sweat and become muddy. Please be careful with the potato bags when removing them from your box as the bags are weak and the potatoes a bit muddy. We will plan to wash the potatoes for next week. Store your potatoes in the fridge for them to keep longer!
Kohlrabi- If you're not familiar with this vegetable, it is in the brassica (or cole) family-the same as cabbage, broccoli, radish, turnips and so many others! Kohlrabi are also called the "ground apple". They're crunchy with a texture similar to an apple, but with the smooth, mild flavor of cabbage or even radish. You'll need to peel off the tough outer layer of the kohlrabi to enjoy the crunchy inside. The leaves of the kohlrabi can be eaten like kale, so don't throw them out! Kohlrabi can be eaten raw or fried or baked or spiralized or really ANYTHING you can dream up. They are very versatile! Store in the fridge.
Hakurai Salad Turnips- These are the white globe shaped roots. The smoothest textured turnip you'll find that is wonderful eaten raw like a radish. They are lovely shaved thinly, sliced or grated onto salads. They have a sweetness to them that makes them great for snacking. The Pearls of the box this week! Store in the fridge.
Spinach- A little more than a half pound of spinach for everyone this week! Store in the fridge in a plastic bag.
Green and Red Oakleaf Lettuce- One head of each red and green oakleaf this week. We hydro-cool our lettuce by dunking them in tanks of water after harvest. This gets them pretty clean, however your lettuce should be washed again before eating. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Green Curly Kale- Gorgeous bunches of green curly kale this week. The kale and collard field is looking nice this year. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Cilantro- We had a nice cilantro harvest this week. The cilantro looks and tastes fabulous. Store in the fridge.
Next week’s best guess: Kale or swiss chard, kohlrabi, lettuce, salad turnip, potato, green onion, maybe broccoli, maybe snap peas, hopefully cilantro.
Recipes
Kale with Red Beans, Cilantro and Feta Cheese
Hakurai Turnip and Apple Salad
Braised Turnip Greens with Apples
Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing
June Eighth
The second week of CSA harvest and field work is going smoothly. We received about 1 inch of rain over the course of the weekend which was a blessing on the newly transplanted sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. The farm activities are heavy on transplanting this time of year. Our goal is to empty out the greenhouse of plants. While we are always planting more crops and re-filling up the greenhouse, the bulk of the Spring planting is done.
The rain this week makes me think of gratitude. The temperatures have been cool which is kind to our Spring broccoli, lettuce, peas, cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes and more that do not love the heat. How lucky we are to have this gentle, quantitive, free water falling from the sky, in such an intermittent and timely fashion. It feels like a compliment and a gift that makes me feel seen and appreciative, while I know it has nothing to do with me, perhaps I resonate with the plants as they too feel seen and appreciative.
Our family life is adjusting to the changes of the CSA season. The kids are getting used to Mom and dad working more. Well, mostly Mom working more because dad has been out on a tractor somewhere on the farm for two months now. We’ve transitioned away from the structured, scheduled homeschool regimen and into the “wild-and-free” regimen. To my amazement, the kids are adjusting wonderfully. Perhaps they’re learning and feeling our families’ seasonal rhythm and know what “the start of CSA deliveries” means. Our four-year-boy still loves to follow mom around everywhere she goes. Even if it means sitting on the back of the transplanter for four hours because that’s what mom is doing our weaving his bicycle around the legs of the people working in the packing shed for an afternoon because that is where mom is working. I feel thankful that he doesn’t need me to hold him while I work this year and he still wants to be close to me. How much longer will he want to be so near to me? I kiss him as often as I can. Our seven year old is fascinated with bird’s nests, moths, beetles, toads, and does not struggle to amuse herself. So far the 10 year old wants to read all day when she isn’t doing chores, music practice, playing with friends or art projects.
We see the least of our oldest in the fields these days. Perhaps she will be lured to the fields when the strawberries come into season, the peas are ready for the picking or the carrots are ready to be pulled. The fruits of all this labor are attractive and appealing to a hungry pre-teen.
My mother has helped immensely to make the transition into the CSA season smooth and painless. Momma Jane lives next door in her own house on her own 5 acres. Some days she’s over here more often than she’s at home. She’s retired now and is grandma extraordinaire. She mows our huge lawn, helps feed and wrangle our three kids, runs curious farm errands far and wide into the boonies and feeds us. She happens to be an amazing cook too! After a full day of work on the farm when our bodies and minds are tired, we often come in to a warm and clean house smelling of home-made deliciousness which is a saving grace when we’re holding it together by threads some days and all we need is a nourishing meal together around the table to feel settled and re-connected. She is the matriarch who we are endlessly grateful for. She has been with us for all 17 years and without Mama Jane, I know that our farm would not be what it is today without her.
What’s in the Box?
Pac Choi- This Asian green was greenhouse grown to give an extra head start to the growing season. Pac Choi are difficult to grow in the Spring. We cover them with Remay (a thin, white, sheet-like material) to keep the bugs off of them. Many hungry creatures including rabbits, birds and a few others are also kept at bay with the use of Remay! These tender, Spring greens are very tempting for all!
Red Buttercup Lettuce- These red buttercups are also greenhouse grown. Lovingly tended to with daily care, watering, covering and uncovering. I love these extra tender buttercup varieties that can only be grown in the Spring and Fall because they will not tolerate the heat of the summer.
Cherry Belle Radish- Gorgeous, stunning red radishes satisfying our urge for that which is crunchy, crispy and a wee-bit spicy. Did you know that radish greens are edible as well? Radish greens can be used in egg dishes, on pizza, or snuck in to your diet in creative ways if your goal is to increase your greens intake! Check out the Radish Greens Creamy Soup recipe one member shared with us from last week below!
Asparagus- Asparagus is the one and only vegetable that we buy for CSA Boxes. Purchased from an organic asparagus farm nearby at Spears R Us.
Herb Packs- Basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano plants. These herbs can be transplanted into your garden, planted into trays or containers for “container gardening”, or potted up and put in your window in the house. They will prefer full sun and plenty of water, especially at transplant. There is nothing like fresh herbs in your summer cooking!
Overwintered Beets- Believe it or not, these beets are actually from last summer! We kept them in our cooler all winter and saved them to give to you on our Week 2 delivery box. They will store best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Spinach- A .96 lb bag of spinach for everyone this week. We were very pleased to have a nice giving of Spinach for the second CSA giving of the season!
Recipes:
Creamy Radish Top Soup - Thank you Mary M. for the recipe contribution!
Asparagus and Bacon Quiche
Pac Choi Fried Rice
June 1, 2022
Welcome friends, community, family! We’re SO excited to be kicking off a new season of fresh, local, and organic vegetables on the Small Family Farm! We’re excited for the produce, the people and life on our farm, and the fulfillment of the promise of Spring that always comes even if we begin to doubt its return. This is our 17th year running our little Small Family Farm and CSA and as the face of the planet is now angled closer to the sun in this phase of the revolution around our star, we are reminded how lucky we are to be doing this work. What a joy it is to be alive on planet Earth cultivating the crust and growing nutrient-dense food for humans!
We know that about 65% of our CSA members this summer are returning members from previous seasons. We’re super proud and excited about this 65%! This 65% know our story and our names and our family and we mean something to their lives-likely more than just produce! Some of our CSA members have been with us for ALL 17 Years! And we know their names and their families! This means that 35% of you are new to our farm and our story and we want you to know the WHO behind the WHAT! Because this CSA thing is so much more than the food!
Adam and I are the primary farmers, managers and operators of the farm. We do all the administrative work, the tractor work and are raising three small children ages 4, 7, and 10. We have a crew of about 10 amazing helpers who come out to the farm in tandem and help us to get the work done. There are about 15 Worker Shares who come out and work a 3.5 hour shift each week in exchange for a full Veggie Share! It’s humbling to be part of a system that is so much bigger than ourselves and our own capabilities and relies on community support to get the work done. We are absolutely community supported agriculture. Without the community and the support, there is no agriculture!
We bought the farm in the Spring of 2007 with 63 CSA member subscriptions to keep up motivated to get our farming game groove on. We were farming about 4 acres of produce back then and have grown to about 12 acres in organic vegetable production today packing 385 CSA boxes each week. We’re at our happy maximum size of a farm that fits our cooler, packing shed and greenhouse production capabilities.
Our farm is location on top of a windy ridgetop with a beautiful maple tree perched at the top on the horizon. We farm healthy soil that is alive and in turn produces vegetables that are nutritious and wholesome and clean. We believe that farms should be beautiful places that inspire a love and desire for a connection to the land and the countryside. We believe in local food systems that thrive because of a shared interest in supporting community agriculture and preserving family farms.
If we are nothing else, we are optimistic in this age of uncertainty. We are adaptive and restorative at heart. We have weathered some serious storms in our days. We are committed to this gig and have demonstrated our loyalty in a wavering and changing ecosystem, a changing economy, changing trends and changing weather patterns. With so much change and variation, all we can do is bend in the wind and send our roots down deep. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for choosing our Small Family Farm! We’re so excited to spend this bound-to-be-bountiful season with you! Read your Newsletters, check out our recipes to stay inspired in the kitchen and spread the love around!
What’s in the Box?
Pac Choi- This Asian green was greenhouse grown to give an extra head start to the growing season. Pac Choi are difficult to grow in the Spring. We cover them with Remay (a thin, white, sheet-like material) to keep the bugs off of them. Many hungry creatures including rabbits, birds and a few others are also kept at bay with the use of Remay! These tender, Spring greens are very tempting for all!
Red Buttercup Lettuce- These red buttercups are also greenhouse grown. Lovingly tended to with daily care, watering, covering and uncovering.
Cherry Belle Radish- Gorgeous, stunning red radishes satisfying our urge for that which is crunchy, crispy and a wee-bit spicy. Did you know that radish greens are edible as well? Radish greens can be used in egg dishes, on pizza, or snuck in to your diet in creative ways if your goal is to increase your greens intake!
Asparagus- Asparagus is the one and only vegetable that we buy for CSA Boxes.
Herb Packs- Oregano, thyme, parsley, and sage plants. These herbs can be transplanted into your garden, planted into trays or containers for “container gardening”, or potted up and put in your window in the house. They will prefer full sun and plenty of water, especially at transplant. There is nothing like fresh herbs in your summer cooking!
Overwintered Beets- Believe it or not, these beets are actually from last summer! We kept them in our cooler all winter and saved them to give to you on our Week 1 delivery box. They will store best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Spinach- A .8 lb bag of spinach for everyone this week. We were very pleased to have a nice giving of Spinach for the first CSA giving of the season!
Recipes
Pac Choi Salad with Sesame Dressing (a Must-Make Recipe! I wait all year for Pac Choi to come into season so i can make this recipe!)
Wilted Spinach Salad with Chopped Radishes and Shallots
Radish Dip
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