We had a really nice turnout for the potluck on Sunday! We think we had over 80 people here. The weather was lovely, the cider delicious and the company superb! Farmer Adam did three full wagon ride tours of the farm showing everyone around the fields. We ended with a potluck dinner in which everyone went home with full bellies and got to taste the delicious cooking of our amazing community.
As we approach the the last few weeks of the summer share delivery season, the leaves begin to fall and we cross off many of the big fall harvests from our list of things to do this year, we begin to sense the mortality of the season. The Winter Squash harvest is over, the potato harvest is over, and the tomatoes are waning fast. It’s looking like we’re in the clear for at least another 10 days according to weather.gov in terms of avoiding the “F” word. You know, starts with “fr” and ends with “st”. I can’t actually say it in case my words have any power to invoke.
The end of a season always feels slightly sad to me. Like a death of some kind. It marks time in such a clear way. Because it went by so fast. Because the fresh vegetables were so good and they smell so good, and soon they will be gone. Because soon I won’t be able to go barefoot anymore. Because it means I’m getting older too. Because my kids are getting so much bigger. Because I worry that I may not have enjoyed it as much as I should have. Did I complain about how hot it was too much? Did I fret over how heavy the bins were to carry too much? I must remind myself to be thankful for the darkness because it makes the light that much brighter.
The best way to honor something is to celebrate it. With the Fall Equinox this weekend, the transition into the final quarter of our year is official. The days feel shorter. In gatherings like our little Open House on Sunday and all of the harvest parades and Apple Festivals and Pumpkin Patches and soon to be Halloween Parties, they are a way to pay tribute to a season and all of the labor gone into these ephemeral annual vegetables so that we may have pumpkins and storage potatoes and apple pie.
If we don’t celebrate the passing of a season, we must cry over it. It’s like a mini lifetime. If we don’t celebrate the passing of our friends and relatives, we must cry over them too. I choose to celebrate. A good cry feels appropriate as well, but then we should dance. Or else the dyeing tomatoes and the twisted up winter squash vines with their fruits all picked and the barren-looking fields would look too lifeless. They would look too sad and lonely and empty of potential.
But with experience, I know now. The kids get smarter and more capable with each passing season. The dead vines feed the soil that needs rest until next year. The cold wind drives the farmers indoors so that they can rest too and restore for next year. The potential builds. It’s only a new beginning.
Fall is a time to gather our tired bodies around tables and sit together and tell our stories. It’s time to be more present with our loved ones because we were so busy this summer. It’s time to raise our glasses of cider and cheers to a job well done. A time to be thankful so that we can experience the joy and the gifts we were given in this life.
What’s in the Box?
Butternut Squash- The cream colored squash that has a larger bulb or seed cavity on one end. Squash prefer a 50-60 degree storage temp, so do not put your winter squash in the fridge. It should store just fine on your counter top.
Gold Potatoes- 2.5lbs per member. These are fresh-dug potatoes that are un-washed. They should hold just fine on your counter-top for many months. Nothing quite like fresh-dug potatoes.
Tomatoes- 3 lbs per member. Production continues to wane. By now you should be a pro in handling slightly under-ripe tomatoes. They will ripen just fine off the vine if taken out of their plastic bag and laid out on the countertop or windowsil and allowed to ripen. Only refrigerate if you need to buy yourself more time to get them used up.
Celeriac Root- Celeriac Root is especially cultivated so that the root of the celery plant grows large instead of the stems. The root has a celery flavor and a potato consistency when cut into. The fresh leaves on the celeriac root can be eaten and used like celery or added to stock for flavor. Celeriac root is a fantastic keeper. Keeps best in a plastic bag in the fridge with the leaves and stems removed.
Carrots- 1lb bag per member. No comparison in flavor to grocery store vegetables!
Broccoli and Cauliflower or 2 Broccoli- We store the broccoli and cauliflower on ice in our cooler as we harvest it throughout the week. Broccoli and Cauliflower prefer to be kept very cold until you’re ready to use it up. Great motivation to get your veggies picked up at your dropsite to get them home and into the cooler as quick as you can!
Onions- 1-2 small onions. May be white or yellow storage onions.
Garlic- One of these pals tucked inside your tomato bag.
Swiss Chard- What a treat to have swiss chard so late in the season! The stems of the leaves are just as edible as the leaves. Is lovely added to quiches and pastas.
Bell Peppers- 2-3 Bell Peppers per member this week. Sweet bell peppers could have been red, orange, yellow or even purple this week. Such gorgeous peppers! We’re not having our best pepper year. In a good year we would be giving double what we have been giving these last couple weeks. We’re not sure why production is down this year.
Jalapeno Pepper- One Jalapeno, either green or red, tucked inside your bag of tomatoes
Mint- A fresh herb for you! Can be dried and used to make tea. Can be used to make fresh drinks. Can be added to salads like Tabbouleh. Whatever inspires you!
Next Week’s Best Guess: kabocha squash, yellow potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, pepper and eggplant?, garlic, onion, cilantro, maybe kohlrabi, maybe cabbage, red kale, maybe carrots, maybe parsnips
Recipes-
Pioneer Woman’s Butternut Squash Casserole
