Harvesting BroccoliI have fallen into a place of routine. I’m not sure if it’s my age, my stage in life, or my zodiac sign or enniagram, but I value the stability of a day and a home and a farm that runs smooth with the essence of constancy, sustainability and predictability. Well oil, well maintained, and well loved, a farm will run smooth. I feel really old saying this. It makes me feel like an old woman in a rocking chair. But I DO! Perhaps it is because I know the opposite so well. I spent some years of my life wandering, traveling, moving and without home or commonplace or community. There was a time when I was more like a tumbleweed blowing across the plains of a dry desert than I was like a rooted treeling on reforested land. Once upon a time I was in search for a place to call a home, an identity, a compassionate partner and a loving and supportive community. I went on a long journey and in many ways that journey ended when we bought this farm.
I was ready though. I was beginning to crave a scene that didn’t change. I was looking for people who knew my face and name. I was passionate and highly self-motivated. I was inspired by the things I had learned and the things I now knew that I was capable of doing. I had had several years experince working on farms on different places on the globe and midwest. I had seen fisherman and townspeople in Panama who had scarcely left their island their entire lives. I saw the wisdom they held and longed to know a place so well. I was widely idealistic, naieve and dreamy. Despite my families wishes for me to come home, settle down and take root, I was much too enchanted with seeing the world and my eyes were blind the value of a home. Fortunately for us all, if I had not been that way, I would not be here today on this farm. The traveling got old, I began to feel lonely in my quest to find myself and started to discover that my spirit was at rest once nestled in the hills of the Driftless area in a garden or an orchard somehwere amidst.
Falling in love with a man who was a little older but a lot more mature than I helped the matters a bit. He is a heavily grounded person of habitat, ritual, and routine. I saw how comfortable he was in his own skin and how freely he was able to love. I saw his steady and even manner that helped balance my wild and spontanious nature and we struck a spark. We were both ready for a transplant and were looking for a place as grand as a farm to settle down and a place that could contain our spirits combined. I knew then, when we “bought the farm” that we were setting down some deep roots. Now our home is strong and stable and sturdy. Our farm is growing along with our community and our roots grow deeper still here. While I am continually trying to improve myself and in seek for knowledge, I am no longer searching for my home. And now the ebb and flow of a harvest season feels as familiar as the dawn and dusk of a day, and I love it still. 
Buttercup Squash
Hard Squash- We shiped sort of an either/or squash this week because we did not have enough buttercups and kuri for everyone. We even supplemented with some butternut and acorn squash at the end when we ran out of buttercups and kuri. Squash will keep at a dry room temp for at least a month or more. Cut lengthwise, scoop the seeds out and then face flat down onto a pan with some water at the bottom (so it doesn’t fry hard to the pan) and bake for an hour at 350 or until soft to the touch.
Cabbage- Again, we did a little mix and matching. We had two varieties of cabbage that were ready, so we went through and harvested the bigger heads from both varieties. The regular green cabbage was one variety and the savoy cabbage (crinkly leaved) is the other variety. The savoy cabbage has a little more texture to it.
Beets- We really wanted to send beet greens with the beets this week even though they didn’t look super wonderful. There was a chioggi beet mixed in every beet bunch. The chioggias are usually a pink beet with white bulls-eye circles on the inside. The chioggias are an heirloom variety so their growing patterns can be a little inconsistent. The nice thing about the pink beets is that they don’t bleed as much as the red beets. Still a fun looking bunch of beets for all this week!
Sweet Peppers- The peppers might look a little different this week. We are sending a few more green peppers this week. We had to go out and pick all of the remaining peppers off of the plants since the frost killed their leaf-cover. The fruits were then exposed entirely to the sun leaving them vulnerable to sun scalding. We went in and did a “clear cut” We’re storing the peppers in the root cellar and will be giving them the next couple weeks as well.
Hot Peppers- Still a Jalapeno and a Hungarian Hot wax for everyone again. I’ve been learning so many fun things to do with hot peppers this fall. Have you considered dehydrating them and then blending them into a hot pepper powder? How about dicing them and then freezing them so they’re ready for sprinkling into your winter cooking dishes? This woman in our community makes her own homemade Sriracha sauce. 
Red Kuri Squash
White Onions- Essentials.
Kohlrabi- Even more mixing and matching this week. Some folks may have received a white kohlrabi and some may have received a purple kohlrabi. Maybe you remember Kohlrabi from the spring boxes. Doesn’t that seem like so long ago? Peel and enjoy the inside of the kohlraibi cut up raw, grate into a slaw or stir fry with your other favorite veggies.
Eggplants- We decided to go in and clean up the eggplant plants. Consider this a bonus item since we weren’t really even planning on giving it. I promise you this, no more eggplant for the rest of the season. I promise, it’s really over! My cousin who is also a CSA member of ours says that she cooks her eggplant and purees it into her lasagna/ricotta mixture and her family can’t tell the difference. She says that pureeing her eggplant into a dish is a great way to stretch the dish and hide it for those who say they ‘don’t like eggplant’.
Spinach- A generous half pound of spinach for everyone. So tender and succulent. My mouth is watering for spinach! I love spinach with eggs and pizza.
Arugula- Yes, this is the unusual item that is bunched in your box. Enjoy Arugula raw mixed into salads, braised on a sandwich, or pureed into a creamy green Saag over rice. Don’t let this nutritious green go to waste! It is excellent served with bacon!
Cilantro- A small bunch of cilantro for everyone, the week after tomatoes end. We really tried having it sooner, but since it stopped raining a few months ago, it’s been hard to get things to grow.
Lettuce- Either a curly green leaf, a green romaine or a curly red leaf head of lettuce for everyone. We’re hoping that the hard freeze on Friday and Saturday night doesn’t damage our remaining lettuce crop for the last couple boxes. 
Workers Cleaning and bunching Beets
