Fall on the farm is turning into a glorious and smooth harvest season. Fall colors had their peak about a week ago, but with all of the sunshine this week we will continue to enjoy the array of colors as the sun lights up the leaves as they shimmer in the breeze when we look up from our work. I am reminded how much I love this time of year. October, how I love you.
I love working in the cooler weather bundled up my wool scarves, hats and sweaters. I love the waning day-length that drives us indoors earlier into the evenings so that we spend more time together as a family rather than dispersed among the farm somewhere divested in our personal projects. I love that the cooler weather helps us regain control of the farm somewhat. In the summer months the rate at which the plants, the grasses, and the weeds grow and spread feels too rapid to keep up with. The full force of nature is felt in August and we begin to feel merciful to the idea of managing 25 acres. But almost magically, the pressure lifts. The plants form their seed heads and begin to show signs of regression or ending one generation of plant life.
Fall has a way of reminding us of our own mortality. Everything comes to an end. Every bright, colorful and, bountiful season gently wanes back into the more mature, yet duller earthen color variations of gold, red and brown. The nettles are less stingy, the bees are less buzzy and the grass is less green. My body is less energized and my eyes are more sleepy. The crickets echo a hollowness that feels inherent in a shedding horizon.
As the season ages, it becomes sweeter. The frosts came and kissed the spinach leaves, the broccoli flowers, and Brussels sprouts and turned the starches to sugars. There is less that is tender and crisp and juicy and more that is thick and dense and heavy. In the late stages of this 2020 growing season we are left with all the sugary, dense and, sustaining crops that will carry us through a long winter. Similarly to how when we age, life becomes sweeter and we are less potent and fertile in terms of youth and strength, but we are plump with wisdom and life experience that is the sustenance that carries us through.
The tomato trellising has come down and soon we will plant our seed garlic. We will put the garlic to sleep with a blanket of mulch and then we will wipe off our hands. There is a downward and inward movement of energy. The plants, the animals, the roots, the seeds, and the farmer’s mind are all going down and in for hibernation. We will retreat our efforts for one short season before we are ready for the outward and expansive spring.
Butternut Squash- Butternut squash is possibly the most popular and most loved of all of the winter squash varieties. They have a creamy colored skin with a bright orange flesh that is very smooth when baked. They keep best on your coutertop at a dry 60 degrees.
Brussels Sprouts- We’re very pleased with the brussels sprouts harvest this season with very little decay on the sprouts themselves. We think the dry weather this summer led to very nice looking sprouts at harvest. Brussels are prone to getting little black spots that appear on outer layer of the sprouts in a wet growing season, but not this year! We harvested some of the bigger stalks this week. Snap the sprouts off of the stalk and store in a plastic bag in your fridge for storage.
Cauliflower or Broccoli- Either a cauliflower or broccoli for everyone this week. We still have a fair amount out there to harvest. Possibly we’ll still be sharing cauliflower and broccoli in Fall Shares this year, weather permitting. So lovely to have all of these wonderful brassicas to share in the fall!
Beet- One very large beet again this week! We had poor germination in our beets this summer due to beets not germinating well during the drought, but the ones that did make it had lots of space to spread out and grow big and strong. There weren’t as many beets in numbers, but when they’re this big…
Kohlrabi- Either a purple or white kohlrabi. Remember that the leaves of the kohlrabi are edible and can be used like kale or chard. All kohlrabi are peeled before eating and they’re all the same color, flavor and texture on the inside!
Parsnips- 1 pound of parsnips per member this week. I love the smell and look of freshly harvested parsnips. Parsnips will keep for months in a plastic bag in the fridge, but they sure are fun to eat when they’re fresh like this! Enjoy them in soups, gratins, fried or even sub them for carrots in carrot cake! Parsnips are in the same family of carrots, not not as commonly eaten raw.
Spinach- .52 lbs per member. The leaves of this harvest were quite large, but really very tender. Enjoy spinach in your salads, with eggs or even in your pasta dishes. We know you won’t have trouble eating up fresh spinach!
Fennel- Some of the fennels were humongous! These were some of the largest fennels we have ever grown! Some members recieved two of the smaller ones at the end of packing.
Collards- One bunch of collard greens to keep you stocked rich in greens. Collards are lovely when boiled in broth to make them very tender. We like them with bacon, but you can also use them as a veggie wrap once steamed or whatever you fancy!
Celeriac Root- These are the gnarly looking roots in your box. Celeriac root is specailly cultivated so that the root of the celery plant grows large rather than the stalks. These were one of the first plants we seeded in the greenhouse in the spring and one of the last to harvest in the Fall. They are white and dense on the inside like a potato without all of the starch and carbs. They are fantastic keepers and will keep for months in the fridge. Peel them with a pearing knife, cube them up small and add them to any soup. They can also be shredded into slaws, boiled and mashed with potatoes, or even make a celeirac potato hash browns! Enjoy this very unique and old-time vegetable.
Sweet Potatoes- This was not our best sweet potato year. We got our ‘seed’ or sweet potato slips very late this year from our supplier due to weather in the south and COVID, so they were planted later this year than the should have been. The harvest was very modest and many of the roots were on the smaller side. We tried to give everyone some of the bigger potatoes this week. We do not wash them to avoid scuffing them up during washing. Endless delicious sweet potato recipes.
Leek– These are the longer green-onion looking plant in the box. Leeks are in the onion family but are commonly found in the Fall. You can eat every part of this plant, so have fun exploring how you like to eat it. They’re also lovely just cooked in coconut oil and fried and then sprinkled on top of soups. Potato leek soup?!
Next Week’s Best Guess- sweet potaotes, brussels sprouts, celeriac root, broccoli/cauliflower, leek, parsnips, radishes, cabbage, spinach
Mashed Potatoes with Celeriac Root
Hottie Black Eyed Peas with Kale, Ginger, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Apples
