The final Summer Share delivery is bittersweet. We are secretly very excited about our winter’s rest that lay within a foreseeable future, but also realize that we’re a bit like a fish out of water in the winter monthes. We have been working so hard this summer and have watched our hard work pay off. I imagine it is something like sending a child off to college. It was so long and hard raising the children, that when they’re finally gone, emotions of excitement and sorrow mix to form a parent that isn’t quite sure what do with themselves. Brussels Sprouts Growing on their Stalk
I think I know what I’m going to do with myself this winter. While I wish I could behave more like a bear and tank up on squash and potatoes and roots, and just sleep the winter away, the To-Do list is much longer than that. Our 2-year usually won’t let me sleep much longer than 10 hours at a time anyways on our best night. The winter is for recovery, recuperation and restructuring. We will examine our machinery, our infrastructure, and our systems and make improvements. I’m really hoping that there will be some time in there to do more yoga as well. I think there might be a few parts that need to get put back in place.
On this final week of deliveries, I feel thankful for our little farm. I am thankful for the people who have chosen to invest in it with their good voices, their checkbooks, their labor hours, and their hearts. We’ve become an extremely transparent farm with carloads of people who come through here on a weekly basis to bring their children, their parent and their spouses. And these are just the local families. I feel so lucky to be part of this farm that brings all of these loving people together.
I believe that a farm is supposed to be more than a place where our food comes from. It is supposed to be a place to go, or maybe just a place to come to. Farms send food to peoples houses, but they should also give the people a sense of spiritual nourishment. When you know that the people who handle your food handle it with love and speak words of kindness while they do it, something feels very wholesome about that food beyond just the physical mass of it. We want to know that it wasn’t sprayed with chemicals, but it feels even better to know that people who live and work on the farm are happy to be a part of it and want to come back to it.
As the farmer, I am equally as thankful for this farm as I am for you. I love working hard, and I am thankful that there are people out there like you who still believe in the Small Family Farm, that still prepare meals at home from scratch, and wish to preserve a sense of community around their food. It is entirely because of you and what you believe in that this farm exists. And year after year I am eternally grateful for your support! The youthful, spirited and wildly energized girl inside me is very excited for many more years to come. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Brussels Sprouts- We left all of the cleaning work up to you. We’ve been taking care of them since they were just wee little seedlings in April, now it’s your turn! Peel away any dark layers and cut an X into the bottom side so they cook evenly all the way through.
Savoy Cabbage- Savoy means crinkly, or wavy leaf. This cabbage is wonderfully tender and has a lot of texture and body. It is great for raw cabbage salads.
Pie Pumpkin– These pumpkins can be made into pumpkin pie. Bake them like you would any other squash. They will keep on your counter top for at least a couple months.
Sweet Potatoes- This is our first successful year growing sweet potatoes! This is the first time we have ever put them in a CSA box, we’re very excited about this! Immediately after sweet potatoes have been harvested they need to be cured in a warm, 80 degree environment for at least 3 days. We’ve been keeping our greenhouse fires stoked hot since last Friday afternoon, in hopes to have them for our final CSA box. Here is a nice 2.5 lbs per member. We baked a few up and found them to be quite sweet. Still a little room for improvement in future years of growing them.
Celeriac Root- Yes, another celeriac root. We agree that once you learn how to use celeriac root, you fall in love with it. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Peel these guys and dice them up and toss them in your soup or stew. They’re wonderful! They will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for monthes. Enjoy! 
Joe and Todd Harvesting Kale
Beets– A few more beets before they beat it for the year;)
Garlic– One more bulb of garlic to keep your immunity up.
Spinach- Another nice giving of spinach to finish out the year with some tender greens.
Cauliflower or Broccoli- We had some pretty giant heads of cauliflower this fall. We also had some very nice heads of broccoli. You may have received one or the other. Get these guys right into the fridge to keep them good for as long as possible.
Leeks- A leek or two (depending on their size), for your fall cooking. Leeks are such a nice flavor this time of year, and very unique to fall. We started the leeks from seed in February this year. It’s been a long haul for the modest leek.
Beauty Heart Radish- These are the pink-ish/green-ish root veggie in the box. Their greens are edible and a bit spicy like mustard. The beauty heart radish is also an amazing keeper and will keep for most of the winter with their tops removed.
Sweet Peppers- At least 5 more sweet peppers for everyone this week. We had these left over from last week. You may have received yellow, orange or red sweet peppers.
