This week marks the final week of our Summer Share CSA Deliveries. The Even week and Every Week members pick up their final summer share delivery today. It is with a bittersweet heart that the summer share season comes to a close. Adam and I are looking forward to more time with our kids and as a family. We look forward to a morning in late November when we wake up and don’t need to rush out the door to get the crew started for the day. Looking forward to activating our parasympathetic nervous system so we can rest and digest this 2024 season. We look forward to a season for restoration and rejuvenation and getting really good sleep.
Simultaneously, as winter will inevitably arrive, we will have less green food in our lives. We will see less sunlight, breathe less fresh air, and move our bodies less. Our friends will stop showing up for their shifts and our community involvement will wane. We will work a little less hard, but there will be trade-offs.
At the end of a long farming season I feel a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude to have made it through another year without any major weather catastrophes. Gratitude for my able body, my health, my beautiful and intelligent children and that my husband still loves me. Gratitude for the 750 families who trusted us to grow, pack and deliver their entire summer’s worth of vegetables. Gratitude that there are still people out there who believe that fresh, local and organic produce from small family farms trumps grocery store produce. Gratitude for a safe place to live, food in canning jars, and roots in the cellar.
I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to share the experience of a growing season with you. In CSA farming where transparency is part of the gift, I’m not sure I would be up for doing it without you! Knowing that you’re all out there, invested and interested in the wellbeing of the crops and the farm helps us get through. Knowing you’re reading your newsletters, committed to chopping up and eating your SFF produce and that you’re relying on us, believing in us and counting on us-it’s a special kind of motivation.
If there is any part of you that thinks you’re going to miss your weekly or bi-weekly boxes, know that it’s still not too late to sign up for a Fall Share or Thanksgiving Share. We had a fantastic year for sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, onions, potatoes, and more! We’re very excited to be able to pack those Fall Shares full of roots and fruits full of vitamin C and midwestern sunshine all encapsulated into a flavorful, colorful and beautiful vegetable. And if you just need a break, you could only sign up for a Thanksgiving Share that won’t be delivered until Tuesday, November 26th. You can use all of your veggies to eat local this Thanksgiving season and impress your guests…or your host!
No matter if you sign up for a Fall Share or Thanksgiving Share, know that we will miss you! We’ll be in touch again soon after the Holidays encouraging you all to be thinking about Signing Up for the 2025 growing season which will be our 20th year in farming! Happy Holidays to you all and thank you, from the deepest part of my heart, I am so thankful for your support and our shared values!
Brussels Sprouts- Did you know that Brussels sprout grew on a stalk like this? They’re pretty fun to see. We left the work of snapping them off the stalk to you. We recommend snapping them off the stalk and storing the sprouts in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days until you get the chance to eat them up.
Butternut Squash- The favorite of all fall squashes (other than kabochas). So many wonderful squash recipes out there this fall.
Sweet Potatoes– 2 lb bags of sweet potatoes per member this week. Do not put sweet potatoes in the refrigerator. They will keep best at room temp until eaten up.
Leeks– One leek per member. Leeks are a wonderful addition to any fall soup but can be used like an onion in just about any fall dish to give it fall flair.
Kohlrabi- One white or purple kohlrabi per member this week. Kohlrabi loves the cool fall weather. By now you should be a kohlrabi pro and know just how to cut them up! The greens can be used like kale if you want to maximize your kohlrabi usage.
Fennel– 1-2 bulbs per member. Fennel are a tricky crop to grow as the deer love them so much. We managed to pull off a strong harvest for you at the end of the season here. Remember that fennel caramelizes nicely very similarly to onions and looses much of it’s licorice flavor once cooked.
Parsnips- 1 pound bags of parsnips per member this week. Parsnips are commonly prepared in roasted root vegetable dishes. They’re a fun substitute for carrots in your fall dishes. They also puree nicely into soups, can be grated for parsnip cake recipes, and so much more!
Tomatoes- 4 pounds per member this week. Amazingly we were able to harvest tomatoes all the way to week 20 this year! Many of them are still a little under-ripe, but do not fret my friend, just allow them to sit on your counter until they are ripe. Don’t forget to pull them out of their plastic bag to ripen!
Peppers- 2-6 peppers per member depending on how much space there was in the box. We tried to give you more but the boxes were so full this week we couldn’t fit them in!
Rutabaga- One per member. Rutabaga are absolutely delicious when boiled, mashed and tossed with butter and salt just like a mashed potato. Try it, I know you will love it!
Cauliflower or Broccoli- One head per member this week. Cauliflower does not keep well, we recommend using it up as quickly as possible for maximum freshness!
Sage– One bunch per member this week. If you don’t think you can use all of this Sage up fresh, know that you can un-bunch your sage and lay it out in a dehydrator or on a try in a warm oven to dehydrate. Once dehydrated you can strip the leaves off of the stem and crumble them up. Stores best in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Eggplant– Either one standard eggplant or one Japanese eggplant per member this week.
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Senegalese Mafe (with Rutabaga, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Cabbage and more)
Butternut Squash Lasagne with Sage
Parmesan Crusted Brussels Sprouts
