October 14th, 2026
To say that we are thankful for you feels inadequate. It feels like an understatement. But words and vegetables are all I have to convey and portray my appreciation to you. You make it so we get to do the work we love. You inspire hope in my heart for a healthier world. You demonstrate with your money and your actions that buying local, buying fresh, and buying organic has value to you. You are saying that not all vegetables are created equal and there is a better choice to make.
Adam and I have been growing vegetables for 21 years together now. Every year is stressful, overwhelming, unpredictable and a little chaotic. With machine breakdowns, seasonal employee turnover, the physical demands and the greatest variable of all-the weather, farming is a challenging profession. There are reasons that still mystify me why we continue to choose this livelihood year after year. It’s certainly not the ‘easy’ choice. But love makes you do crazy things sometimes. And in a world where change is happening at an exponential rate, it’s comforting to know that some things are constant. Some people are making committments and keeping them. Integrity and virtues are demonstrated here and that is encouraging.
We do love farming. It also provides us with a wholesome place to raise a family. Work from home. The advantage of unlimited access to the healthiest and freshest vegetables in Vernon County. We get wide open spaces, sunrises and temperature fluctuations. But it also provides us with a community of people we can grow and share with. As a whole we are working towards something much bigger and greater than ourselves which feeds not only our physical bodies, but our spiritual selves too. Because in life we should pursue what is meaningful and not what is expedient. We make sacrifices; as workers, as parents, as contributing community members and it feels good and right to us.
So I know why we do this…for the most part. And I can only assume why you support us. The food is good and fresh and local and organic. The newsletters help you stay connected to a farm and transparency and trust matter to you. Organic food matters to you. Food diversity matters. The faces behind the food matter to you. Maybe you need the encouragement to eat more vegetables and the weekly or bi-weekly box with its accompanying recipes to hold you to that promise to yourself.
No matter the reason, Adam and I are thankful for you beyond words. It is an honor and a privilege to get to do this work. To pursue a profession on a masterful level (although I doubt mastery can ever be achieved in farming). We love the opportunity to remain committed to our work and know farming more deeply. We love that we have ‘weathered some storms’ and we have made it through 21 growing seasons. We love knowing that there is a beautiful connection between us and you and something bigger still – weaving us all together.
What’s in the Box?
Bell Peppers- 3-4 Peppers per box. We picked any all peppers left on the plants this week. They varied in size quite a bit from Small to Large. They also varied in color from green to red, yellow and orange. Everyone received 4 peppers per box.
Brussels Sprouts- That right folks, we lop the entire stalk off for you and give it to you just like that. We left the work of snapping the brussels off the stalk to you. Each sprout could be cleaned up a little extra as well. We did the best we could with the time we had this week. Brussles are a very fun fall treat! How do you like yours? Roasted? Steamed? Made into a hash?
Sweet Potatoes- 2.5lbs per member. These guys were dug a couple weeks ago and then put into a room that is at 80 degrees and as close to 100% humidity as we can get it to cure. They are allowed to cure for a minimum of two weeks which helps their starches turn to sugars and tuffens up their skins a little. Many of the sweet potatoes were dug when we were having all of that rain so many of them were muddier than we like them to be. We didn’t wash them, but we brushed them clean a little as best we could for you.
Rutabaga- Rutabaga and Fall Turnips look very similar, but these are indeed Rutabagas. I love them boiled and mashed with butter or boiled and mashed with potatoes and butter. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge if you don’t think you’ll get to eating it right away.
Spinach- .4lbs We are thrilled to get to share spinach with you this week.
Parsnips- 1lb per member! Stores best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Flat Leaf Parsley- One Bunch fresh flat leaf italian parsley this week for you. Parsley is lovely tossed with salad greens, as a garnish over soups, added to egg salad or pasta salad or potato salad. Enjoy this fresh, nourishing green while we still have it!
Cauliflower and Broccoli- 1 Cauliflower and 2 Broccoli per member. We love sharing broccoli with you because we know you love it too! These later successions of broccoli did very well. Broccoli prefers to be iced for storage longer than a few days.
Leek- One large leek per member. These can be eaten all the way up the stalk. Leeks are a wonderful addition to your fall soups!
Beauty Heart Radishes- About three large beauty heart radishes per box this week bunched with their greens on. Radish greens are edible for the resourceful, hard-core greens-eaters out there! The roots will store for months in a plastic bag in the fridge. Beauty heart radishes add a pop of magenta color to fall salads. Or cut them into coins and eat them with hummus instead of using crackers.
Pie Pumpkin- Cinnamon Girl Pie Pumpkins should be stored at temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees. Your countertop is usually a great place to store it until you have a chance to cook it. You can make pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars or whatever fun pumpkin recipes you can dream up!
Next Week there is no delivery. But there will be our first Fall Share Delivery in Two Weeks on October 28th. We do still have a handful of Fall Shares left we could sell!
Recipes
Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Green Olives
