Notes from Your Farm

Hello from the farm, 

 

 

Fall crops are coming in hot!!!  Our fall crop field is exploding with delicious vegetables that are filling the shelves.  This field is covered in many colors of purple and greens, with different textures that are even pleasing to the eye.  It is only a short walk from the pick up area where you can see the fall field. 

 

 

This is our C2 field where majority of the fall vegetables are grown and where you can see their beauty!

 

 

 

What's happening on the farm this week?

 

From celebrating birthdays to applying minerals to the vegetables it has been an eventful week here on the farm.  This Friday is Cameron's birthday, who is one of the trainees on the farm.  We all celebrated his birthday on Tuesday by singing happy birthday and putting candles on the whoopie pies he brought in to share.  

 

Other than eating whoopie pies we were all hard at work in the fields this week. There is more plastic that is being removed from the fields, sweet potatoes are still being harvested, and now we are harvesting vegetables for you!  Pumpkins, pawpaws, Asian pears, Asian greens, kale, arugula, Swiss chard, radishes, and turnips will be on the shelves this week.  New greens are coming in slowly like collards, bok choy, and senposai.         

 

 

We quickly harvested these pumpkins on Monday because of the huge amount of rain we received during the weekend.  Ripe pumpkins can rot quickly when there is an abundance of rain. Vines begin to rot and transfer it to the pumpkins or bacteria and mud that is sprayed on to the pumpkin by the rain can begin the rotting process.  No worries though because these pumpkins were saved by your farmers! 

 

 

Corn Grinders are back!  They are attached to the the long wooden table next to the sinks.  If you are not familiar with corn grinders they are used to grind down the Indian corn kernels.  Once its grinded to a powder form it is called cornmeal. Cornmeal can be used to make corn bread, biscuits, pie crusts, and much more! We recommend that you remove the kernels from the cob before coming to the farm.  Also, the silver corn grinder produces a courser cornmeal, while the red one makes the cornmeal finer.  The corn grinders will be left on the table until the end of the season, so you can keep your Indian corn as decoration a little longer!            

 

 

Reminder

 

Pick up hours at the farm:

Thursday: 3pm - 7pm

Friday: 11am - 7pm

Saturday: 9am - 1pm

 

 

Abendessen Fresh Bread:

Seven Grain Bread for $5 a loaf is what Stephanie is making this week!

 

 

Farewell Weekend - October 31 - 10:00am 

This is a time to say farewell to Scott who has been a fabulous farm manager to our farm for 10 years and a goodbye to the 2015 season. There will be coffee, cider, seasonal snacks, art fun for kids, and farm photo booths! This is a great way to see everyone and the farm before it gets too cold!

 

 

Suggestions for the Harvest: 

 

Bok Choy: this Asian green can be sauteed by adding ginger, red pepper, and garlic.  A healthy side dish! 

 

Kale: Kale chips are delicious and easily done.  Just put some olive oil and salt on the raw kale.  Next they will stay in the oven on a cookie sheet until the edges are brown.

 

Arugula: It is sometimes called "Salad Rocket".  Arugula adds a kick to your salad with its strong flavor.

 

Asian Greens: Can be used in a stir fry by adding chiles, garlic, peanut oil, and possibly adding some salt. Also, the greens could simply make a yummy salad.

 

Chard: this cousin to the beet is appreciated for its leaves instead of its roots. Use for salads, or as a spinach or kale substitute in cooking. 

 

Easter Egg Radishes: This would be a perfect additive to your Asian green stir fry!  Radishes could be added to a sandwich for more flavor or eat it without anything.      

 

Carrots: these carrots are better than candy--simply refrigerate and then eat washed and unpeeled for a snack.  

 

Butternut Squash: butternuts have great flavor and can be used for making pumpkin pie. 

 

Pawpaws: best to keep them in the fridge until they are soft so the fruit flies don't find them. Cut in half the short way and spoon out like eating a kiwi fruit. Don't eat the seeds or skin. The pulp is good fresh or added to a smoothie. Pawpaws can also be made into ice cream!

 

Sweet Peppers: wow, it's been a great season for these lovely peppers. They are slowing down now with the shorter days. Sweet peppers come in all shapes, colors and sizes.  Carmen, a long horn-shaped pepper is a perpetual favorite among your farmers. We like to snack on them as if they were candy. 

Beets: We grow red, orange and striped beets, beautiful.  mmm, I used to love to eat these after my mother had blanched them and slipped the skins off and they were cooling on the counter.  Super nutritious, they can be roasted, grated for salad, boiled or steamed, then eaten hot or cold, and of course, made into pickled beets or used for pickled beet eggs. Makes me hungry writing about them.

 

 

Goodbyes:

 

Tomatoes: these have also peaked and are descending:  tomatoes seem to stand for themselves without words of introduction, but here are some words anyway: delicious, great in sandwiches, BLTs, tomato & cucumber salad, cooked down for sauce, chopped in salad, fresh or canned salsa and more.  

 

Eggplant: The Italian and Asian types differ only in shape and color, they are used in the same manner.  I like them sliced and grilled or pan fried with soy sauce, oil, miso etc until browned and crispy. 

 

Storage Onions:  the red and white storage onions should keep for a month or two in cool dark storage.  

 

Potatoes: well, that's the hardest we ever worked for potatoes and for not a lot of them unfortunately. We did get some, and for that we are glad. 

 

Green/Purple/Yellow Beans: Older beans can be saved for vegetable soup, which is what we did growing with vegetables that were a little on the mature side. These beans are so amazingly good it almost puts frozen beans to shame. The purple variety is beautiful--if heated they turn green, if used in salad their purple looks great.  To cook, bring to a boil in an inch of water or so, then turn down to three lines or so until tender. Yum yum!

Cabbage: great for a cabbage and chopped peanut with vinegar salad. Simple and surprisingly good in spite of its simplicity. 

 

 

Hoping the fall crops are making your taste buds smile, 

 

Your farmers