Hello from the farm, 

The steady moisture and mild temperatures are making for a great harvest of fall crops. This week we are planting garlic for next year's harvest, and are pleased that the garlic did so well this year, that we have enough saved to plant our entire crop. The garlic bulb is broken apart into cloves, and each clove is planted basal side down in October or November before the ground freezes.  During the winter it puts down roots and exhibits a bit of top growth, and then takes off running in the spring in order to mature for a late June/early July harvest. 

Millersville Parade Detour:  The Millersville parade is this Saturday. Getting to the farm: you can use 999 to Blue Rock Rd to South Duke if coming from Lancaster, or go to New Danville and use Long Lane, then Stehman Rd to bypass Milllersville altogether, or, if coming from north or west, use Donnerville Rd to Letort Rd. 

Final Harvest Days for this Season: Nov 10, 11, 12

Farm Program Gift Boxes for Your Staff, Clients or Family:
As our growing season winds down, we will be making gift boxes again for Christmas time. Filled with local tasty treats like Wilbur Buds, College Coffee Roasters coffee, peanut butter pretzels, and apple butter from Kauffman's fruit farm, they are a great gift and a support to the farm program. 
The small box is 17.50 and the large, which has 1/2lb of coffee and also pear butter is  24.95. For more details see: http://www.yourgoodwill.org/farm/homefields_giftboxes.php  
To order, send an email to sbreneman@yourgoodwill.org or call 871-3110
Order Deadline Dec 9th
Gift Box Pickup at Barn Dec 14,15,16


Survey Says:  We appreciate your feedback on this growing season
Elizabeth set up a great and easy to use survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KHJM8HG   Please let us know how you experienced this season, your input will help shape next season's crops and amounts.
Thank you for helping us to improve each year. 

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

 Bok Choi: this is great in stir fries, goes well with rice, peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and other Asian seasonings. Napa Cabbage: this mild Asian cabbage is preferred by many to regular cabbage. It can be sauteed, used in salads, or made into kimchee or coleslaw. See recipe below. Salad turnips: if you turned up your nose at old Purpletop as a kid, try out the white salad turnips--they are best raw--sweet and mild. Thumbs up! The visually stunning Scarlet ones are great too, also milder than the traditional turnip. 
Asian greens: tatsoi, mizuna, senposai, they are all good in salad or stir fry.Arugula: this ist  great in salads with apples and pears, and nutsPopcorn: using peanut oil or other hi-temp veg. oil preheat oil on HIGH with 3 test kernels--when they pop, put in the rest of your corn, cover, shake the pan until popping slows considerably. 

Indian Corn: These are beauiful for decorating with and make an outstanding cornmeal, or put them out for the creatures to enjoy in your back yard. We have a grain grinder here if you want to shell your corn and bring it in for making excellent corn bread.
Sweet peppers: these are fading away, enjoy. so many shapes and colors when ripe. They are easy to freeze, halve, core and freeze on a baking tray, then put into freezer bags.
eggplant: almost finished. Italian or Asian type, they are the same in use and taste and come in stunning colors. great on the grill with soy sauce and oil brushed on.
Red storage onions: these store well, yummy--salads, burgers, cuke and tomato salad, carmelized.
garlic: great in everything--except cake and ice cream, and even then.... ;-) 
cilantro: excellent on a ham sandwich, salsa, salad, liverwurst sandwich and on and on. 

Enjoy the last few weeks of fall harvests.  Self-harvest will follow. 

Your farmers