CSA Newsletter for August 27

Farm Update

A whole bunch of onions after the big harvest this week!

Hi everyone!  It's beginning to feel a little bit like fall out there!  We brought in a big onion harvest this week of about 3,000-4,000 pounds of onions.  Right now they're all spread out to dry in an empty coldframe.  We got an old root vegetable washer working that we found in an old outbuilding, so that should make washing all those onions a lot faster.  The insect pressure at the farm is still pretty mild, although we are starting to see some white aphids on the Brussels sprouts, which is pretty normal for this time of year.  The tomatoes really came on all of a sudden, so there will be lots of them in the shares this week!  We have tons of cherry tomatoes and also a lot of slicers, and our heirloom varieties are also starting to show some color.  They generally ripen later anyway, and it's been even more so this year because we planted them later.  This is also the time of year when the fields start to get a little emptier, because many of our spring plantings have been harvested and spent.  When this happens, we turn the leftover plant remains under into the soil to increase the organic matter, and then we plant some of them with cover crops, which serve the same purpose.

Several people have asked me about canning tomatoes, and we will have some available this week!  They'll be available by the half bushel, and the cost will be $12 per half bushel.  These will be regular slicing tomatoes, as our Romas are likely to be pretty late this year because of the cooler summer.  So if you're wanting Romas specifically, you'll be better off waiting another month or so, but if slicers work for you, we've got them now!  Also, next Monday, September 4th is labor day.  Our Alma drop-off is still occurring as usual, but if you won't be able to make it to the drop-off, just let me know!  You can either postpone your share that week and double up the following week, or you can arrange to pick up your share at one of our other drop-offs that week if you're unable to make it on Monday.  If you want to make arrangements for your share, I'll just need to know by Sunday the 3rd.  Thanks so much!  See you all this week!

What to Expect in your Share this Week

If you are picking up at one of our regular drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and Midland) this week, here are the options you’ll find at each station!  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item at each station, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.

Cherry tomatoes
4 Tomatoes
Potatoes or carrots
Green beans, beets, or lettuce
Basil, leeks, kale, or cabbage
Zucchini or green pepper
Onion or kohlrabi

And if you’re having your share delivered or picking up in Lansing, Okemos, or the Midand hospital, here are your options.  If you have a half share, choose either share A or share B, and if you have a full share, you get to choose two.

Share A:                               Share B:

Cherry tomatoes                   Cherry tomatoes
4 slicing tomatoes                 4 slicing tomatoes
Potatoes                                Carrots
Green beans                          Beets
Kale                                      Cabbage
Zucchini                               Green pepper
Kohlrabi                               Onion

Recipes

For most of his life, my dad has been absolutely certain that he hated cabbage.  Then a few years ago my folks started getting a CSA share.  Whenever my mom would make cabbage, he would always say, "Wow, what is this?  This is great!"  "It's cabbage," she'd respond.  So my dad has finally come to realize that he actually loves cabbage, and that there are plenty of really great ways to prepare it!  So in case you're like my dad and you're not quite sure what do to with this extremely versatile veggie, here are 29 Recipes to Make Anyone Love Cabbage from Bon Appétit!