CSA Newsletter for September 10

Farm Update

Jewel shows off her solution for the nest of hornets that have
taken up residence in a section of metal piping in our packing
area, occasionally stinging people and generally making
themselves annoying.  She simply made a plug out of a
potato and put it in really fast before the hornets could get mad.
Because sometimes you just have to work with what
you have on hand. :-)

Hi everyone!  Well, it certainly got chilly pretty quickly! We had our first frost last weekend, which fortunately was a light, patchy frost that didn’t end up being too serious.  The frost last night seems to have been deeper, but we’ll be able to see more clearly later what effects it’s had at the farm.  We’ve also been irrigating a lot lately, which seems counterintuitive considering the cold moisture in the air lately.  But since all the rains we’ve gotten have been pretty light and pretty sporadic, the plants have needed some more consistent watering.  We’re putting in some of the last fall plantings for the year as well!  We recently planted spinach, cilantro, and the last field plantings of lettuce, so any subsequent lettuce plantings this year will be in the greenhouse.  We’ll also do a few more plantings of spinach this year, because it actually overwinters in the field under layers of insulating plastic, and then it gets growing again early in the spring.  We’ve also started planting in the greenhouses again; we just planted some bok choy in the heated greenhouse, and we’ll be putting spinach and lettuce in the coldframes pretty shortly.  Over the next week and a half, we’ll have our last major round of hand weeding!  Around this time of year, the weeds really slow down and they become a lot easier to manage, and we definitely look forward to getting past the heavy weeding time of year.  Although it still seems too early, it’s beginning to look like fall, and I’m starting to be drawn to root vegetables and sweaters.  But even though it feels like the end of summer, we still have plenty of weeks of veggies left!  Just in case you’re wondering, our final CSA dates are October 30^th-November 2^nd.  Also, thanks so much to everyone who filled out Carson’s research survey!  He is still needs several more people to fill it out in order for him to achieve his desired number of participants, so if you haven’t filled it out, we’d really appreciate it if you would!  You can find the survey link below.  Thanks so much, and we’ll see you this week! Carson's Survey:  Hunting, Fishing, and Food Values Study

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.

Carrots

Potatoes

Lettuce or beets

Kale, chard, fennel, or basil

Onion or kohlrabi

Tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

Cucumber, parsley, or heirloom tomato

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:

Carrots                                  Carrots
Potatoes                                Potatoes
Lettuce                                  Beets
Kale                                      Swiss Chard
Onion                                    Kohlrabi
Tomatoes                              Cherry tomatoes
Cucumber                             Heirloom tomato

Recipes

When the weather gets colder, my thoughts turn to beets.  Although available throughout the season, for me beets are the quintessential fall food.  Probably because long after the tomatoes, cucumbers, and blueberries are but a memory of a warmer time, beets remain.  As a kid, the only beets I ever had were the sad canned ones from the store on Thanksgiving, so I had no idea what I was missing!  Now, a saute of root vegetables including potatoes, carrots, beets is one of the most common dishes on our table throughout the fall.  Another very popular (and delicious) way to prepare beets is to roast them.  Or, you can check out these 45 Beet Recipes for Roasting, Frying, and More from Bon Appetit!