CSA Newsletter for October 14

Farm Update

The bright, colorful stalks of our rainbow chard reach toward
the sky in the coldframe.

Hi everyone!  It's been a really nice October so far!  We've definitely enjoyed working outside in this weather, and the plants seem to be enjoying the nice weather too.  Wednesday and Thursday were a little nasty, and they were a reminder of what is likely to be headed our way.  Because the second half of October is usually marked by cold rains and dreariness.  We've been seeding a lot lately, both in the field and the coldframes.  We recently seeded two of our coldframes with spinach after taking out the old, worn out tomato plantings that used to occupy that space, and we also planted some spinach in the field, which we'll soon cover with plastic to overwinter.  You may remember from last week's newsletter that we had our food safety inspection on Monday, and I'm pleased to say that went really well!  And now that that's done, we can take a break from rounding up all the records and paperwork that we hold on to for that, and get back to our regular everyday farm routine.  In other news, we are going to have some acorn squash in the shares this week that we wanted to let you know about.  Since we didn't end up with a lot of winter squash this year and we've pretty much already gone through most of ours, we decided to include some in the shares that was not actually grown by us.  It was grown by our friend Reuben Mast, who is a certified organic Amish grower.  Like many Amish growers, it is hard for him to market and transport his crops due to the lack of phones, computers, and cars, and he had a really good year on his organic squash and happens to have plenty.  We figured that folks in the CSA would definitely want to have more squash in the shares so we decided to include some of Reuben's, but we wanted to let you all know about it.  On the very rare occasion that we include someone else's crops (this is the second time in our seven-year history), we want to make sure everyone knows about it, because we never want to mislead anyone.  So we hope you enjoy the delicious squash, as well as everything else in the upcoming shares this week!

What to Expect in your Share this Week

Kale leaves are continually harvested from the bottom of the
plant, so as the season goes on, the plant gets taller and taller,
and begins to resemble miniature palm trees.

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.

Acorn squash
Carrots or beets
Potatoes or Brussels sprouts
Lettuce or tomatoes
Bok Choy, radishes, or collards
Kale or cabbage
2 Onions or 2 shallots

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:

Acorn squash                       Acorn squash
Carrots                                 Beets
Potatoes                                Brussels sprouts
Tomatoes                              Lettuce
Radishes                               Radishes
Kale                                      Cabbage
2 Onions                               2 Shallots

Recipes

I never grew up eating squash except on Thanksgiving, and I remember distinctly thinking that it might very well be the grossest food ever.  How wrong I was!  It turns out that like most things, it's all in the preparation, and it was simply that my very wonderful and beloved aunt who brought it to the Thanksgiving feast every year just wasn't very good at making squash.  It has since become one of my favorite foods though, and this is pretty much our go-to preparation for this delicious, fantastically comforting fall food.  Check out this classic recipe for acorn squash right here!