CSA Newsletter for Week 17

Farm Update

Danny and Carson get ready to transplant lettuce in one of
the coldframes.

Hi everyone!  This week was definitely a transitional week for us at the farm.  We cleaned many of the summer veggies that are done for the year (such as zucchini) out of the coldframes to make room for some more cold-hardy crops like lettuce and spinach, which will last well into the fall.  We were glad to have missed the frost that seemed imminent on Thursday night/ Friday morning, which means that more of our veggies will be in better shape for longer.  Fred has made the executive decision that tomatoes are pretty much done for the year; for a while now, it has been pretty hard to come up with enough nice ones for the shares, and they're only getting fewer and farther between as the year wears on.  So with the exception of a few tomatoes that might make their way onto the trading table, we probably won't have any more in the shares for this year.  But as the tomatoes move out of the shares, we have more apples moving in!  The apples in the share this week will be Ida Reds, which are great for fresh eating and also for baking.  If you happen to be looking for a really phenomenal apple pie recipe, I made this one a few weeks ago, and it was amazing!  In other farm news, our very own Carson defended his doctoral dissertation on Lake Michigan Steelhead management this morning, so (after his official graduation in December) he is now our very own Dr. Carson!  A huge congratulations to him!

What to Expect in This Week's Share

If you are picking up at one of our traditional style drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland), here’s what the options will be at the different stations.  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item at each station, and if you have a full share, you choose two items at each station.

This tray of lettuce transplants waits to be
planted in the coldframe.

• Sweet potatoes
• Winter squash or potatoes
• Lettuce, arugula, or Brussels sprouts
• Apples
• Radishes, microgreens, or leeks
• Cippolini onions or kale
• Bell pepper or onion

If you have a prepacked share (Midland hospital, St. Johns, Lansing, Okemos, or home delivery), here are your options.  If you have a half share, you’ll choose either share A or share B, and if you have a full share, you can choose two of them.

Share A:                               Share B:

Sweet potatoes                     Sweet potatoes
Apples                                  Apples
Winter squash                       Potatoes
Lettuce                                  Brussels sprouts
Radishes                               Radishes
Cippolini onions                   Kale
Bell pepper                           Onion

Recipes

It's Brussels sprouts season!  I always forget every year how good these wonderful little gems are, and then I'm reminded every fall when they come back around.  If you happen to be one of the haters of this delicious but oft-maligned veggie, let this be the year you give them another try!  The key is simple:  Do. Not. Boil. Them.  I'm convinced that's why such a large number people hate them, because so many well-meaning mothers and grandmothers completely ruined them in a pot of boiling water.  So now that we have the most basic rule down, you may be wondering what would be a better way to prepare them.  Never fear!  Here is a fantastic (and fantastically simple!) recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts to get you started.  Another favorite in our house is to simply pan-fry them in olive oil and toss them in an apple cider reduction with a pinch of brown sugar, but there are a thousand really awesome ways to make Brussels sprouts.  Enjoy!