CSA Newsletter for Week 16

Farm Update

This is one of the nice pictures
Savannah took of us while she was
following us around for her
photojournalism project.  Timmy's
little face cracks me up every time!

Hi everyone!  It's been another full week at the farm!  The last two weeks, we had Savannah, a CMU student, following us around and documenting our lives for a photojournalism project she's working on.  We had a great time getting to know her as she followed us around at the farm, at some of the drop-offs, at home to see how we live when we're not working, and even for Sunday dinner at Fred's folks house!  The pictures she took were so great, and they totally captured what this stage in the life of our family looks like.  What a totally fun experience!

And things keep moving along at the farm in their seasonal rhythm.  It's been pretty wet lately, but we were able to turn under a lot of field plantings that have run their course.  Some of the beds are still full of vegetables we've recently planted, and the carrots and lettuce are looking especially good.  Now we're primarily planting in the hoophouses; we planted one of the coldframes with lettuce this week, and we're in the process of planting a few more.

We also decided that we need to start looking at a possible land expansion.  We've got fantastic soil at the farm, but pretty much none of it is sandy, and there are several crops that would do better in sandy soil.  After this wet spring, we realized that having some sandier ground would benefit us, so we're on the lookout for 2-10 acres near the farm.  We'll see what turns up!

And here we go into week 16!  See you at the drop-off!

What to Expect in This Week's Share

If you are picking up at one of our traditional style drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and 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!

• Butternut squash
• Snap beans
• Carrots or sweet potatoes
• Potatoes or beets
• Tomatoes or spring mix
• Kale, cabbage, or 2 sweet peppers
• Onion, shallot, or microgreens

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, B, or C, and if you have a full share, you can choose two of them.  So just email me by lunchtime the day before your drop-off to let me know which share you want for this week!  If I don't hear from you, I'll just choose for you. :-)

Share A:  Snap beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, spring mix, 2 peppers, onion.

Share B:  Snap beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, tomatoes, kale, onion.

Share C:  Snap beans, butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, 2 peppers, microgreens.

             

Recipes

We always like talking to people at the drop-offs about what they like to do with different veggies, because we often get a lot of good ideas we've never tried.  And butternut squash are one of those veggies that you can prepare so many different ways!  I've heard several different go-to squash preparations that CSA members have, many of which are represented among these 23 Butternut Squash Recipes to Try this Fall.  You'll find everything from Roasted Butternut Squash to Butternut Squash Soup to noodles made from squash!  Check it out for some delicious fall squash recipes!

CSA Newsletter for Week 15

Farm Update

Look at all these pretty beets!  These beets were all
bunched up and ready for their bath in preparation
for last Tuesday's drop-off! :-)

Hi everyone!  I can't believe we're already in week 15 of the CSA!  It's definitely fall out there these days, even though today was like another day of summer for us to enjoy.  We're getting to the point in the season where the weeds will be less on an issue; we're going to have one last hurrah with the weeding this week, and after that we'll likely have to pay a lot less attention to it.  Once the weather shifts into fall, keeping any plants thriving takes more work, and that applies to the weeds too.  Our fall plantings are starting to take center stage.  The carrots we planted several weeks ago will be ready to start harvesting this week, but they won't be in full force until next week.  The kale is also coming back to life, and it's the robust, hearty kale of fall instead of the lighter kale of summer.  We harvested the last of the onions last week, and they are currently drying in one of the coldframes.  This curing process will help the onions last much longer once they get to your kitchen, as opposed to freshly-harvested onions, which you have to use sooner.  We've started harvesting the sweet potatoes, and we'll have them in the shares this week!  This wasn't actually a great year for sweet potatoes, since they generally require a longer hot period than we had this year, so they might be a little smaller than we're used to.  But I do know they'll taste great!  We're also seeing increased deer pressure, which commonly happens this time of year.  Over the next several weeks, we'll start to see more deer making stupid decisions regarding fences, food sources, and crossing the road as the rut (the main mating season) begins.  
     
Another thing we wanted to let you know about is the Butternut squash this week!  We pride ourselves on providing only things we grow on our farm in the CSA shares, but this week we're making a very rare exception.  We wanted to make sure you guys got lots of yummy squash this year, and we're coming down to the end of our Butternuts, so we're going to be including some in the share this week that were grown by a friend of ours.  His name is John Miller, and he's a local Amish farmer near us, and he's also certified organic.  So you can be sure that you're getting the same high quality organic goodness from him that you get from us!  But we just wanted to let you know about it, because we want you to know exactly where your food comes from.  If you have any questions about that, just let us know!

Also, this week is the week where folks can set up tables to sell their products!  So if you're interested in setting up a table, just let me know by the day before your drop-off.  Also, bring your cash just in case you want to buy something from any of our lovely CSA members who have products to showcase.  See you all this week at the drop-offs! :-)

What to Expect in This Week's Share

If you are picking up at one of our traditional style drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and 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!

• Kale or green peppers
• Potatoes or cabbage
• carrots or cherry tomatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Butternut squash or beets
• Tomatoes or a bag of small onions
• Onions, microgreens, or basil

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, B, or C, and if you have a full share, you can choose two of them.  So just email me by lunchtime the day before your drop-off to let me know which share you want for this week!  If I don't hear from you, I'll just choose for you. :-)

Share A:  Kale, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes and basil.

Share B:  2 green peppers, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, bag of small onions, and microgreens.

Share C:  2 green peppers, cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes, and on onion.


             

Recipes

It's sweet potato season!  If you've never tried roasted sweet potatoes, this is the recipe for you!  They come out so delicious, you'll never go back to the mashed and marshmallowed variety you grew up eating at Thanksgiving!  (Or was that just me?  Either way, I'm so glad I've seen the light!) :-)

CSA Newsletter for Week 14

Farm Update

These tiny lettuces that are just
popping up in the coldframes will be
in your shares during the final week
of the CSA!

Hi everyone!  It was a really rainy week at the farm!  The plants are looking vibrant and green now (except the spinach, which sustained some damage during the deluge), and our driveway is a muddy mess, which is a sure sign that a pretty strong storm went through!  Looking around the farm, the fields are starting to get a little more empty as we harvest many of the plantings from earlier in the year.  We're still seeding spinach in the field, but we're done planting most other crops for the year.  Now as each vegetable bed empties out, we'll plant a cover crop on it to help build the organic matter in the soil throughout the off season.  Our fall carrots are growing fast, and we'll likely have them back in the shares in the next week or two.  The tomatoes are starting to be on the downswing; we'll still have a bunch this week, but they'll start to dwindle each week after that until it becomes impractical to harvest them.  But even as the field starts its slow descent into winter rest, some other crops are still going strong, particularly in the coldframes.  We'll continue to seed lettuce, spinach, kale, mache, and maybe even some radishes in the coldframes throughout the fall.  Some of them will be for the final weeks of the CSA, some of them will be to supply our restaurants and stores throughout November, and some of them will be for overwintering so we can get a jump on the first greens of the spring.  The animal life around the farm is getting more active right now too.  There have been just a TON of grasshoppers lately, and just like every fall, they're getting a little slower and more lethargic.  So they're easy prey for Molly and her kittens, who have been venturing out of the barn more and learning to hunt.  Molly is still a little hesitant to let the kittens too far away from the barn because, unlike her offspring, she knows that they are not the most dangerous predators at the farm.  But they're going to need to know how to catch their own food before winter, and they're beginning that process with the grasshoppers.

In other news, in case you missed the announcement last week, we're going to be having a special event at the drop-offs next week!  At the Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and Midland drop-offs, anyone who has a product to sell (such as homemade bread, jams, art, jewelry, etc.) can set up a table at the drop-off to sell their items.  I just need to know about it beforehand, so make sure you let me know if you're interested in setting up a table!  See you at the drop-off!

What to Expect in This Week's Share

If you are picking up at one of our traditional style drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and 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!

• Green beans
• Cherry tomatoes or Butternut squash
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes or a bag of small onions
• Lettuce or beets
• Kale, microgreens, leeks
• Onion, garlic, or shallot

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, B, or C, and if you have a full share, you can choose two of them.  So just email me by lunchtime the day before your drop-off to let me know which share you want for this week!  If I don't hear from you, I'll just choose for you. :-)

Share A:  Green beans, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, leeks, and onion.

Share B:  Green beans, butternut squash, potatoes, tomatoes, beets, kale, and onion.

Share C:  Green beans, butternut squash, potatoes, bag of small onions, lettuce, microgreens, and garlic.

             

Recipes

If you're looking for something totally delicious to do with your green beans this week (and who isn't?) check out these Garlic Lemon Green Beans!  This can be either a side dish or just a snack for when it's not quite mealtime, but you're still kind of hungry, because these yummy beans are quick and easy.  Enjoy! :-)

CSA Newsletter for Week 13

Farm Update

Hi everyone!  I hope you've all been having a great week!  Last week was slightly less crazy than most for us at the farm, which was a really welcome break!  We were able to get plenty of the late fall plantings in, and we got a nice rain just when we needed it too!  It's definitely feeling like fall out there lately, with the cold, damp mornings and (mostly) sunny afternoons.  And just in case you weren't sure if it's really fall yet, we have the first of the winter squash in the shares this week, which pretty much verifies the change in seasons, even if the calendar doesn't yet.

Also, check out this video of how our old-school onion cleaner gets all of your onions pretty and clean!  This is the first time I've tried to put a video in the newsletter, so we'll see how it goes...

In other news, we wanted to let you know that we're planning on having a special event at the drop-offs on the week of September 23-26!  I've had a few people who have products to sell ask if they could set up a table at the drop-off sometime, so we decided to make a whole event of it!  So if you have a product to sell, whether it's homemade bread, jam, jewelry, etc, and you'd like to set up a table at the Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-offs during that week, let me know!  We do need to know about it in advance if you're planning on setting up a table, so make sure you check in with me at least a few days before the drop-off, but we would love to see what you've got!  Just let me know if you have any questions!  :-)

What to Expect in This Week's Share

If you are picking up at one of our traditional style drop-offs (Alma, Mt. Pleasant, and 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!

• Tomatoes
• Potatoes or basil
• Lettuce
• Cherry tomatoes or carrots
• Delicata squash or 2 green peppers
• Leeks, kale, cabbage, or microgreens
• Onion, shallot, or garlic

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, B, or C, and if you have a full share, you can choose two of them.  So just email me by lunchtime the day before your drop-off to let me know which share you want for this week!  If I don't hear from you, I'll just choose for you. :-)

Share A: Slicing tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, delicata squash, leeks, garlic

Share B:  Slicing tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, delicata squash, kale, onion

Share C:  Slicing tomatoes, basil, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, 2 green peppers, cabbage, shallot

             

Recipes

Tomatoes and winter squash?
Absolutely!  This Delicata Squash
Tomato Gratin calls for two of the
major items in the shares this week!

If you're new to the CSA this year, you may never have tried delicata squash before, and you have been missing out!  This is one of the sweetest, yummiest winter squashes there is, and here are 24 Best Delicata Squash Recipes from Country Living for you to check out!  Enjoy!