Monroe Family Organics CSA Newsletter for Week 11

Farm Update

This is how we manage to clean and sort hundreds of pounds of potatoes each week for the CSA, as well as the stores, restaurants, and other programs we contribute to.  This is our very old but very useful potato washer, which washes and brushes the dirt off of the potatoes, and then sends them to the rotating table.  Then we sort the potatoes by size and take out any that aren't great quality, and put them in the black crates.  After that, we pack them into little plastic bags and bring them to you!

Hi everyone!  This part of the season always feels very transitional, and this year is no different.  Many of our schedules are transitioning as our kids go back to school, and all of the educators out there are starting classes again as well.  And out in the fields, we're seeing the shift from our summer veggies (like zucchini and cucumbers) to our fall veggies (like winter squash).  The weather is getting cooler, which means that the crops that struggle in the extreme heat (I'm looking at you, spring mix!) are going to be returning with more consistency soon, as are the rest of our leafy greens.  Last week we brought our signature cooking greens mix to the CSA for the first time this year, and it will be back again this week if you didn't get to try it!  It's a mix of several kinds of kale (including our green curly, red curly, and lacinato kales), Swiss chard, and Brussels sprout leaves.  It's really fantastic if you sauté it in olive oil or bacon as a side dish, or add it to a stir fry.  We also just started harvesting the first of our winter squashes over the last few days, and we are so excited to bring some to the CSA this week!  We've eaten the first delicata squash and the first acorn squash of the season, and they were both fantastic!  If you've never tried a delicata squash before, you're in for a treat.  Out of all of the squashes we grow, it's definitely my favorite, and its thin skin makes it easy to slice up and add to a bunch of different types of recipes without even having to take the skin off!  We're definitely into tomato season, and we've got plenty of really nice tomatoes coming out of our hoophouses (unheated greenhouses) right now!  The tomatoes we planted out in the area of the farm known as the new back field didn't do as well, however.  

The new back field got its name in the same way many places around farms do, haphazardly and without much thought.  But also in the grand tradition of farms, it would be nearly impossible to start calling it something else now.  It wasn't actually part of the original farm during the early years when we rented our land from some family friends, but when we bought the land in 2018, we added six more acres onto the original 14-acre parcel.  Before we added the new acreage, we had the front field (where we have all of our greenhouses, and which you've likely seen from the road if you've driven by the farm), and the back field (which is a little bit of a hike to get to, but is the most peaceful place I know). We had surrounded the farm with our 8-foot tall deer fence the year before we bought the land, but this new area is outside of the fenced in area, and we haven't gotten around to fencing it in yet.  (Mostly because the process of acquiring enough untreated lumber to enclose six acres, digging post holes, and putting up a really tall fence is a huge hassle, and by the time things slow down enough in the late fall to think about taking on such a project, the weather is such that we really can't.)  We started calling it "the new back field" because it's adjacent to the old back field, and the name stuck.  Normally we mostly plant onions out there because they are one of the few things the deer will leave alone, but we tried planting some field tomatoes out there this year too.  Well, between the deer bumping up against the tomatoes, the exposure to the damp weather, and some sort of disease that seems to have taken off as a result of said damp weather, those tomatoes didn't do too well.  So we just have the beautiful healthy ones that have been growing up in the hoophouses, and that should be enough to bring you all several weeks of delicious tomatoes.  It makes me grumble a little bit because if we could bring you all of the tomatoes we planted, there would be a lot more variety in the shares this week, and I always like to give you guys a whole bunch of choices.  But we really do have a lot of great stuff in the shares, so I shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and I should just make like Elsa and let it go. 

And in other news, next weekend is Labor Day weekend!  Our Monday drop-off in Alma on September 5th is still happening as normal, but if you have plans and can't make it, we completely understand!  Just let me know if you won't be able to make it, and you can either pick up a double share the following week, or you could pick up your share at one of our other drop-offs that week (like our Mt. Pleasant drop-off on Tuesday).  If you can't make it to the Alma drop-off on Monday, September 5th, just let me know by Sunday the 4th so I can adjust the harvest list and make plans to get you your share at a different time.  Thanks so much, and I'll see you at the drop-off!

What to Expect in the Shares this Week

 

If you pick up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-off, here are the options for your shares!  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item from each choice category, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.  And if there is something you don’t like or can’t eat, you can bring it to the trading station at the end and trade it for something you like better. 

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Kale, fennel, a bag of small onions, or cooking greens mix (mix of different types of kale, chard, and other greens great for sautéing)
• Basil, microgreens, parsley, or 2 garlic bulbs
• Tomatoes, beets, or winter squash
• Green pepper or onion

 

If you pick up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, Midland hospital, or Alma hospital drop-off, or if you have home or workplace delivery, here are your options!  We have three different prepacked shares, and you can let me know which one you want by filling out this quick form by lunchtime the day before your drop-off.  If you have a half share, you can choose one of these options, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.

Share A:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Yellow cherry tomatoes
• Kale
• Basil
• Beets
• Green pepper

 

Share B:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Mixed cherry tomatoes
• Cooking greens mix
• Microgreens
• Tomatoes
• Onion

 

Share C:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Mixed cherry tomatoes
• Bag of small onions
• 2 garlic bulbs
• Acorn or delicata squash
• Green pepper

 

Recipes

Potatoes, potatoes everywhere!  We've had potatoes available in the shares most weeks this season, so if you're starting to get a buildup of potatoes in your fridge, here are 51 Potato Side Dishes that Might Just Steal the Show!  There are so many creative, fun, and delicious potato recipes in here, you'll be sure to find a several new ideas you want to try with this old favorite!

Monroe Family Organics CSA Newsletter for Week 10

   Farm Update

Hi everyone!  Hope you're doing well!  For most folks, this week or next week will signal the end of  summer as kids go back to school and many people leave behind their relaxed summer routines in favor of fall's structure.  Our summers are always very structured and fast-paced, so our life will continue to look pretty much the same, except that I will be getting the kids on the bus each morning instead of dropping them off at grandma's.  For us, the pace this time of year is a lot less relentless than it was two months ago.  There is a lot less weed pressure than in June and July, and we're not doing as much planting as we were before.  Fred and the crew put in the last transplants of romaine and spring mix of the 2022 season, and he'll also plant another round of spring mix directly into the field next week.  We'll also be putting in our fall plantings of arugula, spinach, and radishes in the next few weeks so that we'll have lots of wonderful cool-season crops for you in October!  We're continuing to bring in the potato harvest, but that is a big job that happens in short spurts around all of the other things we have to in a given week.  We're starting to see the signs of early fall at the farm everywhere we look.  The vines of our winter squash plants are just huge right now, and we're starting to see lots of little butternut, acorn, and delicata squash right now on the vines, so it's looking good for lots of squash this fall!  Alas, the squash vine borers destroyed all of our kabocha squash, but they left the other varieties alone.  Squash vine borers are annoying bugs that, as their name implies, bore into the vines of squash plants and kill the plants.  It's always interesting to see which varieties of a crop the pests leave alone and which ones they decimate.  Fred's hypothesis about why the squash vine borers completely infested the kabocha squash and habitually leave the acorns and delicatas alone has to do with the thickness of the vine where it comes out of the ground.  Acorn and delicata squash have a smaller, more delicate vine close to the ground, whereas kabochas have a thicker vine, and the bugs seem to prefer that thicker vine.  In the end, there are so many things we just can't control at the farm, so the best thing we can do is plant way more than we think we'll need, do our best to give every crop what it needs to grow and thrive, and be flexible about the results.  We always have to have a few backup plans for every crop, planting, drop-off, and weather situation, because the farm is a series of moving parts where the parts sometimes zigzag around and don't do what you thought they would do.  The upside to all of this is that we have learned to be flexible, think fast, and change plans on the fly, and that keeps our brains young.  It also means that when the winter rolls around, we fully relish the slow season to give our brains and bodies a well-needed break.

But for right now, we are about halfway through the CSA season and truly enjoying the last of summer as it slides into fall.  Here we go into CSA week 10!  See you soon! 

What to Expect in the Shares this Week

 

If you pick up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-off, here are the options for your shares!  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item from each choice category, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.  And if there is something you don’t like or can’t eat, you can bring it to the trading station at the end and trade it for something you like better. 

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Surprise veggie! (could be green beans, beets, tomatoes, and other odds and ends.)
• Kale, cooking greens, zucchini, or green onions
• Basil, microgreens, or green pepper
• Onion or garlic

 

If you pick up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, Midland hospital, or Alma hospital drop-off, or if you have home or workplace delivery, here are your options!  We have three different prepacked shares, and you can let me know which one you want by filling out this quick form by lunchtime the day before your drop-off.  If you have a half share, you can choose one of these options, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.

Share A:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Kale
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Garlic

 

Share B:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Green beans
• Microgreens
• Onion

 

Share C:

• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cooking greens
• Beets
• Green pepper
• Onion

 

Recipes

Fresh basil is one of the true joys of summer, and there are so many things you can do with it!  Plenty of people like to make pesto with their basil, and it is also great in an omelet or a stir-fry.  But my favorite thing to do with basil is make Caprese salad!  We're in full-on tomato and basil season, so don't let summer pass you by without making a delicious Caprese salad to celebrate the season!  Best enjoyed outside on the deck or patio with your favorite people. :-)

Monroe Family Organics CSA Newsletter for Week 9

  Farm Update

Hi everyone!  Hope you're all doing well!  It's starting to feel a little bit like fall out there!  As I write this, I am watching a drizzly rain out my window, the temperatures have definitely been cooler this week, and we just brought in a major harvest of potatoes.  While we harvest multiple times a week from March through November, this is the time of year when we start bringing in large amounts of various storage crops, and the beginning of what is traditionally thought of as "the harvest season".  Yesterday Fred and our farmhand Kevin brought in about 1800 pounds of potatoes from the field, and there are about 8000 pounds of potatoes still out there to dig up and bring into the barn over the next couple of weeks.  Our great grandfathers would have been amazed that two people could bring in 1800 pounds of potatoes in one day, but we fortunately have the benefit of a few technologies that were in their infancy when my own great grandfather was farming in the early part of the last century.  While he would have had the benefit of a rudimentary potato digger that was pulled by a horse, we have a more modern potato digger that is pulled by a much sturdier tractor than he would ever have had access to in his farming years.  

Our potato digger, hooked up to the tractor and ready to go.

Basically, the potato digger is a contraption that we hook onto the back of the tractor, and it has a metal plate that digs into the soil and loosens up about the top foot of earth.  Then the potatoes and dirt are propelled up a series of metal grates and fall out the back of the machine, where they lay on top of the soil and wait for us to pick them up.  Then we collect them by hand into our black plastic crates, stack them in our walk-in cooler in the barn with the dirt still on them, and then wash them up as needed when it's time to bring them to the CSA.  Leaving the dirt on until we are ready to distribute them helps them stay in peak condition for longer because it acts as a protective barrier from the air, which would begin to dry out the potatoes if they were left exposed to the air for a long period of time.  

These potatoes have been dug up by the potato digger and are waiting to be collected in our black plastic crates.

Speaking of protective barriers for your veggies, I had some folks at our Midland drop-off on Thursday ask me about the best way to store everything from the CSA so it will last as long as possible.  So here's a quick tutorial on how to store your CSA haul when you get home from the drop-off!

The first thing to know is that we do clean your produce up at the farm before we bring it to you.  There are regulations about calling produce pre-washed, so we can't label them as such or tell you that you don't have to rewash your veggies when you bring them home.  But I can say that whenever I bring things into my own kitchen, I don't rewash them.  If you do want to rewash the items, do it right before you use them, because if you do it as soon as you bring your veggies home, you'll really decrease their lifespan.  

The next thing to know is what to keep out on the counter and what to put in the fridge.   It's generally best to store things like tomatoes, onions, and garlic that has the papery skin out on the counter.  People are often surprised to learn that basil does much better at room temperature as well, and that if you put it in the fridge, it will get blackish after a few days.  I usually just leave it in the bag it came in out on my counter, and it usually lasts up to a week that way.  I store other fresh herbs in bags in the fridge, but I know plenty of people leave them in a cup of water on the counter, so play around with what works best for you when it comes to dill, parsley, and cilantro.

Most everything else, like root vegetables and leafy stuff, does best in the refrigerator.  And you know how I mentioned that leaving the dirt on the potatoes acts as a protective barrier between the potato and the air?  Leaving your veggies in the bags they came in will do the same thing, and they'll last a lot longer than if you take them out of the bag.  And if it's a leafy item and it doesn't come in a bag from the CSA, like kale or chard, I'd put it in a plastic grocery bag when you put it in the fridge.  If your leafy veggies get exposed to that dry refrigerated air, they'll get wilty a lot faster, but if they're in a bag, they'll last about a week and a half in the fridge.  Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and beets will last a really long time, like several months, if you leave them in the bag.  If you have any other questions about how to store your veggies, just let me know!  

Welcome to Week 9 of the CSA, and I'll see you at the drop-off! :-)

What to Expect in the Shares this Week

 

If you pick up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-off, here are the options for your shares!  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item from each choice category, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.  And if there is something you don’t like or can’t eat, you can bring it to the trading station at the end and trade it for something you like better. 

• Green beans for everyone!
• Carrots or fennel bunches
• Potatoes or kale
• Cherry tomatoes, spring mix, or medium tomatoes
• Basil, microgreens, parsley, or dill
• Onion or garlic
• Beets, zucchini, cucumbers, or cabbage

 

If you pick up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, Midland hospital, or Alma hospital drop-off, or if you have home or workplace delivery, here are your options!  We have three different prepacked shares, and you can let me know which one you want by filling out this quick form by lunchtime the day before your drop-off.  If you have a half share, you can choose one of these options, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.

Share A:

• Green beans
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Onion
• Basil
• Cabbage

 

Share B:

• Green beans
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Garlic
• Basil
• Cucumbers or zucchini (we're not sure yet what proportions of these two we're going to have, so it will be a surprise!)

 

Share C:

• Green beans
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Spring mix
• Onion
• Microgreens
• Beets

 

Recipes

It's green bean season!  Normally I think of late July/early August as green bean season, but due to the cold and rainy spring we had, a number of our crops are a week or two behind their normal schedule, and green beans are no exception.  So I am thrilled that they are finally here!  These Simple Skillet Grean Beans are such a fast, easy, delicious way to make a healthy side dish, so you can spend more time outside enjoying the last bit of summer!

Monroe Family Organics CSA Newsletter for Week 8

 Farm Update

Thursday afternoon at our Midland drop-off!  As I was watching the first rush of people go through the line at our CSA drop-off on Thursday, talking, laughing, and picking out their veggies, I got a little sentimental thinking about how much I love our awesome community of CSA members!  I am so grateful for all of the amazing people I have gotten to know through the CSA, so I took this picture to celebrate you all, and what we've built together. :-)

Hi everyone!  Hope you're all doing well and enjoying this hot weather!  Things at the farm continue to grow like crazy, and the rains we've had recently are definitely helping them along.  This is actually going to be a much shorter newsletter than normal because we are hitting the road in a few hours for my cousin's wedding, and as always, there is so much to do and so little time in which to do it.  And things at the farm are pretty much the same as last week; lots of weeds, lots of harvesting, lots of hot weather.  So I'll catch up with you next week with a longer newsletter with more details about what we're doing at the farm, but for now, here's what will be in the shares this week!  Enjoy, and I'll see you at the drop-off!

What to Expect in the Shares this Week

 

If you pick up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-off, here are the options for your shares!  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item from each choice category, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.  And if there is something you don’t like or can’t eat, you can bring it to the trading station at the end and trade it for something you like better. 

• Dill, basil, or microgreens
• Fennel, cabbage, kale, or chard
• Carrots or parsley
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes or spring mix
• Surprise veggie! (We do this when we have a lot of odds and ends coming out of the fields, and right now we have several items that are on their way in or on their way out.  Hence, surprise veggies!)
• Onion or zucchini

 

If you pick up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, Midland hospital, or Alma hospital drop-off, or if you have home or workplace delivery, here are your options!  We have three different prepacked shares, and you can let me know which one you want by filling out this quick form by lunchtime the day before your drop-off.  If you have a half share, you can choose one of these options, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.

Share A:

• Dill
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Surprise veggie
• Onion

 

Share B:

• Basil
• Swiss chard
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Surprise veggie
• Zucchini

 

Share C:

• Microgreens
• Fennel bunches
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Spring mix
• Surprise veggie
• Onion

 

Recipes

You know how sometimes you get in a cooking rut, always doing the same thing with a particular ingredient?  Like maybe you always cook kale the same way, or you always make the same recipe with your zucchini.  If you've gotten into a little bit of a rut with your cherry tomatoes, always just cutting them in half and putting them on top of spring mix to make a quick salad, here is another idea to help you bust out of your rut!  This Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes is fast, easy, and you can play around with the proportions to suit what you have on hand.  Perfect for a busy weeknight!