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! :-)
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!
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
No comments:
Post a Comment