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. :-)