Monroe Family Organics CSA Newsletter for Week 18

  Farm Update

Hi everyone!  Hope you're doing well!  We are headed into week 18 of the CSA season, and things are really starting to wind down around the farm.  At the beginning of the CSA season, there is so much to be done, and we spend two adrenaline-fueled months trying to keep our heads above water.  Then in late July, we hit the tipping point where things settle down a little bit.  There is still a lot of work to be done, but the tempo isn't quite so intense.  And then once we get into October, it's a slow slide into late fall and winter.  Right now, we're no longer planting, barely weeding, and not really battling pests.  At this point it's mostly about harvesting, washing, packing, and delivering the vegetables, and making sure we have enough variety to finish out the season strong.  So basically, even though the days are still really full, it feels like a rest.  

It also helps that the sun doesn't come up until much later, and it goes down a lot earlier than it did in the height of summer, which naturally limits how much we can work.  And as the weather gets colder, more and more of our crops reach the end of their lives in the field.  Nature is getting ready to go to sleep for the year, and we're starting to slow down too.  Now is the time to dig into the wonderful fall comfort foods, put extra blankets on the beds, and bring in lots of firewood, because we're right on the edge of what I think of as "cozy season".   And to help you celebrate cozy season, we have two more weeks of great fall veggies for you! 

And if you're interested in signing up for next year, we've started sign-ups for the 2023 CSA season!  It's going to be pretty much the same as this year (all the same drop-offs at the same times), but the prices are going to be going up a little bit next season to $340 for a half share and $630 for a full share at the regular drop-offs.  Anyone who signs up and puts down at least a partial payment by December 31 locks in next year's share at this year's price though, so that's a good way to save a few bucks if that makes sense for you!  Either way, we would love to have you all in the CSA again next year, so just let me know if you have any questions, and here's the link to the sign-up form!

Thanks so much, and we'll see you at the drop-offs! :-)

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. 

• Sweet potatoes or a bag of small onions
• Brussels sprouts, carrots, or baby mustard greens
• Butternut squash, pie pumpkin, or other large squash
• Potatoes or arugula
• Cabbage, kale, or parsley
• Delicata squash, acorn squash, or radishes
• Onion or kohlrabi

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:

• Sweet potatoes
• Baby mustard greens
• Pie pumpkin
• Potatoes
• Cabbage
• Acorn squash
• Kohlrabi

Share B:

• Sweet potatoes
• Carrots
• Acorn squash
• Arugula
• Parsley
• Radish
• Onion

 

Share C:

• Bag of small onions
• Brussels sprouts
• Butternut squash
• Potatoes
• Kale
• Delicata squash
• Onion

 

Recipes

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite parts of fall.  They are such a perfect fall comfort food, and there are so many ways to prepare them!  You can make everything from sweet potato fries, to sweet potato pie, to these Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potatoes!  So if you're looking to add a little kick to this naturally sweet and wonderful food, definitely give this recipe a try! :-)