CSA Newsletter for Week 13 of the 2023 Seas

Farm Update

Hi everyone!  While we have a week before the calendar officially announces the fall season, all of the signs are pointing toward autumn at the farm!  We have a busy harvest week ahead of us continuing to bring in onions and squash, and quite a few of them are headed out on our delivery vehicle as soon as they come in from the fields and get cleaned up.  'Tis the season for fall veggies!  It's just as well that we don't have to store as many of our squashes, onions, and potatoes for long, because we're already pushing the limits of what our small space can handle.  This week is the perfect marriage of summer and fall veggies, and that means that we have a lot to harvest!  

Another thing that happens every year when the weather starts to look more like fall is that the deer start to act contrary to their best interest.  Once deer near their normal mating season, the young males especially try to enter the farm however they can, whether that's jumping over our deer fence, squeezing into cracks, or entering into the few places where the fence is the weakest.  We've definitely seen evidence of their presence the last few weeks, and Fred has been walking around the farm every morning and evening to scare them away.  Deer can do a surprising amount of damage to the veggies overnight, so we have to be extra vigilant this time of year so we don't return in the morning and find that they've eaten a week's worth of spring mix.  There is one yearling in particular who has been making his presence especially noticeable, and Fred has been quite intent on scaring him away for as long as possible.  I have taken to calling this young deer "Moby Dick".

We're still planting our fall greens, such as spinach and arugula, out in the fields, but the planting season is slowing down.  We'll still be harvesting for another two months, (or maybe even three, depending on the weather), but we won't be putting new seeds into the field for much longer.  We are nearing the time to slow down, and I'll definitely be ready when that happens.  But we continue to harvest a lot of onions and squash, and we have a large trailer full of pie pumpkins and winter squashes of all varieties curing in the shelter of one of our coldframes.  That will allow them to have a longer shelf life on your kitchen counter until you use them to make delicious fall dishes.  And there is nothing that says autumn like a big trailer piled with butternuts, spaghetti squash, delicatas, and pie pumpkins.  (You can see a picture of them above).  I hope you all enjoy them as much as we have been!  

And I guess that's it for this week!  Here we go into week 13 of the CSA, and I'll see you all 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. 
 

• Potatoes or a bag of small onions
• Spring mix or butternut squash
• Pie Pumpkin, leeks, or delicata squash
• Carrots, cherry tomatoes, or beets
• Cabbage, kale, or Swiss chard
• Microgreens, 2 tomatoes, or 2 peppers
• Kohlrabi or a large 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:

• Potatoes
• Spring mix
• Pie pumpkin
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• 2 peppers
• Kohlrabi

Share B:

• Potatoes
• Butternut squash
• Delicata squash
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cabbage
• Tomatoes
• Onion

Share C:

• Bag of small onions
• Spring mix
• Pie Pumpkin
• Cherry tomatoes
• Kale
• 2 peppers
• Kohlrabi

Recipes

It's pumpkin and squash season!  If you are one of the many many people who are not sure how to get the pretty pumpkin sitting on your counter into a form you can actually use to make food, never fear!  Here is a quick and easy tutorial on how to turn a pie pumpkin into pumpkin puree, and then you can make pies, pumpkin rolls, or whatever pumpkin goodies you like to make!  

We also have cabbage this week, which makes me really excited for fall veggies in general!  If you're not sure what to do with cabbage but want to try it out, here is a great recipe for Sautéed Cabbage, which is sure to answer your "What do I do with cabbage?" questions, and is super yummy for any meal of the day.  Enjoy! :-)