CSA Newsletter for Week 19! Final Week of the 2023 Season!

 Farm Update

The field is looking pretty bare!  These
beds were full of squash vines up until
recently, but the squash harvest is
done and the plants have been tilled under 
so the soil can rest for the winter.

Hi everyone!  Welcome to the last week of the CSA!  It is going to get a lot colder this week, which will make harvesting the veggies very challenging, especially with the leafy greens.  We are expecting freezing temperatures most nights this week, and while the leafy greens can often withstand some light freezing and thaw out just fine when the sun warms them up in the morning, we will likely have some freeze damage when it gets as cold as it's supposed to get this week.  Since you can't harvest greens while they're frozen, we're going to be harvesting more things ahead of time this week and keeping them in our walk-in cooler until we bring them to you.  Fred and Ander are out there right now harvesting celery root and carrots, and also some greens for the Monday and Tuesday drop-offs.  Fortunately, last week was really nice and we didn't experience any freeze damage to the greens, which means we still have some to bring to you this week!  The final week of the CSA is almost always when the variety of crops we have starts to really diminish, because the fields just want to stop production and go to sleep for the winter.  And fortunately, after this week we'll be able to let them for the most part.  Then we'll turn our focus to what we can keep going in our coldframes for about another month, and after that, the growing season will be done.

This part of the year feels like the last mile of a marathon.  The season has been long, and the energy we had in early summer is long gone, but we have to keep pushing just a little longer to finish the season strong.  And like the marathon, where the blisters and muscle fatigue and nutrient depletion make the 26th mile way harder than the first, the freezing, cloudy weather and will do the same thing for harvesting and washing all the veggies.  While I will be glad to slow down at the end of this week, I do look forward to seeing all of you one more time at the drop-offs, because that is definitely my favorite part of the CSA.  I really love chatting with everyone, distributing the veggies, and sending you all off with some top-notch ingredients to make delicious and nourishing food for the upcoming week.  I am glad to get to do that one more time before the farm settles in for its long winter nap.

This kale has survived the recent freezes
pretty well with minimal damage, but 
you can tell that there is a little bit of 
yellow frost burn on some of the leaves.
Kale is one of the more coldhardy greens
at the farm, and it usually survives colder
temperatures better than other veggies.

In more practical news, I had a bunch of people this week ask me if it was too late to get larger amounts of root vegetables for the winter!  We'll be selling potatoes, onions, and carrots in 10-pound increments, so if you want to get some of those, you can just fill out this form to put in an order.  But you'd better do it fast!  The deadline for placing an order is Sunday, October 29 at 5 PM, so I can get all my ducks in a row to get those to you at the final drop-off!  Potatoes will be $26 for 10 pounds, carrots will be $30 for 10 pounds, and onions will be $20 for 10 pounds.  Just let me know if you have any questions about that!

And if you already know you want to sign up for next year, you can do so whenever you like!  Just fill out this form, and I'll put you on next year's membership list and email you an invoice!  For anyone who signs up and puts down at least a partial payment before December 31, you lock in this year's price of $340 for a half share or $630 for a full share at one of our regular drop-offs, and after the new year, the price will go up to $345 for a half share or $640 for a full share.  (Just add $95 to that if you're signing up for home or workplace delivery.)

Here we go into the final week of the CSA!  We are so grateful that you have come along with us on this adventure that the 2023 season has been, and we hope to see you all again next year!  Thank you so much for being part of the farm this year, and for supporting us to continue bringing good food to the community!

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. 
 

• Spinach or Arugula
• Potatoes or brussels sprouts
• Winter squash
• Carrots or sweet potatoes
• Bag of small onions
• Radishes, kale, cilantro, or parsley
• Celery root or 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:

Our lettuces took a beating this week
with the hard frost!  Some of our lettuce
is still in good enough shape to harvest,
but after surviving a freeze like this, 
its lifespan in your fridge will be a lot 
shorter than before.  Since we don't 
know if the lettuce will still be in good
shape at the end of the week, we don't 
have spring mix in the shares this week,
but we could have some surprise lettuce
at the drop-off if it stays in good condition.

• Spinach
• Brussels sprouts
• Carnival squash
• Orange carrots
• Bag of small onions
• Parsley
• Large red onion

Share B:

• Spinach
• Oneida Gold potatoes
• Honeynut squash
• Rainbow carrots
• Bag of small
• onions
• Kale
• Celery root

Share C:

• Arugula
• Red Norland potatoes
• Honeynut squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Bag of small onions
• Radishes
• Celery root

Recipes

Now that it's getting cold outside, there is nothing better than sitting down to a warm, hearty soup!  This Root Vegetable Soup is flavorful, filling, sure to help you use up the growing stash of root veggies you might have in the refrigerator, and it's vegetarian to boot!  It's versatile enough to vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand, and you can easily make it carnivore-friendly by using chicken or beef broth, or by throwing in those leftover venison scraps in the fridge.  Enjoy!