This Week’s Harvest
Broccoli OR Cauliflower
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Pie Pumpkin
Kossak “Gaint” Kohlrabi
Swiss Chard
Garlic
Daikon radish
Salad mix
Purple top turnips
Fruit Share:
Apples from Downing Fruit Farm in Darke County
Downing Land (smaller, pink)
Fuji (smaller, red and green)
Winesap (larger, darker red and green)
Farm notes:
The brilliant weather this past weekend is making it hard to believe this is the last CSA harvest of the season! We have been really pleased with the quality and variety of produce we provided this year and truly hope everyone had a good experience with our CSA. Of course the season was not without some disappointments (the eggplant, okra and bell pepper planting never amounted to much and the leeks and celery got a bit too weedy), but because we are a diversified vegetable farm, the boxes were always incredibly full! But despite being happy with each box that left the farm, we are never completely satisfied and are constantly striving to do better.
We will spend the off season evaluating each crop we grow and brainstorming ways we can improve what we do. Most improvements on the farm come with some sort of machinery purchase. A front end loader has been on our wish-list since Mile Creek Farm’s beginning, with Ben cruising for-sale postings since 2007! This summer the price was right on a craigslist posted front end loader for the ford tractor so we bought it. This winter, Ben will tackle the job of getting the loader attached to the tractor! A front end loader will allow us to delve into areas we have not yet been able to like making our own compost here on the farm.
In addition to the plethura of maintenance that needs done, this off season will also be spent reading and learning. Ben will read books with titles like “Industrial Fluid Power: Basic Text on Hydraulics, Air, and Vacuum for Industrial and Mobile Applications” and I will read books with titles like Woody Cut Stems for Growers and Florists: Production and Post-Harvest Handling of Branches for Flowers, Fruit, and Foliage (I see wreath making in my future!)
But we are actually far from it being our “off season”. Even though the CSA is over, we are still going to market with the first week end in December as our projected final date. Please visit us as we move inside to the west end of the market. We will still be harvesting lettuce, Swiss chard, kale, other greens, salad, radishes, turnips, broccoli, beets and cauliflower well into November in addition to having storage crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, cabbage and butternut squash.
We will be in touch with our CSA members once we are ready to sign folks up for 2014 season and will regularly keep customers informed of Mile Creek Farm’s happenings through our blog and Facebook page. We hope you have a wonderful fall and winter and hope to see you and serve you soon! Thank you for your support!
Recipes
Roasted Sweet potato and kohlrabi