This Week’s Harvest
Salad mix
Romaine lettuce
French breakfast radishes
Scarlet turnips
Butternut Squash
Patty pan summer squash
Red onions
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Swiss chard
Okra (farm pick up only. All other sites got it a couple weeks ago)
Fruit share: Ida Red and Jon-a-Gold apples from Downing Fruit Farm. They look very similar. Ida Red is slightly darker red and smaller. It is a tart apple and Jon-a-Gold is a sweet apple. Both are delicious!
Farm News
One of the first things we did when we moved to Ohio to start our farm was join the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA). This organization is a wonderful resource for producers and consumers of organics. OEFFA hosts farm tours, webinars, and conferences; is an advocate of sustainable farming practices and watchdog of farming policies; and provides an organic certification program.
We have learned so much about farming through OEFFA programs and fellow OEFFA members. OEFFA’s annual conference is the highlight of our off-season and we try to make at least one of their farm tours each season.
This year, we got to host a farm tour and workshop! This past Sunday we welcomed 20 farmers to the farm and Ben gave an in-depth presentation on equipment choices we have made to make our farm more efficient and profitable. He spoke about his welding experience and modifications he has been able to make because of this skill. Ben’s first experience with welding was a welding course at MVCTC a couple winters ago and his ability to fabricate and fix equipment as a result as been a game-changer for us. We have acquired so many useful pieces of machinery that help us plant, apply nutrients, control weeds, etc. Our operation is systematized and we are able to be more consistent. (for example, it took us 5 years before we had a successful crop of spring broccoli, but now we have had a reliable crop 3 springs in a row). We hope all the participants of our workshop left with a couple takeaways to implement on their own operations. We certainly learned a few things from them!
Recipes
Potato and turnip gratin
Turnip, potato and Swiss chard hash
Summer squash and tomato frittata (use pattypan in place of zucchini)
Summer squash and tomato frittata ( use pattypan in place of zucchini)