This Week’s Harvest
Eggplant
Green Beans
Potatoes
Salad Mix
Cabbage
Bell Peppers
Garlic
Yellow and Red Onions
Broccoli
Cauliflower (Oregon District only. This crop is going to all the pick up sites over the next couple weeks)
Fruit Share: Pink Sugar and Golden Delicious Apples from Downing Fruit Farm in New Madison.
Farm News
As we hit the home stretch of the CSA season, we are busy getting the farm ready for winter and ultimately next season. Over the past few weeks Ben as spread 1500 pounds of cover crop seed over the fields currently not in vegetable production. This field of buckwheat grew this year’s onion crop.
Every time we harvest vegetables, we take nutrients out of the soil. Through cover cropping we can replenish those nutrients. This buckwheat crop will winter kill with the first frost and all that green matter will break down and get incorporated back into the soil.
It has not rained much at all this fall and we were nervous that our crop of winter rye would not germinate. Fortunately we got just enough and you can see little sprouts of green. We could certainly use more rain to encourage growth on the rye before winter sets in. Unlike the buckwheat it will live all winter and take off in the spring.
We also like having a few beds made in the fall to allow us to get into the fields early in spring, especially if it wet. This field will give us a lot of nice beds that will mellow all winter long.
Overall it looks like we will be in good shape going into winter!
Employee Spotlight
Angela joined us this year to harvest our market flowers. She has enjoyed learning about all the different flowers we grow and the art of harvesting at the right time. She was so inspired by our blooms that she got a new tattoo based on a Mile Creek Farm bouquet!
Angela also happens to be a worker share CSA member and helps us pack the CSA boxes the weeks she gets a share. She also takes amazing photographs when she is here and I enjoy her Instagram feed.
Angela has her own jewelry design business, Angelflie Design and has a really amazing collection. Her passion is gemstones and you can find her nature inspired work at local art shows and street fairs, at Brim in the Oregon District and online here: http://www.angelfliedesign.com/
Recipes
Corned Beef and Cabbage (substitute 3 to 5 turnips for the rutabaga)
Massaman Curry with Broccoli, Potatoes and Eggplant (Decent pre made curry sauces exist in grocery stores if you don’t have time to make your own curry.)