This Week’s Harvest
Sweet Potatoes
Butternut Squash
Cilantro
Head Lettuce
Carrots
Red Onions
Spinach
Apple Share
Fuji and Gold Rush
Farm News
Phew, we can put another CSA season in books! We continue to learn and grow (in multiple ways– veggies, the business, our pool of knowledge!) making the CSA a great way for folks to get their veggies. This year we were able to invest in the farm with several pack shed upgrades. A new cooler housed all of summer squash in the summer and is now nearly at capacity with potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, and onions. The rinse conveyer has sped up the washing process and saved us hundreds of hours (which, by the way, somehow get filled elsewhere on the farm) Even the simple fact of adding lights to the barn (which was still complicated enough that it took over 10 years to install!) has been an enormous improvement to the space and process.
We continue to struggle with equipment, which isn’t all that surprising when you are dealing with old equipment. Here are just a few of the things that broke this season: the well pump, the harvest truck’s brake lines, the undercutter while in the middle of a onion bed, the market truck’s catalytic converter AND fuel pump, one G’s transmission and another G’s clutch, the key switch on the Farmall, and the water pump on the John Deere. Don’t think that covers it all but you get the picture!
At this point equipment malfunctions come with the territory, just like variable weather. We have come to realize that there are unknowns to every season and we are often at the mercy of things out of our control. So we focus on the things we can control–crop planning, soil health, irrigation, cultivation. We and the crew work hard at these things! Despite the hiccups, the hard work pays off. For me this year’s highlight was the sweet corn! After a rough start with birds coming in and feasting on the tips of the 1st planting, the 2nd and 3rd plantings were perfect! I also liked all the new pepper varieties we tried. Remember the scallions from the start of the season? Those were the prettiest we’ve ever grown!
We hope you, too, have enjoyed the literal fruits of our labor! Thank you for your season long support!
Recipes
Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Swiss chard
Roasted Sweet Potato and Picked Beet Sandwich
Ginger Curry with Rutabaga and Brussels Sprouts
Coming up 1st week of extended season (our best guess)……Carrots, Purple Potatoes, Kale, Onions, Red Cabbage, Braising Greens, Brussels sprouts, Gold Ball Turnips, Spinach, Parsley