Wow, the final week of the season is upon us!
And what a season it's been. It certainly wasn't easy with the drought, but once September and the rain hit, it turned around well and was a mild autumn. Time seemed to fly, and here we are 32 weeks later! Again, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your participation!
This week, Eric, Ethan, and Carly joined us on Monday to help with the large harvest list. Randy and Laina took the reigns for the rest of the week. Aside from some of the wind, it was a pretty mild week overall, and for that we are grateful!
This week they'll be harvesting for your shares again as well as closing day in the store. They also hope to finish their project of training grapevines and continuing with clean up. Randy still has some more harrowing to do. He'll wrap that up officially after Stuff-a-Bag on the 17th, when we finish our final harvest. After we close, we'll also need to donate whatever squash and onions, and any other leftovers, that we have in storage.
Many people ask what we do during the off season. In addition to seed ordering, crop planning, and business management and accounting, we're also working on applying for another grant and planning for other major projects on the farm.
We'd love to tell you more about our land restoration and the grant we received from the DoAg this season, and we look forward to sharing more about all of this by our email newsletter in the months ahead.
The lettuce you're receiving this week is coming from the greenhouse. Remember how we told you we decided to turn off the furnace and conserve resources? Well, amazingly the lettuce and escarole that was growing in there has all made it through beautifully. The days are no longer long enough to promote speedy growth, so the head you're receiving this week will be a very small one - just enough for a small salad or to use as a sandwich topping. We'll be cleaning out all beds and hanging pots this week when we harvest for your shares and for the store.
In other greenhouse news, this week we'll be planting bulbs! To refresh your memory, these are the varieties that we're planting for the spring. We'll hold our annual sale in April as we always do. It'll be the first time we'll "open" for the season, though the store won't officially open until Mother's Day weekend. On opening weekend we have the hanging flower baskets available.
To prepare for planting, Laina half filled all of the pots we'll need. We'll tuck about 5 bulbs into each pot, cover them up with soil, and pack them into crates. We'll give them a really good drink of water then load them into our dark cooler (turned off, but insulated) where we'll let them hibernate until they're ready to sprout. We let them take the lead and let us know when they're ready to come out in April - we'll see yellow shoots coming up from each pot. Isn't it cool that they know exactly when to emerge in the spring?
What's this funny vegetable? It's not a carrot or a parsnip...
This is actually burdock root. We experimented with growing it this season and then dug it up for the first time. It's an extremely unique crop and you won't find a lot of recipes for using it out there. It can be roasted like any other root veggie or stir fried. It's frequently used in Asian cooking. I enjoy burdock root in tea, personally. It's got a mild earthy flavor that's actually really pleasant. Burdock root is an anti-inflammatory and is thought to help heal skin conditions among other health concerns. If you'd like to read more about it, visit these links.
Rather than include it in your share this week, we'll have a crate out on the swap table. You're welcome to grab a handful if you'd like to try it for free.
Finally, our wreath sale and annual liquidation sale are still ongoing. Prices will be as follows. We'll be doing this until we close on Saturday, December 10th. Spread the word!
Cheese
All cheese bars & spreads 25% off
Cross Culture Kombucha
All bottles are $3.99 each (Regularly $4.99)
Dash ‘n Drizzle
2 large oils or vinegars for $36 (mix & match!)
2 small oils or vinegars for $9 (mix & match!)
2 sea salts for $18 (mix & match!)
Dragon's Blood Elixir
2 hot sauces for $15 (mix & match!)
Durante's Pasta
2 dried pastas for $8 (mix & match!)
Farmer Ground Flour
$1 off flour and cornmeal (Regularly $4.99)
Hosta Hill
2 jars of fermented foods for $16 (mix & match!)
Janes Good Food:
All pickles $11 each
Redding Roasters
2 coffees for $22 (mix & match!)
Savor
2 packages of cookies for $20
Seasonal Catering
2 teas for $18 (mix & match)
Twin Pines Farm 2 jams for $10 (mix & match!)
2 relishes or pickles for $12 (mix & match!)
In Your Share (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
2 small heads of lettuce
1 bunch of celery
1 bunch of kale
1 bunch of carrots
2 lbs. of beets
1 onion
1 butternut squash
1 bunch of parsley
Small:
1 small head of lettuce
1 bunch of kale
1 bunch of carrots
1 lb. of beets
1 onion
1 butternut squash
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources)
Store butternut squash in a cool, dark place such as a pantry, cabinet, or cellar where it will get air flow.
Remove the greens from the carrots and store them - and the beets - in plastic bags in the vegetable crisper. Use greens within the week, but the carrots may last for weeks when stored properly.
Store kale in a plastic bag in the fridge. Or, snip the ends and store in a glass of water, like a bouquet. Wash and spin out when ready to use, within a few days.
Store dry onions in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a pantry, cabinet, or cellar. Ensure that they have plenty of airflow; you can store them in a mesh bag. Keep them away from potatoes.
Shake out any excess water in the head of lettuce, then store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and spin out when ready to use.
Store parsley stems in a glass of water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Cover the leaves with a plastic bag. Or, put the parsley in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Trim the bottoms of the celery and place in a jar of water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Put a plastic bag over the leaves to protect them.
The LGF Cooking Club
30 Minutes or Less:
Large Share Additional Ingredients: