Hi everyone,
As a reminder:
Your pickups will continue for 5 more weeks, with the final week being December 4th. We close for the year on Saturday,December 10th.
If you currently receive a delivery, we switch back to pickups to close the season (Deliveries occurred through the Main Season portion of the program only.)
If you need to switch your pickup day, your options are Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday
We are also changing our hours of operation for the fall beginning on November 1st as follows:
Monday: 10:30 to 6
Tuesday: 10:30 to 6
Wednesday: 10:30 to 6
Thursday: 2:30 to 6
Friday: 10:30 to 4:30
Saturday: 9 to 4
CLOSED Sundays
This week, we got ahead on some tasks and were slightly behind on others - you just never know what a particular year will bring. The beautiful weather was very conducive to getting ahead on cleanup. Here's a photo of Randy disking in rye seed where the pepper crop used to be.
To the far left, you can see baby green sprouts coming up from the earth. That's the cover crop rye that we seed for the winter on all of our fields so that they don't lie fallow. We choose rye because it germinates especially quickly. Once it comes up, it creates a lush mat that helps bind the soil together so that it won't erode in the winter. It'll also get to work restoring nutrients back into the soil for next season. In the spring, we'll plow it under and plant again. We have to strike a balance between leaving our crops in the field long enough to reap the benefits and harvesting them quickly enough that we have time to seed rye so it can come up before a hard frost. We realized that this is the latest that we've ever dug up the last of our potatoes, but Randy still has enough time to seed rye in that section.
We got a little ahead on our leaf cleanup, which is perfect timing for us to plant garlic. The biggest task on our agenda for this week is getting the garlic in the ground. Once we plant it, we cover it with a thick layer of leaves so that it will stay insulated over the winter. We also work with local landscapers who drop a lot of leaves at the farm for us to use.
Ethan and Henry worked all last week on separating our garlic seed to be planted. We set aside about 90 pounds of garlic for seed. It's just a regular head of garlic that you separate into individual cloves.
This was a task that took over 25 hours this week! Garlic is such a coveted crop, so we need to make sure that we have enough cloves to plant.
This week you're all receiving celery, which is one of the most underrated crops we grow, in my opinion. I say that because it's hardly ever purchased, but is so flavorful and fragrant that it deserves more appreciation. One thing I love about it is that you can use the leaves in whatever you're cooking. I recently make buffalo chicken and potatoes and sprinkled the leaves on top, but you can also use them in soups and mixed into your salads. Celery is a great addition for soup season, but has so many uses beyond that. Check out the recipe section below to see what I mean!
Anyone else feel like choy sum deserves more appreciation? I stir fried mine in about 10 minutes last week with a little sesame oil, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and soy sauce and I ate half the bunch at 10:00 in the morning. Why not?
To close out the newsletter, I'll share a few snaps from the week. It was so gorgeous that I think we all had extra big smiles on our faces.
This is where the tomatoes used to be. This spot has been seeded with rye.
Randy with a massive rutabaga. Those will be coming up in your share in a couple of weeks.
Last week's large share.
Laina with a selection of offerings from Saturday's Stuff-a-Bag event. Thanks for coming out!
Still to come in your Extended Season share:
Spinach
Rutabaga
Turnips
Mustard greens
Select-a-Squash (includes kabocha, blue hubbard, and sugar pumpkin)
Parsnips?
Plus SO many of the other items you've already received and love
In Your Share (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 bunch of celery
1 bunch of Swiss chard
1 head of broccoli
1 bunch of radishes
2 lbs. of beets
1 celeriac bulb
1 spaghetti squash
Small:
1 bunch of celery
1 bunch of Swiss chard
1 head of broccoli
1 lb. of beets
1 spaghetti squash
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources)
Remove any greens from the beets and store them in separate plastic bags in the fridge. Use greens within the week; beets can last up to a month. Wash when ready to use.
Most sources will recommend wrapping a head of broccoli in a damp paper towel in the fridge. We think the less air it's exposed to the better. Open air causes it to wilt fast. You can try putting your broccoli in a plastic bag in the fridge and using it within the week. Wash when ready to use.
Remove the tops from the celeriac and store the greens and root in plastic bags in the crisper drawer in the fridge. Wash when ready to use, and peel the bulb.
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.
Remove the greens from the radishes and store them in separate plastic bags. Wash and eat the greens within a few days; the roots will keep for a couple of weeks if stored properly.
Store spaghetti squash in a cool, dark place such as a pantry, cabinet, or cellar where it will get air flow.
Trim the ends of the Swiss chard and place in a glass of cold water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Or, store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash when ready to use, within the week.
The LGF Cooking Club
30 Minutes or Less:
Large Share Additional Ingredients:
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