Hi everyone!
We had two extremes of weather to work in again this week, and we were so grateful for the nicer weather by the end. The tatsoi and Tokyo bekana can be so time consuming to harvest. When your fingers are numb it gets really difficult to hold and snip the greens, not to mention you're not moving quickly so your body gets a lot colder. Monday and Tuesday were trickier in the cold as we harvested for shares, but by Friday it was so much more manageable.
Here's Randy earlier in the week. He was super, super cold and trying to put on a brave face when I told him it was time for me to go inside for my lunch break...
Randy chipped in with the harvesting but did almost all of the washing this week. Bless him, because it's my least favorite task on the farm. Not only do I find it mundane, but the water is freezing. When I wear my scuba gloves, I have no dexterity to move quickly and it frustrates me.
On Tuesday, Ethan and Eric actually had to go home early because they couldn't complete their harvesting tasks. Some of the crops were frozen solid and the hose was, too. They caught up a bit by Wednesday and we got the turnips and rutabaga out of the ground before they freeze. They also bulk harvested almost of our remaining lettuce and escarole, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts and got a couple hundred pounds of carrots into storage.
This week, we'll work more on bulk harvesting. We are expecting 20 degree temperatures at night going forward, and most of the tender crops won't make it through. Randy keeps asking me, "What are you putting in shares?!?!?!" He is so nervous that we won't have enough product to get us through the end of the program, but we will! Sometimes it helps for us to map it out and see it all on paper. Knowing that the arugula, Swiss chard, escarole, and tender crops will be gone soon is nerve-wracking for sure.
On Monday, I seeded microgreens for the final week of the program. We're planning to turn off the greenhouse on Tuesday after we finish harvesting the bok choy for this week's share. We only run it when the thermostat drops to just above freezing, but when the nights are 20 degrees, that's more than we'd like to with the cost of fuel. It's just not energy efficient to keep the greenhouse running anymore.
I seeded two kinds - a brassica blend that consists of kale, mustard, and mizuna, and a "confetti" mix, which consists of radishes, beets, and chard. This is how thick you seed them, right on top of wet soil.
Then you cover the tray up so it's nice and dark for germination purposes. These should be shooting up this week. Microgreens have such a quick turnaround for growing, making them the perfect option for early and late in the season. We'll just have to bring them in at night so they don't freeze in the greenhouse.
On the list for this week: Randy and Laina will be pruning back the late bearing raspberries and blackberries. We'll need to make a decision in the next year or two what to do about the variety of blackberries that didn't make it through the frost. We'll give them another chance next year, as the weather will hopefully be less wacky, and then we'll decide if we want to rip them out and try for another variety. The sad thing is, that would be about 4 years from now before they were ready!
We had SO much fun at our wreath making workshop on Friday. It was a gorgeous, low key morning spent with happy customers, and it was the cherry on top of our Thanksgiving weekend. Every single wreath was stunning and unique.
Honestly, we loved it so much that we decided to hold another session on our closing day - Saturday, December 9th from 9:30 to 11 a.m. It's $75 and you learn the art of wreath making forever, and get to go home with your own 18" wreath made with fresh foraged greens, holly, pine cones, and an optional hand tied bow. The wreath alone is valued at $55, so for an extra $20 you learn to make your own wreath, too! We are SO excited to welcome more people to this event, especially because we know it'll end our closing weekend in the best, happiest possible way.
OUR LIQUIDATION SALE HAS BEGUN & RUNS THROUGH OUR CLOSING DATE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
Cheese
All cheese bars & spreads 25% off
Cross Culture Kombucha
2 cans for $8 (mix & match!)
Dash ‘n Drizzle
2 large oils or vinegars for $38 (mix & match!)
2 small oils or vinegars for $10 (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 $9
2 jars of sauce for $12 (mix & match!)
2 frozen bagged pastas for $10 (mix & match!)
2 ravioli or stuffed shells for $18 (mix & match!)
Hawthorne Valley Ferments
2 jars for $14 (mix & match!)
Hudson Harvest
Salsa - $4 each (regularly $7)
Oui Charcuterie
All salamis $18.75/lb. (regularly $25/lb.)
Redding Roasters
2 coffees for $22 (mix & match!)
Rick’s Picks
Pickles - $5.50 each (regularly $9.89)
Relish - $4.50 each (regularly $6.59)
Rose Sisters Chips
$4.50 each (regularly $5.99)
Savor
2 packages of cookies for $20 (mix & match!)
Seasonal Catering
2 teas for $18 (mix & match!)
Sugar Maple Farms
Maple BBQ Sauce - $5 (regularly $7.50)
Maple Candy – 2 for $6
Twin Pines Farm
2 jams for $10 (mix & match!)
Hot Pepper Relish and Sour Dill Pickle Chips - $5 (regularly $7.50)
Ray’s Hot Sauce - $5.50 (regularly $8)
WHAT VEGGIES ARE IN THE STORE?
Here is what's expected to be in the store through Friday, December 1st... A new list will be emailed out on Friday morning and is now posted on the homepage of our website so you can reference it every day. Most inventory will be the same until our closing date on December 9th.
Apples from Hindinger Farm in Hamden (the only produce we EVER supplement in our store!) - Mutsu, Cortland, Jonagold, Empire, McIntosh (low stock), Fuji, and Granny Smith (low stock)
And our own veggies...
Arugula (the last of it!)
Beets
Blue hubbard squash (50% off - $4 each)
Bok choy
Cabbage (red, green)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery root (celeriac)
Cutting celery
Collard greens
Escarole (the last of it!)
Garlic
Herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley)
Honeynut squash (ANYTHING OUT IS WHAT'S LEFT FOR THE YEAR!)
Kabocha squash (ANYTHING OUT IS WHAT'S LEFT FOR THE YEAR!)
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Potatoes (ANYTHING OUT IS WHAT'S LEFT FOR THE YEAR!)
Potatoes "seconds" (40% off regular price) (ANYTHING OUT IS WHAT'S LEFT FOR THE YEAR!)
Romaine (ANYTHING OUT IS WHAT'S LEFT FOR THE YEAR!)
Rutabaga
Spaghetti squash (ANYTHING OUT IS WHAT'S LEFT FOR THE YEAR!)
Sugar pumpkins (50% off - $4 each)
Turnips
Spinach MAY be back in December... it wasn't a great crop this fall. We're letting it rest and will reevaluate next week.
UPCOMING HOURS (NO CHANGES)
Monday (11/27): 10:30 to 5
Tuesday (11/28): 10:30 to 6
Wednesday (11/29): 10:30 to 6
Thursday (11/30): 10:30 to 5
Friday (12/1): 10:30 to 4
Saturday (12/2): 9 to 4
In Your Share (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 head of lettuce
1 head of bok choy
2 kohlrabi
1 1/2 lbs. of leeks
1 head of cabbage
2 free choice items (TBD)
Small:
1 head of lettuce
1 head of bok choy
2 kohlrabi
3/4 lb. of leeks
1 free choice item (TBD)
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Store bok choy in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Wash and pat dry when ready to use (within the week).
Remove the greens from the kohlrabi bulbs and store in separate plastic bags in the fridge. Use the greens within a week; the bulbs can last a couple of weeks if stored properly.
Store leeks in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash when read to use.
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.
Leave the outer leaves on and store the head of cabbage in the fridge. The outer leaves will keep moisture in the head and prevent it from drying out.
Reference the Library of Resources for information about how to store your free choice item.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
Large Share Additional Items
Please note that Victoria does not work on Thursdays this season. Emails received on Wednesday night through Thursday will be answered on Fridays.
How to Change Your Pickup Day
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours notice since we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday. Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday. Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday. You have the option to choose another of those pickup days: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. Or, you can skip a pickup and double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day (Monday for Saturday members), and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you accidentally miss your pickup - just come the next day.