Welcome to Week 16!
Bugs! Yes, bugs! That is the biggest topic of conversation
right now, at the grocery store, the feed store, the hardware store, farm
market.... What is up with the bugs this
year? Sometimes I feel like they are
holding me captive in the house. The minute
you head outside, they immediately swarm.
Yesterday, I had to wear my hat to eat lunch on the deck! Harvest was really rough, as even hats and
hoods and Burt's Bees couldn't hold the gnats at bay. I hate to say the F word, but I am almost
wising for a Frost! Of course a heavy
frost could be a detriment to some summer crops we are hoping will still size
up. We have a late planting of green beans and squash. Each of the these crops has fruit, but needs
a few more days (or weeks) to reach a harvestable size. Our peppers could also use a few more weeks
of warm weather to really size up.
In the fields right now, we are in a bit of a
transition. We have a large planting of
lettuce which is sizing up nicely. Look
for head lettuce to be available soon and salad mix to continue to be available
through the end of the season. Our green
mustard is winding down, but we will soon be harvesting red mustard again. The collard greens we are currently
harvesting are really beautiful and our radicchio has headed up nicely. We also have some beautiful large heads of
green chicory available. Chicory is one
of the more bitter greens we grow. To
temper this bitterness, try steaming or boiling the greens before adding them
to the saute pan. This pre-cooking method
will mellow the bitterness of most greens, including dandelion.
Our 2014 season is slowly winding down. Six more CSA deliveries and only two Back
Mountain Market and two regular season Forks Farm Market remaining. As we did last year, we will again be
operating a winter buying club. This
buying club is separate from our CSA buying club and we are anticipating it to
begin October 18, the week following our last farmers markets. To participate in the winter buying club, you
will need to register on our website and "purchase" a free winter
buying club member ship. At this time,
if you were a member of our winter buying club last year, you will not need to
re-sign up. If this changes, we will let
you know via email. With the winter
buying club, you place your order on line and then meet us at a designated
location to pick up and pay for your purchases.
As always, if you have questions or need additional information, please
do not hesitate to contact us.
In the next few weeks we will also begin taking memberships
for our 2015 CSA season. As we have in
past years, we will offer a discount to returning members and to members
signing up early. Please watch email for
an announcement concerning this. We will
continue to be a choice CSA, in which members are able to choose the items they
receive in their box each week. We are
considering adding a chicken share to our CSA for next year. Stay tuned on the chicken share, as we are
still working out the details. If you
have questions or need additional information on the CSA, please see our
website (www.dancinghenfarm.com) or contact us at the farm.
Last week I put out a notice about our pork. We have gotten some interest and we have an
individual who feels a half may be too much for her small family. If anyone is interested in splitting a half
with this family, please contact us here at the farm. We are anticipating pork to be ready around
the first of November and we should have some prices to you in the next few
weeks. Our pork arrives vacuum packed
and frozen. We often get asked about
freezer space. To store a half a pig
you will need between and 4 and 5 cubic feet of freezer space. Again, if you have questions concerning our
pork or would like to reserve some meat, please contact us. If you are looking for grass fed beef, we
know of neighboring farms who are currently taking reservations for their
beef. If you send us an email, we will
forward you their contact information.
Our kitchen has been fairly quiet recently. I am still busy drying herbs and am hoping to
make applesauce and possibly apple butter this week for canning. Last weekend we cooked a ham and Farmer Don
used the bone and some leftover meat to make ham and bean soup for dinner
tonight. We have been eating bacon,
lettuce and tomato sandwiches recently, as we rush to get our fill before the
end of the tomatoes.
A quick note to CSA members as the season winds down. Please let the farm know if you cannot pick
up your box. We will donate these
veggies and not let them go to waste. If
you are running late and unable to pick up your share on Tuesday, please
contact your site host and let them know you will be picking up late. The site hosts at our central pick up sites
are only responsible to hold boxes until 5 pm on Wednesday. (This is actually an extension from our noon
Wednesday earlier cut off time.) After
this time, 5 pm, your box will be donated.
Please pick up on time. The site
host will not store your veggies in the refrigerator if you do not pick up. Many site hosts have been overly
accommodating for late pick-ups. Please
remember our site hosts are volunteers.
They are gracious enough to allow
us to utilize their facilities, properties, houses, etc., for a share box drop
site where members can go to pick up the delivered shares. The site hosts manage these sites by
collecting and storing the share boxes for pick up the next week, so they can
be used again during an upcoming pack. A
huge responsibility that the farm appreciates the hosts for doing.
Market news! We have
a new market employee, our nephew Phil. If
you see him helping Farmer Don at market, be sure to give him a warm welcome to
the Dancing Hen Farm crew. This week's
markets include the Bloomsburg University Market on Friday and Back Mountain
Market on Saturday. Stop by, say hello
and pick up some local foods. If you go
to Back Mountain, you can again sample Farmer Don's kimchi. Vegan, although maybe not totally authentic,
kimchi.
Time to move on to the next task. Be well, be safe and enjoy those veggies!
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