Monday, October 13, 2014

Week 18 Newsletter

Welcome to Week 18!!!  Our winter buying club is starting this week.  See below for more details.

How many weeks have I been talking about frost?  Frost and bugs!  This past weekend we had a heavy frost.  Although this frost killed our peppers and eggplant, the gnats survived.  Thankfully the covering Farmer Don put on our beans protected them and we will be able to harvest and fulfill our orders for green and yellow beans.  He also covered a small planting of peas and we are waiting to see if they will produce peas or not.  This time of year is always a bit of a gamble for our last plantings of some tender crops.

While we are on the subject of beans.  If you ordered dry or soup beans this week, please either try and shell them soon after receiving them or spread them out on some newspaper.  They were harvested today in the drizzle and dampness and their pods may be damp and molding could result.

Farmer Don harvested peppers and eggplant before the frost on Saturday night in order to avoid losing the entire crop.  He harvested all fruit, regardless of size.  Therefore you will see a real variation in size of these products, with some being quite small.

Members receiving Farmer's Choice boxes this week will be getting, among other items, a long red radish.  These  are currently also our specialty radish on choice.  They are a traditional long red Chinese radish and have hot, but also sweet flavor profile.  They can be eaten raw, added to salads, added to stir frys and soups or roasted.  You can also pickle them, using your favorite recipe for refrigerator pickles.  Rumor has it Farmer Don will be adding these to his kimchi as well!  Don't forget radish leaves are edible.

 We are now harvesting our rutabagas.  Rutabagas are a vegetable which used to intimidate me a bit.  I think because I always pictured the huge wax covered rutabagas at the grocery store.  But, they have become one of my favorite fall and winter rood vegetables.   Rutabagas originated as a cross between a turnip and a cabbage.  They can be eaten roasted or mashed, as you would potatoes.  I always add them to my mashed potatoes.  The leaves are also edible and our rutabaga are not waxed.  For a special treat try creamed rutabaga greens.  Simply substitute the spinach or turnip greens in a creamed greens recipe.  This weekend Farmer Don made a recipe out of the cookbook Vedge, a roasted rutabaga salad.  It was delicious!  Here is an internet reference to the recipe.  http://lisacohen.typepad.com/my_weblog/2014/03/roasted-rutabaga-salad-with-pistachios-from-vedge.html

With no markets this weekend, we are restarting our Winter Buying Club.  All orders will need to be placed online.  This means, if you have not already done so, you will need to sign up on our website and "purchase" a free winter buying club membership.  This buying club is separate from our CSA.  Winter buying club ordering opens at 5 am on Tuesday and closes at 5 am on Thursday.  You can pick your orders up on farm after 5 on Friday or anytime on Saturday.  We will deliver Friday to Bloom Naturally.  Please meet us between 5:30 and 6 pm, to the side of the store.  On Saturday we will deliver to Dallas and Forty Fort.  Our Dallas meet up site is 100 Lake Street.  We will be in the parking lot of the building between 10 and 10:30 am.  Our Forty Fort site is 900 Rutter Avenue.  We will be at Forty Fort from 11 to 11:30.  Look for us in the parking lot furthest from the Maines Cash and Carry.  At all sites, either look for our white delivery van or black Honda CRV.  If you have questions concerning the Buying Club or need help getting signed up, please do not hesitate to contact us at the farm.

Please watch for upcoming information on our 2015 CSA.  Registration is not up on our website yet, but should be soon.  For 2015, all members will again be able to choose the items they receive in their box each week.  Egg shares will also be available and we are considering adding a chicken share.  Watch your email for details coming soon.

We are still taking reservations for our pastured "apple orchard" pork.  More information will be coming soon, including pricing.  Again watch your email.

Farmer Don is downstairs packing share boxes.  Both dogs are snoring away at my feet and I need to move off this chair before the snoring duet becomes a trio.  Sooo  "be safe, be well and enjoy those veggies"

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