Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm. Welcome to Week 17. I hope everyone enjoyed their Week 16 boxes! This week, Week 17, is an EGG week and is
also a CHICKEN week. After this week,
there are 5 weeks remaining in the CSA.
The calendar says fall and the weather has been saying rain. Lots of rain the past few days. Very welcome rain for the low water table and
some of our newly planted fall crops.
However not welcome for the last of some of our summer crops, such as
tomatoes. This coming week looks drier
with the possibility of more rain over the weekend and maybe a cool down for
the start of next week.
Our fields and harvest are really starting to look more fall
like and less summer like. Tomatoes are
starting to wind down and the rain has caused much of the fruit to split and
show some disease. We will continue to harvest tomatoes up until
the first frost, but the numbers available will most likely be decreasing each
week. In the upcoming weeks we will be harvesting
more green tomatoes, so get your fried green tomato recipes ready. Our greens, on the other hand are really
starting to thrive with the cooler weather.
Look for kale, chard and mustard greens to continue to be
available. Arugula is looking good and
should be available for the next few weeks.
The green beans we are harvesting right now are absolutely beautiful and
we should have green beans available at least for another week or two. Winter squash should continue to be available. Radishes are beautiful right now and we are
hoping our succession plantings will keep them available for several more
weeks. Sweet potatoes should continue to
be available and we will be digging white potatoes soon.
In the kitchen, I am still in preserving mode. I think I am finally done with tomatoes! However, last week I did experiment with
lacto fermenting some sungold tomatoes. The
initial ferment in complete and the fermenting jars are now resting in the
fridge. I have been sampling them and
they are tasty, with the tomatoes actually being a bit fizzy when you bite into
them. I am still deciding if I like them
enough to make another batch this year or even make them again next year. This weekend we froze beans and next weekend we
are hoping to make and can some applesauce.
I am also hoping to make some sauerkraut and ferment some radishes as
well. And if our beets come in high
enough numbers, I will try and can some pickled beets. Wow, it seems I will be canning and freezing
into the winter!
With cooler temperatures we are using the grill less and the
oven and stove top more. Last week, I used
one of our hams and made a big pot of ham and green beans. I usually make this meal in the winter and
use my frozen green beans, but it was so nice using fresh green beans this
time. We are also eating lots of sweet
potatoes right now, usually baked or roasted.
One of my favorite go to recipes for sweet potatoes combines sweets,
cooking greens and apples. Here is a
link to the recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sweet-potatoes-apples-and-braising-greens-240487 I usually make this dish with kale and skip
the parsley. I also prefer to cube my
sweet potatoes and slice the apples. Another
fall and winter go to recipe here on farm involves roast white potatoes, kale
and sausage. As fall and winter
progress, we make this dish almost every week!
Here is a link to the recipe https://www.caloriecount.com/kale-sausage-garlic-roasted-potatoes-recipe-r150667 I feel like I have shared these two recipes
every year with our CSA members. Maybe
for next week I will try and come up with something new!
With the CSA and farmers markets starting to end, it is time
to talk about how you can receive Dancing Hen Farm products into the fall and
winter. We will be extending our CSA
this fall, most likely for 4 additional weeks.
Please watch upcoming newsletters for pricing and details. We will also be starting our winter buying
club soon. Again watch upcoming
newsletters for details.
Our 2016 apple orchard pork will be available in November. We sell our bulk pork by the half and whole and
are now taking reservations. Please
contact the farm if you are interested in bulk pork. A whole hog will yield 125 to 140 pounds of
meat and will require a at least 7 cubic feet of freezer space for storage. We will also have a limited amount of cuts
available for purchase through our buying club.
The night is getting late and the boxes are packed, time to
end this newsletter. Have a great
week!
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