Greetings from Dancing Hen Farm!
We do hope that all our CSA members have been enjoying their boxes. The boxes delivered this week are Week 13 and Week 13 is an egg week.
So, first let me apologize for being so lax in getting newsletters out this season. I could come up with some real excuses, like hospitalizations, medication making me tired, and what not. But in reality it is simply because I am a self proclaimed Procrastination Queen. I can say I will try to be better as we draw the 2021 season to a close, but only the weeks will tell if I continue wearing my Queen crown or not.
After the remains of Hurricane Ida tore through the area, didn't we had some beautiful weather. Not to make light of the destruction from rising flood waters and tornados, but I truly felt like fall had arrived. Clear sunny days and cool nights! I kept telling Farmer Don it looked and felt like fall. I love fall, so this message was delivered with a bit smile on my face! Farmer Don would patiently point out to me that it was not fall yet, as the trees were still green. I would just as patiently remind him that we usually get our first light frost in September and look how short the days are becoming. I mean the golden rod has been turning fallow fields into blazes of yellow and today, while running errands, I saw trees turning a brilliant red. Only a few trees, but red none the less! Of course recently it has been a little hot and sticky, but trust me fall is just around the corner.
So on farm we are getting ready for fall as well. Winter squash is being harvested. Tomatoes and summer squash harvests are coming to an end. We have planted some cooler season fall crops, including arugula, radishes and another rotation of Asian greens. Look for greens to come back with a flourish soon, as the kale and chard are coming along beautifully. Our lettuce has also enjoyed the slightly cooler temperatures and should be available in both loose leaf heads as well as some salad mix
I want to take a bit of written space now for my annual thank you newsletter. A huge thank you to all of you, our members, friends and family of the farm. Without your continued support, we would be unable to do what we are doing, growing food sustainably here on a rocky hillside in north central PA. I want to specifically thank Farmer Phil. As many of you know, Farmer Phil has been with us since year one. Phil heads up our pack house, keeping busy weighing and portioning for csa boxes. He also is our delivery assistant, helping our driver know where to go and helping with carrying boxes. Speaking of deliveries, another huge thank you to Farmer John. John has his own farm and has been helping us this year with Wednesday's deliveries. I also want to thank our neighbor Paul for his help during the season making certain greenhouses stayed watered, seeding schedules were maintained and entertaining Dilly. We also would be unable to do this without the help of our delivery site hosts. Thanks to the staff at Crestwood Pharmacy, Corrine and the staff at Balance Yoga, the staff at Bloom Naturally and Gwen and all the artists at Verve Vertu Artist Studio. And last, but not least, a huge thank you to Farmers Joyce and Mike. Joyce and Mike also happen to be Farmer Phil's parents. They help out the farm in too numerous ways to list, but include harvest, supplementing our production, helping me with medical appointments and helping to assure Dilly is getting walks and play time when necessary. If you see any of these folks out and about, please take a moment to say thank you.
The kitchens, ours and Farmers Joyce and Mike's, have been really busy this year with canning and preserving. Early on Joyce and I canned peaches and Joyce and Mike have been kind enough to freeze beans, corn and peppers for me. In the mean time they have been busy making pickles, peach preserves and salsas. This year Farmer Don is making his presence known in the preserving kitchen. He and I have canned tomatoes and 2 rotations of salsa (a hotter and milder version). Still this season, we have plans for applesauce and tomato sauce. I have to say it has been a productive preserving season this year! As I have said before, I love to can and preserve food in general, so it makes me feel good to be back in the canning game!
Also in the kitchen, I have been waiting patiently for cooler weather for soup and stew season to start. I do love to cook and eat soups and stews. I am waiting patiently to use one of remaining stew hens to make a nice pot of chicken corn soup and I am hoping to use some of our cabbage to make an unstuffed cabbage soup. I love stuffed cabbage, but find I don't have the patience for all the steps involved in stuffed cabbage. Several years ago I found a recipe for a casserole or soup for unstuffed cabbage and I was hooked!
And then there was Dilly. What can I say about Dillburger. She is starting to live up to her sister Rosie's title of Calamity Rose. Most recently Dill has come up lame with one of her back legs. We have had her to the vet twice to be checked and of course as soon as she walks into the vet's office you can't even tell which leg is the problem one! And nothing has been found that could be causing the limping. She has also had a slight run in with a skunk. Somehow she seems to have been sprayed on her belly? We are thinking she was not the target of the spray and maybe walked through some high grass with the skunk spray on it. But, in all honesty, only Dilly and the skunk know for sure! She also had a not so slight run in with a porcupine! As she nursed a sore muzzle and nose, I am hoping she learned her lesson with porcupines and will stay clear of them. Oh yeah, and clear of the skunks, as well!
I will end here with a "be safe, be well and enjoy those veggies"
Until next week! (well, I guess I should be honest and say until next newsletter)
