In the share this week:
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 lb carrots
2 mini red romaine
1 bag spinach
1 bag baby kale
1 bunch green onions
1 baby pac choi
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
True fall weather has finally arrived! I love these chilly mornings and sunny afternoons. We sweat and toil through the hot and humid days of summer, but these fall days are our reward. There is no job I'd rather have than productive farm work in the spring and fall. This week we are planting a crop of onions for overwintering. We did this last fall as well and had some really nice fresh onions in late May/early June before the spring planted onions came on. I've learned that the trick is to wait to plant them until mid-October, so they only have a short while to establish before it gets much colder. In previous years, I had planted onions in September and found they grew too much in the fall and then bolted in the spring instead of forming nice bulbs. The other major items on our list are to get a few more fields planted into winter cover crops (rye and hairy vetch), and to start pulling peppers out of the hoophouses to make way for overwintered spinach and baby kale. The third week of October is about the latest you can reliably get winter cover crops sown. As long as they germinate, they seem to survive winter alright and start growing again when in warms up in March.
We have another great fall share for you this week. Carrots are finally back! Our fall planting got in about a week later than planned, so that means a later harvest start and carrots that are a bit smaller than early summer. The great part about fall carrots though, is that the cold nights concentrate sugars in the roots of these veggies (in fact this is true for all of the other roots veggies and even greens like spinach too!). So fall veggies are the sweetest :) Our baby pac choi planting didn't do quite as well as hoped, but we have one head for you this week. It would combine nicely with your kale and green onions in a stir fry like the one linked below. It could be a nice side dish as is, but if you add rice and a protein it would make a great meal.
If you have never prepared sweet potatoes in a savory dish, I definitely recommend giving these delicious vegan tacos a try. The combo of black beans and roasted sweet potatoes is so tasty and satisfying. Making sure everything is well seasoned is key here and this blogger has some good ideas (although you can substitute a seasoning blend with less heat if you aren't a fan of spice - we love to use adobo seasoning!)
Have a great week everyone!