In the share this week:
2 lbs rutabaga
2 lbs scarlet turnips
1 fennel bulb
1 head green cabbage
1 bunch salad turnips
1 bag salad mix
1 bag mesclun mix
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
Well it's feeling like summer again for a few days this week! We are so appreciative of the warmer temps as we bring the harvest in to wash. While we have a really nice pack shed to work in now, we haven't yet finished off and insulated a section of it so that we can minimally heat it when we have to work in below 40 degree temps. Hopefully, we'll be able to get that done in the next couple of months so that we'll have a comfortable space to work when we start harvesting greens out fo the hoophouses in February! Other than harvesting, this week we are working on cleaning up the fields, getting irrigation put away, and disassembling one of our hoophouses which is slated to move to a new position sometime before February. We're realizing that these hoophouses either need to be moved every 4-5 years, or at least uncovered and put into cover crops for a year to rejuvenate the soil. We were blown away by the incredible tomato and pepper (banana and poblano) production in the hoophouse we moved at the beginning of this season. I'm excited to come up with a good rotation plan for these structures that will optimize soil health and crop productivity.
We've got a heavy share for you this last week of the CSA season! I'm so pleased with the cabbages we have for you this week. Our fall cabbages don't always size up nicely and are often plauged by insects or disease, but these are really pretty nice this year. This cabbage should be wonderfully sweet and dense and will keep for awhile if you aren't ready to use it right away. I'm loving lots of cabbage filled soups right now, but a bake or hash would be really good too, especially paired with some of the other roots veggies in your share. Something like this recipe:
For soup this week, I'm thinking about making a pureed turnip soup. You could use a combination of both your scarlet turnips and the salad turnips if you like. The scarlet turnips do take a little longer to cook, so if you end up using a combo, add in the white salad turnips a little later. I will also probably add more butter or oil when I make this or top with chopped cashews because I like a good dose of fat with my veggies!
Lastly, here's an idea for using your fennel and mesclun mix this week. Thinly sliced or shaved fennel is a wonderful salad topping and the flavor pair really well with mustard greens. The recipe below uses arugula, but the mix of greens in the mesclun will be perfect!
2023 has been a really great growing season for us. I felt that we were able to produce really consistently, I was able to increase wages for our amazing employees, and we're doing a good job of improving soil with cover cropping, mowing and tarping. The work-life balance felt a lot better for me this year since we weren't also trying to build a house while farming :) I'm looking forward to getting into planning for next year, thinking hard about what went well and what we can improve. We are thinking a lot about how we can grow community in addition to all the veggies here on the farm too, so definitely stay tuned for info on events here next year!
We are so grateful to each and every one of you for your support of our farm this season. This is hard work, but it is so rewarding and we wouldn't be here if it weren't for all of you! Have a lovely and restful winter season and we'll be in touch ❤️