Farm News Crop Forecast
U-Pick Recipes Nuts and Bolts
Greetings!
Of all the beautiful , spectacular things we’ve seen and harvested in the last couple weeks, the Alex and pepper pic sums it all up the best. So much color and brightness!
The rainy weekend was very, very welcome. We had 2.5″ here, much of it gentle, and the downpours were ok too. The ground and the plants just soaked it right up. We had an inch the week before that, but that inch was long gone – soaked up and turned into veggie or evaporated away – and we had irrigated a little late last week. We watered the root crops especailly cuz they were thirsty and so if we did get a downpour they didn’t dinrk too much at once and split open. We probably lost a few to splits but not much.
It’s worth it to have the rain water. Crops grow great with our irrigation water, but we do notice after 3 weeks of no rain, there’s a few crops that pause and wait for the real thing. We’ve done testing and tried to figure out what the chemistry is in our water and how it gets taken up in the plants, that might lead to the pause in growth….it might be about the alkalinity of our well water making nutrients less available to the plants, but no big breakthroughs yet. So for the broccoli, cabbage and celeriac especially, we’re so glad to have the rains! And the trees and bushes all around — we’re sure they appreciated this even though it’s so late in the season. We noticed some trees that have added girth this summer despite the dryness, that’s encouraging.
And it is late in the growing season! Even though we’ve had so much 70s and 80s, with more coming, some of the crops are showing us it’s almost quitting time. The tomato plants look great, but are almost out of fruit. The peppers are all turning red. Fortunately the carrots and other roots, and brussels sprouts and cabbage, are healthy and will finish their growth to big, beautiful things in the next couple weeks.
Please note the new October pickup schedule! See the email or down below in “Nuts and Bolts”. We’ll see you for two more weeks, then the last week in October!
Crop Forecast
Our favorite kitchen combo of the year is red peppers, winter squash and spinach. And when it’s warm this late there’s a little tomato to add in too!
Tomatoes we have much less of this week, probably 2 per share, and maybe none next week, so savor the last ones! Lots of red peppers though. And spinach!
For winter squash — 2 per share this week and next — butternut and buttercup are pretty good this week, along with spaghetti, acorn, starry night, carnival and delicata. Carnival and starry night look similar but taste a little different — carnival is usually drier and less sweet, starry night is moister and sweeter. We’re liking starry night more than most acorns the last couple years. Ambercup probably won’t be ready til late October.
Still plenty of onions, carrots, beets, green and red peppers, hot peppers, celery, cabbage, broccoli, napa cabbage, celeriac. Good greens, lettuce, and kale. Some eggplant still coming in, even though it thinks 50 degrees is cold.
Lots of radishes — watermelon/ beauty heart (slice one open to see the watermelon reference) are medium spice. The pink and purple daikons are milder and juicier. They’re all gorgeous when sliced or made into sticks. It’s fun to have the almost neon colors in the mix! Great on a platter, salad, sandwich, in a quick pickle (sometimes rice vinegar, maybe with red onions?).
Leeks! are back, big and beautiful.
Pumpkins — there’s still more, probably enough for one more per share. Your choice of a big jack, a pie pumpkin, or 2 gourds. We brought the rest of the big jacks up to the barn for easy grabbing (and so we could cover crop that field before the rain!)
Sweet potatoes should be cured and flavorful for next week’s pickup
What’s for U-Pick?
Cherry Tomatoes! Less but still there.
Beans — We haven’t looked since last week but we think there are still good ones to pick.
FLOWERS!! Still there!
Cilantro, Basil and Dill – Yes!
Also anise hyssop and sage, parsley, thyme and oregano.
This spot in the newsletter will keep you informed, and always check the U-pick board when you’re here to see what’s available and picking amounts.
Nuts and Bolts
November Storage Share 2023 Sign Up HERE. Crops look great. Eat well all fall !!
Sign up for 2024 CSA is in the email.
And Please note the new for 2023 October pickup schedule :
Sept 26 +28 – Normal pickups
Oct 3+5 – Double share pickup – split shares, both households should come ( more info on that in a separate email later this week)
Oct 10+13 and 17+19 – NO pickups (to free us up for final storage harvests)
Oct 24+26 — Normal Pickup – Final Pickup of ’23 / til Nov. Storage Share (separate signup and payment)
Bulk Produce for You
Check here each newsletter for what we have available for extra purchase.
This week’s selection is : Beets and Carrots for $1.25/lb, Green or Red Bell Peppers for $2/lb. Cabbage for 75 cents /lb. Kohlrabi for $1.50 /lb. Lettuce for $6/lb, Spinach for $5/lb, Kale for $3/lb. Radishes and Celeriac for $2/lb. Winter squash $1/lb. Garlic for $1.25 / head (4 for $5) ( no need to pre order garlic).
To place a bulk order, simply email us a day ahead of the day you’d like to pick it up. Orders can be picked up at the farm during our regular pickup hours, but it doesn’t have to be your share pickup day. Usually we can make an order on the spot, too.
Share Pickup Hours TUESDAY and THURSDAY 1:30-6:30 pm.
Change Pick-Up Day Form — Click here. Please fill out this form instead of emailing us. Thanks!
Where is the farm? 4151 320th Street West, Northfield.
Please Drive Carefully —Children are everywhere.
If You Send Someone Else to Pick Up Your Share — Please forward them the basic pickup video in this link , which was also sent in an email earlier in June. Then just tell them to introduce themselves to us in the barn, just so we know and we can show them around.
We love having all of you come to the farm! Thank you for making it such a great place to be!
Your farmers,
Erin and Ben, with Allia, Alexandra, Elliott, Emily, Kae and Karin
From LuAnn in the Medicinal Herbs Garden.
A few people have expressed interest in making fire cider at the garden as in past years, so I’m offering two make-it-and-take-it classes Wednesday, September 27, at 3:00 and 5:30 p.m. Check out the details and register here.
RECIPES
Butternut Harvest Stew
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ pounds boneless pork (cut in ¾ inch cubes)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 cups chicken broth
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon rubbed or ground sage
1 bay leaf
1 medium butternut squash (peeled and chopped)
2 medium apples (peeled if desired and chopped)
Melt butter in a large saucepan.
Add pork, onion, and cloves and sauté until meat is no longer pink; drain off fat.
Add chicken broth, salt, rosemary, sage, and bay leaf.
Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Add butternut squash and apples.
Simmer uncovered until squash and apples are tender, 20 minutes.
Discard bay leaf.
Serves 4-6.
Acorn Squash with Kale and Sausage
2 medium acorn squash, halved down the middle, seeds removed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups tightly packed torn kale
1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
Heat oven to 375°.
Cut a thin slice off round side of each squash half to create a stable base.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray.
Place squash flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; bake until golden and tender, 30 minutes.
Remove from oven; flip squash and set aside.
Heat broiler. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil.
Add sausage; cook, breaking into coarse pieces, until brown, 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
To same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and leek; cook until leek is soft, 3 minutes.
Add garlic; cook, 30 seconds.
Add kale and toss; add broth.
Cover and cook until kale is tender, 5 minutes; stir in sausage.
Divide kale-sausage filling among squash.
In a bowl, combine walnuts, Parmesan and panko; sprinkle evenly over squash bowls and coat with cooking spray.
Broil until panko is golden, 2 minutes.
Open Hands Farm 