Farm News Crop Forecast
U-Pick Recipes Nuts and Bolts
Please note the 2025 September/October pickup schedule :
Sept 16+18 and 23+25 – Normal pickups
Sept 30 + Oct 2 – Double share pickup – for every other week split shares, both households should come (more info on that in a separate email later this week)
Oct 7+9 and 14+16 : NO pickups (to free us up for final storage harvests)
Oct 21+23 — Normal Pickup = Final Pickup of ’25 / til Nov. Storage Share (separate signup and payment)
Info on November Storage Share Signup and 2025 CSA signup will come out this week, look for that separate email.
Greetings!
It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a cold snap as early in September as last week’s was. We didn’t look it up but we’d guess ten years or more. We even protected tomatoes (with covers) and peppers (with irrigation), even though forst wasn’t predicted. There were just too many thousands of pounds left on those plants to take a chance that a forecast of 39-41 might dip down to 32. It’s a few hours of extra work but we’ve had years where we didn’t do it (long ago) — even with a forecast of 38 we lost peppers and tomatoes to a couple cold hours, and then had weeks of warm sunny weather where we sorely missed those juicy fruits!
We’re glad to be in one of those warm sunny patterns again. It sure gives a bump to yields of so many things — the juicy fruits of course, but also to the carrots and beets and other roots that will fill the root cellar in a few weeks. It doesn’t seem to be the strongest of warm weather systems though — with long cloudy mornings and drizzles at any time of day when there’s only a 20% chance. Those haven’t been problematic for most crops, thankfully, but it’s a sign to us that colder and wetter weather might come unexpectedly, and we can’t take any chances on waiting to bring the big harvest in.
But for now we’re soaking up the sun!
For us the single biggest hallmark harvest of September is winter squash. Thanks to Saidang and the crew it is now curing in bins in the greenhouse. Please admire and drool at it when you come in the driveway! It is colorful and pretty and a few varieties will be in the share this week.
First we clipped the squash, and put it into rows so the tractor could drive between, and waited for the stems to dry from the cut. Often that means we cut in the morning and pick up in the afternoon, but that happened to be the day it was foggy, that very thick fog, til almost 11 o’clock, so we picked up a couple days later. The bending to cut and move them, and the bending and lifting to get them in the bin, is the hardest work of growing winter squash. It’s always good to take a watermelon break or two on squash days, which we did. Then River and Alex used the skid steer and a couple tractors to shuttle them to the greenhouse, and the forklift did the final tucking away under cover, as one of those 20% sprinkles passed through.
Next major harvest was a few of the sweet potatoes, which we did Monday, so we will have some cured and full flavored in a couple weeks. We left most of the rows to keep growing, and have more sweets in October (and in the storage share in November.)
Otherwise every day is filled with harvest and washing of the veggies filling your bags each week! And an hour or two here or there to do some clean up, or repair and grease the tractors and other harvest equipment. And then harvest some more. Good times!
Crop Forecast
Winter squash — We grow about a a dozen different varieties of squash, in categories that are mostly familiar : spaghetti, pie pumpkins, acorn, delicata, butternut, and buttercup/ambercup. And a couple other uncommon ones. Plus big pumpkins — we planted a little extra and they did very well, so 2 pumpkins per full share this year, you will take 1 each week (split shares each get 1 total). There are green ones mixed in — some of those will hold and ripen nicely, some will melt — take green pumpkins at your own risk.
In general we like to give you squash once it’s cured to its full flavor, which happens more or less in the order of the list above. This week we’ll have starry night (a striped acorn that’s better than acorn for a few reasons), delicata, spaghetti squash and pie pumpkins. Of each kind, some are very good and some are ok. You can eat them this week and they’ll probably be good or wait til next week and they’ll be better. We roasted some this weekend and even the “ok” ones were good enough to make us stand there and keep taking more spoonfuls. If you wait more than a week on the spaghetti though — make sure to check it regularly since they can spoil quickly.
The best temp for squash storage is 50 degrees but countertop (out of the sun) or a garage or basement (beware of rodents!) works well for most people.
Tomatoes — delicious tomato time, we have plenty left in the field waiting to ripen so as long it’s warm enough they’ll be in the share, hopefully 3 more weeks. We will be at 4 per full share this week.
Peppers – it’s been a relief to have a few peppers around finally. Not the usual abundance but glad we have some. We won’t have as many reds or yellows but will put out what the plants give us. Hot peppers – we started with one last week and will go as long as we can, there are some late ones hanging on and sizing up.
Can’t believe we’re still getting a few zucchini; plus storage onions, carrots, beets, radishes, cabbage, leeks and celery. Cauliflower is between plantings and hopefully will be plentiful next week! Broccoli is still struggling, it was almost staying healthy but the fogs and drizzles have probably sunk it for the year. Erin has plans for a broccoli overhaul next year and hopefully that will help with disease.
Leaf lettuce and greens and kale are having a great year. Plenty of lettuce from now on. We normally have many bushels of spinach to offer, and to sell to the colleges and other places, but we barely scrounged out the little bit that was in the barn last week. Normally we’d have 3/4-1 bag for many weeks, but if we’re lucky we’ll get to 1/2 bag for a week or two. It germinated poorly for us and has some disease pressure. We need to ask around some more for better varieties cuz we miss it!
Garlic is no longer a part of the share but will continue to be for sale in the barn. We do 6 weeks with it as part of the share, then have the rest for sale. Many people buy a 10-20 to stock up for the fall, then replenish at the storage share.
What’s for U-Pick?
Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatillos and Beans — still going and worth the trip out there!
Cilantro — there is some in the Upick field going by. Our last Upick planting didn’t germinate well, but our Wholesale planting did, so we will have some Cilantro available in the barn for folks to take a handful if wanted.
Basil is edible but has cosmetic spots, from disease we think. It’s edible and good but might not last as long as usual.
Other Herbs — Thai Basil (also has spots but still usable), Nasturtiums, Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, Sage.
Flowers still look great but some will go downhill as it gets cooler and later in the fall. There are two plantings, one on each side of the driveway.
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
Bulk Produce for You
Check here each newsletter for what we have available for extra purchase.
To place a bulk order, simply email us at least 2 days 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. No need to pre-order garlic.
This week’s selection is : Lettuce mix for $6 / lb. Green Cabbage for $1/lb. Kale for $3 / lb. Carrots, Beets for $1.25 / lb. Garlic for $1.25 / head. Large Red/Pink watermelon $1 lb (range of 12-25 lb). Leeks for $3 / lb (probably about $1 each). Storage Onions $1.25/ lb.
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! Sorry that we have had problems with the links to this form. They should be fixed now and going forward. Please do not use old links as they may be wrong.
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, Alex, Camille, Elliott, Maura, River, Soli, Sai Dang and Crew
RECIPES
Cabbage Slaw with Miso-Honey Vinaigrette
Salad:
¼ purple cabbage
¼ green cabbage
1 medium carrot, peeled
1-2 small daikon radish, peeled
4 green onions
Dressing:
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sweet mirin vinegar
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1 lime, juiced
Cut peeled carrot and daikon into 3- to 4-inch matchsticks pieces, set aside.
Remove outer layer of green onions, discard.
Cut off the darkest green at the top of the onion (just about 1”) and the root, and discard both.
Cut into 3- to 4-inch strips.
Cut cabbage into thin strips, keeping purple and green cabbage separate.
Toast sesame seeds in a small pan on the stovetop until they start to brown if using white sesame, or for about 2 minutes if using black.
Remove from the pan and reserve in a small bowl.
Combine all dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl, grating the ginger with a micro-grater and mincing the garlic with a knife.
Mix well to completely dissolve the miso, making sure there are no small chunks remaining.
Add sesame seeds, reserving a small amount for garnish.
Dress purple cabbage lightly and put in one half of your serving bowl.
Do the same with green cabbage and add to other half of the bowl.
Dress carrots, daikon and green onion and arrange on top of the cabbage.
Top with slices of avocado and sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and a handful of cilantro leaves.
Spaghetti Squash with Red Pepper Cream (Winter Squash)
Squash:
1 large spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Red Pepper Cream:
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and halved
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting the peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups half-and-half
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Preheat an oven to 400°.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
Place the squash halves in a baking dish, cut side up; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover and bake until the skin is easily pierced with a fork, 30-40 minutes.
Let cool, then remove the strands of flesh with a fork.
Preheat a broiler.
Place the bell pepper halves cut side down on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and lightly coat them with olive oil.
Grill under the broiler until the skin is blackened and the flesh has softened slightly, about 8 minutes.
Place the peppers in a paper bag, a resealable plastic bag, or ceramic bowl covered with a plate to cool for about 45 minutes (this process will help loosen the skin).
Remove the skin from the peppers and cut the peppers into small pieces.
In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil, and peppers in the olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Place the mixture in a blender and puree to the desired consistency.
Return the puree to the skillet and reheat to a boil.
Reduce the heat and stir in the half-and-half and cheese; simmer, stirring, until the cheese melts.
Add the butter and stir until melted.
Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer for a few minutes more.
Serve ladled over the spaghetti squash.
Open Hands Farm 