Farm News Crop Forecast
Please note the 2026 September/October pickup schedule :
Sept 29 + Oct 1 – Double share pickup — EVERYONE PLEASE READ DOUBLE SHARE DETAILS in email sent last Friday Sept 25, before coming this week :)). For every other week split shares, both households should come
Oct 6+8 and 13+15 : NO pickups (to free us up for final storage harvests)
You Can Still U-Pick During The 2 Weeks Off
Oct 20+22 — Normal Pickup = Final Pickup of ’26 / til Nov. Storage Share (separate signup and payment)
Info on November Storage Share Signup and 2027 CSA signup was sent in a separate email last Monday, 9/21, with links to sign up for both.
Greetings!
Fall!
Whether it’s the late sunrise, the mellower daytime sun, or the earlier sunsets, the light sure lets us know it is dwindling. And then a cloudy drizzly stretch sure takes some getting used to after such a sunny and dry year. Blue skies sure are something special!
The rains have now added up to over 5 inches in the last couple weeks — vs 1 inch in the previous 6 weeks! It’s a contrast but nothing like the deluges we’ve had other years, or that other towns have gotten this year. This 5 inches has been very mellow at our place, mostly in gentle soakers and spread out over days. We’d much rather have that than the 1-3 inch per hour downpours, any time of year! And at this time of year, the roots in the ground — carrots, beets, radishes, parsnips — can split wide open if they drink too much too fast in one of those downpours … so we’re in wait-and-see mode, curious how much splitting is underground out there, but we’re hopeful that the gentler sprinkles have left us with good quality veggies to pick.
We’ve been busy picking and washing some of them — and washing the mud off ourselves, the veggies and then the barn floor — and we have a very nice share lined up for you this week! Lots of color, flavor and variety. It’s a great time to get the oven going and eat some hearty fall veggies, mixed in with what’s left of the fruits of summer!
Crop Forecast
Winter squash — you will get a lot of squash this week!! It yielded very well and many varieties are now cured and ready to enjoy. You’ll also have a choice outside — of another pumpkin (carving or pie), a gourd, or a butternut squash (dirty ones outside sorry, cuz we’re busy and its a bonus squash). Inside you can choose from delicata (eat soon), acorn and starry night (improved acorn with stars and stripes), carnival, buttercup, ambercup, butternut and angel hair spaghetti (orange-ish and round).
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 — they have really slowed down ripening with the cloudy and cooler weather. We’re aiming for a few per share but we’ll see what the harvest brings.
Peppers – also still coming — all colors.
Plus carrots, beets (red and gold), radishes, cabbage, leeks, celery, celeriac, cauliflower, storage onions, napa cabbage, a little eggplant, and Sweet Potatoes!
Do not put sweet potatoes and squash in the fridge — they are best on the counter.
Leaf lettuce and greens and kale are still having a great year. Spinach struggled to get through the heat earlier in the month but hopefully we’ll have bigger harvests this week.
Garlic is no longer a part of the share but will continue to be for sale in the barn. Many people buy 10-20 to stock up for the fall, then replenish at the storage share.
What’s for U-Pick?
———— You can still U-pick during the 2 weeks off —————-
Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatillos and Beans — dwindling but still going and hopefully worth the trip out there!
Cilantro — still good picking!
Basil is edible but has cosmetic spots, from cool nights 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 there’s still a few, for those that want to wander through the planting!
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 and Spinach for $6 / lb. Peppers REd and Green got $2 / lb. Green Cabbage for $1/lb. Kale for $3 / lb. Carrots, Beets for $1.25 / lb. Garlic for $1.25 / head. Leeks for $3 / lb (probably about $1 each). Storage Onions $1.25/ lb. Winter squash for $1/lb. Radishes and Celeriac $2 / 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, River, Soli, Josh, Sai Dang and crew
RECIPES
Celery Root and Carrot Soup
½ large celery root (celeriac), peeled, chopped
½ pound carrots, peeled, chopped
¼ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Celery leaves and chopped Granny Smith apple (for serving)
Place celery root and carrots in a large pot.
Add 6 cups water.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Cook until tender, 30–35 minutes.
Let cool slightly.
Purée in a blender with yogurt, honey, coriander, and ginger until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve soup topped with celery leaves and apple
Sweet Root Mash
4 medium carrots
2 medium squash (Carnival, Acorn or Delicata) or 1 medium Butternut, halved and seeded
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
3 medium apples peeled, cored and chopped
Cut carrots into ½” or 1” coins and steam until tender.
Bake squash at 375 degrees until tender.
Chop sweet potatoes into 2” pieces and place in a 2-quart cooking pot.
Layer apples over the sweet potatoes, add 2” water, cover and cook on a gentle boil until tender.
Add the carrots to the apple and sweet potato mixture, and blend/mash until smooth.
For this recipe an immersion blender works best but you can also use a regular blender.
For a more rustic texture use a regular potato masher.
Next scoop the squash from its skin and add to pot, blend/mash once again.
Thickness can be adjusted by adding water, veg/chicken stock, milk, etc.
Once blended bring it back up to a short boil and it’s ready for spicing and serving.
There is a natural sweetness to this recipe but you can go either sweet or savory.
Spice to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, maple syrup.
Can be topped with butter or cheese.
