Farm News Crop Forecast
Remember to sign up for the November Storage Share and for CSA 2027
Oct 20+22 –Normal Pickup = Final Pickup of ’26; Cheese, Eggs &Mushrooms too
Nov 19+20 — November Storage Share (separate signup and payment)
Info on November Storage Share Signup and 2027 CSA Signup is in a separate email sent Sept. 21.
Greetings!
What a beautiful fall week!
The bright sun, warm temps and fall colors are such a treat all together. The hot and windy days earlier in the month sure felt out of place, and like a remnant of summer we were ready to leave behind. But it made a few crops grow a little extra, and dried out the soil from the 5″ of rain at the end of September — which is a big boon for us, and we’re glad it didn’t already get cold and snowy!
Since you’ve last been here we’ve done a lot!! Mostly we’ve harvested and we’ve washed – a lot. First we waited for the fields to turn from mud to “good enough”, then we were able to get all the carrots out of the ground before the next chance of rain. Normally the carrot harvester picks 99.9% of the carrots from a field. “Good enough” meant that for the first couple days it was only picking 75%. That meant we had 1-2 people walking behind the harvester and gleaning the last 25%. Those were big days for all of us, and several folks (gleaners and tractor drivers) were seen laying in the dirt catching a rest between pushes (see above). Fortunately about halfway through the carrot fields, the heat and wind had dried them enough that we no longer needed the gleaners, which also meant we were harvesting less mud aka those bins of carrots will be easier to clean!
We also got most of the beets and radishes, and fit it all in the big cooler along with the cabbage and celeriac that had been tucked away earlier. We were very grateful to find that the 5 inches of September rain hadn’t split very many of the root crops, leaving us with good yields of good quality roots to sell throughout the winter. Those gray bins you see near the barn or along the greenhouse — so far we’ve filled well over 300 of those with storage crops!
Almost every day some or all of us have been busy in the barn washing veggies, for both colleges in town, Just Food Coop, Minneapolis Public Schools, and a couple distributors who sell our veggies to stores, restaurants and school districts throughout the region. Plus a few other dedicated customers. This week we are busy washing for this week’s share pickups, and harvesting the greens, spinach and lettuce too.
Overall it’s been a very good year of yields and flavor too. Lots of sunshine and dry weather – and lots of irrigation — meant lots of growth and very little pest pressure. We’ve heard over and over that this year’s tomatoes were exceptionally flavorful — we really don’t know why, but that’s great! And fall frost often improves flavor of spinach, carrots and Brussels sprouts, among others — but even though we just had our first frost last Saturday, everything has been tasting really great even before that. Happy plants and happy people, we are fortunate to have lots of both!
We all love getting to pick and handle all these beautiful plants for you, and really appreciate you enjoying the fruits of our labor! This farm gives us all an immeasurable amount, and we are grateful for your support and enjoyment of it every year. If we don’t see you at the storage share, hopefully we’ll see you again next year!
Crop Forecast
Winter squash — You’ll also have a choice outside again — of a pie pumpkin 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.
Peppers – also still coming — all colors. We irrigated them to keep them alive through the frost. No more tomatoes though, they were looking pretty rough even before the frost took them out.
Plus carrots, beets (red and gold), radishes, cabbage, leeks, celery, celeriac, cauliflower, storage onions, a little eggplant, parsnips 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 we’ll have some and hopefully a bunch.
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?
Herbs — Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, Sage are all still good.
The basil went kapootie but there is still good Cilantro to find. It is cold-hardy but the heat made some of it start to bolt/flower. Look for plants without flower stalks, their flavor is better.
Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatillos and Beans all got killed by the frost. If you are deeply determined, you may find a live fruit down low and/or inside the plants, that was protected from the cold. There are very few if any of those.
Flowers — The zinnias had made a beautiful new round of blooms with the rain and heat, but also got killed by the frost.
Kale and probably spinach will be available for U-pick after the storage share, assuming they’re not too covered in snow yet.
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 $1.50 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
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette
1 pound Brussels sprouts (about 4 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Soak the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl of water for 10 minutes; drain.
Spread the Brussels sprouts in a large baking dish and drizzle them with olive oil.
In a large bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, garlic, and mustard; mix well.
Pour the vinaigrette over the sprouts.
Add the water to the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake until the Brussels Sprouts are tender-firm, 30 to 45 minutes.
Chipotle Sweet Potato Gratin
3 pounds sweet potatoes, sliced into very thin rounds
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 teaspoons pureed chipotle in adobo sauce (canned)
1 1/3 cup grated queso blanco, divided
Boil sweet potatoes in a large pot of water until barely tender, about 5 minutes.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium flame, add onions, and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 8 minutes.
Stir in flour, then slowly whisk in milk and half-and-half; cook until thickened.
Add salt, pepper, and chipotle.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup grated cheese.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan.
Layer 1/4 of the sweet potatoes in the dish, sprinkle lightly with some salt, and pour 1/4 of the sauce over this first layer.
Continue layering this way until all potatoes and sauce are used.
Top with remaining grated cheese and bake until browned and bubbly, 35-45 minutes.
Serves 6-8.
