It was wonderful to see so many of you on Saturday at Harvest Fest! If you missed getting to see us and meet some of our crew, don’t worry, you’ll have another opportunity in a couple of weeks when we welcome all of you to the farm for our annual tour. We usually do this in late August, but this year our schedule worked better for Saturday, September 27th from 10-noon. We’d love to have you out for coffee, treats, and to show off all of our hard work!

There’s no denying the seasons are changing. The crew has been pulling out their hats, lined pants, and thick socks. In this area we’re used to chilly weather, but usually we get until later in September before we have to worry about frost. It’s also unusual this year because we generally have one cold day in September, but it jumps right back to 70s the next day. Having multiple cold, cloudy days in a row has been hard on our warm season crops. The cucumbers and zucchini have slowed down, but we know they’ll bounce back this week with some sun and warmth. Our melons are slowly trying to ripen. Usually at this time of year, the share boxes are HEAVY with melons. We also hope these will get back on track with the warmer weather this week because they were already way later than usual.

Thankfully most of our cool season veggies are un-phased, or even getting better, from the cold weather. We have a pretty full box this week and need to dig more carrots this week, but they’ll be back next week and for the duration of the season. This time of year is our prep time to work out any kinks, and make needed adjustments to our equipment before the big push in October. We recently got a conveyor belt to help us get squash and cabbage from the field, onto racks or pallet boxes on a trailer. In the past, we’ve thrown the vegetables up onto the trailer. It’s super fun, but not as efficient and pretty hard on the body when you do it for a few full days. Our crew is excited to test out the new conveyor belt in the coming weeks.

In your share this week:

Tomatoes – Leeks – Potatoes – Bell peppers – Jalapenos – Green Beans – Cucumbers – Onions – Zucchini

When most people hear about leeks, their mind immediately goes to potato and leek soup. While that is delicious, sometimes it’s nice to switch things up. If you’re looking to enjoy your leeks in a fun and new way, check out this steak salad recipe. It’s the perfect salad to bridge the gap between summer and fall, and it will use up lots of veggies from this week’s box.

If you’ve ever wanted to try pickling something but are too afraid of full on canning, or maybe you just want a new green bean recipe, check out these pickled green beans. It’s a simple recipe that will make a fun snack or side dish. It will only take about 40 minutes. The longest ( and hardest part) will be letting these sit in the fridge for a couple of days before digging in.