This week is always so bittersweet. On one hand we are all filled with a little bit of sadness. I have no idea how we got here already. This season seemed to fly by. I can’t believe we are on our final week of the Summer CSA season. On the other hand, our crew and volunteers have worked so hard these last 18 weeks to produce some of the fullest, heaviest, and most beautiful boxes I’ve ever seen. It is time that our volunteers get some well earned rest, and that our crew gets two more days each week to focus on harvesting the rest of our storage veggies from the fields.

If you’re new here, or didn’t already know, our farm crew is small but mighty. We have 8 full time employees who work so incredibly hard from mid May- mid November, to get everything from seed to harvest, and make sure the plants stay alive and healthy in between. The work that our crew does in only 6 months is incredible! The crew always works so hard, but sometimes they need a little extra help to make sure all the boxes get filled and delivered on time. That’s when our amazing volunteers step in and help out. We will never be able to thank our volunteers enough for all the time they give us! They showed up in extreme heat, crazy wind, rain, cold, you name it, they were here. All of these people have their own lives, and some of them even have other jobs, but they always made time in their schedule to be here when the farm needed them.

This year we wanted to highlight a special volunteer duo, Rollie and Tracy. This year is a big year for these two because it marks 30 years of volunteering on the farm. How incredible is that! Rollie and Tracy heard about the farm in the very early days of Harvest Fest. As soon as Tracy heard about us, she said “Yes!”, and they’ve been here ever since. Obviously a lot has changed on the farm in the last 30 years. The two of them miss when the farm used to have fresh chickens and turkeys. When turkeys were around, the majority of their Thanksgiving meal was made using items from the farm. They’ve had the pleasure of watching crew members, and Fisher-Merrit family members grow up, get married, and start families of their own. It was fun to hear Rollie talk about how packing used to be taking each vegetable to a stationary box. Now, the vegetables are stationary, and the boxes come to you in more of an assembly line fashion. Rollie was skeptical of the new method at first, but can now admit, he can’t believe it used to be done the old way.

Tracy is a full-time teacher during the school year, and loves getting to come home and smell what’s in each week’s box. It’s a fun surprise at the end of the day. Her favorite items in the box are peas, cauliflower, garlic, and tomatoes. She loves to can, so they also get some preserving shares to keep the delicious flavor going all Winter long. Rollie loves whatever Tracy cooks up from the box, but he gets most excited when potatoes show up. They admit that they love to garden, but aren’t great at it, so having local produce close by keeps them coming back year after year. We love having them around, so it’s a win-win!

Rollie and Tracy have also been long time site hosts. Agreeing to have boxes dropped off on your front step each week, tracking people down when they forget to grab their box, or take the wrong thing, and keeping an eye on the produce to make sure it stays fresh in the elements, that’s a big task. We are so grateful to all of our site hosts. We could not reach all the people we do without you. Thank you!

For the rest of the season, the crew will race mother nature to get all of the produce out for the fields before it gets too cold. With the end of our Summer season, we will also begin clearing out all of our greenhouses, so we can seed cover crops and let the soil rest before next year. We have lots to do, but our crew is ready for the challenge.

If you’re feeling really sad about the end of the CSA season because you’re not ready to say goodbye to delicious produce, there’s still time to sign up for a winter share. It’s filled with root vegetables, garlic, onions, shallots, squash, and some fresh greens to begin and end the Winter season. you can find the sign up on the Food Farm’s website. If you’re missing just one or two items (like our delicious carrots and potatoes), you can always find our produce at both Co-ops, Mount Royal, and a few Super One locations around the area.

One last thank you to all of our volunteers and site hosts. What we do wouldn’t be possible without your help. Our biggest thank you must go to all of you, our members. Thank you for believing in us. Believing that no matter what showed up in your box, that it would be delicious and grown with love. Thank you for coming out to visit us at events, and see all the hard work our crew has been doing. Thank you for endlessly supporting us and cheering us on even when the farming season and mother nature may not have gone our way. We will miss you, but can’t wait to do this all again next Summer.

In your share this week:

Tomatoes – Cucumbers – Zucchini – Brussels Sprouts – Leeks – Rutabaga – Potatoes – Arugula – Pole Beans – Broccoli – Beets – Carrots – Onions – Red Peppers – Spinach – Winter Squash

Brussels sprouts and leeks pair so well together. They’re creamy, crunchy, and down right delicious. This recipe for Brussels Sprouts and Leeks is one of my go to recipes. Often times recipes for brussels sprouts or leeks tend to heavy, but sometimes I want something a little lighter and brighter. This recipe is perfect for that. The veggies get mixed with lime juice and fresh ginger to help lighten the flavor. This goes great with fish, pork chops, or a spicy soy glazed tofu.

Arugula packs a peppery bite. It’s a great topping for pizza, salads, sandwiches, or can be added like any other green to pastas. With apples being in season, this Harvest Apple Arugula Salad is perfect. The apple and cranberries will add a touch of sweetness to better balance the peppery taste of the arugula. This recipe calls for sweet potato, but try swapping that for some of the winter squash in your box this week.