We know with school just around the corner, many of you are thinking about fall. Over here, we’ve skipped straight to thinking about winter. Winter CSA shares to be more specific. If you haven’t already, now is the time to sign up for your winter CSA share! It’s a monthly delivery, for 6 months (November- April). Your box is filled with all the classic storage crops: cabbage, beets, garlic, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, and rutabagas with a few extras on either end of the season like greens mix and celery. It’s a great way to keep getting farm fresh veggies throughout the colder months. You can sign up via this link that will take you directly to the CSA Shares page on our website, or you can log into your CSAware account and purchase a share that way. Please note that in the Winter, we offer more than one type of share. You might want to read through the descriptions to see if a half share, full share, or picky eater share is best for you.

This time of year on the farm is what I think of as “cruising altitude”. We spent all spring seeding, potting, planting, repeat. This happened over and over for weeks. Then we continue doing that while also beginning to harvest things. This is a little chaotic at times while we navigate all the moving pieces to ensure everything gets done.

Once October and November hit, we will be racing mother nature to ensure everything gets out of the field before the ground freezes or snow falls. This is one of my favorite times of year! You get to see all your hard work, packed into pallet boxes, and tucked away for the winter months. It’s non-stop motion, but it’s also really fun in its own way.

Before we get to the chaos of fall harvest, we sit in “cruising altitude”. There aren’t any new plants to get in the ground. We aren’t trying to juggle three schedules at once. Our crew has gotten into a rythmn with daily harvesting. Everyone knows how to harvest their crop, and is knowledgable about it. It feels like all the pieces have fallen into place. Our tray tables are down, our headphones are in, and we are cruising to fall harvest!

In your box this week:

Carrots – Green Beans – Onions – Garlic – Lettuce – Dill – Cilantro – Celery – Canteloupe – Bell Peppers – Zucchini – Tomatoes

Most of us eat our melons on their own. If you’re looking to spice it up a little, this Cucumber and melon salad is a great way to do that. It mixes the sweet melon with crunchy cucumber and spicy arugula. So many wonderful flavors and textures! If you aren’t a fan of arugula, you could swap it out for some of the lettuce in this week’s box.

If you’re looking for a quick side dish this week, check out these Roasted Green Beans. They have so many savory flavors going on thanks to the garlic, pine nuts, dijon, and cheese. This is also a wonderful way to use up some basil if you still have some leftover from last week.

This salad is the perfect bridge between Summer and Fall. The crisp celery, fresh herbs, and briny olives are perfect for a summer day. The anise flavor of fennel, and the toasted walnuts, bring in those cozy autmn flavors. This would be wonderful paired with chicken or white fish.