We want to remind all of you that our farm open house is this Saturday, September 26th from 10am-noon. So far, it looks like the weather will be beautiful. Come say hi to your favorite local farmers, enjoy some treats from down the road in Wrenshall, and take a tour of this amazing place. We love it out here, and can’t wait to show it off to all of you!

I can’t believe Tuesday marks the first official day of Fall, and we only have two more weeks of Summer boxes after this. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday we were standing around the greenhouse, starting the first seeds of the season. I can’t believe everything our crew has accomplished and grown in just a few months.

If this reminder about only two more weeks of Summer shares makes you sad, make sure you check out our Winter Share options. We still have a few boxes left, so sign up before they’re all sold out.

Our crew has been working hard to get all of our onions and shallots out of the field to start curing for winter storage. We only have a few beds of shallots left, then we can check that task off our to-do list.

That means this week will be spent getting more potatoes out of the field, and starting to get our pumpkins and squash out of the field. Some of the squash that we grow has a wetter stem. We have to trim these from the vines, and leave them out in the field to start drying out. If we cut them from the vine, and brought them straight into storage, they would add too much moisture to our squash curing room. We like to keep this room at very precise conditions so the squash stay fresh all winter long. Speaking of pumpkins, please take the pumpkin survey if you haven’t already! This lets us know if your family would like extras (so each kid can have one) or none at all.

We’ve spent the last few weeks cleaning up and “closing down” some of our greenhouses for the season. A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to a tunnel of basil. Last week was the final lettuce for the season, so we can start closing down that greenhouse. This week we will say goodbye to our cucumber plants, and begin closing down the greenhouse they were growing in. The process of “closing down” means that we take out any remaining plants, and clean up any debris that was left from the plants. Once things are cleaned up, we seed a cover crop of rye to begin adding more nutrients back into the soil. This cover crop will stay in the tunnels until next spring when we begin laying tarps down to kill the rye. It’s almost like a cozy blanket to tuck in the soil for its winter nap.

In your box this week:

Pole Beans – Carrots – Kale – Onions – Sweet Peppers – Jalapeno – Potatoes – Sunshine Squash – Delicata Squash – Tomatoes – Zucchini – Rosemary

I you want all the fall flavors in one bite, this Cider glazed squash toast is the recipe for you. It’s got roasted pecans, apple cider, winter squash, and warming spices. Finish that off with some salty cheese. Absolutely delicious! The recipe calls for butternut squash, but I think this recipe is actually better if you use the delicata that is in your box this week.

If you’re looking for something to do with your kale that isn’t another fall salad, try these kale chips. They’re tossed in a miso and soy sauce for a salty and umami packed bite. Then they’re baked in the oven to get extra crispy. The longest part of the whole process is waiting for these to bake in the oven. If you’re fortunate enough to have a dehydrator, it makes the process even easier!

We know that we give out a lot of jalapenos. Most of you love it, but some of you don’t know what to do with all of them. If you have a little stock pile of jalapenos in your fridge, try pickling them with this recipe. They’re meant to be made and go straight into the fridge, so no prior canning experience is necessary. Our jalapenos tend to pack a punch, so I like to add a little bit of sugar to this recipe to help balance out the heat. These are great used on top of eggs, tacos, or my personal favorite is putting them on pork lettuce wraps.