A huge thank you to all of you that came to our open house on Saturday. We loved getting to see so many of you. It was really fun getting to watch you and your families harvest and enjoy carrots fresh from the field. Nothing beats a farm fresh carrot…even if it does have a little dirt on it.

Thank you to everyone who signed up for a Winter Share. We are officially sold out for the 2026-2027 season! If you didn’t get a share, but still want our yummy veggies through the winter months, you can find our veggies at both Co-ops, and various Super Ones in the area. If you don’t want to cook, but still want to enjoy our veggies, you can also find our produce on the menu at various restaurants in Duluth. We have one more week left of the summer season and we’ll begin signups for 2027 in late January.

Our crew was hard at work clearing things from the field last week. We got all of our squash out of the field. Thanks to the conveyor belt we got last year, it was a faster task than normal. This meant we got all the squash out of the field in one day. It was a long and sore day, but we did it! Now the squash will sit in temperature controlled areas to begin the curing process.

Since we finished squash in one day, we had a little time this week to also harvest the rest of our first planting of potatoes. It’s been a hard year for our potatoes. We had the worst potato beetle invasion the farm has ever seen. Since we grow potatoes year after year, we always deal with some amount of the beetles. Usually it’s a manageable amount, especially if we can get to the plants before the eggs hatch. This year, the beetles showed up in such large numbers, our crew never had a chance of keeping up. We created different contraptions in an effort to remove the beetles. It helped, but not quite in time for our early crop. The beetles chewed through the foliage too quickly, and stunted the growth of the potatoes. This means that we will have less potatoes than normal, and they are smaller than we’re used to. If you’re a fan of baby potatoes, this is your year! Our ingenuity appeared to be much more effective for the fall crop, so hopefully those will size up better.

This time of year is always filled with a little bit of anxiety. We spend so long waiting and watching vegetables grow, only to find out they didn’t grow very well. Plants with the harvestable part above ground are much easier to keep tabs on. This time of year, most things are growing below ground, and we’re crossing our fingers that they’re doing great things that we can’t see. Usually they are, but sometimes things don’t work out how we hope.

In your box this week:

Arugula/Greens Mix – Carrots – Potatoes – Cucumbers – Tomatoes – Winter Squash – Pole Beans – Cabbage – Celery – Onions – Cilantro

The nights are getting cooler, and soup season is starting. This Coconut and cabbage soup is one of my favorites to make year round. It’s bright and refreshing from the cilantro, lime, and lemongrass. If you want to make this a heartier soup, try adding chicken, pork, or tofu. The recipe calls for napa cabbage, but I’ve made this with different varieties of cabbage and it’s good every time.

This grain and celery salad is a great way to use up this week’s clery. It’s crunchy, sweet, and tart. Great served fresh, or eaten as leftovers. I also like to play around with this recipe by changing out or adding veggies based on what I have in the house. A great addition to this would be some roasted winter squash.