Oh my goodness, I can’t believe we are already here. This is officially the last week of our Summer CSA for 2026.
Seems like this day arrived just in time, because on Sunday night, Mother Nature decided she was done with warm weather and gave us our first hard frost. The first hard frost means that things are changing. No matter how much we want to hold on to Summer, mother nature has forced us to say goodbye to Summer crops. The last of the cucumbers were cleaned out of the greenhouse over the weekend. The zucchini, dill, and cilantro got tilled in on Friday. We said our final goodbyes to basil and tomatoes as well. It’s always sad to say goodbye, but all great things must eventually come to an end.
The Summer CSA might be over, but the end of the farming season is still far away. Our amazing crew will continue working through mid-November. Once the Summer CSA ends, it is non-stop harvest around the farm. We have fields and fields of beets, potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, parsnips, and cabbage to harvest still. The next month is also an important time for us to make sure everything is cleaned, sanitized, and organized for winter storage. This means cleaning and sanitizing pallet boxes, inventorying and ordering supplies, moving vegetables to their winter homes, and sorting vegetables between what will be sold for wholesale and what will be sent in Winter CSA shares. There’s a lot to do!
Once everything is harvested and the 2026 growing season is officially over, the farm will shift into winter mode. This means we will say goodbye to our seasonal staff. We have 3 year round employees who will continue working through the winter. They will bag and box up veggies for the Winter shares, and put together wholesale orders. It’s still a lot of work, but it’s much easier since everything is already harvested.
Before we say our final goodbye to Summer 2026, we need to say a massive thank you to all of our incredible volunteers. They continued showing up and working hard through rain, heat, and smoke to help us get all of our shares put together. We could not make our CSA happen without all of you. We also need to give a big thank you to all of our site hosts. We know it’s not always easy having a bunch of people coming and going from your homes and businesses, but we so appreciate you letting us use your space. Without our gracious site hosts, we would not be able to get our vegetables to all of you. Our final thank you of course goes to all of you, our members. Thank you for believing in and supporting your local farmers. This is a crazy and unpredictable industry. Having all of your support makes it easier to get through the day. We love knowing our vegetables will end up on the tables of people who appreciate them.
In your box this week:
Brussels Sprouts – Sweet Peppers – Jalapeno – Leeks – Red Potatoes – Pole Beans – Beets – Carrots – Garlic – Lavender – Onions – Spinach – Tomatoes – Sunshine and Delicata Squash
I know when most of us think of pancakes, we think sweet. Did you know they can also be savory? These pumpkin and spinach pancakes are one of my favorites for dinner or for breakfast. If you want, you can swap out the pumpkin puree for a puree of either the sunshine or delicata in your box. Just roast the squash, remove the skin, and blend. I like to top these with a garlic herb butter for even more flavor. Try topping with maple syrup for a sweet and salty combo.
If you want a fun appetizer for your fall parties, check out these brussels sprout skewers. They’re charred giving them even more great flavor. Paired with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce, what’s not to love.
