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Summer CSA Week 2, 2025

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Silly me, I thought it was safe to finally pack up the long underwear and winter hats! Clearly it was too soon because last week I was in the basement digging them back out. Thankfully it was a busy week to help keep us moving and warm. 

If you were around last summer, you know that we were lucky enough to recieve a grant that helped us purchase a caterpillar tunnel. We usually plant half of our tomatoes in a greenhouse, and half of our tomatoes outside in the field. We used the tunnel last year for an experiment to see how tomatoes would perform and taste if planted in outside fields, while being provided the environmental protections of a tunnel. It was an interesting experiment that provided us with surprising and delicious results. Like all good experiments, doing it once doesn’t provide sufficient evidence, so were trying it again this year. Our wonderful crew worked together a few weeks ago to take the tunnel down from last year’s field. Last week, we worked together again to put it up in its new home for the year. 

Putting the caterpillar tunnel back together in its new home

You might be wondering, why do all that work to move it? On the farm, we are strong believers in crop rotation. This means we don’t plant the same crop, in the same spot, two years in a row. Crop rotation is important because it allows for improved soil health, and better management of pests and diseases. Crop rotation is a simple way for us to minimize our pesticide and fertilizer usage. As an organic farm, we always do our best to find natural ways to help our plants. 

Thankfully this was the second time most of us have put the tunnel together, so it didn’t take nearly as long as it did last year. This left us with enough time to get our biggest brassica planting in the ground. Our 4th planting each year is by far the largest of our 7 brassica plantings. This one is over 12,000 plants! It includes 7 varieties of cabbage, our brussels sprouts, and 4 varieties of broccoli. The greenhouse now looks very empty without hundreds of trays of plants in it. That must mean it’s time for us to do another seeding to fill it all back up.

Jennifer and Michelle planting brassicas

This week looks like our rain gear is going to be put to the test. The vegetables will be so happy!

In your share this week:

Turnips – Lettuce – Green Onions – Pac Choi – Greens Mix – Rhubarb

If you aren’t a turnip lover because they’re too spicy, try roasting them with butter and honey (or maple syrup).I recommend quartering them, tossing in butter and honey, and roasting at 425° for about 15 minutes. I don’t have exact measurements because when it comes to butter and honey, I think it’s best to measure with your heart! This also works well on radishes if you are still searching for ways to use those up from last week.

Another great way to use up some veggies from this week (and any leftovers from last week) is with this Spring Salad With Pickled Vegetables. It’s light, bright, and fully customizable. Try using a different mix of greens, or pickling different vegetables for endless possibilities.

If you’re looking for a new way to use up some lettuce, give this Romaine Salsa Verde a try. Use this to top your favorite grilled protein such as steak, chicken, or shrimp. For a lighter option, use it as a spread on your next sandwich, or a dipping sauce for a black bean and sweet potato quesadilla.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

Summer CSA Week 1, 2025

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New, new, new…that seems to be the theme on the farm this year. Today marks the official start of a new season! The crew can’t wait to spend the next 18 weeks putting their sweat, joy, and sore muscles into harvesting incredible vegetables for all of you. We are so excited for our new members to join us, and so grateful to long term members for choosing to spend another summer with the farm. 

The crew planting the first round of potatoes

Speaking of our amazing crew, we welcomed back lots of familiar faces from last season, and added a few new ones to the mix. Joining the crew this year are Audrey and Lily. They’ve only been with us for a short time so far, but both of them have jumped in head first and are proving to be valuable additions to the crew. Twice a week we also welcome Elliot to the farm. Elliot is a student at UMD completing their summer internship with us. Part of the internship is helping take any extra produce from the farm, and bringing it to the Duluth Center for Women and Children. They use local produce to put together meal kit boxes for families as a way to ensure people have access to healthy foods, and help them gain confidence in cooking with local produce. We are so excited to add these three to our crew!

This year we are trying new varieties of a few veggies on the farm. Some things, such as our normal zucchini variety, have been discontinued, so we are trying two new varieties to see which one will be the new type we grow moving forward. Other things, such as lettuce, we are trying new varieties to see if we can find one that is not only beautiful and delicious, but can also fight off some common diseases that lettuce can get. We decided to go really crazy this year and grow something entirely new to us, baby bok choy! It’s everything you love about regular bok choy, just in a smaller size. We can’t wait for you to try it! We’re also trying out green garlic for the first time. This is garlic that we planted in the spring, so it didn’t go through cold snaps that separate it into cloves like normal garlic. Green Garlic is especially great because you can eat the whole thing like you would with a green onion. You can use it in recipes like you would with normal garlic.

The biggest new thing on the farm is our building expansion. Farmer Janaki wanted to share what’s been happening:

 “The root cellar expansion project has seen a lot of progress since my last update–there’s been a lot of dirtwork done, we just got the concrete finished last week, and the SIP panels are in production with a target delivery date of June 25th. That means we will have a lot to work around for the first 2 months of the season, but we’re looking forward to the project being underway!

In other news, the USDA grant funding has been re-approved, thankfully! As a result of the delays, costs are significantly higher than budgeted for, so we’re really grateful for the generous donations from members, thank you!!!”

Construction crew broke ground on the new expansion
Footings are poured and drainage is laid out
The slab is poured!

In your share this week:

Rhubarb – Spinach – Greens Mix – Radish – Lettuce – Pac Choi – Green Garlic

Rhubarb is most commonly used in desserts, but it’s also great in savory dishes. If you’re looking for a way to use up some rhubarb in a new way, this rhubarb and apricot barbecued chicken recipe from Taste of Home is a delicious combination of sweet, tart, and spicy.

If you are someone who loves the way sugar and rhubarb mix, might I suggest this delicious Vanilla Roasted Rhubarb French Toast recipe. Step one of the recipe is how to roast the rhubarb, so you can make this delicious combo again and again. Instead of French toast, add the topping to waffles, pancakes, mix it into muffins, the possibilities are almost endless.

Bok Choy and Pac Choi are the same vegetables, just with different spellings. This pasta recipe is a great way to use up this vegetable if you want a quick, easy, and delicious dinner, but don’t feel like doing much cooking.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

April Winter Share

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April is here…Spring is sort of here…and just like that, the Winter CSA season is officially over!

April is crunch time here on the farm. Janaki is finalizing our planting map so we know which crops are going in which fields. We are keeping a close eye on the extended forecast to know when it’s safe for us to begin planting out our cool weather crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. As of right now, it’s looking like these might get planted next week! Dave and Catherine have been busy in the greenhouse getting lots of seeds started. We have onions, brassicas, and greenhouse tomatoes all started and growing like crazy. Teri and I have been busy in the pack shed sending out the last remaining vegetables to our retail partners. We’ve also been organizing things, and putting away our winter items in preparation for Spring deep cleaning to start in the next few weeks.

Greens mix ready to harvest

Conversations are happening about when the new chicks will be arriving, we’re testing out new methods to hopefully streamline some of our pack shed processes, and we’re discussing and planning for farm improvements. Things never stop around here!

The next few weeks will be especially busy. We’ll start welcoming back crew members who spent their Winter off the farm, we’ll get to welcome a few new crew members, and the greenhouse will get even more full. We have plans to hopefully get brassicas in the ground next week, and onions by the end of the month. Green onions and carrots for early summer shares will get started in a high tunnel in the next few days. Another round of brassicas and outside tomatoes will get seeded today, and later successions really test the capacity of our germination chamber. Seed potatoes will be arriving the end of next week and will keep the crew busy for a few days as they cut and prep all of the potatoes for planting.

The busyness and excitement are felt all around the farm. We’re all ready to break out our Summer clothes, get our hands back in the dirt, and start soaking up some sunshine again. In order to enjoy all of these things, we must also say goodbye to slow mornings, enjoying our coffee while it’s hot, spending entire days in our pajamas, and saying, “We can deal with that later.” We also have to say goodbye to root vegetables and all the hard work that the 2024 crew put in to ensure we could have a bountiful and successful Winter CSA. I always imagine that this hello-but-goodbye-energy is why we try our best to get fresh greens mix in your last Winter CSA box. It’s the perfect way for us to say, “Thanks for enjoying all of our hard work from last year, now get ready for all the hard work and deliciousness of 2025.”

It’s important for us to always remember that we wouldn’t be able to do any of this without your support. Thank you for believing in us, and supporting us through the Winter. A huge thank you to all of our site hosts who kept the veggies safe and warm through the bitter cold. Thank you to all of our volunteers who bundled up every month to help lovingly pack each share. We’re sad to end the Winter CSA, but we hope to see all of you again next Winter…or in just a few weeks if you were lucky enough to snag a Summer Share before they sold out.

Our amazing packing crew boxing up the final Winter share

In your share this month:

Orange Carrots – Purple Carrots – Greens Mix – Rutabaga – Russet Potatoes

Yellow Potatoes – Baby Red Potatoes – Onions – Shallots – Garlic – Beets

This jalapeno popper potato salad from Happy Honey Kitchen Is a spicy take on a classic potato salad. It’s a great recipe for this month because you can use yellow potatoes, red potatoes, or both.

If you’re looking for a more adventurous way to eat your rutabaga this month, try out these tacos from Bon Appetit. The recipe tells you to top the tacos with a mix of kale and watercress. You could substitute some greens mix to further you use up things from your box this month.

If you aren’t ready for salads but need a creative way to use up your greens mix, try this quiche recipe. Your greens mix is delicious fresh or cooked up, so feel free to swap out the spinach or the chard, for greens mix.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

March Winter Share

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Before we get into what’s going on on the farm, we have a little reminder for you all. If you’ve been thinking about ordering a Summer Share but haven’t yet, we only have 15 left, so hurry before they’re gone!

Things around the farm have been heating up. Both literally and figuratively. 

In the packing shed, Catherine, Teri, and myself are still hard at work packing vegetables for our weekly retail and restaurant orders. The vegetable quantities are quickly dwindling, and we’re pretty much out of wholesale produce so what’s left is all for CSA members. Once the coolers empty out, the crew starts deep cleaning not only the coolers but the entire packing shed. It’s the perfect time for us to reset not only our spaces, but also our brains and bodies (by doing something other than bagging and boxing veggies for hours on end) to prepare for the growing season ahead. 

Last week we planted the first seeds of the 2025 season! Dave and Catherine planted greens mix in the greenhouse. This is a little sneak peak into your box next month. If all goes well, everyone will get their first taste of Spring with this tasty greens mix. The first round of the onions were seeded, and the trays got placed in the germination chamber. This week, we will be seeding round two of onions. The germination chamber is an enclosed shelving unit with a steam heater. Once seeds get planted in the trays, the trays get a light watering and are placed in the germination chamber where they will remain mostly undisturbed for a couple of days until the seed germinate, and the green tops start poking through the soil. The combination of heat and darkness help the seeds to germinate faster than if they were left at room temp, in the light. 

Dave adding water to the germination chamber to keep things warm and toasty

Once the seeds have germinated, and the green tops are visible, we move the trays out of the germination chamber so they can start receiving light. If the trays are kept in the germination chamber for too long, the plants will begin searching for a light source causing the plants to become tall and weak. Most people know this as having “leggy” plants. We try our best to avoid having leggy plants because it makes the plants weaker causing them to be more prone to breaking and falling over once they’re placed outside.

A portion of onion trays all packed into the germination chamber

Due to the large quantity of onions we plant, we generally move the trays of seedlings out onto tables in the greenhouse. This allows the plants to soak in all the beautiful sunshine we’ve been getting lately. It also protects them from the elements, and thanks to a wood burning stove, keeps them warm and toasty no matter the weather outside. The onion plants will continue growing and thriving in their little trays in the greenhouse until early May when we put them in the field. 

Did you know that the largest onion ever recorded weighed over 19 pounds! That’s an un-peel-ievably big onion. 

In your share this month:

Russet potatoes – Baby red potatoes – French Fingerling potatoes

Green Cabbage – Rutabaga – Onions – Parsnips – Red beets

Chioggia beets – Orange carrots – Purple carrots

This recipe from Vegan Richa is a fun way to use up any root veggies you might have. It uses bright spices, incorporates any root vegetables you want, and gets topped off with a bright lemon dressing. It’s perfect for those days when you want something light, but full of flavor. If you’ve been struggling to find a fun way to use your rutabaga, this would be a great recipe for it!

If you love cabbage rolls and just want some variety, or you’ve never made them before but want to try, check out these Asian pork cabbage rolls from From A Chef’s Kitchen. The recipe starts by walking you through two different ways to get the leaves off the head of cabbage. These delicious bundles are filled with a pork, rice, and veggie filling. Then they’re topped with a sweet and spicy sauce that adds a burst of flavor. They also freeze and reheat really well!

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

February Winter Share

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Happy February! January always feels like the longest month of the year to me, and those VERY cold days we had didn’t help. Now that February is here, the farming anticipation is growing (pun intended), and we are extra busy.

On February 19th your farmers will be coming to town for the “The Rutabaga Giveaway,” which somehow has become an annual event for us! This is a great opportunity to not only meet other Food Farm members, but also to meet Janaki, Annie, and other farm crew folks. It’s also a great way for friends or neighbors who are interested in being part of the farm to meet us and have their questions answered. We’re holding it this year at the Whole Foods Co-op’s Denfeld location from 4-7 pm. Back in November when we harvested Rutabagas, we set aside the largest ones just for this event. Even if you don’t want to socialize, you might want to come down just to see how big they are!

Drum roll please for the other exciting thing about February…it’s the last month before we start seeds for next year! By the time you are reading this, we are only three weeks away from starting onion seeds and beginning the 2025 growing season. We are all excited thinking about warm, sunny days ahead, but we also aren’t quite ready to give up our slow days of drinking coffee in front of the fireplace. 

This month is also conference season. Over the next few weeks, Janaki and some of the farm crew will be traveling to La Crosse and/or Madison for the opportunityto learn about new/different farming practices, meet other farmers, and reignite our excitement about farming before the season starts.

Now is the time to join in that excitement, because 2025 share sign ups are officially open! They tend to go fast, so sign up as soon as possible. You should have gotten an email letting you know sign ups are open, but if you didn’t, or you can’t find it, you can sign up by going to the Food Farm website. 

Finally, we are still looking for a couple of seasonal crew members to join us on the farm this summer and fall. More info is available here if you know of someone looking for good work with good folks! Thanks!

In your share this month:

Yellow, Red, and Baby Russet* Potatoes – Red Cabbage – Beets – Orange and Purple Carrots – Parsnips – Red and Yellow Onions – Delicata Squash – Garlic

*The baby russets are perfect for hashbrowns! See our instructions in last year’s newsletter.

I made these Korean Lentils from Crumbs & Caramel for dinner a few nights ago, and can’t get over how delicious it was. It’s an easy meal that gets a lot of color on the plate, and offers room for creativity with the vegetables you use. This is a great way to use some cabbage, and I highly recommend adding some shredded carrot as well.

Potatoes are a delicious and inexpensive way to make soups and chowders more filling. If you’re a meat lover, or you want to make this soup extra filling, ground sausage is a great addition to this meal. The yellow potatoes in your box this month are begging to be used in this Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder by Whip & Wander, and I’m going to add a some parsnips to it as well.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

January Winter Share

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Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and are enjoying all the fresh snow.

One of the big tasks over the holiday season at the farm is packing vegetables for our grocery store and restaurant partners. If you’ve recently visited one of the grocery stores in the area that stocks our produce, you may have noticed that our carrot bags have gotten an upgrade! We ran out of our old printed bags last spring and have been putting individual stickers on bags while we waited for the new batch of printed bags to arrive. The new bags are slightly wider to make them easier to pack, and we made the size of the label smaller so it’s easier to see the carrots, and we simplified the logo and color scheme to reduce printing costs. They also have ventilation holes throughout the bag so the carrots don’t get too wet inside. It was quite a process, with a lot of back and forth with printers, including a misprinted batch of 50,000 bags (yikes!), but the crew is excited to not have to do so much stickering.

Last month I mentioned we had started ordering seeds already. The next few months will be filled with more crop planning, research, and lots of learning. Last week, Janaki was talking with one of our seed reps to discuss a new variety of zucchini. A seed rep works for a supplier and their main goal is to sell seeds to farmers, but they also provide additional knowledge and support as well. Most large seed companies will also assign reps to only work in certain regions or states that way they can be extra knowledge about a farmer’s specific growing zone and conditions.

The variety of zucchini we have been growing for a while has been discontinued. This meant research to find a suitable replacement. Janaki mentioned to our Johnny’s Seed rep that we struggled with proper pollination last year. Our rep recommended a new variety that has better pollination rates especially early in the season when pollination rates are usually lowest. The rep then went one step further and also sent along information about how to enhance habitat for the specific pollinators that target zucchini.

We were worried that part of the poor pollination last year was due to the fact that all of the bees seemed to visit the melons we had planted in the same field, and skipped right over the zucchini. The information from our rep taught us that the honey bees visiting the melons are secondary pollinators of squash. The primary pollinators of Winter and Summer squash are squash bees, which are specifically attracted to squash. They live in tunnels at the base of the plants, they come out really early in the morning to collect pollen as soon as the flowers open, then they do the cutest thing of all, and take afternoon naps inside the flowers. The article gave us tons of info about the squash bees, how to protect them, and how to keep them coming back year after year. It is likely that the primary cause of poor pollination this season was the cool, wet start to the year, but hopefully the new seed variety and the information about squash bees, will improve our ability to cope with poor weather.

In your share this month:

Delicata Squash – Winter Sweet Squash – Rutabaga – Beets – Onions – Parsnips – Orange Carrots – Purple Carrots – Red Potatoes – Russet Potatoes

Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots

INGREDIENTS
4 medium carrots, diced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar                                                                                                                    1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp clear honey
4 pre-cooked beets, quartered
25g pumpkin seeds (optional)
handful fresh herbs, such as parsley or basil to serve

1 : Heat the oven to 180c/gas 4.In a bowl, toss together the carrots, vinegar, honey and olive oil. Spread on a baking tray, then roast for 30 minutes.
2 : Remove 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the beetroot to the tray and return to the oven. Once cooked, remove form the oven and leave to cool a little, then toss with the pumpkin seeds and herbs.

Rutabaga Fries

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine rutabaga fries with oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper on the prepared sheet pan, and toss until evenly coated. Arrange the rutabaga fries on the baking sheet in a single layer leaving space in between them. Bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping the rutabaga fries halfway through; until they are crisped on the outside and cooked through on the inside.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

December Winter Share

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Now is the time of year when most people are flipping through store catalogs in hopes of finding the perfect gift to give their loved ones this holiday season. If any of you were curious, I’m a Queen Bee tomato seed packet. It’s a one size fits most so should be pretty easy to find. Figured I’d throw in some farming humor to lighten the holiday stress.

Here on the farm, we’re also flipping through catalogs, making our lists and checking them twice. This is the time of year when seed companies send out their catalogs.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “it is way too early to start thinking about seeds,” the farm crew would agree with you! The arrival of the seed catalogs is always creates a mix of emotions, from the dread we feel when a favorite variety is discontinued to the excitement of trying new and improved varieties, but mostly we’re not ready to start thinking about it yet with the harvest season only a few weeks in the rearview mirror. Onions and shallots, the first crops to be seeded, won’t be started for another 3 months, but farming never takes a break, so here we are thinking about what new varieties can provide better flavor, quicker maturity, better production, more disease resistance, or better drought tolerance. All of these qualities help us provide quality and consistency to members, and we’re grateful to the seed breeders who help us out, even though we’re not quite ready to turn our minds to spring. 

Thankfully this isn’t our first rodeo. At this point, we have a pretty good idea of what vegetables, and more specifically which varieties, we will be growing next year. This makes it a lot easier for ordering types and quantities of seeds. Every year there are a few new (or new to us) varieties that we trial. Those take a little longer for us to order since we like to do more research on each of the varieties to see which one will be the best fit for what we need.

When we aren’t planning for next year, the farm crew is busy in the pack shed bagging and boxing vegetables for our retail orders, washing carrots, or finishing up various tasks to make sure the farm is ready for winter.

In your share this month:

Delicata and Kabocha squash – Green Cabbage – Chioggia Beets

Fingerling and Russet Potatoes – Red and Yellow Onions – Carrots – Garlic

Beet Salad

▢1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

▢1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine vinegar

▢2 teaspoons (10 ml) liquid honey or sugar

▢¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

▢2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, or use pistachio oil for a special treat

▢1 pound (450 g) Chioggia beets, peeled

▢¼ cup (40 g) thinly sliced red onion

▢4 cups (170 g) mixed salad greens

▢¼ cup (60 g) fresh crumbled goat cheese

▢2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

  • Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, honey (or sugar) and salt in a small bowl until honey is dissolved. Gradually pour in the oil and whisk to combine.
  • Shave the beets into ribbons with spiral slicer, or into thin discs with a mandoline or sharp knife.
  • Put the beets in a salad bowl with the onion and greens. Drizzle with enough dressing to coat, about 2 tablespoons, and toss together. Sprinkle the goat cheese and pistachios over the salad. Serve with additional dressing on the side.

Caramelized Squash

  • 4pounds winter squash, such as acorn, butternut, honey nut, kabocha or red kuri
  • 4medium shallots
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • ¼cup unsalted butter
  • ¾cup raw nuts, such as hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts, chopped
  • ½cup maple syrup
  • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1. Adjust oven rack to the lower-third position and heat to 425 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and any stringy bits. Cut each half into 3- to 4-inch wedges. Halve the shallots lengthwise through the roots, leaving the skin on.
  2. Toss together the squash, shallots and olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, toss once more and spread out the squash and shallots as much as possible. Roast until nicely browned and tender, 30 to 40 minutes total, flipping the squash and shallots after 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. While the squash roasts, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium. Add the nuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until the nuts have slightly darkened and smell very toasty, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup and cinnamon. (The toasted nuts may be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in a sealed container in the fridge. Reheat in a small saucepan over medium-low before serving.)
  4. Arrange the squash and shallots on a platter or large plate and spoon the toasted nuts and their syrup on top.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

November Winter Share

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We love seeing our fields all tucked in with cover crops for the winter!

Welcome to all of our new members, and welcome back to our returning members. We’re so excited you have chosen to spend your Winter receiving the best veggies in town!

Boy oh boy has it been busy around the farm! I know I said that a lot this year, but this time I really mean it. November marks the busiest time of year here. Our Summer CSA season ended about a month ago, and since then, the farm crew has been hard at work. We said goodbye to all of the tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, and some herbs in the greenhouses. Rye got planted in their place to begin putting nutrients back into the soil to prepare it for next spring. We packed up and stored the last of the peppers and kale before we said a final goodbye to those plants as well. We got the 2025 garlic separated, planted, and covered with rye straw to keep it cozy through the winter. We moved onions and winter squash to their more temperature controlled, winter homes in the pack shed. Then we got to harvesting.

It has been all hands on deck, non-stop work, to get everything out of the field. Potatoes, cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, and parsnips are all out of the field and crammed into the root cellar for storage. We emptied out the very last greenhouse with the harvest of lettuce and celery for the share boxes. The only things left in the field are rutabaga and daikon radishes. We need to make a little room in the root cellar first so we have space to put them. A wonderful and terrible problem to have. This time of year, our root cellars are filled floor to ceiling, wall to wall with pallet boxes of vegetables. It’s an amazing sight to see. It’s one of my favorite things to stand in the cooler and look around at all the boxes filled with vegetables that we lovingly (and reluctantly) seeded, planted, transplanted, weeded, thinned, hoed, watered, stressed over, and harvested. It’s a year’s-worth of hard work all packed and stacked into massive pallet boxes.

…and the crops all tucked into the cellar for storage!

The hard work doesn’t stop there. Once we get the last of the veggies out of the ground, we hope to take advantage of this nicer weather to get some various projects done around the farm, and clean up some last minute things before the snow starts piling up.

If I had to sum up this share box in two words it would be: Large and Lush. You’ll probably agree with this when you look inside. Thanks to all the rain this year, the carrots are HUGE! In early October, Janaki mowed off the top greenery of the plants in hopes the carrots would stop growing. The carrots didn’t seem to understand, and we harvested really large carrots. They’re still just as tasty as normal, but now, you don’t have to wash and cut as many for dinner. Win! Our friends over at Spirit Creek agreed to take the largest carrots, and a whole pallet box of super large beets as well. This means we can attempt to give you all normal-ish sized food. The weather was perfect for growing lettuce, so you all got one beautiful and lush head of lettuce. It is sturdy and tasty. If you’re not quite ready for cold and snow, this lettuce is the perfect time to make one last Summer salad. The only thing that isn’t large and lush is the celery. This got a slow start, so it’s smaller than the celery we normally send. The smaller size makes it more tender and less stringy. If you aren’t a fan of celery and don’t know what to do with it, did you know it’s a great treat for dogs? The fibers help to clean their teeth, it works to freshen their breath, and the high water content is hydrating. Around our house, we freeze the stalks so the dogs can’t chew through them as fast. Local produce can be fun and tasty for the whole family!

In your share this month:

Yellow Potatoes – Red Potatoes – Delicata Squash – Sunshine Squash – Beets

Carrots – Celery – Lettuce – Onions – Brussels Sprouts – Thyme – Rosemary

Persian Celery Stew

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 can of butter beans or kidney beans
  • 1 tsp of turmeric
  • 1 bunch of celery stalks (around 6-8 stalks) chopped into 3cm pieces
  • 250g of chopped parsley
  • 50g of chopped fresh mint or 2.5 tbsp of dried mint
  • 130ml juice of lime
  • ½ tsp of saffron dissolved in ¼ cup of boiling water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • Vegetable oil of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 3 tbsp of vegetable olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped mint and parsley and fry for around 10-15 minutes until herbs start getting dark and release their aroma. Add more oil if necessary. The darker the colour, the better the flavour will be.

2. In a separate pot, fry the sliced onion in 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. When translucent, add 1 tsp of turmeric. Then add the garlic and celery pieces and saute for another 5 minutes on medium heat.

3. Add in the butter beans and sauteed herbs and cook for about a minute further.

4. Add in 3 cups of boiling water, followed by the stock cube, lime juice, saffron water, salt, pepper, and cover and cook for at least 45 minutes-1 hour on a very low heat.

5. Make sure it is not completely dry, we want the juice! Add more salt to taste.

6. Serve hot with steamed basmati rice and vegan yoghurt!

Carrot Tahini Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 5-6 large carrots (about 3 lb. or 1200 g.), chopped
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • ~ 7 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 2/3 to 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/1 tbsp. Italian seasoning herbs
  • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder
  • 1/4 cup (or a bit more) tahini + more for garnish
  • sesame seeds, lightly toasted, for serving(optional)
  • fresh thyme, for serving (optional)

Directions

  • In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions with garlics, 5-7 min, until aromatic and translucent. Add the carrots and cook them for 5 minutes until start to lightly brown.
  • Add the water or broth to the pot along with the ginger juice, seasonings, and maple syrup (if using). Simmer at low-medium heat, covered and skimming the scum (if any appear) for about 12-15 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
  • At the end, stir in the tahini and off heat.  Let it cool a bit until easy to handle. Using an immersion blender, process until smooth. If the soup is too thick to your liking, add a little of hot water or broth. Try and adjust the seasoning (or maybe even more tahini!) if necessary. When serving, drizzle with extra tahini and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Slaw

Ingredients

For the dressing:

  • 1/2 medium red onion
  • 1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the salad:

  • 1.5 pounds shredded brussels sprouts
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley
  • 3/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the dressing:

  1. Finely chop 1/2 medium red onion and add to a large bowl. Whisk in 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Let sit for at least 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. Meanwhile, prepare the salad.

Make the salad:

  1. Shred the brussels sprouts. Pick the leaves from 1 bunch fresh parsley and coarsely chop until you have 2/3 cup.
  2. Add the shredded brussels sprouts, chopped fresh parsley leaves, 3/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds, and 3/4 cup dried cranberries to the dressing. Toss to combine. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper as needed.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

Summer CSA Week 18

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Today marks the final Summer CSA delivery.  We are sad to see this part of our season come to a close, but what a wonderful season it has been. This year has been filled with seeding, planting, harvesting, learning, laughing, and gratitude. 

Our Farm crew shows up and works incredibly hard every day, but as the saying goes, many hands make light work. On Mondays and Thursdays we are grateful for our wonderful volunteers that help to lighten the load. This year we had quite the list of volunteers come out to help–if you braved the weather to come bag vegetables, harvest, weigh items, fill boxes, wash veggies, or cheer us on while we did those things, we appreciate you and your time more than words could express! Our CSA deliveries also wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful site hosts. Thank you to all of you who allowed us to use space at your home or business. This allows us to get local veggies onto the plates of more families by making pick up locations closer to their homes. 

Today may end the CSA season, but it doesn’t end the farming season. These next 3 weeks are crunch time for us. We still have lots of veggies in the field that can handle a light frost ( and remember from last week, some of them even taste better), but too much frost can damage the crops. We also had a hard start to the growing season with how wet this spring was, so the longer we can let the plants grow, the better.

We will start the harvesting with things that shouldn’t get too cold such as potatoes and brussels sprouts. We will finish the harvest with our most cold hardy vegetables such as carrots and parsnips. By the end of October, all of the fields will be empty and everything that shows up on grocery store shelves, or in the Winter CSA boxes has been carefully stored over many months. Vegetables can last for a very long time if they are properly stored. We are grateful for our root cellar that will soon get packed from floor to ceiling with vegetables. This year was finally time to admit that we might be growing more vegetables than we have storage for. Janaki applied for, and got approved for a grant that will allow us to expand our cold storage area. By the end of the project, we will have increased our cold storage by over 50%, and give us a bit more space to wash and pack those veggies as well. If the mild weather continues, the plan is to get the footings in place before snow flies. The rest of the project will have to wait until Spring, so check back for more updates. 

Another fun project we have in the works is adding another well. Up to this point, we’ve been using our household well to irrigate all of our greenhouses and tunnels, as well as a few of the smaller fields that don’t fit our larger irrigation equipment. This has required a careful dance to make sure everything gets watered and we still have pressure to wash and pack everything we need to. We hired a crew to come out a few weeks ago and dig the new well, and they’ll be coming back soon to install the pump and run new pipe to connect the buildings. We’re looking forward to having easy access and enough water pressure to provide water to the greenhouses, pack shed, and maybe even run a load of laundry at the same time.

Once November hits, we say goodbye to most of our summer crew. A couple people will stay on to fill retail orders, box Winter shares, wash vegetables (there isn’t always enough time to harvest and wash before the season ends) and do various tasks over the winter. The Summer crew will rejoin in late April or early May to start the cleaning process and take everything out of storage so we can do this all over again next year. 

Before we end this last newsletter, we need to say a big thank you to all of you. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for being here with us through the twists and turns. Farming isn’t easy. We give up a lot of control to mother nature, and hope things work out how we want them to…and sometimes they do! Having your support makes the challenges a little easier. Thank you for putting your trust in us, for supporting your local farmers, and for allowing us to wake up each day and do what we love. We hope to see you all again next year!

In your share this week:

Arugula – Northeaster Beans – Beets – Brussels Sprouts – Cabbage – Carrots – Cucumbers – Lettuce – Onions – Peppers – Potatoes – Winter Squash – Tomatoes –

Egyptian red lentil soup

One large onion, chopped

One carrot finely chopped

4 to 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups split red lentils

8 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

One good pinch, hot pepper flakes

Juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Soften the onion, carrot and garlic in the olive oil in a large pan over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the lentils in stock to the pan bring to boil and skim off the foam that forms on the top simmer for 20 to 40 minutes until the lentils have disintegrated.  Stir in the spices and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for five minutes more – if the soup needs thinning, add water and bring to boil again.

Winter Salad

For the Salad:

  • 6 oz. shredded kale
  • 1/2 small lemon, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 oz. shredded vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots
  • 2 medium apples, cored and diced
  • 1 1/2 c. candied pecans
  • 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
  • 1 1/2 c. roasted winter squash
  • 1/2 c. pomegranate arils

For the Dressing:

  • 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
  • 4 tsp. whole grain or dijon mustard
  • 4 tsp. pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

  • Place the shredded kale in a very large salad bowl. Add the lemon juice and oil. Use your hands to massage the lemon juice and oil into the greens, about a minute or so. The greens should wilt slightly and take on a deep green color.
  • Add the other shredded vegetables to the bowl as well as the chopped apple.
  • Make the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and then pour it over the salad. Toss well to combine.
  • Add the pecans, goat cheese, squash, and pomegranate arils on top. Serve.

For the farm crew,

Jennifer

Summer CSA Week 17

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Last week was all about garlic and squash. 

The end of September marks garlic sorting time. This is when a few lucky crew members get to sort through each of the garlic bulbs to decide if they will be used as seed garlic, or if they will be sent to shares or sold. Last year we planted over 6,700 cloves of garlic. Every clove that you plant gets turned into a bulb that you harvest. That means over 6,700 bulbs of garlic were sorted one by one. We look at each bulb to see how many cloves it contains, the size of the cloves, and the overall appearance of the bulb. When looking for garlic that will be used as seed for this year, we look for bulbs that have 4,5, or 6 cloves in it. Any more or less and the bulb gets sent directly to the shares/sell pile. Once we’ve counted the cloves, we look at the size of each clove. We want the largest cloves that we can find. This is for 3 main reasons: 1) larger cloves have more energy in them to help the plant gets started. We don’t want the plants struggling and stressed from the very beginning. 2) larger cloves produce a stronger root system early in the growing season. This can improve their ability to access water and nutrients from the very beginning. 3) larger cloves are more resistant to frost. This allows them to better withstand our cold Minnesota winters, and it helps them recover more quickly if they do get a little too cold. For those reasons, anything with small cloves will get put in the shares/sell pile. 

As we’re looking at the size of the cloves, it’s also important to make sure that we are choosing bulbs with similarly sized cloves. If they are all different sizes, they have the potential to grow and mature at different rates. Since we are growing such a large amount, making sure everything is growing and maturing at the same rate is very important. 

The final inspection is the overall look of the bulb. We look for any signs of disease, internal mold, improper drying, and any other abnormalities. These all get pulled out and set aside for further inspection. planting bulbs with any of these “imperfections” could result in the cloves not germinating, or in them spreading disease to the soil and/or other garlic plants. We always prefer to be cautious and not chance it. 

Once we have all our garlic separated into the two piles, we then do the math to figure out how many cloves we will need for planting. We figure out the length of the fields, how many beds we plan to plant, how far apart each clove will get planted, and possible increase or decrease in crop yield. I say we as if all of us are doing this math, but in actuality, Janaki does all of this math for us so only one person has to hurt their brain crunching all the numbers. Thanks to all of your interest in our garlic preserving shares this year, and the fact that we are planning to plant on a longer field than last year, we increased our seed number by 15%. This means at the end of October, the crew will hand plant over 7,700 cloves of garlic. Anything not deemed seed quality, got set aside to be sent as preserving shares or will be saved for winter share deliveries. In past years we’ve also sold a fair amount to restaurants and other local outlets, but this year that’s not possible because we’re saving extra seed. 

As the same time garlic sorting was happening, the rest of the crew was out getting all the winter squash from the fields. This meant clipping, throwing, stacking, loading, unloading, counting, and organizing thousands of squash. This is a long process because 1) it’s a lot of squash! 2) the Squash are split into different fields. One is on the main part of the farm, and the other is across the road. We had all the delicata, acorn, and some sunshine squash on the main part of the farm. The delicata made up the majority of this field since it’s the squash we will send with every winter share until we run out. This is also the popular seller to local businesses, and a favorite for most of the farm crew, so we plant quite a bit. Across the road was the rest of the sunshine, the kabocha, and all of the pumpkins. 

It was a lot of work, but we got all the Squash and pumpkins out of the field by the end of the work day on Friday. Now we begin the curing process for most of the squash so they will stay fresh through the winter months. As for the pumpkins, those get to go home with all of you this week! As you’re carving your pumpkins, feel free to share these fun facts:

-the first vegetable to be carved into a Jack o’lantern was actually a turnip

– Pumpkins need honey bees to pollinate their flowers. The more honey bee visits a flower gets, the more perfect the pumpkin will be

– pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica

In your share this week:

Hot Peppers – Red Peppers – Northeaster Pole Beans – Basil – Carrots – Celery

Onion – Potatoes – Rutabaga – Spinach – Winter Squash – Tomatoes

Salade Nicoise 

3-5 medium potatoes

1 cup your favorite vinaigrette (mustard vinaigrette is delicious for this!)

3 cups fresh green beans (cut the Nor’easters on the diagonal)

1 head butter lettuce or spinach

3 ripe tomatoes, quartered

1 cap of canned tuna (optional)

3 hard boiled eggs, halved

1/2 cup Mediterranean style olives

Fresh herbs

Boil potatoes until just tender.  Drain and rinse in cold water and slip off the skins.  While still warm, cut into 1/8″ slices and gently toss with about 1/3 cup of the dressing.  Just before serving, toss greens with vinaigrette and arrange on a platter.  Arrange all the other ingredients in clusters around the platter, drizzling on the remaining vinaigrette.  Dress the salad with the fresh herbs and serve.

NOTE:  you can add any veggie to this salad– carrots, celery, and peppers add depth and color

Rutabaga Hash

  • 22 ounces rutabaga, peeled and diced (about 1 large rutabaga)
  • 6 ounces green cabbage, chopped (about half a head of green cabbage)
  • 1 leek, cut into strips (white parts only, green stems removed)
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or any cooking oil or butter)
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper 
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 
  • 8 ounces bacon, cut into pieces
  • basil for garnish

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F. Add avocado oil, followed by rutabaga, cabbage, leeks, and bacon to the cast iron skillet.
  • Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Mix until well combined.
  • Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, then take the veggies out, and mix around before returning to oven for another 20-30 minutes, because you want all the vegetables to get a little crisp on them.
  • Finally, garnish with basil if you want, then eat!

For the farm crew, 

Jennifer