CSA Week 18 (October 3-10, 2021) – We Say Good-Bye
CSA Newsletter Week 18
October 3-10, 2021 | “A” Week
Help us appreciate our farm crew! We’re created a way for CSA members to “Tip the Staff” by setting up a PayPal MoneyPool at www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/tipthestaff Give by October 31st.
What’s in the Veggie Box this Week?
HONEYNUT WINTER SQUASH (1) — These look like a little mini butternut squash, and they are the sweetest squash we grow! Store them properly in a cool, dark place. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. (Roast them!) These can be cut in half and steamed upside down in a sheet pan filled with water. Try roasting them or filling them with meat and goodies!
DELICATA WINTER SQUASH (2) — from Wayward Seed farm. These are oblong in shape with greenish stripes. Store them properly in a cool, dark place. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. (Roast them!) These can be cut in half and steamed upside down in a sheet pan filled with water. Try roasting them or filling them with meat and goodies! The skin is edible on these!
SWEET POTATOES (3 lb.) — from Mile Creek Farm. At last! The sweet potatoes are ready! Store these in a cool, dry place for up to 3 weeks. Before using, peel the skin. Then chop into desired size. You can boil, bake, roast, grill, or microwave. Try making fries!
RED CABBAGE — Store in a your fridge for up to 6 weeks. Before using peel away any limp leaves. Cut out the inner “heart” of the cabbage. Then shred for a salad. Add to cole slaw. Or steam or panfry.
BABY TURNIPS — Place roots in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash before using. Cut off the rootlet. Then cut into chunks to roast or steam or boil. These are also delicious raw in a salad or veggie tray with dip.
Watermelon radishes have a beautiful red/pink interior!
WATERMELON RADISHES (3) — These have a creamy light green skin and a bright pink interior — giving them their watermelon name. Use them like you would radishes. Because of their beautiful color, I think they make their best impression sliced raw in a salad. But you can also roast them or pickle them. These should be stored in your fridge in a bag, and will last for up to a month!
CARROTS – (Wayward Seed Farm) Store in the fridge in a plastic bag. Remove the tops as soon as you get them. Roast them. Grill them! Peeling is unnecessary.
SWEET SNACKING PEPPERS – Store in the fridge in a Green Bag! These are mini sweet peppers that are perfect for lunchboxes! Remove stem and inner seed core before eating.
CUT LETTUCE MIX (1/2 lb.) – Store this lettuce mix in your Debbie Meyer Green bag, unwashed, in your fridge, and try to use them within 4 days. Wash and spin dry before using..
YELLOW ONIONS – store these in a cool, dark place away from your onions and garlic. These are cured, so they should last for several weeks. Onion peels can be put into your freezer stock bag, as they are full of antioxidants. Chop onions to desired size and freeze them in Ziplocks for long-term storage too!
We’re celebrating “Early Bird Signup” this week by giving away a free 4-pack of Salami to 7 people who have renewed their shares. Sign up now to get a chance to win!
THIS WEEK’S ADD-ON SHARES:
It’s “A” week (for all our bi-weekly shares)
Fruit Share: Apple cider, HoneyCrisp, and Asian pears (Quarry Hill Orchard) and Jonagold Apples from Eshleman Orchard. NOTE: The Asian pears look like giant apples with a tan skin. You will only be getting 2, since they are in short supply. You may need to let these sit on the counter for a week to ripen. But they are supposed to be crisp and harder in texture.
Maddie & Bella Coffee: – Harvest Blend
Knueven Ice Cream: Apple Crisp
You’ll get your CSA Early Signing Bonus at your final pickup if you renew your share in time.
FINAL CSA PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS:
This week is your final CSA pickup. You will not be allowed to take home the actual plastic bin (for obvious reason). We will line each of the shares with a poly liner during pack night. At pickup, our crew will pull the bag from the CSA tote and place it right into your car! Please make sure you bring back all your CSA totes you may have collecting in your garage! We will need to inspect and inventory them all this fall (and try to find some more!!)
If you renewed your membership for 2022, you will receive your free jar of Brinery Sauerkraut at your final pickup site.
We’ll have lots of other fall veggies to sell you in our online store this fall. We’re scheduling 3 additional “Pop-Up Markets” — where you place your order, and we deliver it at a set location/time around town.
How to Get MORE Veggies in a Few Weeks
Three Pop-Up Markets Scheduled
This year, we’ll be offering a few chances to “boost” your pantry with our fall vegetables with an occasional pop-up online store offer. We’ll offer one at the end of October, another the weekend before Thanksgiving, and a final one in mid-December. These will be announced via email so you have plenty of time to get things organized.
You’ll have the chance to build your own cart of products. We’ll have sweet potatoes, potatoes, beets, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, watermelon radishes, winter squash, carrots, spinach, and hopefully more!
You’ll get an email from us in a few weeks with instructions to order in the online store! Until then!
This picture was taken early in the season… and I love the expression on Kurt’s face. It says, “Can I do this?…I hope so!” Coming to the end of the season, we can definitely say, “WE DID IT!”
FARMER KURT’S FIELD NOTES
How’s everyone doing?!!! It’s the final week of CSA boxes.
Are you ready for it to be done?
Corinna and I will be sad to see you go, but we’re also very ready for a break. Last year, we took our family on vacation to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon after the season was done. (We could do that because both boys were homeschooling). This year, with Jed at Woodmore, we’ll have to wait until Christmas to do our big trip. Our goal is to take 10 days over Christmas Break and fly to the West Coast to do some hiking in the Redwoods, visit some volcanoes, and see Corinna’s brother.
We have some GREAT news for next year! Thanks to all of your “early decisions” to renew for 2022, we sold 349 shares on the first day. We are almost 100% fully supported. We are confident that we’ll be sold out by the end of October (maybe even by October 10th!) This is more than we have EVER received, and we want to say THANK YOU for this incredible show of support from our farm-ily.
If you listened to our video on Facebook Friday night… we mistakenly announced that we had 9 shares left. Turns out, we did the math wrong! We have 25 left, which is still incredible at 93% full.
What does this mean for us as farmers?
Well, for one thing it puts us in a strong position financially, starting January 1st. Normally farmers have to take out loans (or budget REALLY well the year before) to make sure they have cash flow until the summer harvest comes in. But with all our spots sold, we can confidently budget and predict what our financial position is for every month. This financial security gives us major peace of mind. Corinna is also pumped because she doesn’t have to “worry” about doing a lot of sales and marketing during our off-season. She can concentrate on other projects this winter and homeschooling Josiah.
This is the root harvester. This tractor is the problem…
I’ve been spending all my waking hours trying to figure out how to harvest these huge daikon radishes. This is my first year planting such a huge crop of them for wholesale. Although I could harvest them by hand, I was hoping to use a mechanical harvester to get them out of the field. I rented a special piece of equipment that uses a belt system to “pinch” the greens on top and pull the root from the ground very slowly. Then the machine cuts the greens off and moves the root down a conveyer into the bulk bin.
Glen tries to hotwire some electronics to jury-rig a solution to our harvester problem.
The problem is that I don’t have the right tractor to pull this machine. The one I’m using isn’t working. I need a tractor that can go slow enough AND have enough hydraulic outputs to run this harvester. I have a buddy with a tractor that would be perfect… but he’s using it for the next 2 weeks. My cousin Bobby gave me a tractor to use, but the part that runs the outputs is missing some electrical parts. So Glen is trying to hot-wire an electric box from one of my OTHER tractors and put it on Bobby’s. With rain coming on Sunday, I really need to have these roots out of the ground. I’m beginning to doubt that I’ll get this figured out. I may have to wait 2 weeks before my buddy’s tractor becomes available.
Amanda harvests daikon radishes by hand last week before I got the mechanical harvester.
This week, my crew was pulling poly from the fields. We’ve cleaned out the pepper plants from both high tunnels, and pulled out all those burlap coffee bags from the beds. (I’m planning to reuse them next year). We also “cleaned” more onions using my fancy onion topper machine. I’m still pulling sweet corn for my parent’s roadside stand a couple times a week. It takes twice as long as normal because the ears are so much lower to the ground and there’s more worm/bird damage in the later crops. So you end up throwing half of it away. I’ll be glad when this chore is done for good.
Thanks to all of you who will show up to help harvest for the Pepper/Tomato Gleaning this weekend! I will be pulling tomato stakes and twine in the next 2 weeks, and chopping down the plants. It’s always hard to do that when I still see so much left on the plants! I feel better knowing that you guys got the final pickings, and that we can send a bunch of it to people at the Food Bank.
I was jack-hammering the concrete pad of my old red barn this week, and the area around my submersible well pump. My well keeps freezing up every winter, and it’s because it’s not insulated well enough. So I’m getting this fixed! I disturbed a huge ant colony in the barn in the process, which creeped out my boys!
Harley has been a “bad doggie” the last few days. We think she might be in heat right now.
Our dog has been going for adventures on our bike path. Last Tuesday, as I was leaving for Sylvania pickup, Tanya (who drives with me every week) points to the bike path ahead and says, “Is that your DOG?!…” Sure enough, here comes Harley running FROM Elmore towards the farm. Sigh. This has happened 3 times this week. I’m starting to lose face with my neighbors. We’ll definitely be doing some hard-core dog training with Harley once the CSA is over!
Our Freezer Challenge champion was Mollie Hojnicki! This was a winter squash ravioli filling.
My focus in the next few weeks will be to get all my beds cleaned up, get my cover crops in, plant next year’s garlic, and figure out these radishes. I want to be able to send Catalina and my crew home for the season by the end of October.
Speaking of the crew, Corinna and I need to make some definitive decisions about next season’s crew needs. So that we can have reliable labor next year, we’ve pretty much decided we are going to have to apply for a worker-visa program — known as the H2-A program. This is a pretty big financial investment for a small farm to take. We’ll need to hire a “recruiting firm” to manage the entire process of finding our workers, getting their paperwork, getting them over here, etc. It involves lots of paperwork, expensive fees, and inspections of facilities. H2-A workers must receive a set number of hours per week at a given rate (well-above minimum wage), as well as housing, transportation, and travel fees provided by the employer. We’ve got to crunch the numbers and see how many guys we can afford, and then see if we can get the work done with that many people. We need to move on this NOW, as the best guys are snatched up early.
John operates the onion topper. The debris lands below the machine and is swept away.
The biggest issue for us is the housing. Our house up front (where Catalina now lives) uses an old leach-field septic system, which would not pass inspection for this program. So we are looking at potentially having to replace and upgrade the septic system so that 3-4 guys could live in the house. This added cost is a major roadblock that we have to unravel, especially since the labor costs will be so much higher next year. We’re also exploring putting the guys up in our cousin Bobby’s housing — but still not sure if we’re allowed to do that. I’m talking with other farmers who have switched to H2-A, trying to learn as much as I can.
beautiful cabbages await the fall harvest…
We’ve also got cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, collards, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, winter squash, carrots, and watermelon radishes still out in the field to take care of until the first frost. We’ll offer a few pop-up markets every few weeks here, to keep you taken care of. The “Thanksgiving Share” will be a special “Fall Pop-Up market” the week before that holiday, so you can have some SLF vegetables on your table.
Have you heard? Corinna and I want to do a little something special for our farm crew. These guys and gals have been working under difficult circumstances this season and still finding a way to get it all done. (Even when I’m a stressed-out boss). If you’d like to make a donation to our “Tip the Staff” fund, Corinna has set something up on Paypal you can give to. We’ll surprise them with a nice envelope with their final paycheck.
Help us appreciate our farm crew! We’re created an optional “Tip the Staff” PayPal MoneyPool at www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/tipthestaff
Jed has officially applied for the Toledo Aviation School. He is going to get a tour with the principal at the end of October. We’ll hopefully know by Thanksgiving if he has been accepted. Please pray for this selection process for us. Jed really wants to get in.
Well, it’s time to sign off for another year. If you renewed your membership with us for 2022, a special thank you. And if this is good-bye to CSA, I want to say how much I appreciated the chance to grow for you. This year, our staff shortage made our season challenging to say the least. And yet, you stood by me. I want to say how very grateful I am for that show of support. We say good-bye with a firm handshake, and please know that my farm is always open to serve you again. And you are welcome to just buy from our online store each week.
We’ll keep in touch — I’m sure Corinna will do a monthly email to our CSA folks to keep you in the loop.
Until next year…
Farmer Kurt
Tara Baranowski crushed it with these freezer projects!
WEEK 18 ANNOUNCEMENTS
- THIS WEEK YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE THE FINAL CSA BIN HOME WITH YOU. The bags will be lined with a large plastic liner bag, so all we have to do is grab the bag out of the bin and put it in your car. Please bring ALL plastic totes, green hampers, wooden crates, egg boxes, etc. back this coming week. We will charge you $8 for any missing totes.
- As we wind things down on the farm, we will soon be saying good-bye to our amazing crew that has stood by us to the end! We have created a “TIP THE STAFF” MONEYPOOL on Paypal. If you feel led to make a donation to show your appreciation, we’ve set up a PayPal Money Pool here. You have until November 1st to contribute. There is NO obligation.
- WHEN DO I GET MY BONUS JAR OF SAUERKRAUT FROM THE BRINERY? If you renew your vegetable share before Tuesday, I will be able pass your bonus jar to you on your final week at pickup.
- Early Registration for next season’s CSA closes on Sunday, October 10, at11:59 PM. We have about 20 shares left as of publication. We do anticipate selling out by the end of October. Do not delay! You can register for next year in our online store: www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/store
- Flashlight Pumpkin Hunt is October 9th. See details below….
- The online store is closed this week for special orders, until the Early Bird CSA pre-sale is over.
RSVP FOR FLASHLIGHT PUMPKIN HUNT
October 9th, 2021, 7:30-9:15 PM | FREE FOR MEMBERS
Bring your kids to the farm for our annual “Flashlight Pumpkin Hunt.” How does it work? This is a kid-friendly event and it’s FREE for all CSA members. We hide 10 pumpkins around our house in the darkness. Each pumpkin is marked with reflective tape. You have to find all 10 pumpkins using your flashlight! It’s like Hide-and-Seek in the dark with pumpkins!
The hunt starts around 8 PM when it’s dark enough, and takes about 10 minutes! After the hunt, we have 2 campfires burning, and you’re welcome to set up your chairs and enjoy the fire. Bring some skewers to roast marshmallows. (We provide all the fixings for smores). And enjoy some donuts and cider on us! Kids can play on the swingset or sandbox or just run around our lawn!
Please RSVP at this link if you plan to attend so we can get enough food. You will be asked to tell me how many people are attending, as well as your email address so I can send you a reminder. In case of rain, high winds or other bad weather, this event will not be rescheduled.
Michelle Perkins-Cole wins 3rd place with her wrapped cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers for the Freezer Challenge.
WEEK 18 CSA RECIPES
Members: You can download these recipes here. These recipes are designed to inspire you to use your box this week! Please check inside our private Facebook group to find your fellow members sharing ideas for what to make with their box! Share a photo and you might be featured in next week’s newsletter!
Garlic Herb Chicken Sweet Potato Sheet Pan Meal
Roasted Squash with Sesame Seeds and Cumin
Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
Carrot, Radish and Ginger Salad
How to Roast a Squash (halved)
Savory Stuffed Honeynut Squash
Sausage & Apple Honeynut Squash
Curried Carrot Soup
Radish Hash Browns
Radish and Turnip Hash
Cabbage with White Beans, Turnip and Pecorino
Cabbage Apple Slaw with Honey Lime Dressing
Red Cabbage with Bacon and Apples
Asian Pear Crisp Coconut Ginger Recipe
Asian Pear Apple Pie