Week 13 CSA Farm Newsletter Sept 11-17, 2022

CSA Newsletter Week 13

Sept 11-17, 2022    |    “A” Week

Our CSA is an 18 week season.

Harley Bench, our farm dog, passed away this week.

What’s in the Box this Week?

DELICATA WINTER SQUASH ~ This winter squash is oblong and cream-colored with dark green stripes and flecks along its length. These squashes may have stems that were accidentally removed during harvest, so they will NOT cure well. That means they have a short shelf life! Try to eat them in the next 7 days. Store these in the fridge. To prep: To bake, slice in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, and place facedown on a cookie sheet. Add 1/2 inch of water to pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes until shells are soft and starting to collapse. Remove and fill with butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, seasoning or fillings. You can also just cut the squash into rounds and bake it. the skins of this squash are edible. To freeze: Simply cook squash and mash or puree it. Then pour it into ice cube trays or directly into Ziplocks and freeze

WHITE POTATOES (Mile Creek Farm) ~ Keep unwashed potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard. They will keep for two weeks at room temperature. Light turns them green, and proximity to onions causes them to sprout. Don’t put them in the refrigerator, as low temperatures convert the starch to sugars. To prep: Scrub well and cut off any sprouts or green skin. Peeling is a matter of preference. In soups, the skins may separate from the flesh and float in the broth, but when baked, pan- fried or roasted, the skins acquire a crisp, crunchy texture. To cook: Boil potatoes in water for 20-30 minutes until tender. If desired, mash them. Use potatoes in soups, hash browns, and salads. Roast sliced or whole small potatoes with fresh herbs, salt, and olive oil at 400 degrees until tender, about 20 minutes.

Corn polenta from Clara Eckel

CUTTING CELERY ~ This herb looks a lot like parsley, but it has a strong celery flavor! To store: For short-term storage, stand upright in a container with an inch of water. Then cover the herbs loosely with a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. To prep: Chop the leaves and stem before cooking. The stem can be used to flavor soups and stews too. To dry: Place a piece of paper towel on a glass plate. Layer the celery greens evenly around the plate being sure not to overlap. Cover with another piece of paper towel. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Leaves will be dry. Crinkle them with your finger and place them in a dry container, such as a Mason jar with a lid. You can also dry them in a low-temperature oven. Or use the tops of the celery leaves for making celery salt.

BROCCOLI (1 head) ~ Wrap broccoli loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Store for a week.  To prep: For organic broccoli, soak head upside down in cold salted water (1 teaspoon salt to 8 cups of water) for 30 minutes to remove any hidden field worms. Any critters will float to the top. You can eat the stalks, leaves, and head of broccoli. Break the head into florets of desired size. Then use a peeler or paring knife to cut the tough skin off the broccoli stalk, and cut into equal size pieces. The stalks will require a few extra minutes of cooking time. To freeze: Cut into florets. Blanch in boiling water for three minutes or steam for five minutes. Remove and dunk in ice water for 5 minutes. Drain. Individually quick freeze broccoli on a parchment-lined tray and then package into air-tight freezer bags.

Amaranth Pasta with Chicken Sausage!

GROUND CHERRIES (1 pint) ~ Husk cherries, also commonly referred to as ground cherries or husk tomatoes, are small pale orange fruits wrapped in a crinkly, paper-like husk. They look a little bit like small tomatillos. Their flavor is a cross between a tomato and a pineapple. To store:  Store in their husks in a paper bag in the refrigerator for seven days. To prep: Remove the husks and rinse the fruits before preparing. To use: Mixed with berries, they make a great addition to desserts. You can also make a preserve out of them. Add with jalapenos and cilantro for a great salsa variation. And you can always just throw them into a salad. To freeze: Remove husk. Throw the cherries into a Ziplock bag or Mason jar and freeze

BOOM! SALAD MIX 0.4 lb (salad greens) ~ This greens mix includes arugula Esme, white stem Bok Choy, Komatsuna Red, and Rezetto Tatsoi. It has a slight kick — hence the name “Boom!” Store unwashed lettuce in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To store lettuce that you have already washed and dried with a spinner, place back in a plastic bag with a dry paper towel in the bag, and place the package in the vegetable crisper bin. Use within 4 days.

SWEET BANANA PEPPERS (4) ~ To store: Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks. To prep: Cut in half and remove the seeds from the inside. Slice, chop or mince.  To freeze: Wash and dry peppers. Freeze whole or cut into bite-size pieces and place in Ziplock freezer bag, removing as much air as possible.

JIMMY NARDELO PEPPERS (6) ~ these are long and skinny, and fire-engine red! But they are NOT hot!! They are sweet and perfect for a lunchbox treat or grilling. Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks.To freeze: Wash and dry peppers. Freeze whole or cut into bite-size pieces and place in Ziplock freezer bag, removing as much air as possible.

Plum Gin Fizz from Danielle Kuhl

HAKUREI TURNIPS with tops (1 bunch) ~ Remove the greens from the turnips and store in a plastic bag to use within 3 days. The turnip roots should be stored in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge for up to a week. To prep: Cut off the green tops (which can be eaten as well). Wash and cut the white roots into wedges or slices. To cook: Serve raw with dip in a veggie tray. Or grate and add them to a salad. Turnips are delicious when roasted with other root vegetables (like carrot, potatoes, rutabaga, garlic). Add a turnip or two to your favorite mashed potato recipe. Or add them into soups and stews. To freeze: Blanch for 3 minutes in hot boiling water. Cool in ice water for 3 minutes, drain and pack into freezer containers or freezer bags.

YELLOW ONIONS (3) ~ Red and yellow storage onions may be kept in any cool, dark, dry place with adequate air circulation for several months if they are cured. Do not store them next to potatoes. Fresh onion will need to be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge and use within 2 weeks. To prep: Peel the onion’s skin and cut off the roots and top. Save your papery onion skins in a bag in your freezer reserved for making vegetable stock. If you encounter a little rot in your onion, just cut away the bad sections. If there are a few black spots, rinse the whole onion in cool water and rub the spots off with your thumbs. To freeze: Cut or slice onions to desired size and place in freezer Ziplock bag. Remove all the air and seal. It helps to freeze them in 2-3 cup increments.

WEEK #13 ADD-ON SHARES: Week “A” 

Odd-numbered weeks of our CSA season (week 1,3,5) are called “A” weeks. And even-numbered weeks (week 2,4,6) are called “B” weeks. If you have any kind of non-veggie, bi-weekly share, you have been assigned to either “A” or “B” week for the season. If you get a cheese share, it always comes on Week “A.”

Last week’s flower share included dahlias.

Week 13 Cheese Share:

Gretna Grilling, Lemon Jewel Quark, Sure Shot Garlic Quark from Blue Jacket Creamery; Cognac Fig Chevre from MacKenzie Creamery.

WEEK 13 FRUIT SHARE:

Remember, the fruit share is a 16-week product. It will end on week 16 of our 18-week veggie CSA season.

ASIAN PEARS (Quarry Hill Orchard)  ~  Store in a plastic bag in your fridge for up to 5 weeks! These are round like apples with a dark-colored brownish skin like a paper bag! You can eat them out of hand or use in cooking. Nice crisp interior.

BLONDE APPLES (Quarry Hill Orchard) ~  yeah, I have no idea what these will look like either! But they’re a specialty apple from Quarry Hill! Store in a plastic bag in your fridge, where they’ll keep for 4-5 weeks! If they last that long!

ORANGE OR YELLOW WATERMELON: (Bench Farms) : Refrigerate watermelon right away. They do not ripen off the vine or emanate a ripe smell. Cut melon should be covered in plastic wrap, and chunks or slices should be kept in an air-tight container. Eat melons within a week.

Ice Cream Flavor of the Week:

Mint Oreo from Knueven Creamery.  Note: be sure to stop and pick up your ice cream from the Knueven milk truck at your pickup site! They will be located either right before or after your veggie pickup. Your farmers will not be passing this out in their delivery line.

Coffee Flavor of the Week:

 Ethiopian Harrar: Maddie & Bella Coffee Company

Harley Bench died unexpectedly this week when she was run over by a farm truck.

RIP Harley Bench

Our Farm Dog Passes Unexpectedly
Born 11/10/2020. Died 09/07/22

I can’t believe I’m even writing this. Our beautiful, beloved farm dog Harley passed away this past Wednesday around 9:15 AM in a freak accident, when she collided with a farm truck as she was racing alongside it down the driveway. We take comfort in the fact that she was doing what she loved most — racing with her doggie pal Ginger, that her suffering was very brief, and Corinna was with her when she passed. She was just shy of 2 years old.

If you’ve ever lost a pet, you know the deep pain that follows you around — everywhere I go, I feel her absence. All those little rituals you don’t even realize you have around your dog — like putting the doggie gate up to keep her from going into the living room and shutting the kitchen door quickly to keep her from escaping. Yesterday, I spotted her paw prints in the soil crust of an open vegetable bed — little reminders that she was once here. The pain is amplified because she was still so young. She had just passed a milestone — completed her training and was settling down. She was no longer restrained and could roam the farm at will. She was claiming her territory.

The boys took it hard — each grieving in their own way. They helped us bury her in our garden next to Montana and Sienna. Josiah carved out a cross for her headstone. To help me grieve, I hope you’ll bear with me as I take this space to write out a few “I remember moments” about Harley. They won’t mean anything to you, but they will serve as a place where I can memorialize her story and look back later to remember her.

I remember…

• Bringing her back from the breeder in a black crate in our car. She was a tiny fluff ball. Kurt sat in the back seat with her, comforting her.
• She was a cautious dog — not as adventurous as our other pups. She always looked back for me as if to get permission, or to make sure she hadn’t lost us.
• taking her sledding on the fire station hill in Elmore. We had her on a leash and she would chase the boys down the hill and then back up again. She was exhausted!
• getting 3 fines from the police for “failure to restrain your pet.” We finally spent the money to hire a personal trainer, and began working with her. She was just let off the leash permanently after we returned from Oshkosh.
• how she stayed by my side always. She was never far away. And even when she wasn’t supposed to go into the pack shed, she WOULD if I were there.
• how she jumped onto the trampoline with the boys, and they would cover her in their blankets
• how she would wiggle out into the “forbidden zone” carpet area in our living area to be close to us
• how she liked to sleep on her back with her feet up in the air
• the time she punctured her eye at night while we were having a campfire. I thought she would lose her sight, but she didn’t.
• how she would jiggle the bells on the doorknob to go outside, and she’d do it ALL THE TIME during our homeschooling sessions — she was so distracting!
• she she would chase the boys airplanes when they flew them around
• how the boys would tie their wagon to her leash and get her to pull them like a reindeer
• coming to be my foot rest when I was at the kitchen table
• our walks down the bike path — she was spooked by that path for some reason, so we never went very far. She preferred to run unleashed in the farm fields — although I’d often have trouble getting her to come to me!

• how she would chase the chickens around to terrorize them and bring them back to me so covered in slobber, that it was disgusting
• her long tongue — we called her “Harley Long Tongue”
• How she would pull her own corn stalks and bring them back to the house to eat them
• How she destroyed Jed’s drone goggles, chewed on all our Crocs, destroyed our badminton birdies, and ate Josiah’s foxy and eagle stuffed animals
• how she would roll in a dead animal after I bathed her
• how she looked up eagerly at me and wagged her tail
• how she hated to be brushed and how she would EAT the brush handle
• how she sat in the shade of the rosebush, and how she would run in circles around the yard if we tried to catch her
• training sessions with the long line and doggie treats – -and seeing her progress!
• I never found a dog food she really liked. She was always a skinny dog. Although she did eat the cat’s food.
• All the songs we came up with like “Harley Barley” and “Who’s a Good Puppy”
• how we called her “Boozhie Boozhie”
• how she did anything for Liver Treats (thank you Connie Taylor!)
• all the holes she dug
• how she would sigh her deep sigh when she got bored
• how she loved her friend Ginger
• Burying my baby and laying her in her grave with her eagle
• How much I loved her; and felt her devotion to my family

FARMER KURT’S FIELD NOTES

This week was a blur. It’s hard to remember all the things that have been “happening” on the farm, because Harley’s death hangs like a cloud over everything. I haven’t really had a moment to process it and truly mourn, because I needed to keep the farm moving. It feels strange to even talk about other things — as if those things are important. But I’ll do my best…

We had a big group of PENTA Culinary students visit the farm on Wednesday for a tour. (We were actually just getting things started with them when Harley’s accident occurred). They were able to pick a bunch of tomatoes for us, and bag up our fruit share. They always bring an amazing and delicious lunch for us, which we were able to eat off for the next two days — especially helpful with everything going on.

The Farm dinner is happening tonight, as I write this. I’ve got a little bit of prep work to do — moving some pipes out of the way, weed-whacking, cleaning up the area around the barn. Chef Joseph showed up on Friday for a walk-through. I was able to get him his vegetables for the dinner harvested then. I’m looking forward to celebrating our amazing season with all of you. I could use a good emotional re-charge right now.

Last week’s box

The fall crops are looking amazing. There is so much food out there. I’ve stopped picking all the tomatoes because I just can’t sell them all. That’s one of the reasons I’m opening up a U-Pick tomato event for next weekend. Those of you who want to load up on tomatoes — I’ll give you that option to come and pick yourself! I hate to see it go to waste.

You’ll notice too that I’m shutting off sweet corn to the CSA boxes. We buy this product in from our parents. Every year, I budget for a certain number of weeks, and I realized this week that we have hit that quota. I think many of you are corned-out by now though! You’ll still be able to get some from the online store for a few more weeks if you really want it. I’m also pausing the tomatoes for your box this week, too. Even though I have a lot out here, I don’t want to overload you. The box is already really full, and it’s always a dance trying to find the balance between too much (which bring food-waste guilt) and just right.

I worked my cover crops in last night, and the guys have started pulling plastic off the beds. We also sold a big pepper wholesale order this week. The cauliflower looks beautiful and should be ready for the fall. You’re getting broccoli this week! I never have luck with spring broccoli, but fall always does well for us.

The crew picked the first Delicata winter squash this week; unfortunately, we didn’t train them right, and so they weren’t careful about making sure the stems stayed on. As a result, these squashes need to be eaten quickly — the open end will invite them to spoil faster than normal.

Delicata squash

Corinna and I need to find time in the next 2 weeks to prepare our budget for 2023, so we can accurately price our CSA for next season.  This year was an experimental year for us with our H2A labor force. We knew it would be much more expensive, and that it would risky financially, but we were willing to test it out to see if it helped us produce a better crop and harvest more efficiently. I think you can agree that the answer is a definitive “YES.”

We definitely want to renew our H2A commitment next year, and now we’re just trying to figure out how to financially do it. Admittedly we under-estimated our labor expenses last winter when we set our CSA prices (we played it conservatively), and we couldn’t have predicted the sharp increase in inflation. (Our fuel prices have been especially high). However, thanks to this “test year,” we now have a better idea of what it actually takes labor-expense-wise to run this farm the way it should be run, specifically how many guys I need next year to get the job done. Knowing this piece will allow us to predict what our revenue “needs to be” for CSA, wholesale, and retail outlets to be able to run a profitable farm. We do expect our prices will increase, and I want to start putting that message out there. I know you trust us to be fair — we will be diligent in our research and planning to make a wise decision.

Our H2A crew has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made for our farm business.

I continue to LOVE what I do, and I am unbelievably grateful that I KNOW my customers like family. It’s been an awesome feeling to give you such a strong season, and to finally find my stride as a grower and manager.

Thank you for appreciating what we do and standing behind us. Thank you for reaching out to us in our grief and praying for us this week. We feel this incredible connection and strength — thanks to YOU.

~Your Farmer, Kurt

WEEK 13 ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Tomato U-Pick Event at the Farm scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17, from 2-5 PM. I’ve got TOO MANY tomatoes, so I’m opening up the fields to all of you! Come out on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 2-5 PM, and pick as much as you want FOR 50 CENTS A POUND, which is over 50% off. All varieties — heirloom, romas, globes, cherry tomatoes, all colors. We’ll offer a wagon shuttle if needed to help you move your finished product back to the barn.
2. Final week for our 14 Day “Clean out the Fridge Challenge,” designed to inspire each other to get back in control of our overflowing fridge, and let go of the food-waste-guilt.

   To enter to win the prize, you simply post 2 pictures of different ideas or strategies you’re implementing that week to get rid of veggie overload. Hashtag the posts with #cleanoutfridge22. These posts will inspire other members of our community to try it out. Look for EASY, FAST ideas. They can be repeat examples that others have already shared. The idea is to build momentum in the group as we all see each other trying to do one thing a week to stay ahead of our fridge monster. I will choose 3 winners on Sept 18 from a hat who will win a $20 Amazon gift card!

3. You can order additional items from the Shared Legacy Farms online store. Our store link is super easy to remember: www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/store. Just be sure to select the right pickup site that coincides with your pickup location. If the pickup option is greyed out or not available, it means you missed the window to order. You need to place your order 36 hours before your site. We harvest the product on Monday and Wednesday mornings — early. This week, the store will have: delicata winter squash, amaranth greens, green bell peppers, yellow bells, bulk canning tomatoes, sweet corn, bulk sweet corn, parsley, red and orange Italian fry peppers (quart), jalapenos, red jalapenos, shishitos, tomatillos, All-star kale, dino kale, eggplant (2 types), cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, small yellow onions, Bartlett pears, Stanley plums, Honeycrisp apples, honey, local maple syrup.

WEEK 13 CSA RECIPES

Members: You can download these recipes as a PDF. 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!

Chicken Fajita Freezer Meal

Stuffed Italian Frying Peppers

Easy Roasted Delicata Squash

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Warm Pickled Onion Dressing

Delicata Squash Egg Bake

Broccoli Caesar Salad

Grilled Beef with Broccoli

Creamy Potato Salad with Lemon and Fresh Herbs

Shaved Turnip and Radish Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Pickled Hakurei Turnips

Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Ground Cherry Salsa

Asian Pear Galette with Cardamon Whipped Cream

Cinnamon Apple Pear Crisp

Autumn Apple & Pear Sangria