Fair Share Farm CSA---Week 16

uncovering the turnips in the high tunnel

SALAD TURNIPS: These turnips have been treated with care in the high tunnel and are ready for the shares. They are fresh as can be, with ice cream like centers.

LETTUCE: Having a fresh head of lettuce when the snows of November are early is a nice treat. Enjoy the last of these tender leaves.

SPINACH: Only a small amount, as the spinach grows slow when the days start getting shorter. Use it in an omelet, as a soup garnish, or to add some more body to a salad.

BONITA SWEET POTATOES: These sweet potatoes live up to their name. Scrub them, chop them and cook them most anyway you want. Be sure to keep an eye on them, as they are quite tender and cook a bit quicker than most orange sweet potatoes.

CARROTS: A mix of varieties from our fall planting. Sweet from the kiss of frost.

GREENS CHOICE: The first cutting of sprouting broccoli in the high tunnel or a bunch of chard is the choice this week. If you return next year these same plants will be a part of the April harvest in 2019.

LEEKS:  We consider leeks one of the real treats of the fall. A vegetable not particularly fond of hot, dry summers, this years crop stood up well to weather adversities this year. We like to make a simple dish of chopped leeks, fennel and cabbage that have been braised and then carmelized in white wine and butter.

MIXED HERB BUNDLE: Dill and cilantro


FARM REPORT:
The last distribution of the CSA season is upon us and not a moment too soon as winter is making outdoor work difficult.  Frigid temperatures (11 degrees F Saturday morning!) have arrived early this year, sending your farmers scrambling to prepare.The CSA shares are mostly coming from the protected environment of the high tunnel.  The leafy greens and roots stayed above freezing with two layers of row cover inside the structure.

Out in the field the hardy leeks are withstanding the cold under layers of cover.  Most everything else has been bulk harvested to store in the walk-in cooler for winter markets and the fermentation kitchen.  The bulk harvest of the fall cabbage was a success with over a ton of cabbage now in the cooler (that’s 2,000 lbs. folks!).

In the snow we covered the strawberries and the newly-planted garlic with a deep layer of hay and straw.  We have heard that mulching on top of snow is a good practice but this is the first time the weather cooperated in order to try it.  It seems like they will benefit from the moisture during the long winter ahead.

This being our final CSA week of 2018, we thank all of you who have spent the growing season with us.  We love knowing the families and individuals who eat our food.  Thank you for supporting our farm this season and we hope that you will decide to share another harvest with us in 2019.  Look for a survey in your inbox in December and please give your thoughts on our community endeavor.  We will ask for renewals for the 2019 season in January.  Peace and Happy eating to all!