CSA Newsletter -- Week 12

Greetings All,

I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend so far! Hopefully some of you are reading this email sitting on the porch at your cabin, haha!! This is the time of year to fit everything in, and one last trip up north is always a good idea if you have time for it!!

We'll be spending some time this weekend going last-minute shopping for a handful of (hard to find!) back to school items and probably some more clothes shopping too. (Don't worry, our kids don't start school until after Labor Day!). The plan was also to get some more salsa made up and that isn't really going as planned...

Last night when my Dad was here, the stove started throwing sparks and blew a fuse! Looking at the underside of the burners- there is some serious electrical issues and we need to replace the stove. We've been at the Farm here since April of 2020 and since then we've replaced just about every major appliance so far- cue the stove!! Ben got home from the farm stand last night at about 6:30, we unhooked the current stove and loaded it in the big delivery van. I went over to Menards in Cambridge where they had 3 of the stoves I wanted in stock. I bought the new one, paid $20 to dispose of the old one (yes- right in the menard's pick up yard!!) and got home by about 9:30 with a new stove. It's on the deck right now- that's as far as we've gotten with it but that's because I've been busy all morning doing chores. I just got a call from Dad that he's coming up with Mom today to harvest honey!!! So I'm now trying to finish up my emails and blog post here so I can get some shopping out of the way and then come home to help them with honey. That's a big sticky (BEAUTIFUL) mess. There is nothing more precious than this liquid gold that these bees work hard for all summer long- it's incredible how complicated beekeeping is and I've learned a lot over these past bunch of years watching my Dad as he was teaching himself. He checked out every book at the library and studied for a long time and now is proving that his studies have resulted in healthy productive hives- I am so excited for this afternoon to see his yield!!!!

Just real quick- I just want to say that I really appreciate the weather we've had so far this fall!! (I know, farmers never stop going on and on about the weather haha!) Last year on this day, Sept 6th we woke up to FROST in the fields!!! Where we are in Oak Park, we didn't lose anything but some plants were burned (where the leaves get licked by frost and they'll wilt and turn colors). Our friends' flower garden last year was toast on Sept 6th when it froze hard at her farm. The reason we plan our CSA dates the way we do is because we don't know when the frost will lift in the spring or when it'll come in the fall- so we are on the conservative side of those dates so that we don't have to cut the season short (because that would result in getting paid for not providing and we won't risk that).

FARM STAND HOURS: We are open ALL weekend!!! Our normal hours are Fridays 9-6, Saturdays 9-6, and Sundays 9-5. This weekend, we're also open LABOR DAY, Monday from 9-5!! So stop in and visit Ben for melons, tomatoes, sweet corn, and maybe even some brat patties to make your busy weekend a little easier on yourself ;) We're at Hudson's Hardware Hank in Zimmerman (our only farm stand), which is at 12860 Fremont Ave, Zimmerman MN 55398.

They have such a big spread up there this weekend that Ben actually added an extra tent, so he has 3 tents set up this weekend!! That way he can keep the melons and canning tomatoes in the shade too ;) I wish I had pictures of that but every time I try to call Ben and ask for a picture he doesn't answer! That's a good thing though because I know that it means he's busy!!

A touch of housekeeping:

- Remember that Labor Day is coming up on Monday!! We do NOT deliver on Labor Day, Monday Sept 7th. We will be pushing everyone's boxes back by 1 day so we keep the same route for deliveries. Normal Monday Shares will be delivered on Tuesday, Sept 8th and so forth. If you're not available to pick up this week, feel free to submit the "donate" form on the bottom of the email that you get every week please. HONEY: We plan to send Honey Shares during week 13, so not this week but the following week starting Monday Sept 14th.

APPLES: We will be sending these out AS SOON as we get them from the orchard. We're so excited we can hardly wait!! I'm in touch with him and thinking we probably won't get them next week, so it'll be week 14 (starting Sept 21st) when we send out the Apple Shares. It is warmer than average though, so that could influnce the ripening time. FALL SHARES: This comes in two installments- so the first box will come week 13 and the second box will come week 15 (the last week of the season). Of course I will be sending out emails to everyone to remind ya'll of when they're coming. I also started a new thing- taping your orders to your CSAs. Don't be offended if you see it- I'm trying to remember to do that for everyone!! Some folks are in such a hurry that they'll grab their CSA and forget their apples, honey, fall shares, etc. so I now put a sticker between the two so that you can't grab your regular box without realizing there is another box(es) there for you ;) BULK END OF SEASON CROPS: A lot of our Members have been asking when we're going to open online ordering for the end-of-season crops so I want to mention that my plan is to get it updated on the website for next week's newsletter. We'll add larger quantities to the Store and then you can order a box full of carrots, or a half bushel of onions, beets, potatoes, mixed potatoes, squash, etc! So keep an eye out for that next week and I'll talk more about that. If you ordered the Fall Share, you're still welcome to order these extras- but it's a bigger quantity. So for example the Fall Share will have 10 pounds of carrots, but the half bushel box of carrots is 18 pounds on average. I'll dig into this more next week ;) Sad Note: -Watermelons: This is a sad one for me but I have to share because it might push us to make some changes moving forward. We had 7 people take extra watermelons this week- leaving the folks who were last to pick up without a melon at all. You're probably thinking- I might have screwed up but I want to assure you we quadruple checked to make sure there are enough melons for each site and I had a kid with me delivering every day this past week because it was a big week with all the extra deliveries so they counted, too! I also printed a sign for every single CSA site- so you should have seen that when you picked up last week. It says "if you're a Jumbo Member take 2, if you're a Family or Single Member, take 1".

One of my hosts was saying she thought maybe folks didn't know if they got the "Family" or "Jumbo" Share (benefit of the doubt), so on Wednesday when I was leaving the signs at the different sites I even added the box sizes to the sign (1 1/9th bushel, 5/9th bushel and 1/2 bushel)- and yet we still had "liberated" melons. It's unclear if it was on purpose or not but when folks take more than their share and others are left with less than their share- that really bums me out!! It's a hard pill to swallow because I always think of our CSA Members as the best of society- honest, hardworking folks who choose to support local family farms even when target is probably closer. It's an investment in money and time that not everyone chooses, but CSA Members do because they're people who genuinely care about the food they're eating, the environment, and the success of small farms. I.e. the best of society!! Then there are people who intentionally take more than their share, resulting in hurting us as a farm.

*If this continues to be a problem we'll be changing the varieties we grow so we have smaller melons and they can fit into the CSA Shares. But we'd rather keep doing what we're doing. If we need to make changes we will make those decisions over the winter, not right now.

I'm sorry to have even added this but ya'll are CSA Farm insiders and you deserve to know the successes and struggles of farming..

The squash plants are dying!!!

We haven't done any weeding in a month or so and now we're seeing that reflected in the weeds that are taller than my kids. That's OK though, this isn't a fashion show. This is a farm that we earn our livelihood from, and we have to focus on making money at this time of year, not how it looks from the road. Though, it does give me a little anxiety because I would love it to look like an instagram farm around here 🤣it's just not reality though- we have 20 acres of fresh produce that's hand weeded and harvested and there are only so many hours in a day. I should also mention that we're not spraying the weeds. There is a reason it looks like this, and it's because we're choosing to go as natural as possible around here. The pink flowers you see are a classic low-land native flower called swamp smartweed, or pink smartweed.

Some of the squash plants are still vining and putting on more flowers. There isn't time for more flowers to equate to more squash, because we can't be more than a month away from the frost, but it's cute of them to try! Just mentioning that because the vines have to die as the squash ripen; part of the natural process. WHAT TO EXPECT IN YOUR CSA SHARES THIS WEEK: Jumbo & Family Shares: Watermelon! Spaghetti Squash, Zucchini, Eggplant, Tomatoes and Bell Peppers! Single Shares: Watermelon! Spaghetti Squash, Slicing Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Grape Tomatoes & Bell Peppers! This past week we were supposed to send Broccoli in the Jumbo & Family Shares, which did not work out at all. Last Thursday we looked and the heads were good sized and looked great! Then by last Monday morning, when we were harvesting for CSAs, we went out and they all had black spots on the heads, rendering them un-saleable. That really sucks because there is a lot out there!! So we're going to go out there and cut all the heads in hopes that they'll produce side-shoots that will be harvestable before the end of the season. Quick side note- we're also going to try and get muskmelon in our Monday & Tuesday Single Shares again because they're the only group who hasn't gotten muskmelons twice already. Melons are really hard to plan around because we want to add as many as we can to your CSA Shares but we have to wait until they're ripe to know how many we have to work with!

WATERMELONS: This week we will also be sending home watermelons with you again!! These are some of the best tasting watermelons we've ever had. The mixture of the hot-hot days and stretches of drought cause the best growing conditions and result in the best tasting, sweetest flesh. (Only because we have the power of irrigation though- without that, we would have had a lot of loss this year!) It's sad but this is the last time we're sending watermelons this season. Week 12 (starting Tuesday Sept 8th) we'll have the extra melons in tow, week 13 we'll have Fall Shares and Honey Shares, week 14 we'll have Apple Shares & then week 15 we'll have our second installment of Fall Shares and that's the last week for the season. Pretty wild how fast this season has gone!!

TOMATOES:

We're winding down on tomatoes. Winding down = still picking a thousand pounds every time we go out. So there is still plenty of tomatoes but they're decreasing in size and we're getting less and less every time we go out. We'll have tomatoes for another week or two but if you want a canning order, I'd suggest getting it in now. We want to make sure we get you guys nice tomatoes! We're going to do our best to keep to the flip flop, where if you got romas this week you'll get regulars next week. Eventually when tomatoes start running short, we'll have to just add whichever tomato variety we have on hand. For this week I think we'll make it through our scheduled flip-flop but just wanted to mention this for next week!

*We still have the extras online too- peppers/onions and some others for ordering if you want to make salsa or sauces just fyi. These are not bulk quantities like I was talking about above; these are just for canning basically.

EGGPLANT: This is straight from the Farm to Table Storage Guide: (Don't forget that there is a copy of this at the bottom of every email newsletter that you receive, for easy reference).

Eggplant is a close relative of tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. They are smooth-skinned, oval to elongated, and range in color from purple to black (and others, but we grow the classic variety). Eggplant requires the right kind of preparation; otherwise it can be unpleasantly bitter, rubbery, or watery.

Fun fact- these are one variety that you CAN’T give to your pigs because there is a special chemical that upsets their stomachs. For the record, we didn’t learn this the hard way. We researched in depth and actually made a flyer that we hang in our pack shed so all of our employees know what they can’t have. 95% of the garden ‘waste’ can go to the pigs, but not these eggplants! Or potatoes or onions and a few others.

To store: Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel to absorb any moisture and keep it in the veggie drawer of your refrigerator. Or store unrefrigerated at a cool room temperature. Use within a week and it should still be fresh and mild. It’s suggested to be used in the first 3-4 days for the best culinary experience.

Handling: Eggplant is usually peeled. The flesh will brown when exposed to air. To prevent browning, coat in lemon juice or keep submerged in water.

Rinse eggplant in cool water and cut off the stem. The shape of the eggplant can help determine how to prepare it: cut straight narrow eggplant into strips for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir- fries. To remove bitter flavors and excess moisture, lightly salt slices of eggplant and allow them to sit in a colander for 10-15 minutes. Gently squeeze out any liquid. Eggplant will now soak up less oil and need less salt in preparation. This tip can be the difference between liking eggplant and not liking eggplant, it improves flavor and texture.

To use: Stir-fry or sauté 1-inch cubed eggplant in a very hot sauté pan with peanut oil until the eggplant has released much of its water and is very soft. Or brush 1/2-inch to 1-inch slices of eggplant with olive oil or melted butter and broil or grill until brown. You can also pierce a whole eggplant in a few places with a knife, lightly coat with olive oil, and bake at 375 degrees until the eggplant is very soft and collapsed, 30-60 minutes.

To freeze: Peel and cut into slices 1/3-inch thick. To preserve color, soak 5 minutes in a solution of 4 T salt per gallon water — otherwise don't worry about it. Blanch for 2 minutes in steam. Cool immediately in cold water. Package in layers with each slice separated with two pieces of wrap.

**One thing that is NOT mentioned in the storage guide is to BE CAREFUL because those spines at the top of the eggplant around the green top can be very, very sharp. I was preparing one in my kitchen one day and not paying attention and I poked myself with the eggplant so bad it started bleeding. Now I always pay attention lol! It's those crappy lessons you don't forget.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH: Remember this is the ONLY type of squash that is prepared differently from all the other varieties you'll get this season. Cut it in half, coat in oil (I just use my fingers and rub it around), place face down on a baking sheet and cook for a half hour or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool a little bit, then use a fork and "comb" the flesh out of the outer skin- it looks like spaghetti!! Or you can try the viral spaghetti squashes that are all over the internet right now- cooking open faced in the oven with a bunch of grape tomatoes, feta, and basil or spinach etc, right in the middle. Then as you're eating it you twirl your fork and get a perfect bite every time! WRAPPING IT UP:

This weekend is just like the last few- we're working as fast as we can to get as much done as we can, lol! I had a friend innocently say "Well things will be slowing down here now right?" And I was like "huh?! For who?!" hahah!!! This is THE busiest time of the year. The planting season is also difficult because we're working whenever the weather is ideal or the baby plants, which could mean planting in the morning or it could mean planting in the rain, or planting at night ahead of a mid-night rain; the planting schedule is wonky.

But nothing truly compares to the fall harvest schedule...

At this time of year the schedule is just all day long without breaks, lol! This time of year is exhausting but so exciting. We've got a whole shed full of tomatoes still, but in just 2 weeks it'll be an entire shed full of apples!! Things move quick, gotta keep our wits about us!

This morning I started coffee at 6:30 and then called Ben (he was in the field picking more melons) to see what canned goods I needed to label. I.e. how much of what he sold yesterday so I could replenish his canned good display at the stand. I was up until about 11:30 last night prepping onions because the prep time for all my salsa takes the longest out of anything, so I prep a LOT of everything and then when I get rolling with making my salsa I can really crank it out!! (Even though each batch takes hours to cook down!) **Cook down (verb): Meaning we have to boil the salsa, sauces, etc. to let water evaporate and then after so long, the salsa is thicker and is the right consistency. Will usually take at least an hour of a hard boil.

It's a good thing I got all those onions chopped because now I'm going to really be a machine today- and I'm trying something new and fun! I've got carolina gold tomatoes that I'm going to be making into salsa- that is going to look different!! They're yellow!! It's a lower acidity tamato, so I've got my pH tester to make sure it's the right acidity level for safe canning; if it's not I will add some citric acid so it is safe. I've never made it before- so who knows it might be the same pH as the normal red salsa, but I won't know until I make it ;)

You can process anything- but I use a water bath canner for my salsa and that's why the pH matters. If I was using a pressure canner- it would take much longer to process the jars but you can put anything in there basically, doesn't matter how much acid is in there. Green beans and asparagus (and even meat!) are pressure canned, for example, while salsas, jams and hot sauces can be water bath canned. I didn't think learning how to wire a new stove was on my bingo card for today but that's also on the docket now. I'm excited for my new stove!!!! Excited to work with Dad to get his honey supers off today and get the honey spinner ready!! It's a big drum that spins the frames so the honey spins off and collects at the bottom. Then you open the spigot and strain it (so you don't get wax in your honey). It's a lot more complicated than that but I just wanted to share- it's going to be a sticky mess today around here!!!

Not to mention we still have shopping too- lots to do!!!

Have a great rest of your Labor Day weekend!! Hope ya'll enjoy your veggies for this week!!! XO ~The Farmer's Wife