Dear Sweetlanders
This morning the crew gathered in the barn for morning meeting with frost coating the gators and steam puffing from everyone’s breath. It really is the end of the summer season. In some ways it’s gone faster than the blink of an eye, and yet I can also barely remember harvesting wild leeks for our first week of pickups with a rapidly growing belly! Since then we’ve welcomed new and returning crew members, planted, weeded, and harvested thousands of pounds of produce, filled both haylofts to capacity, paused our conservation efforts just long enough to accept an award for them, welcomed a new baby girl, and generally whooped it up together while growing food for this great community. There were weeks when it felt like it would never stop raining, followed by weeks when we worried it would never rain again. Hands have become calloused, animals have grazed, rooted, and fertilized the pastures, and never before have we seen so many future farmers hone their tractor skills in the sand box!
By the end of this week most of our crew will head home for the season, but there’s still plenty to do before winter sets in. Our greenhouse, winter crop storage, and crew house construction projects are under full steam to complete before their December 31 grant deadlines. We’ll also be moving our washpack operation into one of the high tunnels to stay warm while packing winter CSA shares in November and December. And of course, after a whirlwind growing season there are plenty of repairs and maintenance to do before spring. But we are looking forward to a slightly slower pace and time to reflect on this season and plan ahead for the next.
We hope you’ve loved being part of the CSA this year. My hope is that you’ve tried new veggies, enjoyed old favorites, and felt connected to the land and people that grew them. We’ll be sending out a survey soon to gather your feedback for next year. Until then, please raise a fork to this bountiful season and don’t be a stranger!
Cheers, Norah and the Sweetland Crew
Week 24 Harvest
Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Napa Cabbage Tatsoi Kale Daikon Radish Hakurei Turnips Honeycrisp Apples Carrots Acorn, Autumn Frost, Butternut, Honeynut, & Red Kuri Squash Garlic Leeks Brussels Sprouts Tomatoes
What’s Cooking This Week
You can find ingredients for all of these recipes in our farm store! We source meats, dairy, grains, beans, sweets, and more from local and sustainable producers. Don’t forget to use your CSA member discount by entering your account phone number in our POS (member discounts are automatically applied to LocalLine purchases for off-farm delivery).
-
Korean Pickled Radish (these are going to tide me over until next year’s Tasty Tuesdays!)
-
Kale, Apple, & Carrot Slaw with Honey Dijon Dressing (Add Roasted Squash for even more flavor!)