Dear Sweetlanders,
Could we ask for a more glorious week of weather to bring the summer CSA to a close?! This week we are planting garlic in our T-shirts, irrigating the newly divided and replanted rhubarb patch, and watching our cover crops green up the fields and soak up the sunlight. With a few nights of hard frost behind us (and the demise of the tender crops to show for it) it’s clear that the season is changing, but a few more warm sunny days are always welcome.
As we bring this summer CSA season in for a landing I want to say “thanks” to you, our members, for a wonderful year. We could not operate this farm without your support, and we wouldn’t want to, either! The weekly conversations, recipe exchanges, kid updates/impromptu playdates, and words of encouragement that we get from you are our reason for farming. In return, I hope you have tasted new and favorite veggies, picked beautiful bouquets, connected with other members, and cooked to your hearts delight.
Joining a CSA is a commitment, and I think congratulations are in order for your successful completion of a season of cooking and eating local, sustainable, seasonal produce. Not everyone is willing and able to pick up a kohlrabi and transform it into a meal, and I bet there were moments this season when you didn’t think you could fit another vegetable into your refrigerator. But learning to cook with the seasons’ variety and bounty is one of the joys of living in New England, and you should feel proud that your choice to “vote with your fork” for our sustainable farming methods keeps this family farm in business and land in stewardship.
I can barely remember foraging bunches of wild leeks for our first week of CSA pickups, way back in May, and the taste of spring asparagus is just a lingering memory on my tongue. Since then, we’ve weathered a wilting heat wave in May, filled our barns to the brim with hay bales, opened our new Bonus PYO gardens and hangout spot with fanfare, had so many good conversations and teachable moments with members and crew, and planted, weeded, and harvested to our hearts’ content! Summers are busy at the farm, and I love looking back through a season of newsletters and photos to remember all that we have accomplished, learned, and eaten over the past 6 months. Thanks for being part of “the scene” here at Sweetland, where there’s never a dull moment and we strive to build our community and reduce our carbon emissions every day. We love being your farmers.
Cheers, Norah and the Sweetland Crew
Week 24 Harvest (the end)
Half Pint
Acorn squash, 1
Potatoes, 2 pounds
Onions, 1 pound
Carrots, 1 pound
Apples, 3 pounds
Pears, 1.5 pounds
Lettuce, 1 head
Tatsoi, small bunch
Garlic, 1 head
Brimming Basket
Acorn squash, 2
Potatoes, 3 pounds
Onions, 2 pound
Carrots, 1.5 pounds
Apples, 4 pounds
Pears, 2 pounds
Lettuce, 1 head
Tatsoi, medium bunch
Garlic, 1 head
Veggie Monster
Acorn squash, 3
Potatoes, 4 pounds
Onions, 3 pound
Carrots, 2 pounds
Apples, 5 pounds
Pears, 3 pounds
Lettuce, 2 heads
Tatsoi, large bunch
Garlic, 1 head
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!