End of the summer

Time to Sign Up for Fall CSA Shares!

We are under a month out from the beginning of our Fall CSA share! I call the fall share the “Farmer’s Favorite Share.” It is loaded with all the storage veggies we grow on the farm–carrots, beets, onions, garlic, winter squash–as well as potatoes and sweet potatoes that we buy in. Plus all the super sweet fall veggies like broccoli, spinach, chard, and cabbage. I love this share and so do our longtime fall members.

Off farm pickup locations available in Peterborough, Keene, Swanzey, and Nelson.

Shares run for eight weeks between October 5th and the week of Thanksgiving.

FALL SHARES START NEXT WEEK. FIRST PICKUP 10/5

Even though summer shares are coming to an end, plenty of members will keep receiving weekly veggies until Thanksgiving!

Fall CSA shares will begin the week immediately following the end of summer shares, Wednesday, October 5th. I will be in touch with all members via email regarding pickup locations and times.

There are still some CSA shares left, if anyone wants to join before its too late! We have some nice looking crops of beets, carrots, cabbage, greens, winter squash, and herbs maturing in the fields. Most crops store well through the winter, so members can keep eating Tracie’s produce into the new year.

On the Farm

We’ve reached the end of summer shares Every year I talk about the bittersweet end of the summer season. On the one hand, I’m exhausted. Always am. I think I always will be at this time of the year? I know I’m not alone. Our farm meets up monthly with a group of other farmers in the Monadnock Region. One afternoon a month we meet at someones farm and help out for the afternoon. A few weeks ago we traveled to Hungry Bear Farm and helped Farmer Gene pull dry beans for his spring CSA next year–it gave me some ideas… The work is usually light, and we get a chance to talk shop. It’s hard to get together with farmers to have a conversation. Most times I see a farmer I know, we chat briefly and then both declare we gotta run off somewhere. We’re always being tugged in a hundred directions. These meetings give us a chance to sit down and get to know one another, ask about our farms, see new practices, and check in how the season is going. It’s around this time of year that we’re all counting down the weeks til share season ends. Not because we don’t love growing food for our community, but because its the end of a long summer. The light started to change, the wind picked up, and when you work outside every day, these things signal that it is almost time for rest.

So it is bittersweet. I am ready for rest, but I will miss the summer. The farm doesn’t feel alive like it does in the throes of August. It is already quieter on the farm. We see less CSA members each week as we move into fall CSA shares, and we have a little more time at the end of packing shares, so the barn isn’t a bustling scene every Wednesday as we greet delivery drivers and CSA members while putting the last bit of produce in the baskets. I’ll miss our crew. We have started to drop down on farmers as fall doesn’t demand the same degree of labor. It was a close group this summer. We are currently in a hacky sack faze, and have spent most breaks and lunches hollering over trying to pass the little ball between us.

It’s only the end of summer, though, and there is plenty of excitement left for fall. Digging roots is all farmers favorite activity. What is more exciting than pulling a bright orange carrot out of the dark soil like it’s Excalibur? It’s not an exaggeration, sometimes it tests the will of the farmer to remove carrots from the dense, cold earth. I’m looking forward to fall shares. We’ve got some beautiful greens that are thriving in the cool weather. We’ll be passing out ginger for the first time ever! We trialed it last year, and this year grew enough that share members will get some. Beets are looking healthy, brussel sprouts are “brusseling,” and winter squash is just about ready to be pulled from the field.

Thank you to everyone that participated in our Summer CSA this year. It was a pleasure to serve you, and I hope you leave feeling a little closer to your food and community. I will be in touch in the coming weeks asking for feedback. It was another challenging growing season, the third in the last few years that we have seen record setting weather events. Climate change impacts the way we have to farm, and adjusting to it takes the whole community. I will be looking for advice on how we can improve our CSA shares while keeping in mind limitations due to the changing climate. Growing efficiently will be key to dealing with instability, and we grow for our members, so I would like to hear what you think. Thanks to all. I hope to hear from you soon!

SUMMER SHARES WEEK 16!

A reminder that we are on the even week schedule for half shares. FULL SHARES receive a basket every week. HALF SHARES receive a basket every other week.

EVEN WEEKS

Week 2 – 6/22 Week 10 – 8/17
Week 4 – 7/6 Week 12 – 8/31
Week 6 – 7/20 Week 14 – 9/14
Week 8 – 8/3 Week 16 – 9/28

ODD WEEKS

Week 1 – 6/15 Week 9 – 8/10
Week 3 – 6/29 Week 11 – 8/24
Week 5 – 7/13 Week 13 – 9/7
Week 7 – 7/27 Week 15 – 9/21

We attempted to put shares in paper bags last week and realized we can’t do it with the quality bags we have in the barn. In previous years we’ve had real sturdy bags that could hold up to a little moisture from the produce, but the stock we have this year disintegrates with just a drop. If all members could please drop off your last basket at the farm when convenient, we would appreciate it. Delivery members can reach out to me about dropping at one of our fall CSA pickup locations to be collected and brought back to the farm. If you are unable to make it to a pickup location or the farm, please contact me and I will make arrangements.

Bok Choy will be making its appearance in shares for the first time since the beginning of the summer. I will include a recipe for Tracie’s favorite bok choy salad below. Cabbage is cycling back into shares. Chard is the green this week. More lettuce woes… I went to harvest for an order from the beds I was planning to use for shares this week, and every single head was munched on by a deer. There was not one head left that I could use for the order, let alone shares this week. Dill is the fresh herb for this week. Fennel is back in shares. Garlic is a staple. Onions we’ll be passing out some of our smaller onions. I’m driving down to Atlas Farm in MA tomorrow to pick up our fall Potato order. We don’t grow our fall potatoes on the farm for space and labor reasons, and Atlas Farm does a great job producing organic potatoes. Peppers we’ll keep passing em out as long as we have them. Tomatoes are the same.

Check for recipes below!

Shares Week 16:
Bok Choy
Cabbage
Chard
Dill
Fennel
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Peppers
Tomatoes — Cherries, Romas, or Slicing Toms

Egg Share: CHECK LIST FOR NAME
Bread Share: Cornmeal Pumpkin CHECK LIST FOR NAME

LINK: ROASTED FENNEL WITH GARLIC AND HERBS

Edamame is a great side dish for any meal. Similar to shishito peppers, it is easy to prepare and delicious!

Ingredients

Roasted Fennel Beet Salad

▪	2 large bulbs fennel

▪	3 tbsp olive oil

▪	2 cloves garlic minced

▪	3/4 tsp salt

▪	1 tsp black pepper

▪	1 tsp thyme

▪	1/4 cup parmesan (omit if Dairy Free/Paleo/Vegan)

Directions

▪	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius)

▪	Remove any of the stalks from the fennel bulbs and then cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each halved fennel bulb into 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange the slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet ensuring that they are all laid out evenly and do not overlap.

▪	In a bowl combine the olive oil and minced garlic and brush it over the sliced fennel and then sprinkle the thyme, salt and pepper overtop to ensure they are all well seasoned.

▪	Roast the fennel in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes if using parmesan, sprinkle it over the fennel and then return the tray to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes.

▪	After 35 minutes of baking the fennel should be tender and caramelized on the edges (cook for another 5-8 minutes if its not yet tender). Serve warm.

LINK: STUFFED CABBAGE

Ingredients

▪	1 pound ground beef

▪	1 onion, chopped

▪	2 cloves garlic, minced

▪	1 cup cooked brown rice

▪	1 tablespoon mustard

▪	1 large egg

▪	1/2 teaspoon salt

▪	1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

▪	1 head green cabbage

▪	1 tablespoon olive oil

▪	2 cloves garlic, minced

▪	1 (16-ounce) can tomato puree

▪	1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

▪	2 bay leaves

▪	1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

▪	Gather the ingredients.

▪	In a large saucepan, combine the ground beef with the onion and 2 cloves of the garlic; cook and stir to break up the meat until the beef is browned and the onion and garlic are tender; drain well and set aside.

▪	In a large bowl, mix together the beef mixture, the cooked rice, mustard, egg, and salt and pepper until combined.

▪	Cut out the core end of the cabbage and remove and discard some of the exterior leaves. Then carefully remove 8 whole perfect leaves. Soak the leaves in hot water in a large bowl until they are limp and pliable.

▪	Chop half of the remaining cabbage and add this to the beef and rice mixture. Roll up about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in each cabbage leaf. Reserve any remaining meat mixture. At this point, preheat the oven to 350 F.

▪	Then, in the same large skillet, sauté 2 cloves of garlic in the olive oil until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

▪	Add the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Simmer this sauce for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Then remove and discard the bay leaves.

▪	Place the stuffed cabbage rolls in a Dutch oven or large casserole. Top the rolls with any remaining meat mixture. Pour the tomato sauce mixture over all.

▪	Cover the casserole and bake for 80 to 90 minutes or until the cabbage rolls are tender.

▪	Serve the stuffed cabbage with the sauce. Enjoy.