Fall is absolutely my favorite time of the year. It’s also the time when I am most happy to be farming and working outside. The air is cooler now and it smells so fresh. The clear blue of the skies and the angle of the sunlight in the morning and evening is stunning. Raptors soar over the farm field every day, the hawks especially make their presence known by their near constant screeching. (This is when I grab the cat and put him back in the house!) There are all sorts of dragonflies, several species of whom are probably migrating through on their way south right about now, darting around catching the tiny flying insects that I can’t easily see without my reading glasses. There are still bees about doing their business, but they seem to be a little lazier and slower about it, so I get a chance to better enjoy their antics.
What’s in My Box this Week?
Arugula (Large Shares and Standard Shares who don’t get Spinach)– Arugula has a peppery, spicy, and slightly bitter taste, so a little bit can go a long way. Arugula doesn’t last much longer than a couple of days, so try and use it right away. Store it in the fridge in a plastic bag.
Cherry or Saladette Tomatoes – Store at room temperature for up to a week. Do not refrigerate.
Green Cabbage (If you don’t get this, you’ll get a romanesco) – Cabbage can store for three weeks to two months, and it doesn’t require much special care to have it last this long. Just keep it in the crisper of your fridge and remove the two outer leaves before eating. (These leaves are used to help store the cabbage.)
Italian Frying Peppers or Sweet Bell Peppers – Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for one to two weeks. Italian Frying Peppers are still sweet when they are green, however, so you can also cook with those right away.
Leeks – Store in the fridge and try to use within two to three weeks. The outer leaves may get a little slimy after that, but you can peel away the outer layers.
Lettuce (Some Small Shares) – Store loosely in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Keep unused leaves on the head. Ideally use within a week, but it will probably store for up to two weeks if needed.
Paste Tomatoes – Paste tomatoes are primarily used for making sauces, although you can also slice them and use them fresh as well.
The ones you’re getting this week are very ripe, so I would try and use them within a day or two. If you can’t get to them that quickly, go ahead and put them in the fridge to make them last a bit longer; you can buy yourself another two or three days doing this. Since they’re already very ripe, this won’t alter their taste or texture to any noticeable degree. Also, if you do refrigerate them, first place them in a paper bag or in a plastic bag with a few holes/slits to help prevent moisture loss and the build up of ethylene which will eventually cause them to rot.
Potimarron Squash – Store winter squash in a cool, dry place and try to use within a week or two, although potimarrons will keep for several months if stored properly. Do not store in the fridge. This will cause it to spoil much more quickly.
Romanesco (If you don’t get this, you’ll get green cabbage) – Wrap dry, unwashed Romanesco loosely in plastic and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Spinach (Large Shares and Standard Shares who don’t get Arugula) – This week’s spinach won’t be baby leaf and the leaves will be rather large, so you’ll definitely want to cook with this rather than using it in salads. Store dry, unwashed spinach in a sealed plastic bag for up to two weeks in the fridge. Right before using, wash the leaves in a basin of lukewarm water and spin dry. Try to use within a week. If it does get limp, you can still use it in cooked dishes.
Thyme – Roll sprigs in a damp paper towel and place them in a resealable plastic bag. Alternatively, you can stand the sprigs up like a bouquet of flowers in a drinking glass or jar with about an inch of water inside.
Watermelon – To store, refrigerate right away as watermelons don’t continue to ripen once picked. Cut melon should be covered in plastic wrap, and chunks or slices should be kept in an airtight container. Eat melons within a week.
Weekly Haiku by Simon
Dragonflies abuzz
It is getting chilly now
Fall is in the air
Featured Veggie: Leeks
The leek is a member of the lilaceae family and related to onions, garlic, and scallions. Originally from central Asia or the Mediterranean region, leeks have been consumed since ancient times. Greeks and Egyptians enjoyed them. In the Book of Numbers in the Bible, after the children of Israel left Egypt, leeks were one of the foods mentioned as being greatly missed.
Romans were also very fond of leeks. Emperor Nero ate them often to clear his voice before singing recitals. His nickname was actually Porrophagus, he liked them so much.
The Romans eventually introduced the leek to the British Isles where it thrived in the cooler weather. According to legends passed down through generations of Welshmen, it was the leek which saved Wales during the battle of Heathfield in 633 AD. At this time, a celtic monk named David (later St. David) convinced the Welsh army to wear a leek in their helmets as a way of telling them apart from their Saxon enemies. The Welsh won the battle and they’ve worn leeks on St. David’s Day ever since.
Leeks have a mild, onion-like taste. In its raw state, the vegetable is crunchy and firm. The most commonly eaten parts are the base of the leaves – above the roots and stem base – and the light green parts. The dark green leaves are usually composted as they’re quite tough, but some folks like to sauté them or add them to homemade stock.
Leeks are high in fiber, folate, and heart-protecting flavonoids and polyphenols, which help to prevent our blood vessels from damage.
Notes from the Field
The word that comes to mind about this past week is “whiplash.” Going from record high temperatures in the high 90s to overnight lows in the 40s in just a few days was a little nuts. Some plants (and the humans who tend to them) are loving the cooler weather. Now is the time for the cool-weather crops like cabbages, Brussels, and greens to take off. They have less daylight to work with, but the reduced stress from not having to deal with so much heat will help to make up the difference.
Other crops just flat out called it quits. Said they’d had enough and walked off the job. Like these pickling cucumbers, for example, and the bees that tend to them. These oddly shaped cukes are the result of poor pollination. And these vines speak for themselves. (For those of you who are owed pickling cukes, I will have to substitute something else for you unless these somehow bounce back.)
Also, a couple of weeks ago, in between the two heat waves, I made the decision to transplant the seedlings that Luka and I had been growing up near the house since the beginning of August. They needed to go in the ground so that they could have sufficient time to mature before the end of the season, and I thought that if I got them planted well ahead of the second heat wave, maybe they would have a shot at getting established enough to make it.
These were the kohlrabi, collards, and tatsoi. I gave them plenty of water each day, mulched them, and kept them as shaded as possible, but unfortunately they nearly all died. It’s too late now to start over with these, so I’m afraid we won’t have them in your shares this year.
Likewise, I direct-seeded savoy cabbage, gai-laan, turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips so you could have those in your fall boxes, but they never even germinated. All I can think is that even with my watering, the soil was just too bone dry to support decent germination when I seeded them in August. It’s so dry out that even when I give things a good watering, within one day, it’s as if I never watered at all. Since moisture helps keeps soil cool, it stands to reason that dry soil equals hot soil and these crops germinate best under cool soil conditions.
I know this will be a disappointment to some of you, but being in extreme drought for so long means that some things just won’t grow well and there’s not much we can do about it beyond what we’re already doing. We are about nine inches short of the rainfall we typically have and rainwater is just better for growing plants than well water is.
Of course, this is the nature of farming. One year will be good for a particular crop and the next year that same crop might do horribly. For instance, 2022 was less than ideal for tomato yields and last week I harvested and donated 35 pounds of cherry tomatoes and brought another 150 pounds of slicers, paste, and heirlooms into the barn for canning. (This is a lot for us!) I am still hoping that you’ll have plentiful veggies for the rest of the season and I am pretty proud that we’ve managed to cultivate what we did under the circumstances, but this year there’s a chance we will end with smaller-than-normal boxes. A lot can happen in three weeks, but I wanted to give you a heads up in case that’s where we end up.
That was a little heavy, I know. Why don’t I end this week’s newsletter with some photos of us having fun cleaning up the garlic bulbs and with some of the veggies we have grown? 🙂 No matter what is happening with the weather, there is always some fun to be had on a farm!
Recipes
Arugula Salad with Ginger-Thyme Vinaigrette // Uses Arugula, Garlic, Red Peppers, Thyme // Vegetarian
Cabbage, Potato, and Leek Soup // Uses Cabbage, Leeks, Potatoes (if you have some left from last week; substitute those for Russets), Thyme // Can Be Vegetarian or Not
Chicken, Winter Squash, Bacon, and Arugula Parmesan Gratin Casserole // Uses Arugula, Garlic, Leeks, Parsley (if you have some leftover from last week), Potimarron Squash
Leek and Spinach Risotto // Uses Leeks, Spinach, Thyme // Vegetarian
Spinach and Red Pepper Frittata // Uses Garlic, Red Peppers, Spinach // Vegetarian
Thyme-Roasted Tomatoes // Uses Cherry Tomatoes (can also use Paste Tomatoes or use both together), Garlic, Thyme // Vegetarian
Middle Fork Farm 