Dear Country Valley Farm Community,
This is week #22 of the 2023 season. What a weather shift we are all seeing. We are watching the weather closely as it seems we may have a hard frost this weekend or early next week and we might not. It gets a little cooler out here on the farm than it does in town and we know from experience that the weather person on the news or a weather app might not be fully accurate to what our microclimate will experience. We are thankful for yesterday’s rain followed by today’s sunshine.
Thank you for your support and participation. It means a whole lot and makes a big difference.
This week’s shares contain the following, some preparation inspiration is below:
- Lemongrass – 1 bunch from our farm
- Red Bell Peppers – 2 bell peppers from Sunnyside Produce in Homer, MI
- Carrots – 1 pint from Sunnyside Produce
- Red Onions – 1 pint from Sunnyside Produce
- Cortland Apples – 4 apples from Almar Orchards in Flushing, MI
- Sweet Dumpling Squash – 2 squash from Cinzori Farm of Ceresco, MI
- Collard Greens – 1 bunch from Cinzori Farm
Medium shares contain the above listed items, and:
- Extra 2 Red Bell Peppers
- Extra pint of Red Onions
- Extra bunch of Collard Greens
- Extra 4 Cortland Apples
Some preparation inspiration: Remember to wash all produce thoroughly.
- Lemongrass – we are super proud of the aroma and flavor of this lemongrass. We like to make tea with it. It is also excellent in soup. It is a key ingredient in some Southeast Asian recipes. Try it in a coconut milk based soup, or use it when braising meat, poultry, tofu, beans, or other veggies. The leaves are so fresh that they can be a bit sharp – handle with care.
- Red Bell Peppers – these took their sweet time to ripen and color up, and sweet they are indeed. They would make an excellent pairing with the lemongrass in any dish you make with it.
- Carrots – these have a great homegrown flavor and are sure to please. They also could be paired with the lemongrass in many dishes. We like to slice carrots lengthwise for some dishes to give a different texture and plate presentation, and sometimes we slice them into coin like discs.
- Red Onions – known for their mild and sweet flavor. These have a good moisture content and are wonderful raw or cooked.
- Cortland Apples – these are prized for their snow white flesh, sweet flavor with a touch of tartness, and slowness to brown. Famous as a salad apple, they are also great eaten out of hand. They also make a delicious apple sauce or can go into a pie or crisp.
- Sweet Dumpling Squash – a very sweet winter squash with a yellow flesh. Also known as sweet potato squash. We like them cut in half and baked and served simply with a dash of cinnamon. **Pro tip for cutting winter squashes safely: You don’t have to cut it before baking, you can wash the whole squash and place into a baking dish or on a cookie sheet and bake whole at 350 F. When it is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit and then cut it. Remember to roast the seeds of all winter squashes for a simple snack that contains healthy fats and protein.
- Collard Greens – a versatile and tender flat leaf green. They can be used instead of tortillas to make wraps. Can be cooked as a side dish. They also make a nice soup green and would pair well with the lemongrass and other veggies.
What is going on at the Farm:
September was a month of reflection and a bit of slowdown in the day-to-day work as the nights got darker earlier and the body was asking for a break after a long spring and summer. October brings a return to long to-do lists and the urgency to get everything done in a good way while there is still time.
We have all the beds fully weeded and in position to finish the season strong.
We finished weeding the asparagus beds, so they are primed for next spring as one of the first items to begin harvest each year.
The rhubarb is getting ready for winter and will also be a nice early crop in the spring.
About half of the potato harvest is complete. We will work to get the rest of them out of the ground before November.
Once the hard freeze comes (which hopefully will hold off for a bit), we will prep the garlic beds. As part of our rotation, the garlic will be planted in the field that was tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, greens, lettuces, and herbs this year. We will talk more about garlic growing in the weeks to come.
The fields that were garlic and onions this year, will be covered with silage tarp to rest for the winter. Those fields will be potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, greens, herbs etc. next year.
Our lettuce crop is looking great! We will begin to include lettuce in the shares again starting next week.
The tatsoi crop is at a nice baby stage and can grow some more before we harvest it.
Both lettuces and tatsoi are crops that can tolerate weather down to 20 F and will thrive in the Michigan October and November weather.
We have some exciting crops that will be coming from the other family farms that we partner with, so that the 2023 season can continue to be bountiful and delightful!
Here is the plan for deliveries:
Route:
8-10AM Ypsilanti and Milan
9AM-1PM Ann Arbor and Dexter
12PM-2PM Canton, Plymouth, and Northville
1PM-3PM Farmington, Farmington Hills and Bloomfield Hills
2PM-5PM Troy, Hazel Park, Gross Pointe, Detroit
We understand that there may be weeks that folks want to skip their share. That is okay so long as you confirm with us at least 7 days in advance of the skip week. In those cases, you can let us know if you want to add a share to the end of your season, or receive double shares some weeks etc. We encourage members to find a friend, family member, or neighbor to pick up your share from your porch and share the bounty of the harvest, instead of skipping weeks – if that is a viable option for you. Some members opt to notify us of skip weeks and ask that we donate the shares – we are happy to do that. We don’t donate to a food bank in those instances, we give the food directly to our neighbors or folks in the community that would benefit from it.
Email is the best way to communicate with me. My phone number is (831) 706-1237. You can call or text if it is the day of or day before delivery if you have anything urgent to communicate. I don’t usually check emails much over the weekend but I do have my phone on me if you need to touch base.
There is lots of good info on our website www.countryvalleyfarm.com
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions at all.
Thank you for sharing this message and our contact info with anyone who you know who may be interested. We appreciate the community support.
Kind regards,
Adam Mitchel
Country Valley Farm
Follow us on Instagram @ countryvalleyfarm