Our first processing session ever- duck breasts for dinner... yum!
Fall planting
It seems like summer may be coming to an end, but we are actually only half way through the CSA as this marks week number 9 of 18. We are now in the process of planting all of our fall crops, which seems crazy since it is so hot out there still. To think about planting cool weather crops means we are nearing fall, although for us it can’t come soon enough. With many days this summer being around 90 degrees, this summer has been a struggle for us. We wilt just as fast as the flowers do out there in the heat.
This fall we are focusing on planting things that will store well through the winter or will withstand some cold weather. That is why you plant them now, because they have to be large enough and developed enough before the frost hits. The first or second week in October is when the frost typically comes, making our transition from summer to winter crops. None of the flowers we grow will survive the frost, so that’s when we officially make the switch to selling just produce which will continue until the first flower blooms again in spring.
This year we’ve got sweet potatoes planted, pie pumpkins, butternut squash and lots of carrots for us to store in the root cellar. We don’t officially have one, but we are going to dig any area to bury some produce as deep enough in the ground stays around 55 degrees even during the winter. Also, once the flowers are gone, our cooler is used for storage of crops. If you think you will need to store some of the product that you get in the fall, look up how to build your own root cellar or the conditions necessary for storage. There is lots of information out there about the proper storing conditions for each root crop. Preserving without canning or freezing is made possible with the help of a root cellar.
What’s included this week?
1. Tomatoes
2. Zucchini
3. Apples- these are from a friend’s farm who does not spray, so they may not look perfect, but they taste good. And, if you don’t want to eat them raw, just cook them up and then you can forget about the blemishes on the outside.
4. Sweet Corn
5. Potatoes
6. Sausage from our pigs- great for breakfast!
Recipe of the Week
Apple Crumb Pie
Filling:
6-8 apples, peeled and thickly sliced
½ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping:
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
Toss the apples, sugar, and cinnamon until the apples are well coated. Mix the topping ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Spoon in the apple filling and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes until the topping has browned.
This is an alternative to pie with two crusts, but there are plenty of recipes out there for regular apple pie, so I thought I would give you something different to try instead. This one also seemed much easier for the beginning baker.
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
It seems like summer may be coming to an end, but we are actually only half way through the CSA as this marks week number 9 of 18. We are now in the process of planting all of our fall crops, which seems crazy since it is so hot out there still. To think about planting cool weather crops means we are nearing fall, although for us it can’t come soon enough. With many days this summer being around 90 degrees, this summer has been a struggle for us. We wilt just as fast as the flowers do out there in the heat.
This fall we are focusing on planting things that will store well through the winter or will withstand some cold weather. That is why you plant them now, because they have to be large enough and developed enough before the frost hits. The first or second week in October is when the frost typically comes, making our transition from summer to winter crops. None of the flowers we grow will survive the frost, so that’s when we officially make the switch to selling just produce which will continue until the first flower blooms again in spring.
This year we’ve got sweet potatoes planted, pie pumpkins, butternut squash and lots of carrots for us to store in the root cellar. We don’t officially have one, but we are going to dig any area to bury some produce as deep enough in the ground stays around 55 degrees even during the winter. Also, once the flowers are gone, our cooler is used for storage of crops. If you think you will need to store some of the product that you get in the fall, look up how to build your own root cellar or the conditions necessary for storage. There is lots of information out there about the proper storing conditions for each root crop. Preserving without canning or freezing is made possible with the help of a root cellar.
What’s included this week?
1. Tomatoes
2. Zucchini
3. Apples- these are from a friend’s farm who does not spray, so they may not look perfect, but they taste good. And, if you don’t want to eat them raw, just cook them up and then you can forget about the blemishes on the outside.
4. Sweet Corn
5. Potatoes
6. Sausage from our pigs- great for breakfast!
Recipe of the Week
Apple Crumb Pie
Filling:
6-8 apples, peeled and thickly sliced
½ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping:
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
Toss the apples, sugar, and cinnamon until the apples are well coated. Mix the topping ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Spoon in the apple filling and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes until the topping has browned.
This is an alternative to pie with two crusts, but there are plenty of recipes out there for regular apple pie, so I thought I would give you something different to try instead. This one also seemed much easier for the beginning baker.
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve
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