Archive | 2020 Whole Farm CSA

The Grand Finale of the Season

Hello all,First I want to thank you all for your support of our farm and for participating in our 2020 CSA. We really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed the CSA  as much as I did. And since it’s 2020, we shouldn’t be surprised that we have several inches of snow on the ground and it’s only mid-October. I guess we should be thankful that we haven’t had a meteor strike or alien invasion… yet…

So… here is what you will find in the last harvest of the season
GINGER – This is definitely one of my favorite crops to grow, and I’m one of only a few farmers in Minnesota who grows it. I’m also the (self-proclaimed) largest ginger grower in the state. It’s not a difficult crop to grow, but it is time-and-space intensive, taking 10 months to grow during the season. The pieces of ginger you’ll get in your bag are field cleaned, so you’ll need to spend a little time getting the grit out of the crevices, but I know a few of you are interested in growing ginger too, so if that is what you’d like to do, you can just put this ginger in a pot right away, put it in a sunny window, keep it watered and watch it grow. It should sprout in about 6 to 8 weeks. For the rest of you, grind or slice it up in your favorite dish, or even better, make some candied ginger for the holidays.

SQUASH – I hope you like squash because there is a lot of it. In your bag you will find a small yellow, striped Delicata squash. Then you will need to proceed to inside the sugarhouse where you will find on the floor two more varieties – Butternut (large tan) and Buttercup (round green). You will grab FOUR squash of your choosing. There will be some green cloth bags there that you can use to tote them out of the sugarhouse (keep the bag). These too will need to be cleaned. My back was too sore after harvesting to clean them all. Sorry about that.

RED CABBAGE – The particular variety of cabbage, the heads are kind of small, but they are tender and tasty.

GREEN (some ripe) HEIRLOOM TOMATOES – You’ll find a combination of green, slightly ripened, and ripe tomatoes.Try out a  fried green tomato recipe, or you can just let them ripen on your counter.

CUCUMBERS – one or two cucumbers

PEPPERS – I pulled out all of the pepper plants so you’ll find a random combination of sweet and hot peppers.

SCALLIONS – among the weeds, I discovered a small plat of scallions. Rather than letting them go to waste, you’ll find a tiny handful in your bag. Some of them are kind of small, but they’re pretty cute.

KALE and SWISS CHARD – you’ll find both greens combined together. The colorful leaves (red, white, or yellow) are the chard, and the dark green or blueish green leaves are the kale.

EGGS – the ladies in the henhouse have been busy, so you’ll get one, 18-count carton

APPLE JUICE – one frozen gallon of apple juice which is in the freezer next to the cooler

BEVERAGES – three four-packs of your choice, any combination, mix-and-match as you please

As a CSA member, you share in the bounty and failure of our farm’s crops. Even though I usually plant the same crops every year, each year the crops perform differently and 2020 was no exception. Here are a few behind-the-scene highlights of this year’s season.
Crops lost to predators – those beastly rabbits gobbled up the entire edamame crop, and our own chickens cleaned up most of the grapes. 
Chickens – We did lose a few chickens to a hawk, but the majority were safe and happy. They just went on strike during the hot summer months while they were molting producing very few eggs from June – August. And since they’re free-range, we found random egg clutches in interesting places such as on the seat of the skid steer, on the flatbed trailer, under the bunkhouse, and under a picnic table. Thankfully they rebounded to laying an abundance of eggs which I gladly share with you.
Befuddled – a few crops are quite puzzling. The cantaloupe crop was abundant, but it was not what I planted. It appears that it cross pollinated with something, producing some very strange looking thing that had a bitter taste. Since all of the fruit was exactly the same, I believe that the seeds I got were faulty, so I’ll be following up with the seed company. Another head-scratcher was the beets. I usually have an abundance of beets, but this year, they only grew to a point then just got stuck right there. They never fully developed, just a lot of pretty leaves.
Farmer fail – I completely messed up on the carrots. I didn’t thin them out on a timely basis, and they also got choked out by the weeds. Oops. I also didn’t get the eggplant planted early enough, so right now the plants are still growing, and have lots of flowers on them, but it’s too late for them to produce. Darn.
Abundant – I absolutely love growing tomatoes, and this years crop was abundant. The ginger crop is also abundant as was the leeks, squash, kale, Swiss chard and cucumbers.
With full hearts, we thank you for joining the CSA and we hope it brought you some happiness during this wildly crazy year. We greatly appreciate your support of Sapsucker Farms and we hope to see you around the cider barn.
With bountiful blessings to you all,
Debbie

What a beautiful autumn we are having.

The maple trees on the farm are showing off their spectacular colors, and the weather has been gentle and pleasant. As always, the farm is open on the weekends to hike the trails, take photos, and enjoy the natural surroundings. Here is what’s in your harvest this month:
APPLES – a bulging bag of multiple varieties of apples. Some are big, some are small, some are beautiful, some are ugly, some are crunchy and tart, some are soft and sweet, some are red, orange, or yellow, and all of them are delicious in their own way – for baking, eating, or juicing. Some of the varieties include: Zestar, Haralson, Striped Harvey, Regent, Spartan, Prairie Spy, Minnesota 1734, Wolf River, Beacon, Jonagold, and more (sorry, lost track of all of the varieties picked). You can google the names to learn more about each variety.
LEEKS – They look like giant scallions and are a famous ingredient for potato leek soup. But there are many more ways to prepare them. Here are 34 recipes including potato leek soup, so have fun experimenting with them.
GRAPES – I was really excited about the grape crop this year, it was looking so nice. But…. since it’s 2020 …. for the first time ever…. just as the grapes were at their peak ripeness…. our free-range chickens found them and ate most of the crop. ARGH!! I was, however, able to rescue a small amount that was out of their reach. So I opted to include a very small portion, just a small handful, in your harvest so you can at least taste these delightful little wonders. I debated whether or not to do this, fearing you would think that I’m being stingy. But they are so different than anything you get in the store, so I decided to include just a tiny portion. Think of it as the cherry on top, or an aperitif to your meal.
TWO DOZEN EGGS – Our grape-eating chickens have also been busy laying a lot of eggs. So at least there’s that…. 
VINE-RIPENED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES – a wide variety of sizes and colors
SAGE – This savory herb is perfect for fall recipes, especially with poultry and pork.
GRAB BAG – grab one bag of your choice from the yellow bin, options include: more leeks, more apples, cucumbers, kale, or chard.
BEVERAGES – Three four-packs of your choice, mix and match as you please. Or if you choose to substitute maple syrup or honey, you will find that in the sugar house.

Be sure to take some time to just enjoy this gorgeous autumn season. We all get so busy and forget to take a moment to enjoy the beauty around us. I know I am guilty of that as well, so right now I am looking out my window and admiring the colors.

Here is what you will find in your CSA this month.

TWO dozen eggs – Hooray! The henhouse ladies have finally started cooperating with me, so I’m happy to say that this month you get TWO dozen eggs, which makes up for the deficit over the past two months. Thank you for your understanding.

Grape leaves – Say what? Is that a typo? Nope. Did you know that grape leaves are quite delicious? It’s true. We’ve been eating them all summer, So I’m sharing the love. I’ve included them In previous years’ CSAs so I thought you might enjoy them. So what do you do with grape leaves? Make stuffed grape leaves, also known as dolmas. It’s very simple to make, and here is a simple recipe to try, and I’m sure that Google can help you fine some more.

Vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes – a bundle of many different colors, sizes, and varieties ranging from large beefsteak to cherry tomatoes

Peppers – mostly sweet peppers, but there are a few hot peppers here and there.

Onions – Perhaps you noticed now with tomatoes, peppers, and onions, it’s the makings for some garden-fresh salsa

Cucumber – Yup. You get another one this month.

Cabbage – a cute pointy-headed green cabbage or a red cabbage

Lemon basil – one of my all-time favorite herbs, and this is the herb used to make our lemon basil cider. You can use it to make a caprese salad with the heirloom tomatoes

Random Grab Bag – One item of your choice from the yellow bin. Options include: kale, Swiss chard, scallions, or a melon. It was my hope to have melons for everyone, but I had a very strange experience. The small watermelons did well, but I only had a couple of plants, so the quantity is very low. I did, however, plant many plants of my favorite cantaloupes, anticipating a plentiful crop. However, it appears that these melons cross pollinated with the squash, so I ended up with some very strange looking, and tasting melons. Sigh…

Three 4-packs of beverages of your choice – you can mix and match as you please, including ginger ale and root beer.

Enjoy your bounty, and I look forward to seeing you on the farm.

Here is what you will find in your CSA harvest for July:
Womboks  – Huh? I learned all about womboks from our WWOOFer  from Australia. The first time she entered the hoop house, she enthusiastically shouted “You have Womboks!!” At first, I was quite alarmed, as I had envisioned some toothy, venomous creature that had invaded my hoop house. But my fears were quickly relieved as she pointed to the Napa Cabbage and said “I love womboks!” Whew. Anyhoo…  This is a delicate, frilly cabbage that you can use just like any other cabbage. The leaves are a little fragile so you may not be able to roll them up for cabbage rolls but other than that, it is especially delicious for Asian salads.

Beans – Four different kinds: green, purple, yellow, and dragons tongue which is a large heirloom bean that is creamy colored with light purple stripes

Scallions – also known as green onions, along with a few purple ones too

Cucumbers – one cucumber this month, but the vines are full of little ones, so you can expect to see more of these throughout the season

Zucchini – dang they get so big so fast!

Kale – Russian kale is a pretty, large, blueish-green leaf with pinkish veins and leaves. My favorite way to enjoy kale is to make kale chips. But kale is one of those wonderful power foods that is also very versatile.

Basil – (in the sugarhouse) a nice bouquet of basil that you can use in your favorite recipes, make pesto, or just leave on your table to enjoy the wonderful aroma. Some of it got a little beat up in the recent wind and rain, but no worries, that will all disappear in the food processor.

Random grab bag – grab one bag of your choice from the yellow bin… it includes some extras of  the items included in this months CSA plus a few other items such as beets, kohlrabi, radicchio, Swiss chard, or other random goodies
1/2 dozen eggs – as the sweltering heat continues, the ladies in the henhouse have still been quite finicky this month, so egg production continues to be low. The good news is that the 50 babies are now starting to lay eggs, so I am hopeful that the production will begin to increase again soon. Meanwhile, if you know of any magic tricks, songs, dances, or spells you can perform on the chickens to get them to lay more eggs, please feel free to stop by the hen house and do so. And if I see you doing your jig in the chicken yard, don’t worry… I won’t think it is odd… although I may do a live broadcast of your performance on Facebook… 

Three four packs of beverages – Mix and match as you please between the Yellow Belly ciders, farm-made root beer, or ginger ale

Hello CSA members,

The June CSA harvest is ready for pick up beginning at noon on Thursday 6/25. If you haven’t already done so, please let me know approximately when you think you’ll be coming to pick it up so I can assure the freshest harvest possible.

NEW ADD ON – I am happy to announce that we now have kimchi available on the farm! Our organic ginger that we grow on the farm is one of the magical ingredients used to make  – You Betcha Kimchi made in Minneapolis. It comes in three spice levels: Mild (Minnesota nice); Medium (a bit Nippy) and Hot (Uffda). If you are a kimchi fan you can purchase it online right here, $10 per one-pound jar. When you check out, please indicate in the notes which spice level you prefer. I’ll have it ready for you to pick up in the cooler when you come to get your CSA in July.

Now… here is what you will find in your harvest this month. 

Romaine – probably the most popular variety of lettuce

Kohlrabi with leaves (white and/or purple) – unlike what you find in the grocery store, this kohlrabi includes all of the leaves. The leaves are also a treat, as they are pretty much the same as collard greens – thick and chewy. If you’re not familiar with kohlrabi, it is kind of like a big radish, but milder. My favorite way to enjoy them is to peel, slice thin and add a little salt. But there are many ways to prepare both kohlrabi and kohlrabi leaves. Google will be happy to help.

Radicchio – You will find two varieties, one is the traditional, small red round head, the other is a frilly green leafed variety. Radicchio is in the chickory family which is kind of a cross between lettuce and cabbage. You can enjoy it raw in a salad, or it can be grilled. Once again, google can help you come up with your own favorite way to prepare

Arugula – this popular green has a spicy, pepper flavor. It is frequently used as a pizza topping, made into a spicy pesto, or added to salads.

Beet greens with stems – these are delicious, colorful greens that are especially great in salads, but can also be sautéed or cooked, just like spinach. The stems add a vibrant color to you dish, and are crunchy when eaten raw, or tender when cooked. You might even find a few micro-mini sized beets on the end. You will definitely need to clean these up a bit more before you enjoy, as you will find some grit.

Swiss chard – these large, beautiful leaves are very versatile. In fact, they are also in the beet family, so you can prepare them raw or cooked, much like spinach….just like your beet greens

Random grab bag – You will find a big yellow tub in the cooler that has a variety of different items. There wasn’t enough of each of these items for everyone, so you can grab one bag of the item of your choice. Options include: radishes, bok choy, zucchini, or kale.

Herb potted plant – in the sugarhouse you will find a potted herb plant. Perhaps you’re not a gardener, but put this in your kitchen window, watch it grown and snip it as you like. The options include: oregano, thyme, dill, parsley, sage, or cilantro

1/2 dozen Eggs – unfortunately, I’m running short on eggs this month. What often happens this time of year, the chickens will slow down their egg laying when it gets warm and they start to molt. But adding to the problem is that since they are free-ranging in the orchard, they will start egg clutches in secret spots where we can’t find them. We’ve discovered clutches in a hay pile by the hoop house, on the trailer in the shed, and under apple trees in the orchard. Sometimes these clutches turn into new families, so don’t be surprised if sometime soon you’ll see some baby chicks following mama. The good news is that our new batch of baby chicks that we got late winter, should be starting to lay eggs within the month, so hopefully they will use the nesting boxes inside the hen spa instead of under an apple tree.

Beverages or substitute – Three four-packs of the beverages of your choice, or if you choose to substitute for maple syrup or honey, you will find it in the sugarhouse.

SAD NEWS – Over the years I have encountered a wide range of predators that attack my crops. I’ve dealt with pterodactyls chomping on my cabbage (true); aliens putting tattoos on my watermelons (also true); ground hogs devouring my cantaloupes, slugs invading my lettuce, a doe teaching her fawn how to get inside the hoop house, and bears knocking down my honeybee boxes. But my most feared predator of all is the bunny. I know, they’re cute, with their wiggly nose, pointy ears and round little tail. But those rascals have the ability to decimate everything I grow. And I’ve had one of those monstrous creatures get inside the hoop house and completely devour the edamame (Japanese soy beans) crop. Grrrrrrr…… now it’s too late to plant more, so I’m sad to announce there will be no edamame this year. No one is more sad than me.

Meanwhile, we have a number of other activities happening on the farm… food trucks, music, hiking, or just relaxing. You’ll find it all on our website.

Thanks again for your support of our farm, and as always, stay safe!
Debbie

The First CSA harvest of the 2020 season is ready. Here is what is included.

Three 4-packs of beverages* – you may choose from six different flavors of Yellow Belly cider, root beer, or ginger ale. If you desire, you can mix and match your four packs so you will be able to include a mix of all flavors and styles of beverages.
*substitute honey or maple syrup – If you would prefer, you have the option to substitute the beverages for either maple syrup or honey. Just let me know in advance so I can have it ready for you when you pick up.
Pea shoots – a handful of these tender, sweet tendrils of pea shoots that can be added to salads, stir fries, or just as a delicious snack.
Sunflower shoots – delicious, nutty, tender, greens that are sprouts of sunflower seeds. Super delicious raw, topping on a salad, pizza or a healthy snack.
Heirloom lettuce – A nice bunch of small heads of heirloom deer tongue lettuce. These are compact heads of lettuce with tender leaves that actually look like deer tongues.
Spinach – a healthy portion of this popular green that can be served raw or cooked. 
Baby bok choy – a combination of purple heirloom baby bok ahoy, and traditional green bok choy. Baby bok hoy is super tender, can be used in stir fries or raw for salads. The leaves and the stalks together add variety to your favorite dishes.
Radish greens with some radishes – ok, so I kinda messed up here. I didn’t thin the radishes in a timely basis, which means the radishes didn’t mature as they should. While the radishes may not be as robust as I would prefer, all is not lost. The greens are super delicious, full of nutrition, with a slight bitter flavor, much like arugula. Personally, I like radish greens as a pizza topping. It can also be made into a pesto, added to a salad, or many other serving suggestions, based on Google’s suggestions.
One dozen eggs – the ladies in the hen spa have been busy and have one dozen of their prized possessions for you.