Archive | 2022 Whole Farm CSA

Last CSA harvest of the season. Here is what is included. All bags will have:

GINGER ROOT – fresh ginger grown right here. I started the rhizomes back in February, planted them out in the hoop houses in May, and it is now ready to harvest as baby ginger. You can store the ginger in your fridge for several weeks, or you can freeze it. 

WINTER SQUASH – you can grab four squash of your choice, they are all piled up in the sugarhouse.

GREENS – a random mix of kale, chard, and collards

BEETS WITH GREENS – a small bunch of baby beets with greens.

HERBS – a random bunch of either thyme, or mint, or parsley

EACH BAG WILL HAVE ONE OF THESE ITEMS RANDOMLY PLACED IN THEM

EGGPLANT- there are a couple of different varieties, either the deep purple or a white variety

Or

GREEN TOMATOES – for fried green tomatoes, one of my favorite autumn comfort foods

Or

CUCUMBERS – two or three 

Or

PEPPERS – sadly, most of the peppers turned to mush from that super cold snap. Darn. But some survived and randomly placed in some bags

And of course….

EGGS – a carton for everyone

BEVERAGES – three four packs, mix or match as you please – or let me know if you want to substitute maple syrup or honey for the beverages

PLUS

BONUS – $10 gift card redeemable in the cider barn for anything you desire – this is a token of our appreciation for your ongoing support of our farm!

BLACK BAG – the last bag is yours to keep.

Thank you all so very much for your support of our farm.

Here is what members will find in their CSA harvest

APPLES – several different varieties of apples, with an equally wide variety of colors, sizes, textures, and juiciness.

GRAPES – These table grapes are nothing like you find in the grocery store. They are small, tart with intense flavors. Some are purple, some red, some white, and the all have seeds. I know at least on variety is concord, but we lost the list of varieties long ago, so I couldn’t tell you what they are. Just that they are really good.

LEEKS – My favorite way of enjoying leeks is potato leek soup. And this is the perfect time of year for soup.

BEETS – I think there will be enough beets for all. I won’t know for sure until I get out there and dig them up…. Hoping that the beet-eating varmints haven’t over taken them, but you will soon find out what’s happening there.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES – Still have some growing on the tall vines. Looks like most of them are cherry tomatoes, but you’ll find a variety of colors and sizes as well. Be sure to pick them up in the sugarhouse!

PEPPERS – A combination of sweet, hot, big and small.

OREGANO – A bundle of fresh oregano, which is delicious in potato leek soup.

CUCUMBERS – I think there are enough cucumbers ready to harvest. Again, I won’t know for sure until I get out there and harvest them.

GREENS – you can grab a bag of greens of your choice – either collards, Swiss chard, or kale.

EGGS – one dozen from our lovely ladies in the hen spa.

BEVERAGES – three four packs of your choice (mix and match as you please)

The sugar maple trees are starting to turn, the trails have been mowed, so we are looking forward to a beautiful autumn season here on the farm.

Cheers to fall!

Here is what CSA Members will find in the August CSA bag:

APPLES – (Please wash first) four different varieties of early season apples: Zestar, Norland, Beacon, and Irish Peach. Some are crunchy and juicy, some are soft and juicy.

VINE-RIPENED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES – heirloom tomatoes are beautifully ugly. Some are the perfect-looking tomato, but most are lumpy, striped, or even sometimes looking like your favorite cartoon character. What’s most important to note is that they are very delicate, with thin skin, so it easily cracks. But so what. They are juicy, sweet, and absolutely delicious.

GNARLY CARROTS – I’ve never been a very good carrot farmer. I’ve never been successful growing the perfect, long, cylindrical carrots, but rather, I just let them do their own thing. The result is quite an entertaining variety of wild-looking carrots, much like what you would see in a Picasso painting. Anyhoo…. You’ll find a bag of crazy looking carrots, but they are crunchy, juicy, and sweet.

THYME – An earthy herb to add to any of your favorite savory dishes.

CUCUMBERS – Yup. You know what do do with these.

PEPPERS – A mix of sweet and hot peppers.

BEETS – A nice bundle of these healthy roots, full of antioxidants

CABBAGE – You’ll find either a red, green, or cone-head shaped cabbage in your bag.

GRAB BAG – Grab an item of your choice from the grab bag bin. You can also exchange an item if you prefer.

ONE DOZEN EGGS – The ladies in the hen house are slowly starting to get back on track, so I’m happy to say that eggs will be available this month.

BEVERAGES – three four packs of your choice.

Enjoy these last days of summer. It sure is beautiful, and we hope to see you here on the farm to enjoy the food trucks, music, classes, and whatever else we have going on.

Here is what CSA members will find in their July 2022 harvest:

CABBAGE – One head of green cabbage, either a round head or a cute pointy head.

FENNEL – If you’ve never had this, you’re in for a treat. It is a member of the carrot family and has a fresh, somewhat anise flavor. It can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Just google and see what recipes pop up that you’d like to try.

CUCUMBER – One cucumber for starters, but you can be guaranteed to see more in future bags.

ZUCCHINI – the vegetable that keeps on giving. The trickiest part of about zucchini is harvesting it before it gets too big. But even the big ones are still enjoyable, especially for grilling or making zucchini bread.

TOMATOES – a tiny handful of tomatoes. They are just starting to ripen so I was able to harvest a small handful for all to enjoy. Watch for more next month!

MINT – Mint fresh mint to add to your favorite summer beverage.

BEETS WITH GREENS – a bundle of beets with greens. While the greens may look a little beat up, they are still delicious to cook up as a side dish or add to your salads.

PEPPERS – the peppers are starting to ripen up. You’ll find a combination of sweet and hot peppers.

SCALLIONS – a small handful of these tender green onions.

BEANS – There will be just a small portion of beans, a combo of yellow, purple, green, and dragons tongue. Unfortunately, some sort of hungry, toothy varmint illegally ate up the majority of the crop. I guess they probably knew we were on vacation for a week and attacked while we were away. Anyhoo… there seems to be enough to put together a small bunch for everyone.

GRAB BAG – Take one item from the grab bag. This will be a variety of different options from which to choose. Or you can even swap out something you know you don’t like for something different, and let someone else enjoy what you don’t want. 

3 – FOUR PACKS OF BEVERAGES – Mix and match as you please.

NO EGGS THIS MONTH – unfortunately, the heat has taken a toll on the chickens. When it gets hot out, they start to molt and slow down their egg production. And since they are free-range, they often lay eggs in places that we don’t see, and then show up with baby chicks. The good news is that the baby chickens we started in the spring, are about ready to lay eggs. It is also my goal to make up for the lost eggs this month, and should be able to have two dozen eggs in a future harvest.

Here is what members will find in their CSA harvest this month:

BOK CHOY – This is a crunchy and juicy green that is frequently found in Asian cuisine. It can be enjoyed raw or cooked in your favorite recipe. You will find both green and this cute little purple heirloom variety.

KOHLRABI – If you’re not familiar with this, it’s kind of like a giant radish. My favorite way to enjoy them is to peel it, slice it thin and sprinkle with salt. The large greens are also delicious and you can prepare them just like collard greens. Sadly, a large portion of the kohlrabi crop fell prey to some sort of hungry, toothy varmint. Based on the bite marks in the plants that fell victim, it appears I may have an infestation of crocodiles or a miniature t-rex.

WOMBOKS – A few years ago, one of our farm volunteers from Australia taught me that down under, they refer to Napa Cabbage as “womboks.” While the name sounds more like a kohlrabi-eating predator, I kinda like it, so I’ve adopted the Australian name for this large, versatile, curly-leafed cabbage. Now you too can tell your friends that you have eaten womboks.

RADISHES WITH GREENS – I admit, I’m not a very good radish farmer. I have a hard time thinning them out so the bulbs just don’t get very big. But the good news is that the greens are equally delicious, so you will find radish greens with some tiny radishes in your bag again this month.

RADICCHIO – this green looks like a hybrid between cabbage and lettuce. But it is actually chicory. It’s a slightly bitter green, and I like to put it on the grill which sweetens it up.

ROMAINE – This large-leafed head of lettuce is always a favorite.

ARUGULA – a nice bag full of this spicy green to spice up your salads, pesto, pizza or favorite wombok recipe.

BASIL SPRIG –  The basil plants are coming along nicely. To make the plants turn more into a shrub, they need to be trimmed. So the trimmings from the plants can be found in the sugarhouse. Just grab a small bunch out of a jar and enjoy. (Please leave the jars in place)

ONE DOZEN EGGS – The ladies in the hen spa have been a little fussy with this heat, but they’re still producing. This time of year they tend to slow down production… plus since they are free range, they like to find adventurous, new places to lay their eggs, such as under an apple tree, on the seat of the skid steer, in a wheel barrow, on by bee suit, or under the bunkhouse. So sometimes we just can’t find them. Oops, I digress. Anyhoo, I’m pretty sure there will be enough eggs for one dozen for everyone, but if by chance there aren’t enough, let me know and I’ll try to make it up to you later in the season.

THREE FOUR PACKS OF BEVERAGES – Mix and match any and all of the various ciders, pop, and kombucha. If you chose to substitute the beverages for maple syrup or honey, you will find it on the counter in the sugarhouse.

Enjoy the harvest.

Here is what members will find in their First CSA harvest for 2022

Three 4-packs of beverages* – a mix and match any combination of all of the beverages:  several flavors of Yellow Belly cider, root beer, ginger ale, and several flavors of kombucha. (Must be 21 to pick up any hard cider).  
One dozen eggs – complements of the ladies in the hen spa
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 – sprouted sunflower seeds that are fresh and nutty, also great for salads and snacking
Heirloom lettuce – A nice bunch of small heads of heirloom lettuce heads including baby oak leaf lettuce (a frilly leaf) and deer tongue (yes, it actually looks like a deer tongue, but it is very delicate and delicious lettuce).
Radish greens with itty bitty radishes:  No doubt you are already familiar with radishes. But what you may not know is that the radish greens are also a treat. They are a peppery flavored green, much like arugula, and can be made into pesto, added to salads, and is great as a pizza topping. The original goal was to actually have a nice crop of radishes, but the radish bulbs just haven’t caught up yet due to the late plantings. However, the greens are delightful, and you will see some teeny tiny, cute little radishes too. More radishes are planted so hopefully they will mature for the June harvest.
Collards and kale – A mixed bag that includes large leaves of collard greens and and kale
Baby spinach – A small bag of baby spinach. I was hoping the spinach would be a little bigger right now, but baby spinach is very delicious. But since the spinach is kinda small, the bag is kinda small.
Arugula – A small bag of this spicy green adds a nice zing to pizza toppings, raw in a salad, or even made into a fun pesto.
Smude’s Microwave popcorn– Made in Pierz, MN using a fancy machine made by our neighbors right here in Quamba. This is the ABSOLUTELY BEST popcorn ever. It is made with Sunflower seed oil grown right here in Mora/Quamba, popcorn and salt. You will see that the bags might be a little oily looking, but fear not, it is just fine. Just pop in your microwave and enjoy. We also have it available in the cider barn.
Basil herb plant – one live herb plant for you to grow in your kitchen window and enjoy. The plants have been recently trimmed, so even though they may not have a perfect shape, they are healthy and growing new branches. Just put it in your kitchen window, or on your deck and watch it grown. Clip it and enjoy.
Looking forward to having you join me in my farming journey for 2022!