Late Fall on the farm and Edible Chesaopeake magazine

It's nearly Halloween on the farm. Nick, Melissa, Chris and John are digging up sweet potatoes today and the temps are in the low fifties. The chickens have grown and it turns out we have one young rooster- we're calling him "Adam" ( first man?) and his crow is still developing. He sounds like a rooster with a speech impediment at the moment, more a " ur-uh-urrrr" instead of the true " cock-a doodle-doo".

John is still distributing produce at The Heritage, Virginia Garden and the Norfolk Farm Market. The lettuce is amazing and the greens are gorgeous, collards and kale are ready to pick and eat.

This fall, I still mean to put together a CSA survey to distribute to our members online. Members- look for it in the next week or so.

I've been spending more of my time writing than ever before, now from my upstairs office, where I have a beautiful view of the farm. It's a dream come true!

Speaking of dreams coming true, I have will have two articles in the winter edition of Edible Chesapeake magazine, produced up in the DC area. One is a short piece about Croc's Bistro-a little place with a big green heart- and another is a first person essay about being a farmer's wife. This is great news for me as a writer because Edible Chesapeake has a large distribution from Northern Virginia all the way to Tidewater! It's a beautiful magazine, with lush photography, great writing and delectible recipes, a great addition to the side tables and kitchens of our CSA members. We have a box of the fall edition here at the house if any CSA members want one. They are also available at Virginia Garden and The Boot and some other area locations.

Check it out at http://www.ediblechesapeake.com/

Here's a photo I sent to the magazine. I'm usually the one who takes the pictures at the farm, but I stooped to shameless self-promotion just this once! The apron belonged to Margie Zentz, my daughter Skye's grandma.She was a great cook and a loving woman.

Week 20 (September 27, 2008)

After the rain, red was the color of the day ...

In this week's share: basil, bok choy (2), eggplant (4-6), garlic (3-4), leeks (2, 1 lb), okra (pint), parsley (bunch), peppers (1.5 lb), potatoes (2.5 lb).

Don't forget that many of the recipes from the last three years can be found at the New Earth web site.

Week 19 (September 20, 2008)

In this week's share: basil, edamame, eggplant, garlic, okra, parsley, peppers, choice of green beans or tomatoes (shown), choice of bok choy (shown) or tatsoi

Missy trims a fine strand of edamame

The ephemeral okra blossom

A List Of ...

...One Hundred (Vegetarian) Things To Eat Before You Die

Week 16 (August 28, 2008)

In this week's share: basil, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, long beans, lettuce, peppers (green and jalapeno), tomatoes

Week 14 (August 16, 2008)

In this week's share: basil, cucumbers, eggplant (japanese and globe), garlic, leeks, peppers (jalapeño and green), tomatoes (juliet and slicing), one of: green beans, edamame, okra, pattypan squash

Zucchini

"here are plenty of ideas for cooking them now or saving them for later" - from the Ethicurean

Week 12 (August 02, 2008)

In this week's share: basil, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, onions, pepper, parsley, tomatoes, yellow squash, with a choice of chard, green beans, okra or more tomatoes.


As you can see, this week's share had a lot of cucumbers, so the recipe of the week is Cucumber and Black-Eyed Pea Salad from eatingwell.com. It requires 4 cups of cucumber.

A massive writer spider adjacent to the out-building.

Week 11 (July 26, 2008)

In this week's share ... basil, cucumbers, garlic, eggplant, leeks, lettuces, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, choice of beets or chard.

Carry it home in Your own Cooler

Hi, to all the regular CSA Bloggers and to the world of blog visitors!

Last Saturday morning we had a minor crisis-there were 10 boxes for 26 CSA members. It called on our sense of making do and using larger boxes for the moment, but it also pointed to a flaw in the box situation.
The farm purchases the heavy, waxy boxes each year, knowing that they can be used over and over again many times. Yet, the ideal situation would include members packing their produce into coolers or other containers so that the boxes don't have to travel back and forth to the farm.
Core member Daniel O'Leary belonged to a CSA which used heavy canvas bags- which could work in short trips during cool weather, like a trip from your local store to your house. But if the produce is to arrive at your home with a bounce in it's step, so to speak, it's better if it's cool.
Some CSAs use paper bags. Some require a " box deposit". We're working on this as we go.
In three years of doing a CSA, last Saturday was the first time we were short on boxes. Maybe everyone will return their boxes this weekend and we will be just fine.
We don't have a cooled room to keep the produce fresh, and occaisonally, we can turn on the cooler in the barn for a member who's picking up a little later ( if we know ahead of time!)
Maybe some other members have ideas? We'd love to hear them!