November 1st, 2023
What’s in your share?
Japanese Salad Turnips
Butter Lettuce
Carrots
Oneida Gold Potatoes
Radicchio*
Bok Choy
Yellow Onions
*Radicchio - is our favorite thing to eat. Perhaps it has an acquired taste - it is bitter - but when paired with something savory and rich, it provides the perfect balance. This green is arguably one of the most nourishing crops we grow, but because it doesn’t fly off the shelves, we’ve begun to only grow one bed per season, so the radicchio lovers get what they want, and so it doesn’t feel like your money is going to waste if its not your favorite. The cool thing about radicchio is that is can be eaten raw like any other green, but it also holds up to light cooking. It’s common to grill, saute, and braise radicchio. I’ll provide some radicchio recipes below and if you end up liking it, please let us know! We’d love to get more experimental with the “Chicory” family, because this family is not only extremely nourishing and versatile, but is super tolerant of colder weather - much more so than lettuce - and they store much longer in your fridge. We’d love to have more of these crops in these later shares, so again, let us know. Here are some examples of other crops in this family, they are just gorgeous! If you have a chance to get any at a winter market or the grocery store this winter, its an awesome way to get greens into your diet.
The 10 Types of Chicory You'll Find at Farmers Markets
The first snow and hard freeze came on the same day: harvest day! The first freeze is always a milestone. It marks the beginning of draining the irrigation every night, turning off the water inside the house so the pipes don’t freeze and ruin the well. It also marks the beginning of having to knock frozen water out of the chicken waterer. It also makes for waiting to harvest until the crops thaw!
This past Tuesday, we had snow and frozen crops when the workshares showed up at 8. We had to wait it out a little, but the snow was magical. I don’t think we’ve every harvested in the snow with workshares in the six seasons we’ve been at it. Last season, during the “add-on” November Share, Sam and I did the harvest ourselves because we just had about 40 shares. This season, the crew is in for the full season and we are so thankful for such a devoted crew. It’s crazy how fast you can become friends when working just 4 hours a week together. Huge shoutout to workshares everywhere, past and present!
Look at these cuties!
Greg: Greg brought us soup yesterday to eat during the cold harvest! What a sweetie. One very special thing about Greg is that his grandparents lived in our house and farmed on our land for decades, and it was unoccupied for about 20 years until we moved here. Greg shares memories from his childhood on this land and, perhaps, knows our land better than we do! Also, a special shoutout goes to his wife, Rosa, who, more often than not, sends Greg with homemade baked goods for us on harvest day. We know if Greg is five minutes late, its because he will be arriving with warm cookies or a sweet loaf :)
Amelia: Amelia brings their curiosity to every harvest day, wanting to learn more about soil, plants, and raising chickens. They are a great person to do a one-on-one harvest with, sure to keep the conversation interesting. We’ve discovered that Amelia makes beautiful bunches of basil, cilantro, and kale this season!
Judy: Oh Judy, what a boss! This is Judy’s second season with us, and she knows her way around the farm. Judy is reliable, not afraid to ask questions, and always down for joking around. Another honorable mention is Lisa, Judy’s wife, who comes to harvest occasionally and is also known to send treats.
Matt: Matt is taking this photo, so you can’t seen him. This is Matt’s 3rd? or 4th? season with us, and we’ve known Matt for a long time. He is a fellow UW-Stevens Pointer and has a passion for music, hiking, and photography. He emanates love for people and nature everywhere he goes and its contagious.
Us eating the soup that Greg made after a cold (but beautiful) harvest. No soup for Fanny.
Kat: Kat comes on Thursdays! We never have the same task for Kat, but she has worked on farms and used to run a farm herself! She is always down to get dirty and cannot leave a task unfinished (and sometimes finishes up when we go inside to start making dinner.) Kat knows whats up!
John: John also comes on Thursdays. He is a high school teacher, so his schedule only allows him to come for the first half of the season, which is great for us because the workload is heavier. Thursdays are the most productive day on the farm for bed prep and miscellaneous because we have nothing to harvest and a sweet crew! John is also an avid gardener and too humble of a cook. Everything he has ever made for us is delicious!
Can you tell the bok choy was in an old tomato bed?