​Snow! What an exciting and joyful time! We are chugging along right now, making good plans for the coming year and keeping the fires stoked on the farm. Our winter micro experiments continue. Everything is growing so slowly, although it is expected, we are running low on space in our makeshift space. Add to that the impending bitter cold, we seeding a little light this week. 
The basil and cilantro micros have yet to make a splash. For the basil, we think it is too cold. We are still sorting out the root problem for the cilantro. In any event, we are taking a break on those experiments until the cold lets up and the daylight lengthens. We will resume in mid February. We will keep seeding Arugula, Broccoli, Cress, Mustard, and Radish- all local superfoods, all cold and low light tolerant. Keep expecting those delights at market.  

I am short on time this week so all I will say is come out and visit us at market this week. Unfortunately, I have one more week away from you all, but will be back with a blast next Saturday. So please head out and pepper Tyler and Peter with vegetable questions. 

I will leave these lean times support suggestions here...
Ways to support us through these lean times? 

• Become a farm member through our CSA!
  • Here is a link to information about it.
  • Here is a link to the sign up sheet
  • You balance will stay on the books until the end of the 2023 season.
• Come buy our vegetables at market! Make going to the farmers' market part of your weekly routine. We love to see you and we love our vegetables being part of your meals.
• Invite your friends to come to market with you or introduce them to our vegetables!
• Share our hiring ad! If you know someone that is a farmer or is considering farming, send them our way! 
  • Here is a link to our hiring page.

Come out and see us this week! Tyler and Lisa are in Royal Oak and Peter is in Eastern. I am farmward this weekend but will be back next!

~Helen
 
In this email:

• Winter market schedule:
  • As of now we are planning on attending Eastern and Royal Oak every week. If anything changes, we will note it here. 
• Generally important notes
  • We are inside at Eastern Market, in Shed 3, stalls 367 and 369. You can find us on the left if you enter Shed 3 from Russel st.
  • Farm Members! Accepting sign-ups for the 2023 Season. Please ask for a sign-up sheet at market or print one (here) and bring it!
  • Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe: Roasted Potato (Don't underestimate the health benefits of the the potato! They are a powerhouse of energy and nutrition!)
• Market Details: Royal Oak and Eastern (shed 3, 367 and 369)!

​
Fresh From the Field- 
Greens:
Microgreens: Arugula, Broccoli, Cress, Radish!
Corn shoot (not a lot this week but we are getting closer to having it sorted.)

All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples (Michigan grown, certified organic, only at Eastern)
Cabbage: Savoy Leaf Cabbage, Classic, and Red
Garlic (certified organic from Cinzori!)
Napa Cabbage- baby and delectable
Kohlrabi 
Onions: Red and Yellow, a mixture of ours and Cinzori's (certified organic!)
Potatoes: Red and white
Daikon (Purple, Red (from Tantre) and White)
Watermelon radishes- From Tantre (grown with practices we trust but not certified organic)
Rutabaga
Purple top turnips

Coming soon:
Pea Shoots
Sunflower shoots

Recipe: Roasted Potatoes
From Facts of Life
Preheat oven to 350 F
Wash.
Chop to even sizes- your choice!
Spread on pan and toss with olive oil and herb of choice (rosemary for me, please!)
Roast for 40 min. Check with a fork. If you like them crispier, flip and toss in the pan and roast longer checking at 10-20 min increments. 

Enjoy on their own or with a meal. Don't underrate the health benefits of the potato. https://potatogoodness.com/nutrition/

Potato Nutrition Highlights 
+An excellent source of vitamin C
+A good source of potassium (more than a banana!)
+A good source of vitamin B6
+Potatoes are nutrient-dense complex carbohydrates
+Potatoes are fat-, sodium- and cholesterol-free
+Potatoes are only 110 calories per serving

Market Details: We are at market this week
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market- Back in May
Eastern Market, Shed 3, stalls 367 and 369 (on the right when you enter shed 3 Russel St.), Saturday with Peter! 6 am to 2:30 pm
Royal Oak, Saturday with Tyler! 7 am to 1 pm

​The good news? The tried and true microgreens did what we know they could and produced an abundance of delicious greens for us to use. I love them on my sandwiches, arugula in my strawberry yogurt smoothie, sprinkled on my eggs, or just on the side of any dish with a drizzle of oil. 
The less good news? The shoots need more time. The low light conditions of January are not conducive to rapid plant growth, and the pea and sunflower shoots are showing us that. I say less good news, rather than bad news, because they are in fact growing, just slowly slowly. It may be two weeks before we experience the joy of a crunchy pea or sunflower shoot. 

Being at market last week was a blast. I loved seeing everyone and sharing the joys of winter radishes, talking about our farm and our membership, and hearing about everyone's lives. I love connecting to the people that we grow food for. It completes the circle for me and keeps me grounded. It reminds me that other people care about the way we care for the earth and each other. If fills my coffers with hope and inspiration.

And what will be offering to you this winter? Well, in the 2022, we did not plant to have storage vegetables for this time of year. Our storage crop supplies are shrinking, although we still have a lot of rutabaga, potatoes, and turnips! This shortage provides the opportunity to connect and this winter I am looking forward to developing relationships with other Michigan growers so that we can keep a balanced table through the leaner times of the winter. So look for it! And expect us to show up with our shoots, micros, and what storage crops remain for us, along with what we can collect from our neighboring Michigan farms.

Ways to support us through these lean times? 

• Become a farm member through our CSA!
  • Here is a link to information about it.
  • Here is a link to the sign up sheet
  • You balance will stay on the books until the end of the 2023 season.
• Come buy our vegetables at market! Make going to the farmers' market part of your weekly routine. We love to see you and we love our vegetables being part of your meals.
• Invite your friends to come to market with you or introduce them to our vegetables!
• Share our hiring ad! If you know someone that is a farmer or is considering farming, send them our way! 
  • Here is a link to our hiring page.

Come out and see us this week! Tyler is in Royal Oak and Peter is in Eastern. I am farmward this weekend but will be back next!

~Helen
 
In this email:

• Winter market schedule:
  • As of now we are planning on attending Eastern and Royal Oak every week. If anything changes, we will note it here. 
• Generally important notes
  • We are inside at Eastern Market, in Shed 3, stalls 367 and 369. You can find us on the left if you enter Shed 3 from Russel st.
  • Farm Members! Accepting sign-ups for the 2023 Season. Please ask for a sign-up sheet at market or print one (here) and bring it!
  • Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe: Kohlrabi!
• Market Details: Royal Oak and Eastern (shed 3, 367 and 369)!
  

​
Fresh From the Field- 
Greens:
Microgreens: Arugula, Broccoli, Cress, Mustard Mix, Radish!
FIVE backs of the mysterious corn shoots!

All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples (Michigan grown, certified organic, only at Eastern)
Cabbage: Savoy Leaf Cabbage, Classic, and Red
Celery Root (last week)
Garlic (certified organic from Cinzori!)
Napa Cabbage- baby and delectable
Kohlrabi 
Onions: Red and Yellow, a mixture of ours and Cinzori's (certified organic! 
Potatoes: Red and white
Fingerling Potatoes (last week)
Daikon (Purple and White)
Watermelon radishes- Ours at Royal Oak, Tantre's at Eastern (grown with practices we trust but not certified organic)
Rutabaga!
Purple top turnips

Herbs
Parsley (Curly and Flat Leaf!)- last week

Coming soon:
Corn shoots- we'll figure them out!
Pea Shoots
Sunflower shoots
Basil and cilantro microgreens

Recipe: Kohlrabi!
From Facts of Life

Kohlrabi is crispy and so, so flavorful. This time of year it is so very sweet. There are many ways to cook it and and many recipes to use it in but the way I fell in love with it was in its raw form: Peeled and munched.

I like to cut it in half lengthwise, cut off the small tough end where the stem was, peel it, then slice it into thin halfmoons. From there, you can add a little salt, dip it in your favorite dip (cream cheese, brie, ranch, black beans, hummus, etc), or eat it just as it is. 

It is a beautiful addition to a charcuterie board (especially along with our GORGEOUS purple daikon) and it is a well loved snack for all ages.

Don't hold back. Get kohlrabied tomorrow.  

Market Details: We are at market this week
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market- Back in May
Eastern Market, Shed 3, stalls 367 and 369 (on the right when you enter shed 3 Russel St.), Saturday with Peter! 6 am to 2:30 pm
Royal Oak, Saturday with Tyler! 7 am to 1 pm

Ahoy!
We're back one week early and we are excited about it! Although we don't have the full spread of shoots and micros, we have a lot of nutrient and flavor dense foods on our table. And next week? Well, next week we'll be bringing our first round of many new crops. A particularly exciting and delicious experiment are the popcorn shoots. They are allegedly so sweet and crunchy, some chefs use them in desserts! Hopefully they will be ready for next Saturday.

The 2023 season is taking shape! Tyler and I have took sometime before our winter break to layout our hopes and dream on paper. We have put a lot of thought into where we can focus to make the greatest strides and I feel we've come up with a pretty bold and reasonable plan. I have some trepidation about hiring and the availability of people interested and able to work on a farm but even that towering concern can't cast its shadow net over my pivot. We are ready with various pocket plans that all lead to nutritious, organic vegetables on your table.  

Stick with us in any of these ways!

• Become a farm member through our CSA!
  • Here is a link to information about it.
  • Here is a link to the sign up sheet
• Come buy our vegetables at market! Make going to the farmers' market part of your weekly routine. We love to see you and we love our vegetables being part of your meals.
• Invite your friends to come to market with you or introduce them to our vegetables!
• Share our hiring ad! If you know someone that is a farmer or is considering farming, send them our way! 
  • Here is a link to our hiring page.

I'll wax on in the coming weeks and months. I have lots to share! In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing you at Eastern and Royal Oak markets tomorrow!
~Helen
 
In this email:

• Winter market schedule:
  • As of now we are planning on attending Eastern and Royal Oak every week. If anything changes, we will note it here. 
• Generally important notes
  • We are inside at Eastern Market, in Shed 3, stalls 367 and 369. You can find us on the left if you enter Shed 3 from Russel st.
  • Farm Members! Accepting sign-ups for the 2023 Season. Please ask for a sign-up sheet at market or print one (here) and bring it!
  • Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.  
• Fresh from the Field
• Recipe: Kohlrabi!
• Market Details: Royal Oak and Eastern (shed 3, 367 and 369)!
  

Fresh From the Field- 
Greens:
Pea shoots (limited)

All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples (certified organic from Country Mill, only at Eastern)
Cabbage: Cone Cabbage, Savoy Leaf Cabbage, Classic, and Red
Celery Root
Garlic (certified organic from Cinzori!)
Napa Cabbage
Kohlrabi 
Onions: Red and Yellow
Potatoes: Red and white
Fingerling Potatoes
Daikon (Purple and White)
Watermelon radishes
Rutabaga!
Purple top turnips
Wintersquash (Try that Autumn Frost, folks!)- Last week

Herbs
Parsley (Curly and Flat Leaf!)

Coming soon:
Corn shoots
Sunflower shoots
Many microgreens including: Cilantro, Basil, Arugula, Radsh, Broccoli, Cress, and Mustard!

Recipe: Kohlrabi!
From Facts of Life
Kohlrabi is crispy and so, so flavorful. This time of year it is so very sweet. There are many ways to cook it and and many recipes to use it in but the way I fell in love with it was in its raw form: Peeled and munched.

I like to cut it in half lengthwise, cut off the small tough end where the stem was, peel it, then slice it into thin halfmoons. From there, you can add a little salt, dip it in your favorite dip (cream cheese, brie, ranch, black beans, hummus, etc), or eat it just as it is. 

It is a beautiful addition to a charcuterie board (especially along with our GORGEOUS purple daikon) and it is a well loved snack for all ages.

Don't hold back. Get kohlrabied tomorrow.  

Market Details: We are at market this week
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market- Back in May

​Eastern Market, Shed 3, stalls 367 and 369 (on the right when you enter shed 3 Russel St.),

Saturday with Helen! 6 am to 2:30 pm
Royal Oak, Saturday with Tyler! 7 am to 1 pm