A window into the production path of your food.
It has been a dividing week at Lake Divide! Helen and Lizz are out of state, on assignment, polishing and advancing their farming skills at the MOSES Organic farming conference in Wisconsin. Our dear, not deer, friend Jess from Chickadee Creek Farm in NJ made the trek out here to join Helen and Lizz at the conference. While and I am very glad (and mildly jealous) that they are all together, advancing our long term, the farm is mine alone to tend, and so we are only able to attend the Eastern market this weekend, please pardon our absence in Ann Arbor.
The shape and magnitude of our ambition for the 2019 season is coming into focus. We will be attending 8 farmer's markets per week through the coming main season! While we are ecstatic to be making good nutritious food available to a larger number of people, we can't help but anticipate the logistical, emotional and physical challenges that this season will bring. We adjusted our scale, purchased a new Market vehicle (which our friends/neighbors Kateri and Terry are helping us make road-worthy), upgraded our cultivation, increased our season extension capabilities and braced ourselves for what is to come. If you ever had any interest in our market based CSA, or are a current member with a dwindling balance, this is the best time to make difference! Thank you for all your support, you are the heart of Lake Divide. While I have every confidence in our plan for the 2019 (we've been through, over and over, every week since November) I know it can be made better by community members signing up for a CSA membership at this time. With that being said, I will utter the desperate S.O.S. call of my nerdy/handsome engineering ex-cohorts in hopes that it reaches an appropriate audience and merits the same hard line response that I've afforded it in the past: "Help us Obi-wan Kenobi, you're our only hope." Hope to see you at market!
To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: No pick up this week!
We are preparing our largest hoop house for a new round of head lettuce transplants!
We're in the midst of cleaning and sterilizing our greenhouse, and you should expect micro greens and sprouts back on the menu in the coming month
Helen and Lizz are polishing and updating their skills at the MOSES Organic farming conference in Wisconsin this weekend (hence, no Ann Arbor Market this weekend)
Markets: We will only be in Detroit this week! Find us in the sun in shed five at Eastern.
New Members! Thank you for signing up to be a farm member and welcome to the farm! In every email you receive henceforth, you can scroll to the bottom to find your balance.
This is still true!!:
CSA Y'all! Thank you for excusing my relentless marketing but in case you missed it: This is the time that signing up to be a member of our farm has the greatest positive effect on your farmers!CSA's help share the burden of cashflow variability and seasonal unpredictability with the farmer. For us, it makes a huge difference to know that people are committed to eating our vegetables and the early investments take some of the stress out of all the early season improvements that we are making. So what is the CSA? In short, members open an account with us, receive a bonus for their commitment, and then use their accounts at market just like cash. You can find more details here. And let me say, if this is something you are considering, now is the time! We won't let you down!
Recipe: (Helen posted this one last week, but man are they delicious, it's like a vegetable crab cake that you can have all winter!!, if you haven't tried them, give 'em a shot)
Radishes. So many winter radishes. Ready to try doing something new with them?
Daikon Patties: <-- follow the link ;)
I make a version of this recipe from my brain, but it is too variable to type out. Basically, grate the daikon, mix some flavor in, ball it and coat it with the crunchy and fry it in a pan.
I am going to try the linked recipe tonight. I love the addition of peanuts and powdered ginger. If I see you tomorrow, ask me how it was and I will give you a review.
Jim writing for the Lake Dividers
- Looking to join our CSA or renew your membership? Find more details here. The basics? Open an account with us, get a bonus, and use your account to purchase produce with us at any of our markets. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.
- We are hiring! We have 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs on our website here. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please send us an email or pass along the information.
- We are accepting workshares both on the farm and at market. Please email for details.
Greens: (Limited):Arugula (limited)
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Carrots- Last week for carrots until the spring!
Kohlrabi- kohlrabi and tender petite
Sweet potatoes! White and orange fleshed
Radishes: White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple tops
Turnabaga- a cross between a crunchy sweet turnip and a rutabaga
Markets, always rain or shine!Saturday: Ann Arbor and Detroit's Eastern Market
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
The Eastern Market in Detroit is located about a mile northeast of downtown. It covers about 43 acres, bounded by I-75 on the West and Gratiot Avenue on the South. It runs year round from 6am – 4pm