Lake Divide Farm Newsletter:
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. 

Fresh From the Field!

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
​

Lake Divide Farm Newsletter:
A window into the production path of your food.

I realized after I sent the email out that I FAILED to update this top snippet. Here is what wrote last week: How was that breath of spring? I felt for a moment that I didn't get quite enough winter, but that feeling was washed away with the incoming winds. It was nice to enjoy fresh air on my arms and face without my skin being seared off by the cold. It will be nice to enjoy another dip and hopefully another big snow or two! I have some ice skating and snow meditation left yet!

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: No pick up this week!

Markets: We will be in Ann Arbor and Detroit this week! Find us in the sun in Kerrytown and in shed five at Eastern.

CSA members: We performed the annual update of our CSA spreadsheet. All of the balances should be updated as of now and incoming members are being added as they come in.

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.

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:
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.
Food for thought:
Wind and snow = Empire Strikes Back, The Battle of Hoth. I had to ask Jim what I was talking about, he knew with very little help. "You know, the one where he hides in the animal to survive and the big machines walk around?" Count me impressed. 
But seriously, this past week the snow was phenomenal! Along our dirt road, there is a section with open field on either side where the wind picks up. The otherworldly snow drifts were upwards of three feet! And the visibility in that area? Nil. It was like driving into a hostile cloud. And yet, we made it out the other side! 
And then, the following day, all the snow melted and turned into a slick ice shield for the earth. All in all, I thought it was a pretty grand weather adventure, although I really don't like the wind all the much. It gives my sleep indigestion and I lay awake wondering what has blown away. (This time, nothing!)
The day of the snow-wind was the day we sealed the deal on another Sprinter van. We needed it to enable us to attend all four of the markets in our Saturday plan. The van is in good shape and we are excited to add it to the fleet. 
They day before that, our big supplies order came in after several weeks of weather related delays. We coordinated with a few local farmers to reduce shipping costs and everything was delivered to our farm. It was great to see everyone and it made me even more excited for the coming growing season. I swear I can hear the blistering snow wind whisper spring!
To add to the hype, next week I am going to a big farming conference in Wisconsin! We consider it ongoing education and try to get everyone headed to at least a one opportunity like this per year. 
See you at market this week!
Onward and farmward!
Helen 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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited):Head lettuce! Petite and sweet!
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

 

How was that breath of spring? I felt for a moment that I didn't get quite enough winter, but that feeling was washed away with the incoming winds. It was nice to enjoy fresh air on my arms and face without my skin being seared off by the cold. It will be nice to enjoy another dip and hopefully another big snow or two! I have some ice skating and snow meditation left yet!

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: Pick-up this week on Tuesday. Look for the email. Sorry it is a little late getting out.

Markets: We will be in Ann Arbor and Detroit this week! Find us in the sun in Kerrytown and in shed five at Eastern.

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:
Another sweet potato recipe! It is hard to stop sharing culinary uses for these because they are so sweet po-tasty! (Thanks for letting me get away with that one. Just try saying it out loud, it is fun!) The Japanese Sweet Potatoes are a little drier and a little nuttier than the classic orange ones. Lizz came up with this savory (and simple!) recipe. You really can't go wrong.

Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Sauteed Onions: Preheat oven to 425. Cut large sweet potatoes into 1/2' cubes (or use a pile of small ones halved!) and put in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle in some salt, and a dried herb (sage/thyme/rosemary). Bake 'em for 15 minutes, stir, then bake about another 15-20 minutes. When there are only five minutes to go, , pull them out of the oven sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and put 'em right back in for the final five minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, slice some onions into crescents, heat some oil in a skillet and saute them until translucent. Scoop some sweet potatoes onto a plate, put the onions on top and enjoy! I would love to eat this with an over easy egg, a slice of buttered bread, and some pickled turnips! 

Food for thought:
We aired out the caterpillar tunnels and hoops this week! The plants were glad for it. I must admit, Sunday was a little concerning. I slopped around the farm, the soil trying to suck my boots off my feet at every chance, grumbling about how wet it all is. We had standing water in some fields and in the area that I chose to set up the caterpillar tunnels, just a general extensive sogginess. While it was in the forties, there was still persistent ice on the tunnels and on the row cover. Now rowcover is not the sturdiest of materials. It is a thin weave and tears with ease. Much of it was frozen to the ground, to the anchor bag, to the side of the tunnel, etc. After some sincere attempts of removal and in favor of preserving the material so it could live a fuller life, Jim and I held off on pulling all the covers until Monday. 
Monday, everything looked a little better. It was a little less "mucky", the covers weren't frozen, the sun was sunny. I finished the uncovering solo but it was no problem. My heart felt lifted, the plants looked grateful to enjoy an outing from their ice fortress. I was too, and so were the dogs. We frolicked. It was too wet to do much weeding but even so, the sight of new leaves on our plants brought my spirits up. 
Now, the temperature is dropping again (as to be expected) and the great winds that accompany this temperature change are picking up. We check to make sure everything is secure in the evening and then at night, sleep with pillows pressed over our heads so that nightmares of winds wrecking havoc on the farm don't infiltrate our slumber (although they do anyway).
Farm life continues. We have just about acquired another market vehicle, completed our crop plan for the coming year, and settled some managerial plans. The farm planning revealed that we are hoping to be planting in the field by the end of the month! Holy moley! We are going to be planting in the greenhouse in only a matter of weeks! That is wild too! IT IS UPON US! SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE BEND! The plants can feel it in daylight hours and whether we recognize it, so can we! I love that this life has brought with it an intrinsic appreciation of the changing of the seasons. Every time,  I am aching for a change of pace, the world offers it to me just by spinning. 

Helen 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. 

Fresh From the Field!
Greens: (Limited):Head lettuce!- Maybe.....
All manner of deliciousness:
Cabbage- running low
Carrots
Kohlrabi- kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes! White and orange fleshed
Radishes: Classic (with greens! May be limited), White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
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

Lake Divide Farm Newsletter:
A window into the production path of your food.

Well, the grand majority of our vegetable population survived the second deep freeze of 2019. I am impressed again! I love a good snow day and this past week, we had a few and I was peak joy. We haven't had to do much clearing of snow this year from our hoops. In fact, the hoop houses usually take care of it themselves by heating right up with the sunshine and shedding the snow. This time, things were a little different. With lots of snow coming and the drift from the wind, we had a drifts 4 feet high piled against the northwest side of the houses! No need to risk bending a hoop on that! Jim and I, plus our loyal canines (don't worry we were careful with them in the low temps, headed out and cleared the weight off. After finishing that up, Exie and I head off into the woods to lay in the snow and marvel at the magical world. Getting cold makes the warmth all the much more wonderful.

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: No pick-up this coming week.

We will be in Shed five (inside!) at Eastern Market. Look for our expansive and joyous vegetable display. Don't forget to seek us out!!

Back at Ann Arbor Saturday this coming week!  Following a roller coaster week of obsessive weather checking, Saturday morning temperatures have risen significantly! Thankfully our market hiatus was shorter than expected. Hope to see you in Ann Arbor tomorrow!

CSA Y'all! If you saw me last week, I likely pitched you our account-based farm membership. 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:
Get that oven going! Roast some sweet potatoes. I like the sweet and spicy combo.

Roasted sweet and spicy Sweet Potatoes: Preheat oven to 425. Cut large sweet potatoes into 1/2 pieces (or use a pile of small one whole!) and put in a bolw. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle in some salt, chili powder, cayenne, paprika, and black pepper. Add a little honey or a little brown sugar, then stir the mixture to to coat. Bake 'em for 15 minutes, stir, then bake about another 15-20 minutes. I like mine crispy and tend to leave them in for long enough to achieve maximum ideal crispiness.  
Food for thought:
When I went out to check the state of the vegetables in the caterpillars on Wednesday it was negative 11 degrees. I was bundled. We spent a bit of the night (as I am sure other folk did) unfreezing pipes in our house and given that, I wasn't sure what to expect. I unfurled the makeshift plastic door and squirmed into the tunnel. The ground just inside the tunnel, but outside of the inner cover was hard to the touch, offering little give. I looked up and saw ice crystals like a science project. With trepidation, I lifted the frozen frost blanket and lo and behold , dripping water! Okay, well, that much moisture in a tunnel in the winter is not ideal however, it does tell me that the temperature is above freezing. I love it! I'll take it! And thawed kale leave! Alive chard! Everything is seeming good out there. Next week, the temperatures are briefly heading up to 40. That will be a change. We will uncover the crops, vent the sides and let everything breath. Hopefully it will move some of the condensation out and the plant will have more fuel for photosynthesis.

For my mindfulness notes? Snowdrifts like coolwhip. Until next week!   
Helen 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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited):Arugula (maybe)
Head lettuce!
Herbs: 
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage- running low
Carrots
Kohlrabi- kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes! White and orange fleshed
Radishes: Classic (with greens! May be limited), White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips

Markets, always rain or shine!All good things come to an end: The Wednesday Ann Arbor Farmers' market and the Saturday Chelsea market will return in May after a winter haitus. 

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

​