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LDF News: Greens and Wiley debuts in Ann Arbor

5/27/2022

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I love the way early season squash tunnels look. The contrast between the red lettuce, the yellow star shaped squash blossoms, and the dark green leaves is easy on the eyes.

Lots of rain! Lots of sun! I saw a big beautiful milk snake in one of our lower fields on Thursday. Our old dog Exie stepped right over where it was sunning. It as it slithered into the tall grass and I wondered if it was the same snake that lived in the tunnel that used to be there. I love to see the wildlife on our farm. It gives me hope that we are doing the important things right. 
 
In this email:
  • Generally important notes
    • We will be at market tomorrow! 
    • Farm Members, if you haven't read and responded to the email we sent out last week, please do.
      • You can find your most up to date balance in that email. You can use the subject line to search for it in your inbox: "LDF News: Farm Membership Update PLEASE READ AND RESPOND!"
      • If you have questions or the arrangement proposed in that email doesn't work for you, please let us know that too. Let's work together!
      • If you can't find the email, let me know and I will forward a copy to you.
    • Ann Arbor Wednesday Farm Members- I'll include this for a few weeks until many members have seen it.
      • We aren't planning on attending the Ann Arbor Wednesday market with any regularity. Please send us an email to let us know if you will be able to use your balance at the Saturday market. We will take stock and figure out how to move forward. 
    • Stockbridge Members: Please see the email directly to you sent Tuesday afternoon.
    • I removed the staying active section of our email because I have not managed to update it in so long. Here is link to a newsletter with that section intact. I am going to make a page on our website dedicated to it.
  • Fresh from the Field
  • Recipe
  • Market Details
  • Tales from the Farm!

Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!


Greens:
Bok Choy
Pea shoots (limited)
Spinach
Tatsoi
Tokyo Bekana

All Manner of Deliciousness

Green Garlic
Spring radishes
Purple Daikon
Purple top turnips!

Herbs
Chives

Transplants:
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes

Coming soon:
Kale
Sweet Turnips


Recipe: Turnips and Leeks in Miso Butter (read substitue a bunch of green garlic)

Our turnips as made it through winter storage and continue to be delicious. I've been adding them to many a dish and Wiley has been mowing them down. Another fact is that I am a sucker for anything miso. Just my luck I came across this magical combo and can't wait to try it. Maybe tonight is the night!

From: Recipe Box from The Oregonian OregonLiveIf you don't have Mirin on hand, here are some substitutes.
If you don't have Miso paste, perhaps try this braised Turnip and Leek recipe. Braised vegetables are elegantly easy and freaking delicious. 
Makes 2 main-course servings or 4 side-dish servings

Description

After a full day's work, I can't imagine a more satisfying dinner in such a short time. The pungent bite of the turnips is an inspired and balanced counterpoint to savory white miso paste and soft, sweet leeks. Aromatic jasmine rice is a natural partner for this vegetarian dish. It steams in about the same time that it takes to cook the turnips, and that makes for a quick weeknight meal. The dish can be vegan if you substitute oil or vegan margarine for the butter.

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 pound medium purple-topped turnips, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into half-moons 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 large leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons white miso paste
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • 1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
  • Kosher or fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted (see note)
Instructions
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan bottom. Add the turnips and leek and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the leek is softened and the turnips are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.
Dissolve the miso in the hot water and add it to the turnip mixture. Add the mirin and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer, cover and cook until the turnips are tender when pierced with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, season with salt, and toss in the cilantro. Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Note: To toast sesame seeds, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat until they start to brown. Stir occasionally. Be careful not to scorch them.

Market Details: We are at market this week
 
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Helen and Tyler, special guest Wiley!: 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)

Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Nicole 6 am to 2:30 pm
 Royal Oak, Saturday with Jim! 7 am to 1 pm
Picture
Squash blossoms are beautiful. We grow primarily parthenocarpic varieties in our tunnels. While traditional squash plants produce both male and female flowers, our parthenocarpic varieties produce primarily female flowers and are able to produce fruit without fertilization. The seeds in the fruit produced are sterile. For our non-parthenocarpic varieties, we rely on pollinators to travel from flower to flower and do the business of making fruit. The reason we use many parthenocarpic varieties in our tunnels is because it allows the plants to produce fruit in the early and late season when there are not a lot of pollinators around. It also allows us to exclude pests without the negative effects fear of excluding pollinators. Don't worry, there's plenty around here for the good guys to eat.
Tales from the Farm:
​

Oh my gosh! I am finally feeling back in touch. I realized last week that I was a little rusty when I almost backed into a van in the market parking lot. And by almost I mean, I saw it in my mirror and stopped within inches. At least no one had to yell at me. And this is me, who snakes the trailer backwards, uphill, in pitch dark, through a maze of orange cones and moving obstacles! But seriously. Realizing that  I am a little rusty has given me the give of compassion. Between pregnancy and some family health issues, I was out of the main throes of the farm for about a year. It's no wonder it has taken me more than a beat to get my mojo back. 

When a plow sits through the winter without oil on its shares, a thin layer of rust covers their sheen with a matte red brown. But in the spring when they are drawn through the ground, the rust is quickly polished off and the soil can smoothly move across them again. I will imagine the soil, wind, and sun clearing the rust from my farming practice. Maybe it won't happen as quickly as with the rust from the plow, but there is certainly as much resolve as there is steel in the implement. 

This week felt really great. We weeded the onions and most of the carrots, prepared ground, ran irrigation to a new field, cultivated all the crops that were ready for it, planted the remaining tomatoes, peppers, ginger and harvested what is available. And today isn't through yet! We still have time to plant the rest of the sweet potatoes, and prune and trellis our tunnel tomatoes and cucumbers.

Tomorrow we will go to market and see your faces, the punctuation to our work in the field. See you there! 

Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)
​
Photos by Tyler Dodge!
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(most of)The peas have decided to use the trellis! Thank goodness for that. One more step towards pea success 2022!
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The fragrant invasive Autumn Olive is well established on our farm. Believe it or not, it was intentionally planted long before we lived here to help manage erosion. Now it offers berries to the birds and perhaps to us. I just read that a mature plant can produce 30 lbs of berries! Depending how the season goes, maybe you'll see them at market. Information about Autumn Olive: Northeast Superfoods (Information on foraging!) MSU Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes
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LDF News: Green Garlic and more Saturday!

5/18/2022

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Picture

A window into your food's journey!

Picture
Jim's smiling because he knows what's coming! Vegetables galore. For now, we keep our shoulders leaning in.

What a day back! Anyone who saw me suffered the chattiness of person long alone. Thank you for listening and I promise I will redevelop an attention to social cues! Regardless of my bumbling babbling, I was so so glad to be back! And we'll be back again and again!
And here's to hoping no one suffered from the horrible storms on Saturday! There was hail, lightening, and downpours. 
And a reminder! It is turtle season! Watch the roads and shoulders for our friends and help them across in the direction they are going if you can do so safely. Here is some info: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/helping-turtles-roads.html
 
In this email:
  • Generally important notes
    • We will be at market tomorrow! 
    • Farm Members, if you haven't read and responded to the email we sent out last week, please do.
      • You can find your most up to date balance in that email. You can use the subject line to search for it in your inbox: "LDF News: Farm Membership Update PLEASE READ AND RESPOND!"
      • If you have questions or the arrangement proposed in that email doesn't work for you, please let us know that too. Let's work together!
      • If you can't find the email, let me know and I will forward a copy to you.
    • Ann Arbor Wednesday Farm Members- I'll include this for a few weeks until many members have seen it.
      • We aren't planning on attending the Ann Arbor Wednesday market with any regularity. Please send us an email to let us know if you will be able to use your balance at the Saturday market. We will take stock and figure out how to move forward. 
    • Stockbridge Members: Please see the email directly to you sent Tuesday afternoon.
    • I removed the staying active section of our email because I have not managed to update it in so long. Here is link to a newsletter with that section intact. I am going to make a page on our website dedicated to it.
  • Fresh from the Field
  • Recipe
  • Market Details
  • Tales from the Farm!
  • Member Info
    • Times attended:
    • Spent per visit:

Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!
​

Greens:
Pea shoots!
Spinach (limited)
Tokyo Bekana (limited)

All Manner of Deliciousness

Green Garlic
Spring radishes (limited)
Purple Daikon
Purple top turnips!

Herbs

Transplants:
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Squash
Possibly cucumbers, cabbage, peas, chard

Coming soon:
Brassica greens like arugula, mustard, and tatsoi
Lettuce
Kale
Turnips

Recipe: Jasmine Rice with Spring Garlic (read green garlic)
 
You could always make green garlic pesto. I recommend making at least one big batch and freezing some to enjoy all year. But after that, there are all kinds of delicious pilafs to make with green garlic. I suspect there is a delicious instant pot green garlic rice pilaf recipe. Until I find that, this sound DELICIOUS. I'll let you know how it was when I see you Saturday. (Although I may try this one -Lentils with rice, leeks and spinach- for something that could be full meal. I'll substitute the green garlic in for the leeks)

From Food and Wine (https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/jasmine-rice-with-spring-garlic)
 Spring garlic, also known as green garlic, is young garlic that hasn't yet formed a large bulb; it has a long green stem that resembles a scallion. Mateo Granados uses it to add a delicate garlic-onion flavor to fragrant toasted jasmine rice.

By Mateo Granados
 
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice (10 ounces), rinsed
  • 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced spring garlic or 1 medium white onion, finely chopped, plus 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth (could sub vegetable stock)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

 Directions
  • Step 1Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the rice and spring garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until the rice is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil uncovered for 5 minutes, until the liquid is nearly absorbed.
  • Step 2Cover the rice and bake for 10 minutes, until it is tender but firm and the liquid is completely absorbed. Let the rice stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, transfer to a bowl and serve.

Not in the original recipe but I imagine some lemon may make the flavor explode on this one. 
​
Market Details: We are at market this week
 
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Jim and Tyler: 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)

Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Nicole 6 am to 2:30 pm
 Royal Oak, Saturday with Helen and Lisa! 7 am to 1 pm
Picture
We made time to get Wiley to his first lake experience! (Don't worry, he was SLATHERED in sunscreen.) He loved the water and the sand and all the leaves and sticks. I wasn't too keen on pacifiers but the fact that they keep all (most) of the debris out of the baby earned the some points.
​Tales from the Farm:
Another busy week is underway. I am getting in gear with the rush of summer. There is no way to tally up all that is on the docket except with boring lists. So why not a lively update?

This year we're back on the snap- sugar snap peas that is! Tyler and Jim put in the trellis for the peas yesterday and they are happily climbing up their new infrastructure. Next week, I hope to share some pea pictures. Even though you've all likely seen a pea plant, I think they are just the cutest, with their shamrock-esque leaves, curling tendrils, and delicate flowers. Hopefully this timely trellising bodes well for the spring pea crop. I think the last time we had peas at market was 2019. In 2020 we didn't grow them and in 2021 we accidentally seeded a variety that was not a good candidate for fresh market.

Tyler plowed the next ground that we will be planting and hopefully by Friday we will have it just about ready to plant vegetables. Even though vegetables are what you see at market, we also plant restorative cover crops to feed our soil biota and build up the structure and organic matter in the soil. This year we hope to put down a substantial bit of sudan grass, known for its ability to compete with weeds and how much organic matter it can add to the soil in a season. Hopefully we are ready to do that by the end of two weeks.

And one more hope? By the end of the week all of our tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers will be in the ground! I love these solanaceous crops. They tantalize me with dreams of roasted eggplant sandwiches, sweet pepper sauce, and fresh tomato caprese. When they come into season, I gorge myself, eating a tomato sandwich every day, peppers like apples, and eggplant in all its forms sauteed, roasted, and pureed. I do my best to get sick of each crop by first fall frost to stave off the cravings. If I do it well, I don't start pining after them until the daylight peaks over eight thirty in the evening again.  

That's all for now! Wish us luck on our to do list and see you at market where I promise not to talk your ear off!

Helen for Jim, Tyler, Wiley (honorary worker and dirt eater extraordinaire!), Boomer (bark layer), and Exie (morale officer)
Picture
We used the good weather to get the next field plowed and on its way to prepped for plants. Hopefully with clear skies over the next two days we will finish the job. It is ideal to leave plowed ground for a couple weeks before moving on to ensure good breakdown of the material. Unfortunately, with the way this spring went (wet and cold) we had to choose between saving our soil aggregates from compaction and degradation and a long timing between plowing and disking. I am stand by the choice but wish it could have been different.
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LDF News: See you this Saturday, May 14th!

5/17/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture

Lake Divide Farm:
A window into your food's journey!

Picture
The full sized tomatoes in one of our big hoop houses have their trellis lines installed! Now its a matter of pruning and twirling as they grow. In between each plant and each row of plants, crunchy lettuce is adding leaves in a flash. It won't be long now!
​We'll be back at market tomorrow after a LONG gap. It will be so great to see all your faces. In the meantime, we've been busy! Jim, Tyler, and I have been throwing heat! And the world responded with this wild heat wave! Now we're in business.  

Although it is a little hotter than I would have preferred, we are grateful for the break in the weather. It has taken a lot of pressure off. There is a less of a feeling that it is our last chance to get some ground prepared. Soon the final frost date will pass us by and it will be a free for all.
And all the plants that we have in the ground will continue thriving and begin producing in the next several weeks. I am hyped. 
 
In this email:
  • Generally important notes
    • We will be at market tomorrow! 
    • Farm Members, if you haven't read and responded to the email we sent out last week, please do.
      • You can find your most up to date balance in that email. You can use the subject line to search for it in your inbox: "LDF News: Farm Membership Update PLEASE READ AND RESPOND!"
      • If you have questions or the arrangement proposed in that email doesn't work for you, please let us know that too. Let's work together!
      • If you can't find the email, let me know and I will forward a copy to you.
    • Ann Arbor Wednesday Farm Members
      • We aren't planning on attending the Ann Arbor Wednesday market with any regularity. Please send us an email to let us know if you will be able to use your balance at the Saturday market. We will take stock and figure out how to move forward. 
    • Stockbridge Members: I am so sorry for the delay in reaching out to you separately. Please expect an email from us early next week. 
    • I removed the staying active section of our email because I have not managed to update it in so long. Here is link to a newsletter with that section intact. I am going to make a page on our website dedicated to it.
  • Fresh from the Field
  • Market Details
  • Tales from the Farm!
Fresh From the Field- Not a lot yet but soon!
Greens:

All Manner of Deliciousness

Green Garlic
Purple Daikon
Purple top turnips!

Herbs

Transplants:
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Squash
Possibly cucumbers, cabbage, peas, chard

Coming soon:
Brassica greens like arugula, mustard, and tatsoi
Lettuce
Pea shoots
Radish
Spinach
Turnips
Market Details: We are at market this week
 
The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Saturday with Jim and Tyler: 7 am to 3 pm (or till sold out)

Eastern Market, shed 2, Saturday with Nicole 6 am to 2:30 pm
 Royal Oak, Saturday with Helen and Lisa! 7 am to 1 pm
Picture
Here you see beds of spinach and beets! They are growing in and soon will be ready for your plate. Each of these beds is 175 feet long or about 9 pick-up trucks long. In the distance you see the twice built caterpillar tunnels (thanks for the extra practice, wind) and the once built ones.
​So. What have we been up to?
We have been laying the ground work for a delicious season. There are not a lot of finite tasks on the farm. There is always more to weed, more to water, more to plant and more to harvest! So it is enjoyable to find the big tasks and check them off. Fix the farmall? Check! Plant the potatoes? Check! Move the caterpillar tunnels? Check! Install the trellis lines for the tomatoes and cucumbers? Check! These are tasks that we can count as done. Perhaps there is maintenance (for example, hilling the potatoes and tying up the tomatoes as they grow) but we won't have to do "the hard part" again. 

All the while we have to keep the continuous tasks moving: starting new plants in the greenhouse, planting into the field, irrigating, weeding, prepping more ground, opening and closing the hoop houses to vent them. I would say that the most demanding and consistent set of these tasks are greenhouse chores. In the peak of summer, it can take an hour to water the greenhouse and it will need to happen two or three times per day. Additionally, we have to check for germination and move plants from the germination chamber into the main greenhouse and open and close the greenhouse when the temperatures merit it. These chores have to happen every single day. On market days, on "off" days. On all the days. Continuous. Never complete until the last plant is taken from the greenhouse and tucked in the earth in late September.

We are in the season now folks and can't wait to see what delicacies it brings. 

See you at market!
Picture
The cherry tomato plants are thriving in here! We hope that all the plants in these tunnels grow well and offer us fruit for many weeks. Between the tunnels we have chard and peas planted. The other tunnels have squash, cucumbers and lettuce.
Picture
Looking towards the east, we can see our first round of cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, radish, turnip, arugula and some other brassica greens, fennel, carrot, and dill. Sadly the cilantro did not have great germination. Luckily, another planting is hot on its tail.
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