​Okay, so, it's really just the last line of that caption that I wanted to draw attention to, as it has relevant consequences: We are NOT going to be able to attend the Wednesday Ann Arbor market this week (12/20/2017). Sorry for the inconvenience, the windshield situation became comically worse, and we won't be able to have it replaced till Friday. We WILL be attending the Ann Arbor Market as well as the Chelsea Winter Market this Saturday (12/23/2017), so if you need to stock up on produce before the holiday, come and see us at either location! Since we're already on the topic of markets, Helen and I are going to be taking the week after Christmas off from markets, so after the 23rd, the next time you can catch us will be Saturday January 6th 2018 at Ann Arbor & Chelsea. 
With all that out of the way, here's the weekly update:

• Construction of the hoophouse is moving along nicely. The purlins and windbraces are installed, and the hipboard is almost complete. After that, we build the end walls, and then wrestle a 100ft x 48ft  sheet of plastic over the frame. Should you happen to see some farmers floating through the sky East of Stockbridge, hanging from what appears to be a clear plastic sail this holiday season, it's NOT our unique way of celebrating the season, it means there was an unanticipated gust of wind, and that we require assistance! 
• We won some fun new cultivation tools at a farm auction here in Stockbridge this past week, and it has prompted us to plan some "sweeping" upgrades (cultivation pun) to our cultivation strategies for next year. We're currently planning out a home-brewed toolbar and clamps for the Farmall 140
• Helen made some wreaths to decorate the house and the barn to celebrate our first real Christmas at Lake Divide
• Following some remodeling in the house... we have a BEDROOM! Granted, this is not exactly farm news, but I mention it is as I feel that the availability/utilization of a bedroom will enhance our overall capability, farming included.
• CSA pick up forms for STOCKBRIDGE customers will go out tomorrow for a Friday pick up.

I think that's it for this week. Hope to see you all this Saturday at Market. Happy Holidays from the Lake Divide Crew!

​Vegetables!
A possibility of some surprise greens!?! (Kale, collards, Tokyo Bekana)?
Cabbage: Green, red, pointy, round, crinkly, smooth, ALL DELICIOUS!
Carrots: Orange, White, Yellow, and some sneaky purples
Garlic
Kohlrabi: Beastly beauties. I have been cubing and roasting them and can't get enough. I don't even peel the little ones!
Potatoes: White, red skinned, and fingerlings!
Sweet Potatoes
Radishes: Loose daikon, green meat (sweet daikon), black, watermelon
Rutabaga
Winter squash: Long pie, spaghetti, butternut
Turnips- Purple Top, golden globe, and a sweet white ruta-turnip


*We send this email out before harvest, and although we do our very best to make accurate predictions, crops and quantities found at market may vary. 
All the best!
Helen, Jim, Exie the dog, and the Lake Divide Farm Crew!
Markets, always rain or shine!
(we begin attending on dates listed above)

Wednesday: Ann Arbor- NOT THIS WEEK!
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December from 7 am to 3 pm.

Saturday: Ann Arbor and Chelsea 
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 Chelsea Farmers' Market is in the cafeteria of the Washington Street Education Center at 500 Washington Street in Chelsea, It runs November through March from 9 am to 1 pm.

Before I get down to our brief email, make note, we will note be in Ann Arbor tomorrow (Wednesday the 13th) because of the chilly low temperatures. Please still look for us in Ann Arbor and Chelsea this coming Saturday!

We have been going full tilt (still) and finally got most of the hoop frame up. With a little more drilling and sawing, we hope to have the endwalls complete by Friday! Then, we put the cover on...

I am always thrilled with the snow, even with the extra work that it brings along. I hope that you have enjoyed it too. I love the way it changes the texture and the sounds of the world. I love how I can see where the creatures have been. 

Brief indeed. Stay warm!
​

Vegetables!
Beets: Loose root gems! (maybe...)
Brussels Sprouts: By the pint (maybe...)
Cabbage: Green, red, pointy, round, crinkly, smooth, ALL DELICIOUS!
Carrots: Orange, White, Yellow, and some sneaky purples
Garlic
Kohlrabi: Beastly beauties. I have been cubing and roasting them and can't get enough. I don't even peel the little ones!
Potatoes: White, red skinned, and fingerlings!
Sweet Potatoes
Radishes: Loose daikon, green meat (sweet daikon), black, watermelon
Rutabaga
Winter squash: Long pie, spaghetti, butternut
Turnips- Purple Top, golden globe, and a sweet white ruta-turnip
​

Colder temperatures are coming and may change the landscape of our table at market. Starting Thursday, it doesn't look like we will be lifting our heads above freezing until Monday, and then not again for a stretch unknown. Since is seems like the cold is sincerely settling in around us, we decided to bring in what remained in the field. We pulled hundreds more pounds of vegetables to tuck away for winter. And we actually have hundred more to scoop. I finally feel like a real animal, preparing for winter. It remains to be seen how the greens in the field survive the upcoming freeze and the greens in our hoop houses aren't yet ready. We may end up with a greens gap, (not this week thought!) but that doesn't mean we are shy on vegetables. We have so many roots. 

Our kohlrabi are fantastic. I roasted them for the first time last week and they are fast climbing to the top of the vegetable charts. I didn't even peel the little ones! I also finally made soup from one of our pie pumpkins. It really was as easy as I thought it would be. I roasted it when I was roasting other vegetables and then when I was ready, scooped the seeds out and blended it with a little ginger and vegetable stock. Hunks of bread dipped in that at lunch time makes me not feel so bad about the chill.

Vegetables!
Beets: Loose root gems!
Brussels Sprouts: On the stalk and by the pint
Cabbage: Green, red, pointy, round, crinkly, smooth, ALL DELICIOUS!
Carrots: Orange, White, Yellow, and some sneaky purples
Greens: Arugula, Mustard, Tatsoi, Tokyo Bekana (bok choi lettuce)
Collards
Garlic
Kale
Kohlrabi: Beastly beauties. I have been cubing and roasting them and can't get enough. I don't even peel the little ones!
Potatoes: White, red skinned, and fingerlings!
Sweet Potatoes
Radishes: Loose daikon, green meat (sweet daikon), black, watermelon
Rutabaga
Winter squash: Long pie, spaghetti, festival, butternut, delicata (limited)
Turnips- Purple Top, golden globe

We spent some much needed time resting, absorbing various forms of media, and visiting with family and friends. Tucked amongst the deep breaths, we got some work done on the house, made some winter time plans, paid back some debts of labor, and got the garlic in the ground at last!

Jim and I worked on the house, scraping, spackling, painting, and putting up drywall. We are on the verge of reclaiming several rooms at once! Generally, I did a good job badly. I followed Jim around, worked slowly, complained, and put tasks off. And we laughed about it pretty much non stop. I don't know where my obstinate attitude came from, but it was horribly enjoyable to be a slacker.

I think my favorite thing that happened was getting the garlic planted. We have been waiting and waiting for our ground to dry out. Miracle of miracles, the rain held off. It was windy and the sun was out for consecutive days and the ground began to dry but it was still to wet to drive on without damaging the soil structure so we had to use an old trick-- do the work when the ground is frozen! Our neighbor Mike came down early Sunday morning before the ground thawed and we spread compost over the beds. For the past four years, we have been doing this by filling the bed of our truck and then slowly driving over the field while someone manually spread the material with a shovel. It was so much work. It took so much time. It was so tiring. This year, we got an upgrade, an ancient New Idea compost spreader. It is like a twenty foot wagon with a conveyor belt on the bottom (apron chains) and beaters on the back. It attaches and is powered by our tractor through the PTO. Mike loaded up the spreader time and time again and I drove it over the field. The conveyor belt pushed the heaping mounds of steaming composted leaves towards the beaters, which spread it perfectly, evenly, over the width and length of our beds. It didn't take much more than a couple hours. 

Although we are running camera free lately, I imagined taking a picture of our new old machine with the caption "Sorry Jim, but I think I am in love with our compost spreader!"

And the rain held off longer, allowing us to work the compost into the soil. And then longer still, allowing us to prep the beds. And Thursday, it happened. Emily and I shuffled up and down the aisles between the beds, pushing cloves of garlic several inches into the soil. And then it was done! What a surprise that a task can linger on a list for so long and then suddenly be gone. I am so glad to have another one of the big three off of our reduced fall expectations list (potatoes out of the ground was the first to drop off). Still clinging to my leg: build that darned hoop house!

We will be back at market this Saturday with all the vegetables and the cheer. Can't wait to see y'all!

Lake Divide Crew
Vegetables!
Beets by the pound
Brussels sprouts by the stalk and by the pint
Cabbage: pointy sweet, big green classic, savoy, red
Carrot by the pound
Kohlrabi: Beastly beauties!
Garlic
Greens: Arugula, mustard, tatsoi, Tokyo bekana (bok choi lettuce), spinach (limited) 
Kale!
Collards: Even sweeter now!
Potatoes: Cal white versatile, Dark Red Norland: versatile, elfe- waxy buttery
Fingerling Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes- the tiny ones are my favorite roasted whole or tossed in stew
Radishes- Daikon, green meat (sweet), black, watermelon, and pink
Rutabaga: The turnips mild cousin. Creamy and sweet. Excellent roasted.
Winter squash: Delicata, Spaghetti, Festival dumpling & Long Pie!
Turnips - purple top and golden globe and sweet white!