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

Remember when it rained? Me too. Cold hot cold. Wet dry wet. 
Such is the fluctuation of the world's weather. 
We are running the irrigation and keeping our plants nourished and thriving.

To note:
We have found a couple people to add to the team! We are very excited to potentially catch up a bit. Let me say though, if you were thinking of applying hold that thought (and maybe even send me an email) because the avalanche of farm needs continues and we never know what's coming to us.

Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Chelsea

Recipe: 
Fennel Fronds. What gives? We all eat the sweet licorice bulbs but what about those gorgeous green tops? EAT THEM!! Yay! I use them like celery in soups and simmers. They also make an awesome pesto. A kind soul at the Royal Oak market passed me this recipe and another kind soul passed me a sample. Both amazing. Since I misplaced the recipe handed to me at market, here is one retrieved from the infinite informational wealth of the the internet

Fennel Frond Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• 3 cups loosely packed fennel fronds (probably about from  1 bulb)
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil (plus extra)

Instructions

1. Toast the walnuts over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until they start to turn a nice golden brown color. Set aside to cool.
   
2. Add the walnuts, fennel fronds, lemon juice, garlic and salt to a food processor. Add in half of the olive oil and pulse or blend until incorporated. Continue blending while slowly pouring in the rest of the olive oil and desired consistency is reached (you may need to add in a little more olive oil or water 1 tsp at a time if you prefer it thinner)
   
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze for later use
   

Recipe NotesThis freezes really well. Just pop it in a small airtight container (I use mini mason jars for perfect portioning) and pop in the freezer until ready to use. Let thaw overnight in the fridge. 
Recipe from Whole Food Bellie

Food for thought: 
With our new crew members, I have more hope than ever that we will be able to conquer the week. There is a lot to do. 
We are working on trellis our tomatoes, weeding, and planting. If we knock those three ever present tasks back a bit, we can take a deep breath and then dive back under. 

That is the time of year it is. It is also the time of year that it stops raining. Why is water so important? Well, for one thing (as you may remember from your middle school science class), turgor pressure- positive water pressure inside the plants cell walls, is what allows the plants cells to maintain their structure! Now, I'm not saying they would be piles of mush, but we've all seen the droopy kale at market and then perhaps taken it home and seen it perk back up in a bowl of water. That right there is turgor pressure in action.

Water, besides being the all giving life force that it is, also provides a pathway for nutrient exchange both within the ground and through the plant. The microbes rely on it to exchange material in the greatest underground market- the soil. Various life forms dwell beside the plant roots, trading materials through water. And the plants bring the material to the various places they are needed in their plant bodies. This is why, when there is not enough water, symptoms of nutrient deficiencies often manifest. It isn't that the the nutrient isn't in the soil, it is that , without water, the nutrient isn't available: the plant simply can't get it.

I am going to remember that this week when it hits 95 and drink water thinking "Let my cells have what they need!"

See everyone at market after a landslide of on farm victories.
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. The Trifecta of sustainability. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.

• 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 2 spots left for the 2019 season. You can find details 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:Salad Mix! (UN-limited!)
Microgreens: We are taking a microgreens hiatus. We will keep you posted but for now, expect them back in the fall.
Pea Shoots!
Chard
Head Lettuce: Limited
Kale: Green curly, red curly, flat leafed tender Red Russian, and the wild and tasty Siber Frill from our friends at Nature Nurture SeedsAll manner of deliciousness:Cabbage: Abundant and wonderful. Red, green, round, point, smooth, ruffled- we've got it all!
Carrots
Celery- Crunchy and flavorful!
Cucumbers: Green slicers! SO tasty!
Fennel: Try our fennel top pesto recipe!
Garlic: Fresh, uncured, juicy, green garlic! 
Garlic Scapes: Get some while they are still available!
Kohlrabi
Napa Cabbage! Try out our quick kimchee recipe!
New Potatoes
Peppers! Green, crunchy, tasty. Really great in a kale salad.
Radish
Scallions
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Sweet Turnips- Going topless but still tasty.
Tomatoes: Cherry and slicers and some heirlooms to boot. Extremely limited but a touch here and there. Soon we will be in full force.Herbs:Basil
Dill
Mint
Parsley
Oregano
Sage
ThymeComing Soon:Eggplant
Fresh Onions!

This weeks MarketsWednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI Find us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.

While you will no longer find us at the White Lotus Farm Cart, you can still find our produce. Head out to the garden for doughnuts, pizza, and delicious vegetables!
 

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

We are on a roll. Planting, prepping, weeding, harvesting. Right now we are planting many of the vegetables that we will be eating next year! It is wild to see their whole lives ahead. We are hustling to get seeds in the ground that need lots of daylight to mature. Did you know that unless we get our final carrot planting in by the end of this month, we will all be eating baby carrots for the rest of the year? And cabbage for instance, it need time too! Hustle, hustle, use those muscles, soon we'll hear the fall leaves rustle! Okay, okay, not that dire. But folks, now is the time. Before our summer crops have even fully kicked into gear (although I did eat an eggplant this week!) we are thinking of fall. 

To note:
​
Northville is BACK!

One full-time and one part-time opportunity remains! I hate to be a broken record but if you want to work on the farm part-time? We have one 20-30 hour/week position open. Send us an email if you are interested! Or, if not you, send our information to someone you know that might be interested! Help us cast a wide net!

Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Thursday: Northville is back!
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Chelsea

Recipe: 
Napa cabbage. What is that frilly looking brassica afterall? A tender leaved cabbage oft used in kimchi, as you may know. But it can be used for so much more! It can be eaten raw or cooked, used as a main course or a side, leaves peeled for wraps or chopped. Here is a straightforward stir-fry that I think we would all enjoy trying.  Note that I copied this recipe verbatim from Food and Wine. I encourage you to liberally substitute what you have for what you don't and add things you like. 

Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage with spicy garlic dressing

• 4 cloves garlic—two chopped and two minced
• Kosher salt
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon coarse Korean hot red-pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• One 1 1/2-pound head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, toasted

Step 1    Mince and mash the chopped garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Stir together the scallions, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, water, hot red-pepper flakes and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the cabbage, season with a pinch of salt, and stir-fry, using tongs to stir, until the cabbage is just wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the dressing over the cabbage and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.
Make AheadThe sauce can be made 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.NotesKorean hot red-pepper flakes are available at Korean markets. Store any leftover flakes, tightly sealed, in the freezer.
Recipe from Food and Wine

Food for thought: 
Alright, something we know? Farming is hard. It is a genuinely hard job that asks a lot of a person both mentally and physically. You can shave the demands down here and there but ultimately, they remain substantial. If you are going to make your living depending on the vagaries of nature, you are going to have to listen, remain open, and adapt. You are going to have to allow yourself to be corralled by the whims of the world. And your body is going to feel it. And your mind may become absorbed by it. You will have to cope with loss and failure without it altering your perception of yourself. And likewise, you will have to cope with success without owning all the credit. Yes, there are pieces of the labyrinth that are within your grasp to manipulate and form. But these opportunities to weigh in on the outcomes rely on assiduous attention and care. It is a trade. 
We often say that the farm will take it all if you let it. I suppose it is like this for any small business owner. Any business where you are the end of the line. I love the fact that my effort into what we do can be measured in what we get out. But sometimes, we have to also look at what is left behind. What remains of the people that pour themselves mentally and physically into this work? It is also their job; my job; our job, to safeguard ourselves, to recognize diminishing returns, to relinquish control. And we are ready and willing to do that. 
Something I forget? Sometimes I forget that farming is hard. Actually, a lot of times I forget it is hard. I feel at home in it. I love the work. I love the way it absorbs me. I love watching and tending. I often times don't mind that the first and last thought in my mind revolves around the field. 
Something I doubly forget, or even never really knew? Farming is even harder when you start in July and have no previous farming experience! All this to say, we are yet again on the prowl for a person that is interested in picking tomatoes and weeding salad mix. We are nice, but the work is hard. Come work with us!

This week in farm successes: 

Jim fixed the seal on the Case 695's steering cylinder. He rode the coattails of that success into a full maintenance on the machine, plus a check in on the mower. 

We planted the Brussel sprouts, prepped just under an acre of land, and seeded the first round of fall carrots and beets.

We trained intensively on irrigation systems and protocol and now the crew is able to use the system to move water about the farm!

And this we had nothing to do with- the weather broke and it is a cool, delightful paradise in the world again. 

On the docket?

Plant that newly prepped ground!

Get a bunch of cover crop in the ground!

Harvest all of our softneck garlic!

I believe in us. I really do. We are all looking forward to seeing you at market this week, come get some carrots and cabbage.
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. The Trifecta of sustainability. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.

• 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 2 spots left for the 2019 season. You can find details 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:
Salad Mix! (UN-limited!)
Microgreens: We are taking a microgreens hiatus. We will keep you posted but for now, expect them back in the fall.
Pea Shoots!
Chard: big 'ol beautiful bunches!
Head Lettuce
Kale: Green curly, red curly, flat leafed tender Red Russian, and the wild and tasty Siber Frill from our friends at Nature Nurture Seeds

All manner of deliciousness:
Beets- (maybe) We are waiting on beets round two to come in.
Cabbage: Round green heads! May be limited while the planting comes in.
Carrots! New this week!
Cucumbers: Green slicers! SO tasty!
Fennel
Garlic! (Later in the week) Fresh, uncured, juicy, green garlic! 
Garlic Scapes! In full force! Get ready for the most delicious pesto of the year and don't forget to put some by for the winter.
Kohlrabi
Napa Cabbage! Try out our quick kimchee recipe!
New Potatoes- (Later in the week) The skin is so thin and the potatoes are juicy, if you can imagine. We are happy to have them back on the menu.
Snap Peas- Last week
Radish
Scallions
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Sweet Turnips- Going topless but still tasty.

Herbs:
Basil
Dill
Mint
Parsley
Thyme
Oregano

Coming Soon:
Celery
Cherry Tomatoes! Coming in limited supply this week!
Fresh Onions!

This weeks Markets

Wednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI Find us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.

While you will no longer find us at the White Lotus Farm Cart, you can still find our produce. Head out to the garden for doughnuts, pizza, and delicious vegetables!
 ​

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

It was hard to imagine two weeks ago, but the fields are DRY! And I don't mean pleasantly dry. I mean, we have moved from drowning to parched. This seems to be a normal part of our cycle here, although this spring's soggy period seemed to last longer. It seems as though we will be irrigating for the foreseeable future.

To note:
NO NORTHVILLE THIS WEEK! The market is closed for the fourth of July. Come on out and get your celebration goods Wednesday at the Ann Arbor Kerrytown market. 

One part-time opportunity remains! Want to work on the farm part-time? We have one 20-30 hour/week position open. Send us an email if you are interested! Or, if not you, send our information to someone you know that might be interested! Help us cast a wide net!

Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor! 
Thursday: NO NORTHVILLE THIS WEEK! Back next week!
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Chelsea

A Note About White Lotus:
While we won't personally be at the White Lotus Farm Cart, you can still find our produce there. That means you can do your vegetable shopping in paradise, if you so choose! Head on out, get some garlic scapes and feta cheese! Get some Delicious bread and squash to grill and put upon it! 
Recipe: 
Fennel, with its wild shape and licorice flavor, is a fantastic vegetable. It aids with digestion and sliced thinly and eaten raw, offers a sweet treat. I love it roasted. 

Roasted Fennel

• Fennel
• Salt, pepper, and oil

Cut of the fronds and set aside. Cut the fennel bulb into 1/3" thick slices (stand it on its stem end and cut across the narrow width.) Toss the pieces in oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven until it is fork tender (usually about 45 minutes).

Variations- add parmesan in the end, add apple cider vinegar, add any kind of nut or cranberries, other vegetables! Roasting a collection of random vegetables is one of my absolute favorites!

What to do with the fronds? I used the thicker part like I would celery. They are great sauteed or added to soups. You can also make a refreshing pesto or freeze them to use while making vegetable stock later. 

Food for thought: 
The whirlwind is truly beginning now. We are planting, harvesting, preppping and irrigating. This week we are really hoping to catch up. There are a few things in our favor:

The borrowed tractor. First of all, let's all just take a minute to agree on how amazing it is that someone would lend us a tractor. Not a brief lending period, but from now through November. That is AMAZING. And it is so welcomed. With all the work we have put in on our farmall, it still has a sticky valve in the hydraulic system and it needs more time than we have right now. This cultivation tractor may as well be wearing  a cape and some underpants on the outside of its pants because it is a hero. The tractor itself is an Allis G. There were under 30,000 of them made, all between 1948 ad 1955. They were designed specifically for cultivating vegetables and they do a great job of it. The driver is able to look straight down at the bed below the tractor and see what is going on. 

A new hire. Kara joined us full time last Thursday and she is getting up to speed quickly. She has lots of greenhouse experience and is familiar with plant and physical work. Having another set of hands around is making a massive difference for the farm. Planting, weeding and harvest all gets done at a greater rate. AND she is quick to laugh which lightens everyone's spirits.

No market on Thursday: While we are always sad to miss folks at market, this extra day, that we have a full crew on the farm, and we don't have to harvest and pack for it, well, it just sets us up to use all the time to get some stuff done!

Wish us luck on this wildly hot week, have a happy and safe fourth of July, and come see us at market!
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. The Trifecta of sustainability. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.

• 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 1 spot left for the 2019 season. You can find details 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:
​Salad Mix! (UN-limited!)
Baby Bok Choy
Microgreens: Arugula and Spicy-Wonder
Pea Shoots!
Chard: big 'ol beautiful bunches!
Head Lettuce
Kale: Beautiful bunches

All manner of deliciousness:
Beets- loose roots, great to roast with fennel!
Cabbage: Round green heads, sweet savoy, and conical sweet wonders!
Cucumbers: Green slicers! SO tasty!
Fennel
Garlic Scapes! In full force! Get ready for the most delicious pesto of the year!
Kohlrabi
Napa Cabbage! Try out our quick kimchee recipe!
Snap Peas
Radish
Scallions
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Sweet Turnips

Herbs:
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Parsley
Thyme
Oregano
Coming Soon:

Carrots- I even at a few yesterday. Next week, I say, next week.

This weeks MarketsWednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI Find us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville  NO NORTHVILLE THIS WEEK!

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.
 ​

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

Woah summer, woah! The blend of green and earth, cloudy skies and evening breezes, is all braiding together in my mind, washing over me as the season grows on. The summer solstice just slipped past us. I can't believe the days are getting shorter again. It will be a while before we really notice though. With the way I sleep, I barely see the darkness! We finally got our last tomato planting in the ground. This week, we will stake them and put some trellis line.

To note:
While we have had some luck (hopefully), we may still be hiring! Want to work on the farm part-time? We have one 20-30 hour/week position open.
What about full-time? We have one 40-45 hour per week position open!
Send us an email if you are interested! Or, if not you, send our information to someone you know that might be interested! Help us cast a wide net!

Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor! 
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, White Lotus Farm Cart, Chelsea
Recipe: 
May I say garlic scapes again?! This ephemeral flavor only graces our palates this time of year, which I feel merits a second spotlight. If you missed last weeks garlic scape pesto recipe, never fear, you can still find it on our website here. But what about the simplest form of garlic scape enjoyment? They go great raw in a salad or in potato salad or tuna salad or any noodle salad. On their own, I love them sauteed and then sprinkled with sea salt.

Sauteed Garlic Scapes!

• Garlic scapes (you are going to want lots)
• Oil of choice (olive, butter etc)
• Salt
• A squeeze of lemon (optional)

Heat oil in a pan while you snap or cut the scapes into 1-2" pieces. You can eat the entire scape, although sometimes the ends past the flower bud can be a little tough. Toss the scapes in the pan and cook until tender. You can cook any amount of time. I like mine when they pass the bright the bright green and head to the dark green and dimpled stage.  spritz of lemon and a dash of salt and you will be snacking your way into flavor town.
From Serious Eats
Food for thought: 
We FINALLY got the rest of our tomato, eggplant, and peppers into the ground. They are growing well and adapting fairly rapidly to their new homes. They were scheduled to be planted all the way back at the beginning of June, and hear they are, finally getting in at the end of June. That's okay. I looked at the master document "PlantingSchedule2019" to see if we would get any fruit. I fiddled with the numbers and came up with first harvest for this round in the beginning of September. This should keep us in tomatoes all the way up to the frost, unless there is a major derailment (which is always, always possible).
This week we are hoping to push the boulder even further up the hill-- planting more, preparing more ground for our fall crops, turning in some of the cover crops, and preparing more ground for additional cover crops to rejuvenate the land. 
All the while, we will harvest. Harvesting all the crops and getting them ready for market has become the ever-engaging activity around here. For instance, last week we harvested and brought to market 268 bunches of kale, 339 bunches of turnips, 151 bunches of basil, and 153 bunches of chard, among other things. These are some of the biggest numbers we have ever faced at Lake Divide Farm. They didn't turn up unexpectedly, afterall, we are the ones that made the plans, so we are as ready as we can be. But no matter how ya slice it, it takes time. Suppose each bunch takes but a minute and a half, just the act of bunching all these items takes one person at little over 10 hours! That doesn't even count all the work that we have to do before and after harvest- collecting harvest supplies, washing the crops, dividing them up for the different markets and tucking them safely into the cooler! And this is only a fraction of our crops. Last week we brought more than 30 items to market! This week, it could be more.  It is amazing to me how the little things, like a bunch of kale or a bag of lettuce, add up to the big things like attending a market with an abundance of crops, feeding lots of people, making a living. 
When you come to market this week, join me in marveling in the amazing path our food has taken. 
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. (Notice our new catch phrase? We call it the trifecta of sustainability. It sounds a little cheesy but we mean it from the heart. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.)

• 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 2 positions open 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:
Mizuna (limited)
Mustard (limited)
Tatsoi (limited)
Tokyo Bekana (may be limited)
Salad Mix! (UN-limited!)
Baby Bok Choy
Microgreens: Arugula and Spicy-Wonder Mix (only at Saturday markets this week-excluding White Lotus)
Pea Shoots!
Chard: big 'ol beautiful bunches!
Head Lettuce
Kale: Beautiful bunches

All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage: Round green heads and conical sweet wonders!
Cucumbers: Green slicers! SO tasty!
Fennel: the first tender, delicious harvest has arrived! Welcome to flavor country!
Garlic Scapes! In full force! Get ready for the most delicious pesto of the year!
Kohlrabi
Napa Cabbage! Try out our quick kimchee recipe!
Snap Peas
Radish (maybe?)
Scallions
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Sweet Turnips

Herbs:
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Parsley
Thyme
Oregano

Coming Soon:
Carrots​

​This weeks Markets

Wednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI Find us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The White Lotus Farm Cart is located at 7217 West Liberty Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. It is open Saturdays from 9:30am-1:30pm, May thru December. There is a collection of vendors there selling produce, bread, cheese, artisanal produces, along with brick oven pizza and the opportunity to roam the gardens. 

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.

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

Well, we clobbered most of our list this past week. So much planted, so much tended, so much harvested. It was a brief lift, followed by the next succession of urgent tasks. That is farming.
But this time of year is so rewarding. Our crop list is growing every week. We are entering the time of abundance when every time you turn around, another crop is entering its harvest window. Just a couple things that are new this week? Cucumbers and summer squash! YES!

To note:
We are  still hiring! Want to work on the farm part-time? We have one 20-30 hour/week position open.
What about full-time? We have one 40-45 hour per week position open!
Send us an email if you are interested! Or, if not you, send our information to someone you know that might be interested! Help us cast a wide net!

Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor! 
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, White Lotus Farm Cart, Chelsea
Recipe: 
Garlic Scapes! Have you heard of the these delightfully coiled delicacies?  They are the flowering stalk garlic that emerges from the top of the plant in the early summer. It coils like a suspension spring and then, when ready to bloom, straightens up. We pick them before that happens so we get the tenderest scapes and our garlic plants can put all the energy they would have put into the flower and fruit, into forming a wonderful garlic bulb. If you haven't had them yet and you love garlic, get ready for a world of wonder! They are great grilled, in a stirfry, simply sauteed, or my favorite way-- made into pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto!

• 1/4 cup pine nuts- toasted if desired (or almonds)
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A few generous grinds of black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Combine the scapes, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse about 20 times, until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. If you plan to freeze the pesto, wait to add the cheese until after you've defrosted it.

From Serious Eats
Food for thought: 
What has happened on the farm. These are the days that it starts to blur. We had a farm tour! Farmers from the area came to our farm and we walked and talked about 
I don't have a lot of time for this weeks email. We have a lengthy list of future accomplishments, much of it planting. We will be planting the last round of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and ground cherries. We will be planting another round of celery, celery root, lettuce, and salad mix. And all the while, harvest continues! With more and more crops on our list. There is so much to do, we have been pushed to a limit we didn't know existed. 
To mitigate the tension on the boundaries of our happy existence (good for the farmer), we are working on interviewing people. The end goal is to fill out our crew so that the team can work more reasonable hours. Interviewing takes a lot of time. It is a task we try to complete earlier in the year, when there is less field work going on. We don't get that luxury this year because of our ever expanding workload. It may be a planning fail, but it is a farming success, so I'll take it! With that in mind, consider if you know anyone that could be interested in working on a vegetable farm in Stockbridge. If so, tell them about us. 
Okay, I am off to the field! Wish us dexterity and speed.
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. (Notice our new catch phrase? We call it the trifecta of sustainability. It sounds a little cheesy but we mean it from the heart. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.)

• 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 2 positions open 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:
Arugula
Mizuna
Mustard
Tatsoi
Tokyo Bekana
Salad Mix!
Baby Bok Choy
Baby Beet Greens
Microgreens: Arugula and Spicy-Wonder Mix (only at Satuday markets this week-excluding White Lotus)
Pea Shoots:  Back next week
Chard: big 'ol beautiful bunches!
Head Lettuce
Kale: Beautiful bunches

All manner of deliciousness:
Beets- loose roots
Cabbage: Round green heads 
Cucumbers: Green slicers! SO tasty!
Garlic Scapes! Just coming in. Get ready for the most delicious pesto of the year!
Kohlrabi
Napa Cabbage! Try out our quick kimchee recipe!
Snap Peas
Radish
Scallions
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Sweet Turnips

Herbs:
Basil
Cilantro- maybe
Dill-maybe
Mint
Parsley
Thyme
Oregano

Coming Soon:
Carrots
Fennel

​This weeks Markets

Wednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI Find us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The White Lotus Farm Cart is located at 7217 West Liberty Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. It is open Saturdays from 9:30am-1:30pm, May thru December. There is a collection of vendors there selling produce, bread, cheese, artisanal produces, along with brick oven pizza and the opportunity to roam the gardens. 

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.

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

Well, we clobbered most of our list this past week. So much planted, so much tended, so much harvested. It was a brief lift, followed by the next succession of urgent tasks. That is farming.
But this time of year is so rewarding. Our crop list is growing every week. We are entering the time of abundance when every time you turn around, another crop is entering its harvest window. Just a couple things that are new this week? Cucumbers and summer squash! YES!

To note:
We are  still hiring! Want to work on the farm part-time? We have 30 hour/week positions open. Send us an email if you are interested!

Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor! 
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, White Lotus Farm Cart, Chelsea
​
Recipe: 
Swiss Chard! The spinach of the summer. With its bright and colorful leaves, silky texture, and rich flavor, Swiss chard is on the top of my favorite vegetable list. It is easy to make it delicious because that is the way it comes. It can be prepared simply, or with more flair, but no matter what, it comes out tops. 

Simple Swiss Chard: This is a recipe for Falling in Love with Swiss Chard!
I make this for stand-alone consumption, however, it mixes wonderfully with grains, beans, meat, or other vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch chard
• Olive Oil
• garlic
• onions
• salt and pepper

Heat oil in a skillet. Rip the chard leaves from the stems and rip them into bite sized pieces. Chop the stems as well as some onion and some garlic, and toss in the oil until soft. This is a great time to add spices (ie oregano, hot pepper, salt). Add the leaves and allow them to cook down. You may want to add more liquid and cover to steam the greens faster. You can use water, or if you want to adda zippy zest to the dish, you could use wine, lemon juice, or your favorite vinegar. When complete, it is ready to eat! Toss it with some pickled beets and feta! Put it on some toast! Poach an egg! ! Eat it just how it is!

Getting fancy: If I am eating them with beans I will toss in a can in when I am adding the liquid. If I am including a grain (like bulgar) I will toss that in with the appropriate amount of liquid and allow the grain to cook with the chard. 

Food for thought: 
I don't know if you saw the picture of our team in our social media post, so we are including it in this email. We are so proud of them and glad to be working with them. They each have unique interests in farming and bring their individual skill sets and experiences to the farm, making the farm a better place. You can find out more about them on our website's Lake Divide Farm Team page.
There is so much to know on any farm. Its funny how many different ways there are to do every task- from bunching kale (bunch size, technique, post-harvest handling), to weeding (which tool to use, how many weeds to pull, how fast to go). And at every farm, these tasks are done differently. And because we work with living systems things are constantly changing. There is a lot of gray area on the farm that requires interpreting the data and making a decision based on what is there rather than what would be ideal. Given this, I am sure it is not a leap to imagine that there is a lot of training involved in order to level up farm workers to the point of being able to complete tasks without oversight.
This represents a lot of work on the managers end- stating information clearly, working alongside and watching, offering corrections and advice, recognizing struggles and miscommunications and so on. But the harder job, in my opinion, is taking all that information in and making something out of it. It is not possible to remember everything off the bat. Absorbing so much, while remaining open to corrections and not taking them personally, striving to do better, asking for help, all while your body adapts to the challenges of physically intense work in sometimes less than ideal conditions is an extreme undertaking. Our crew is working really hard to learn our farm and they are succeeding. They are leveling up fast and we couldn't be happier. Give them a big thank you when you see them at market because this farm just wouldn't run without them.

We will see you at market this week with all the bounty we have gathered!
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. (Notice our new catch phrase? We call it the trifecta of sustainability. It sounds a little cheesy but we mean it from the heart. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.)

• 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 2 part-time position open 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!
There are a lot of vegetables just around the corner. Get ready for the avalanche! 

Transplants!
Peppers (Later in the week)
Tomatoes
Herbs

Greens:
Arugula
Mizuna
Mustard
Tatsoi
Tokyo Bekana
Salad Mix!
Baby Bok Choy
Baby Beet Greens
Microgreens: Arugula and Spicy-Wonder Mix (only at Satuday markets this week-excluding White Lotus)
Pea Shoots:  (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Chard: big 'ol beautiful bunches!
Head Lettuce
Kale: Beautiful bunches

All manner of deliciousness:
Cucumbers: Green slicers! SO tasty!
Kohlrabi:! This first harvest falls on a Eastern Market customers birthday! Come on out for it friend!
Peas! Snap Snap Snap peas are Back Back Back!
Radish! Oh boy do I have some good radish recipes. Not just for salads, y'all.
Scallions
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Sweet Turnips- may be limited as our next planting comes in.

Herbs:Chives with blossoms
Mint
Thyme
Oregano

Coming Soon:Cilantro
Dill
Parsley
Beets
Fennel
Garlic Scapes- It won't be long now until those tasty, twisty, wild flavors re-enter our lives!
Napa Cabbage

This weeks Markets
Wednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI Find us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The White Lotus Farm Cart is located at 7217 West Liberty Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. It is open Saturdays from 9:30am-1:30pm, May thru December. There is a collection of vendors there selling produce, bread, cheese, artisanal produces, along with brick oven pizza and the opportunity to roam the gardens. 

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.

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

Well, after this Tuesday storm, it looks like we won't be seeing any rain until the end of July! Just joking, but in all seriousness, isn't that how it works? But with the schedule mostly cleared of rain, we are hoping to whip around the curve this week, look over our shoulder and see those daunting tasks  becoming distant in our dust. 
These aggressive amounts of water and cooler temperatures are pushing planting dates later into the season for farmers across the Midwest. I would say that our farm has been lucky so far. We are nowhere near as inundated as some of the farms that have been hit by more storms and have lower lying fields. Please remember to be kind to any farmers you see. This is a very intense and stressful time of year for most farmers, being at the mercy of the whims of the weather. This extreme and unusual weather has done nothing to help the situation. . 

To note:
We are  still hiring! Want to work on the farm part-time? We have 30 hour/week positions open. Send us an email if you are interested!

Find us at the following markets from now on:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor! WE will be THERE! Go visit Jim tomorrow!
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, White Lotus Farm Cart, Chelsea
Recipe: 
Fresh herbs have potency of flavor, antioxidants, and nutrients. But what to do with them? My go to is to hang them to dry and then crunch the bunch to add them when I am cooking. This is pretty easy. All you have to do is loosen the rubber band, if needed and spread the stems out so they have a little room, then hang it on something. Boom. That's it. 
I also love the intensity of flavor when added to a salad. Oregano is a favorite of mine. I mince it and mix it in when I add the olive oil.
Dressings are another really common application and they are so easy to make. Below is a recipe I found online, but honestly, a fresh herb, an oil, an acid, plus some salt = dressing to die for.

Fresh Oregano Dressing
Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced shallot
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, honey, salt, thyme leaves, garlic, and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil, then stir in oregano leaves. Let dressing sit at least 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Mix one more time before using (dressing won't be completely blended).
From My Recipes

Food for thought: 
We are making choices. With so much to do and limited time and resources, you always have to make choices. What is the most important? What won't offer a return? What is easy enough to get the ball rolling?
This week I will feel happy if we :
Harvest and attend all of our markets.
Put the finishing touches on some beds that will be planted this week.
Set up the irrigation running to all the areas that we will plant within the next few days.
Plant the sweet potatoes (yay! now just another 3.5 months and we can eat them again!)
Finish planting round 2 of peppers.
Plant the ginger! It is looking great and I can't wait to put it in the ground.
Direct seed bunch of succession crops- radishes and lettuce mostly
Plant the wintersquash.
Move the ground preparation forward while the goings good so that we can put final round of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and ground cherries in the ground. 
There are some finer points in there, but at this point, some broad stroke accomplishments are what will make us feel okay. 
That is a looming list.  And there are more things that I want to put on it. But matching expectations with reality is one of the keys to happiness. So here we make a choice too. We choose to be happy. We will accept what we are able to do. Know that we are doing our very best to tackle a colossal undertaking and work. 
Every steep forward is movement. 
By the time  we make it to our Saturday markets, we will be able to say how it went. Root for us and come see us there. 
 
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. (Notice our new catch phrase? We call it the trifecta of sustainability. It sounds a little cheesy but we mean it from the heart. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.)

• 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 2 part-time position open 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!
There are a lot of vegetables just around the corner. Get ready for the avalanche! 

Transplants!
Peppers (Later in the week)
Herbs
Cabbage
Squash!

Greens:
Microgreens: Spicy-Wonder Mix (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Pea Shoots:  (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Chard: tender baby leaves for braising and enjoying. 
Head Lettuce
Kale: Beautiful bunches
Mizuna: Limited
Mustard: Limited
Tokyo Bekana
Salad Mix!

All manner of deliciousness:
Maybe Cucumbers: Green slicers on the verge of pickable.
Radish: They will be back next week, if not this one.
Maybe Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini is just starting to consider being ready.
Sweet Turnips!!!

Herbs:
Mint
Thyme
Oregano

This weeks Markets
Wednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI Find us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The White Lotus Farm Cart is located at 7217 West Liberty Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. It is open Saturdays from 9:30am-1:30pm, May thru December. There is a collection of vendors there selling produce, bread, cheese, artisanal produces, along with brick oven pizza and the opportunity to roam the gardens. 

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.

I hope everyone had a pleasant memorial day and was able to take some time to honor the men and women that have served our country. Monday cooperated with some sunny weather at least. 

To note:
We are  still hiring! Want to work on the farm part-time? We have 30 hour/week positions open. Send us an email if you are interested!

Find us at the following markets from now on:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor! WE will be THERE! Go visit Jim tomorrow!
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, White Lotus Farm Cart, Chelsea
Recipe: 
Kale. Don't be over it. I know, it was a trend, but while trends may pass, the deliciousness of this leafy green remains. If you think you don't like kale, but have only had it from the grocery store, come by and take a taste of ours. Tender, flavorful, and fresh tasting. There are so many great things you can make with kale (kale chips, frittata, kale and black beans, etc) but one of the most simple is a salad. And it is so good with everything. I like to make a big one at the beginning of the week and then dole it out as needed, a scoop with breakfast here, a pile at dinner. As it rests in the fridge, the flavors meld making it even tastier. 

Simple Kale Salad
Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• oil (olive oil for me! but any type you like for you!)
• Touch of salt
• Optional: sunflower seeds, green pepper, onion, scallion, fresh oregano (my favorite), roasted chickpeas, parmesean. 

1. Rip the kale from the stem and then into smaller pieces. 
2. Pour on the olive oil and sprinkle some salt
3. Massage the leaves with oil until they are tender and then toss in any extra ingredients you want.
4. EAT IT! 

Food for thought: 
We have had lots of rain this last week. We are glad that we rushed ahead to prepare lots of ground. All that banked work is running low. By the end of this week, what we have prepared will be full and we will have to prepare more in order to move forward. 
There are quite a few tasks that the soggy ground is holding up: tractor cultivation, hilling the potatoes, mowing some of the wetter areas, preparing more ground and laying down cover crop. This is the most concrete example of how weather can jam up the farmer's plans. 
That is the see-saw of how it goes though. There is plenty to do in the meantime though, don't worry, our muscles won't languish with lack of activity. This week, we will plant all that we have room to put in the ground and weed. We will weed everything! Carrots, lettuce, cilantro, dill, fennel, onions, scallions, celery, celery root, cabbage, kale, squash, beets, choy, napa cabbage, chard. All of this is growing in our fields in massive quantities. All of it soon will be on your plate. 
The vegetables are coming, an invasion we can invite. 
Looking forward to see you at market.
 
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. (Notice our new catch phrase? We call it the trifecta of sustainability. It sounds a little cheesy but we mean it from the heart. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.)

• 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 2 part-time position open 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. 

This week we are buying in some produce from local farms to make up for some gaps. These items are noted with an asterisk (*). We will not be able to bring these items to the Ann Arbor Farmers' market because of their producer only rule (which we love). You will be able to find them at The White Lotus Farm Cart and Eastern Market. 
 Fresh From the Field!

Transplants!Peppers (Later in the week)
Tomatoes
Squash!Greens:Microgreens: Solo-Arugula and a Mustard Mix (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Pea Shoots  (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Mizuna- Limited
Kale- Beautiful bunches
Mustard-limited
Tokyo Bekana
*Spinach- only at Eastern and White LotusAll manner of deliciousness:Radish- French Breakfast and classic!
Sweet Turnips!!!Herbs:Mint
Thyme
Oregano

This weeks MarketsWednesday: Ann Arbor

In the same location as the Saturday market, the Ann Arbor Wednesday Market is a little more laid back.  If you don't want to fight the crowds. come out on Wednesday and take the chance to talk with all your farmers, chefs, and artisans.The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MIFind us there May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm.

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The White Lotus Farm Cart is located at 7217 West Liberty Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. It is open Saturdays from 9:30am-1:30pm, May thru December. There is a collection of vendors there selling produce, bread, cheese, artisanal produces, along with brick oven pizza and the opportunity to roam the gardens. 

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.

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

I made it out on the canoe this weekend. It was a magical time on my favorite lake with a great friend. We saw chickadee nest, shrubs to be known, a glider plane, and so many other exiting things. But mostly, we indulged in a cool morning with the sounds of nature. I am so grateful that among the chaos, we are still able to carve out moments of peace.

To note:
Find us at the following markets from now on:
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, White Lotus Farm Cart, Chelsea

Ann Arbor Wednesday, we are coming for you! Give us one more week to get our feet under us. Look for us Saturday!

Recipe: Sweet Turnips
Hakurei Turnips are turnips for people that don't like turnips! I don't like turnips myself (this is Jim by the way), but I love to slice off thin slices of Hakurei turnips and eat them like a snack, they are that good. If you want to get fancy with em...

Glazed Hakurei Turnips- from Epicurious!
Ingredients

• 3 bunches baby hakurei turnips, baby turnips, or red radishes (about 2 pounds), trimmed, greens reserved
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Kosher salt

1. Place turnips in a large skillet; add water to cover turnips halfway. Add butter, sugar, and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. (if turnips are tender before liquid has reduced, use a slotted spoon to transfer turnips to a plate and reduce liquid until syrupy. Return turnips to pan and stir to coat well.) 
2. Add turnip greens to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt.

I haven't done this before, but I am always looking for new ways to try turnip greens. Get ready for a world of flavor!

Food for thought: 
Well folks, we have some vegetables this week. Greens. Radishes. Yes. And we will continue to have our delicious micros and shoots. I am glad some hints of what's to come are finally gracing our plates. Thanks for being so patient. 

Now let me tell you what is one my mind.  Last week we planted a little over a half acre of tomatoes. This is more tomatoes than we planted in total last year, and we still have more to go. What is another outlandish planting? Double the wintersquash. DOUBLE! For those of you that know we had a rough wintersquash year, just know, we have some real plans for how to care for them. We are switching from using a weed barrier to bare ground with cultivation. This is just a symptom of what is going on for us. We are scaling up. Hopefully, we are reaching our scale plateau this year. But the real point is, we are moving to a scale that makes this year feel like another first year. That is both exciting and exhausting. Mostly exciting though. 
It is fun because every time we do something, it feels new and amazing! "We planted so many tomatoes!" I mean, I can imagine how many tomatoes we planted, and that harvesting them is going to be extreme, but I can't quite wrap my head around it. We also planted so many peppers, onions, lots of greens and beets. Our carrots are looking classy. The potatoes are all up and we are just waiting for the ground to be dry enough to hill them. The onions are moving out of their transplant shock and looking vibrant.
And it is all more than ever. And we are working with more people than ever! The team is doing a great job learning and keeping up. They are rapidly taking on more and more responsibility and handling it very well. And as the team has expanded, so has the farm community that we are connected to. Last week was our first time doing 5 farmers' markets at once. We pulled it off just fine (with room for improvement) and are feeling more easy about the upcoming week. The final market in the quinte was Royal Oak and we are so glad to have added it to the market fold. We were welcomed in with some of the warmest greetings you can expect to get from a new market. 
As a new businesses and farm, we are doing our best to find the safest pace to scale up to adulthood. Too fast, and we implode like dough that has risen too long, too slow, and we won't be able to support the expanding needs of the farm. Our long term goal is to have a team of people that stay with our farm, all working together. We want to farm at such as scale that we are able to pay them and care for them well (and us for that matter), with time off and benefits,  while still keeping our produce affordable and accessible. Finding the sweet spot of scale is the heart of this and I think we are close to the balance. 

We are all looking forward to seeing you at our various markets this week! Thank you so much for being our wonderful farm community. 
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. (Notice our new catch phrase? We call it the trifecta of sustainability. It sounds a little cheesy but we mean it from the heart. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.)

• 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 1 part-time position open 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. 

​This week we are buying in some produce from local farms to make up for some gaps. These items are noted with an asterisk (*). We will not be able to bring these items to the Ann Arbor Farmers' market because of their producer only rule (which we love). You will be able to find them at The White Lotus Farm Cart and Eastern Market. 

Fresh From the Field!

Transplants!
​Herbs for your windowsill
Peppers!
Tomatoes
Cucumbers!
Greens:
Microgreens: Solo-Arugula and a Mustard Mix (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Pea Shoots  (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Mizuna
Baby Kale (limited)
Mustard
Tokyo Bekana
Arugula (maybe)
*Spinach
All manner of deliciousness:
*Daikon Radish- purple and white!
*Green Garlic, Maybe! (not certified organic but responsibly done by our friends at Titus Farms)
Radish
Scallions (limited)
Sweet Turnips!!!
Herbs:
Mint
Thyme
Oregano

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

So I ate the Polyporus squamosus, also known as Dryad's saddle. I was as they said, nothing to write home about, however, it was my first foraged and and eaten fungus so for that I am happy. This is a big week coming up. We are going to get about a half acre of tomatoes planted and staked. This will set our July scene. Yeah, it is a whole lot later than we wanted it done, but I am glad for it. There have been a few changes to our market start dates. Just take a look below. 
I hope everyone had a happy mother's day celebrating all the wonderful mothers we have. I was lucky enough to spend part of the day with my my wonderful mother and my sister (and my nephew!) It is just so wonderful to be around them.

To note:
Find us at the following markets from now on:
Eastern Market
Ann Arbor Saturday
White Lotus Farm Cart
Chelsea
Stocbridge
And back at Northville on Thursday and starting at Royal Oak this Saturday!

Here are all of our markets and their expected start dates:
Ann Arbor (Wednesday): May 22nd (holding off one more week- look for us Saturday!)
Recipe:
Radishes. One of the first spring beauty to climb back into our hearts. There is more to them than chopping them in a Salad. It is looking like the french breakfast radishes are going to come into their own this week. Get ready!

Radishes sliced with butter or cheese or olive oil on toast!
That is all! Good bread, tender, tasty radishes sliced thin, a sprinkle of salt, and a lipid. Beyond delight.
 
Food for thought: 
As we switch from writing the email towards the end of the week to writing them towards the beginning, you get a chance to see what the weeks looks like from this side. There is just so much on the docket! The big goal for this week is as I already said, getting those tomatoes planted. With the risk of frost all but passed, we have the green light to work like lightening, zapping plants into the ground. Weeding, planting, trellising. Hopefully (and it looks like it is true), we will get a chance to prepare more ground too.
We are also hoping to finish the repairs on our cultivating tractor, the project that is so close to completion we can taste it, but has been back-burnered so many times I can't count. It isn't that it isn't important and we aren't waiting for any parts. All it is, is time. Tasks elbowing their way ahead one at a time. 
And the other large under-taking (other than everything else) is to install the trellis lines for our cucumbers. This year we are growing them in the hoop house and using a vertical trellis to get the most cukes for our jukes. I am really excited to see how it turns out. 
We also hope to get our two smaller hoops prepped and planted in basil, install all the irrigation for what we have planted so far, weed as needed, and hopefully, harvest some delicious vegetables. 

Thank you for all the confidence and support in this seemingly endless wait for spring. See you at markets this week.
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. (Notice our new catch phrase? We call it the trifecta of sustainability. It sounds a little cheesy but we mean it from the heart. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us.)

• 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 1 part-time position open 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. 

​This week we are buying in some produce from local farms to make up for some gaps. These items are noted with an asterisk (*). We will not be able to bring these items to the Ann Arbor Farmers' market because of their producer only rule (which we love). You will be able to find them at The White Lotus Farm Cart and Eastern Market. 

Fresh From the Field!
Transplants!
Head lettuce and kale
Basil for your windowsill
Greens:
Microgreens: Solo-Arugula and a Mustard Mix (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
Pea Shoots  (At all markets excluding White Lotus)
*Spinach
All manner of deliciousness:
​*Daikon Radish- purple and white!
*Green Garlic, Maybe! (not certified organic but responsibly done by our friends at Titus Farms)
Bunched Radish- super cute and the first taste of our field crops coming in
Scallions
Parsley 

​This weeks Markets

Thursday: Northville

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am - 3 pm

Friday: Stockbridge

The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm - 7 pm

Saturday: Ann Arbor,  Chelsea, Detroit's Eastern Market, The White Lotus Farm Cart and Royal Oak 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 - 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the Palmer Commons at 304 S. Main St.. It runs May thru October (then moves inside thru December!) from 8 am - 1 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

The White Lotus Farm Cart is located at 7217 West Liberty Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. It is open Saturdays from 9:30am-1:30pm, May thru December. There is a collection of vendors there selling produce, bread, cheese, artisanal produces, along with brick oven pizza and the opportunity to roam the gardens. 

The Royal Oak Market is an indoor market located at 316 E Eleven Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067. It runs year round from 7am - 1pm.