Here's Jim in his natural habitat, tools in hand and ready to build it all! You can see all our glorious plants-to-be in the background, wow the greenhouse is filling up!
Here you can see four of my favorite tomato varieties beginning their lives together. Long before they are giant plants laden with fruit they begin quietly in a warm row flat, gently watered and cared for. Shhhh, don't wake them up, they will emerge when they are ready
Birds. We all hear them! Red wing blackbirds! A reminder to get out there! Out into the wild world! Witness the reawakening! Take a deep breath and a deep sigh.
To note:
Our markets this week:
Saturday: Ann Arbor! Eastern, and Royal Oak!
Still couple more slots for crew this year! We are looking for people that want to join our team and grow great food. It is a hard job but it is extremely rewarding. Check out our work with us page to see if you match the description.
CSA Y'all- We accept members on a rolling basis through the season. However! This is the time that signing up to be a member of our farm has the greatest positive effect on your farmers! CSA's help balance out cashflow variability and seasonal unpredictability with the farmer. For us, it makes a huge difference to know that people are committed to eating our vegetables and the early investments take some of the stress out of all the early season improvements that we are making. So what is the CSA? In short, members open an account with us, receive a bonus for their commitment, and then use their accounts at market just like cash. You can find more details here. And let me say, if this is something you are considering, now is the time! We won't let you down!
Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far! It is really making a difference for us!
RECIPE: CRUSHED TURNIPS
Just like Smashed Potatoes, only without the carbs! This recipe is seriously delicious and can be prepped the night before so all you have to do is brush and bake them. I would recommend a variety of our golden and purple top turnips for some color variation. This also works REALLY well with our green Daikon, simply cut into rounds before smashing.
INGREDIENTS
Food for thought:
Lots to do, lots to do! With all this sun we are working on getting some seeds in the ground!
With all this sun, some of our overwintered crops are thinking it is time to flower and produce seeds. You may see a decline in available greens in during the next month. This means get to market early if you want to get them.
It is also why it is so so important for us to get these seeds in the ground. Here is the lists of crops that we are hoping to seed this week: Brassica greens (Arugula, Mustard, Tatsoi, Tokyo Bekana), SWEET TURNIPS, Beets, red spring Radishes, and some Carrots. They range in 'Days to Maturity' (how long it takes from seeding to harvest) quite a bit. The radishes and the greens are the fastest coming in at 28 days. Turnips take a little longer at 38 days. Beets and carrots take the longest at around 60 days. This translates to about a month, about an month and a half, and about 2 months. Now consider that these DTM are in ideal conditions. Most crops prefer warm, moist soil to start their lives. The soil of the spring is cold, like putting your feet on the bare floor first thing in the morning on a winter day. And sometimes it is sopping wet. We are hoping that the raised beds that we prepared last fall, along with the tunnels we are hoping to construct over the crops, will help with both of these factors.
If we get these crops in the ground now, we could hope to have renewed greenery by the second week of April and some fresh roots towards the end of the month. Here to hoping it pans out! Wish us luck, dexterity and speed out there this week!
Onward and farmward.
Helen (email body) and Lizz (recipe and photo captions) 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.
Greens: All may be limitedBaby Chard?
Kale
Arugula
SpinachAll manner of deliciousness:Cabbage
Carrots- (From or farm friends at Tantre- at Eastern and Royal Oak only)
Kohlrabi!
Onions- All types, sweet and pungent, yellow and red!
Daikon Radish- White- Chinese type and the spiciest of the three, Purple, and green Korean daikon
Watermelon Radish
Rutabaga: Purple and Green! Lovely texture. Great roasted. Great mashed. Great in soups!
Turnabaga: As sweet as a sweet turnip but with the texture of a rutabaga!
Potatoes - (From or farm friends at Tantre- at Eastern and Royal Oak only)
Purple top and golden roasting turnips- Excellent for roasting!Herbs:Cilantro! SOOOOO DELICIOUS! Seriously. So good.Coming soon:Parsley- 1 week out
Microgreens- 1 week out depending on how much sunshine we get!
Pea shoots- 1 week out depending on how much sunshine we get!
Your balance is: 0
This weeks MarketsSaturday: Ann Arbor, Detroit's Eastern Market, 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 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.
To note:
Our markets this week:
Saturday: Ann Arbor! Eastern, and Royal Oak!
Still couple more slots for crew this year! We are looking for people that want to join our team and grow great food. It is a hard job but it is extremely rewarding. Check out our work with us page to see if you match the description.
CSA Y'all- We accept members on a rolling basis through the season. However! This is the time that signing up to be a member of our farm has the greatest positive effect on your farmers! CSA's help balance out cashflow variability and seasonal unpredictability with the farmer. For us, it makes a huge difference to know that people are committed to eating our vegetables and the early investments take some of the stress out of all the early season improvements that we are making. So what is the CSA? In short, members open an account with us, receive a bonus for their commitment, and then use their accounts at market just like cash. You can find more details here. And let me say, if this is something you are considering, now is the time! We won't let you down!
Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far! It is really making a difference for us!
RECIPE: CRUSHED TURNIPS
Just like Smashed Potatoes, only without the carbs! This recipe is seriously delicious and can be prepped the night before so all you have to do is brush and bake them. I would recommend a variety of our golden and purple top turnips for some color variation. This also works REALLY well with our green Daikon, simply cut into rounds before smashing.
INGREDIENTS
- 12 small to medium turnips, peeled (~2 pints of ours, we can help you select small ones!)
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or as needed)
- Chopped fresh chives (or dill, or parsley, or whatever herb your heart desires)
- Place peeled turnips in a pot of salted water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook 20 to 30 minutes or until turnips can be pierced easily with a paring knife. Drain. Let cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the turnips on a clean kitchen towel or double layer of paper towels. Gently press each one down until it's approximately 1/2-inch high. Let them drain for 15 minutes then carefully flip them over onto a dry section of the towel or onto fresh paper towels so the other side drains and dries a bit.
- Combine garlic, olive oil and salt and black pepper, to taste in a small bowl.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil. Place the flattened turnips on the lined baking sheet. Brush each turnip with a little of the olive oil and garlic combination. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each turnip, gently pressing it down.
- Carefully and quickly flip each turnip over. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and garlic combination and cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Flip each turnip and bake an additional 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh chives and serve
Food for thought:
Lots to do, lots to do! With all this sun we are working on getting some seeds in the ground!
With all this sun, some of our overwintered crops are thinking it is time to flower and produce seeds. You may see a decline in available greens in during the next month. This means get to market early if you want to get them.
It is also why it is so so important for us to get these seeds in the ground. Here is the lists of crops that we are hoping to seed this week: Brassica greens (Arugula, Mustard, Tatsoi, Tokyo Bekana), SWEET TURNIPS, Beets, red spring Radishes, and some Carrots. They range in 'Days to Maturity' (how long it takes from seeding to harvest) quite a bit. The radishes and the greens are the fastest coming in at 28 days. Turnips take a little longer at 38 days. Beets and carrots take the longest at around 60 days. This translates to about a month, about an month and a half, and about 2 months. Now consider that these DTM are in ideal conditions. Most crops prefer warm, moist soil to start their lives. The soil of the spring is cold, like putting your feet on the bare floor first thing in the morning on a winter day. And sometimes it is sopping wet. We are hoping that the raised beds that we prepared last fall, along with the tunnels we are hoping to construct over the crops, will help with both of these factors.
If we get these crops in the ground now, we could hope to have renewed greenery by the second week of April and some fresh roots towards the end of the month. Here to hoping it pans out! Wish us luck, dexterity and speed out there this week!
Onward and farmward.
Helen (email body) and Lizz (recipe and photo captions) 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 accepting workshares both on the farm and at market. Please email for details.
Greens: All may be limitedBaby Chard?
Kale
Arugula
SpinachAll manner of deliciousness:Cabbage
Carrots- (From or farm friends at Tantre- at Eastern and Royal Oak only)
Kohlrabi!
Onions- All types, sweet and pungent, yellow and red!
Daikon Radish- White- Chinese type and the spiciest of the three, Purple, and green Korean daikon
Watermelon Radish
Rutabaga: Purple and Green! Lovely texture. Great roasted. Great mashed. Great in soups!
Turnabaga: As sweet as a sweet turnip but with the texture of a rutabaga!
Potatoes - (From or farm friends at Tantre- at Eastern and Royal Oak only)
Purple top and golden roasting turnips- Excellent for roasting!Herbs:Cilantro! SOOOOO DELICIOUS! Seriously. So good.Coming soon:Parsley- 1 week out
Microgreens- 1 week out depending on how much sunshine we get!
Pea shoots- 1 week out depending on how much sunshine we get!
Your balance is: 0
This weeks MarketsSaturday: Ann Arbor, Detroit's Eastern Market, 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 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.
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