To note:
Our markets this week:
Saturday: Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, and Eastern!
It is going to snow, but we will be there and we hope you will be too! Enjoy a bit of the winter wonderland with us!
Recipe:
Kohlrabi citrus salad! A friend of mine made this for second christmas dinner and we just loved it.
Kohlrabi and Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing- I got this recipe a friend but it orginally came from Kitchn who got it from 'The Modern Menu' by Kim Kushner.
SERVES6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
- 4 medium bulbs kohlrabi (for us this could be one of our giant ones or 3-4 small ones)
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Using a sharp knife, remove the long stems and greens from the kohlrabi. Using a peeler, trim away the thick green skin until you reach the light green to white part that is free of tough fibers. Shred on the medium holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredder disk.
- Combine the kohlrabi, cabbage, cherries, sunflower seeds, and dill in a large serving bowl. In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake to thoroughly combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat well. Let sit for about 20 minutes before serving.
Food for thought:
In less than a month we will be starting seeds for 2020. Let that sink in. I am. Less than a month. Honestly I am stoked! But in the meantime, we have some legwork to do. First order of business is to finish taking our seed inventory. We go through our seed fridge and count up what we have left. The germination rates of some of the seeds, like onions, dwindle after the first year. If we have large amounts of those seeds left, we do a simple germination test to see what we can expect. If the test shows a germination rate low enough, we will likely get fresh seed or increase the seeding rate to accommodate it. Other seeds, like seeds in the cucumber family, remain viable for multiple years. For these, we just note the date and are extra careful to use the old seed first when it comes time to seed them.
Next step, we begin adjusting our planting numbers to reflect what we think you folks at the market want. If you have come at the end of any of the market days, you may have seen us diligently accounting for what we have left at the end of the day. All this information is used now. We ask, did we regularly sell out of salad mix? Did we grow more than we could sell? Is there a crop that people asked for again and again that we just didn't have? Did we have too much cabbage in June? We adjust our field numbers and field plan and convert that into an amount of seeds.
After this, we are ready to turn to those seductive seed catalogs (locally we love Ann Arbor Seed Company and Nature Nurture Seeds) and make our selections. This is mostly looking for the best prices and the most local source. Once deep in the dreamland of seed selection, we allow ourselves up to three impulse (thought out but.... impulsive) variety or crop selections.
The other half to preparing to start our seeds, is cleaning and sanitizing the greenhouse. Good housekeeping ensures that our seedlings have the best start to their life and are able to take hold more quickly in the field. For this, we remove all of the greenhouse benches, spray them down, sweep out the the greenhouse, and sanitize the whole shebang with a bleach solution. We then reassemble the situation and get ready to rumble.
Life. Food. So good. So glad that this is my job.
In the meantime, come see us at market tomorrow in the magical wonderland. I think it is going to be great.
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 accepting workshares both on the farm and at market. Please email for details.
Greens:
Arugula
Kale
Head Lettuce
Microgreens! Back in February!
Radicchio- A delicious bitter green- the last round for the winter!
Pea Shoots-Back in February!
All manner of deliciousness:
Cabbage
Napa cabbage- The last round for the winter!
Carrots- Rainbow and regular
Garlic- For me, these juicy cloves go in just about EVERYTHING!
Kohlrabi- petite treats back along with the staple economy-sized.
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!
Sweet Turnips
Purple top turnips- Excellent for roasting!
Wintersquash- Butternut Squash and pie pumpkins!
Herbs:
Returning soon Cilantro and Parsley
This weeks Markets
Saturday: 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.