Here we all are for the first Lake Divide Farm 2019 staff photo! You can find this picture on our on our website too, as well as bios on the new crew!
Malcolm and Mattie were really hoping to make the cover photo of the email this week with this excellent "hangin' tough" photo. They would have made it any other week too, but a full crew photo is pretty darn rare! Sorry guys, next time! I think Lizz only added to the fun by dashing half way across the field to photo bomb them haha!
The squash in the hoophouse is really going for it! We got our first harvest of squash yesterday, more to come... lots more!
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
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.)
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
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.
Our snap peas are making their first appearance this week
This is the planting that has been producing all the cut green that we have been bringing to market the past few weeks. As you can see, they have all gone to flower, it's pretty glorious really! This is natural part of the plants life cycle and signifies the plant reaching maturity. When they get to this stage their flavor and leaf production changes dramatically. Plants can race to maturity early, sometimes even before we've had a chance to harvest their delicious leaves. This is caused primarily by day length increases, heat and water stresses are also significant contributing factors. At this point we'll move on from this planting, the organic matter will be disked in, and cover crop will be seeded. Farewell BG1 (Brassica Greens Planting #1)
Thanks to Cody and Sean's tireless efforts, Brassica Greens Planting #2 is ready to step up to the plate!
Scallions Have arrived and Lizz couldn't be happier! There has been a rumor going around the farm that people in NJ call scallions, scrallions. I grew up in NJ, and I can honestly say I've never had a scrallion. Have to admit though, we've all taken a shine to scrallions, it's just kinda fun to say... Scrrrrralions. Makes us feel a little bit like pirates ;)
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.
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.
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