Lake Divide Farm Newsletter: Fall, planting the hoop house in pictures, and Halloween costume ideas.

If you weren't sure what to go as for halloween, may we suggest getting some scallions involved? They make great beards, ears, and other! And they smell devine!

And here is the elusive photographer Jim with an owl. I have to say, I was quite jealous when I saw this. I just love animal encounters. I also love animal encounter stories, so let me know if you have a good one! Also, you should know that although I didn't catch the name of the organization that this bird is affiliated with, I am so glad there are people like the red-shirted person in this picture out there protecting and supporting, healing and caring for our wild friends. Thank you!

Ahoy!

I could not believe how beautiful the weather was on Tuesday and how lucky it looks like we will be for the week. I know I boasted of an incoming container last week. When it showed up, the one of the walls was smashed and there was light coming in from the ceiling. It goes without saying that we didn't accept it. We were so glad to have worked with reputable folks because they are working with us and we will likely have an alternate by the end of the week. Wish us luck and be grateful for honorable people.

To note:
Saturday Ann Arbor Customers!Last week we ended up on the main aisle. It seems the seasonal switch of market attendance is upon us. PLEASE LOOK FOR US! I promise, we are there :) If you can't find us, ask in the office! 

Eggs or Milk? Customers of Chelsea and Stockbridge (or other folks that live close to Munith)! We have a friend and neighbor that has cows and chickens! They can provide you with eggs ($2.50/dozen) and milk ($5.00 gallon- can be purchased in half gallons). If more than one of you are interested, I can make connections and you can take turns picking the items up. I would consider doing some kind of pick up and market delivery if there are some interested parties in a more distal market. They are wonderful people. Their kids do most of the work for the animals. The animals live in paradise and are extremely well taken care of and loved. All proceeds go into the children's college funds. Email me to let me know if you are interested and we will take it from there. Here is a link to their facebook page so you can check them out.

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

Recipe: 
Roasted Daikon radish french fries. I haven't tried this yet, but in my heart, I know it will delicious. I got the recipe from here. Two tips straight from the source, don't expect to need a dipping sauce, don't expect the same texture as a tater.  Use any of our daikon- green and white, purple, or classic. I'll try it too and lets compare notes. Some of my thoughts are in bold in the recipe.Spicy Roasted Daikon Radish French Fries
Ingredients

• 5 cups (about 1 3/4-pounds or two of our bunches) Daikon radish, peeled & sliced - see instruction no. 2. for instructions- I wouldn't bother peeling it.
• 3 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil - you can substitute any oil if you don't have grapeseed on hand. My subs would be seasame, olive, or coconut.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chile paste (I like Sambal Oelek)- If you don't have any chile paste try subbing any of the following
  • Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. Aram David/Demand Media. Crushed red pepper flakes are dried cayenne peppers that have been crushed. ...
  • Hot Sauce. A bottle of your favorite hot sauce is a simple substitution for chili paste. ...
  • Ketchup With Ground Cayenne Pepper. Ketchup has a very similar texture to chili paste.
• 1 teaspoon low sodium Tamari or soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger pulp, freshly grated
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F, and adjust a rack to the center.
2. Cut the Daikon into sections approximately 3-inches long, then cut about 1/4-inch slices off the side of each one, to make a base. Stand the sections on their bases, and cut them, vertically into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Stand these slices on top of each other, and then cut them into sticks about 1/4-inch thick. Add all of the Daikon slices to a baking sheet and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chile paste, Tamari or soy sauce, ginger, sugar and salt.
4. Drizzle this over the Daikon slices and then use your hands to toss them until they're all evenly coated and in a single layer.
5. Place the baking sheet in the preheated 475°F oven and roast until they are golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes. (You should gently toss/filp them about halfway through the cooking time.)
6. Add a double layer of paper towels to another baking sheet, and when the fries are done, add them on top of the towels to drain and cool.- Skip the paper towels and try a cookie rack with a baking sheet under it. 
7. Serve!

Food for thought: 
What I have is this week in pictures! Cheers to everyone and thanks for cheering us on!

Our upgraded hydrant! The leaky pipes in our 1" hydrant inspired us to get rid of our bottleneck to let our pump really do the work it is meant to do. We now have a 2" hydrant which we can connect our two inch line to, doubleing our irrigation capacity. If you are having trouble imagining how this speeds things up, imagine a parade of cats squeezing under a door. The felines can pull it off, but not as fast as if the door was open. Well folks we opened the door! Cats everywhere! I mean water! It is going to make a gigantic difference for us next year. Same amount of work for doubled output. I like those metrics.

It is getting late for winter planting. But getting late doesn't mean too late! Here is Doug rototilling one of our hoop houses. By now, it is stock full of head lettuce for the winter!

Here are the beds, with nutrients mixed in by the tiller. It isn't a small space when you consider the size of a head lettuce! We pack around 2700 heads in there to harvest and savor when the greens are at their scarcest

The final product. Half filled with head lettuce. More to come!

The field we call Asgard! While that head lettuce is getting up to speed, this field, along with Downtown 2 are going to keep us in nutrient dense leaves. This field was the first real taste of what the basket weeder could do, solidifying our love with well weeded rows of roots and greens. That's not to say we didn't still put some real elbow grease into it. More than a few hours were spent out there plucking weeds out of the rows.

Okay! That's what I got! Cheers cheers! See you at market this weekend! Let us gleefully welcome the changes!

Helen writing for the Lake Dividers: Jim, Lizz, Janet, Malcolm, Mattie, Cody, Sean, Alic, Doug, Kathryn, and Shana! 

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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens:
Arugula
Bok Choy!
Collard Greens- Still loving this recipe 
Head Lettuce
Kale
Microgreens! They may be limited or they may be back in a week.
Mustard!
Spinach- Limited but it will be back in full force in a few weeks
Tatsoi
Tokyo Bekana! Loose leave bok choy lettuce
Pea Shoots- Back in 2 weeks. 
Swiss Chard

All manner of deliciousness:
Broccoli
Cabbage
Napa cabbage
Baby Fennel
Garlic- For me, these juicy cloves go in just about EVERYTHING!
Ginger- Fresh, delicious, smooth. Lovely
GREEN TOMATOES! So good fried or pickled!
Kohlrabi- we welcome the petite treats back along with the staple economy-sized. 
Onions- All types, sweet and pungent, yellow and red!
Potatoes
Fingerling potatoes
Peppers- friers and bells- this could be it for them!
Hot peppers: Likely the last week. Hungarian hot wax, Jalepenos, and Poblanos
Shishito Peppers: Delicious Japanese friers- Last week!
Snack peppers!- Last week
Scallions
Daikon Radish!
Watermelon Radish
Sweet Turnips
Wintersquash! Not just for winter- Delicata, dumpling, and acorn!
Butternut? We will see!

Herbs:
Mint
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Parsley 

Coming Soon:
Cilantro and Dill
Butternut squash
Purple top turnips!
Cone 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 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.