What a snow it was! November was pretty early to get it heaped on this thick. While it certainly caused us some unseasonable problems, it was beautiful indeed.
These long tunnels are filled with thriving greens, arugula in this one. They survived the 4 day below freezing spell with minimal damage and are looking ready to eat!
Kale is in the tunnel. It also survived the deep freeze. If you look to the left edge of this picture, you can see how much the snow built up along the edge of the tunnel.
This is our last full market week before our fall break. A pleasant tradition. See the details below. Come see us this weekend and next Wednesday to stock up and fill the ingredients needs for your feast. And come see us today for that matter!
To note:
We are taking our annual season fall break: For all my years of farming, we have taken the week after t-day of. Let this be no exception. Then expect us back Saturday December 7th.
Saturday Ann Arbor Customers! Ahoy! We are there! I don't know where but we will be there shining and vegetabling!
Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, and Royal Oak
We are hiring again! We have positions for farm crew, markets, and weeder harvesters. Check out our ads on indeed for more information.
Recipe:
Butternut squash is so fabulous. I love how it can be sweet or savory. I love that it is filled with nutrients. I love that you can just roast it and eat it. It fills in for a meal without a lot of effort. Here is something that I love.
Roasted butternut squash with yogurt- Fancier version here
Ingredients:
Food for thought:
The snow was beautiful but it brought with it some disappointing results. Our 8 beds of greens under outside hoops were lost or partially lost (today will really be the day to tell.) That really is the game of November- no one can tell how it will manifest. Eight inches of snow and single digit temperatures did not agree with the comparably flimsy hoops and fabric we had out there to protect them. Mustard. Choy. Tokyo Bekana. Tatsoi. These are the things that we may have lost. We still have some that we managed to squirrel away when times were good so it won't be all gone yet. On the other hand, maybe there are still some out there. Either way, we have kale, chard, arugula, spinach, and lettuce coming along on inside tunnels. It isn't all ready now, but it will be...
In the meantime we are mega-grateful to have a window with melted snow and above freezing temperatures to get our garlic in the ground! That was a close one! It prefers to be planted earlier in November but I know that it can handle this late planting date. It is amazing to realize that when we were rushing to prepare the bed fields for this planting it literally was the last opportunity.
For me, garlic has always been emblematic of future hopes. It goes into the ground in the most inhospitable of times. And through those times, it wakes from its dormant state and begins to grow. Every time I plant garlic, I focus on my hopes and dreams for the coming season and our greater community, and put them all in the ground with these little vegetative propagules, This way we are not the only ones holding them forward. Let our hopes grow with the garlic! Join me in thinking to the future and putting our hearts into it.
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.
To note:
We are taking our annual season fall break: For all my years of farming, we have taken the week after t-day of. Let this be no exception. Then expect us back Saturday December 7th.
Saturday Ann Arbor Customers! Ahoy! We are there! I don't know where but we will be there shining and vegetabling!
Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, and Royal Oak
We are hiring again! We have positions for farm crew, markets, and weeder harvesters. Check out our ads on indeed for more information.
Recipe:
Butternut squash is so fabulous. I love how it can be sweet or savory. I love that it is filled with nutrients. I love that you can just roast it and eat it. It fills in for a meal without a lot of effort. Here is something that I love.
Roasted butternut squash with yogurt- Fancier version here
Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash (I like a big one because more meals! You don't have to do the same thing with all of it.)
- Oil or butter
- Salt
- Yogurt- I like the thick kind
- Honey or maple syrup
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Slice squash in half lengthwise, apply oil, and roast cut side down for 45-90 minutes (until fork tender)
- Flip and scoop a meal sized portion into a bowl and add yogurt, syrup, and salt.
- You can add additional ingredients- cilantro, peppers, steamed carrots, thinly sliced watermelon radish, cubed sweet turnips, minced arugula, toasted walnuts... imagination and goals! It all starts with a roasted squash!
Food for thought:
The snow was beautiful but it brought with it some disappointing results. Our 8 beds of greens under outside hoops were lost or partially lost (today will really be the day to tell.) That really is the game of November- no one can tell how it will manifest. Eight inches of snow and single digit temperatures did not agree with the comparably flimsy hoops and fabric we had out there to protect them. Mustard. Choy. Tokyo Bekana. Tatsoi. These are the things that we may have lost. We still have some that we managed to squirrel away when times were good so it won't be all gone yet. On the other hand, maybe there are still some out there. Either way, we have kale, chard, arugula, spinach, and lettuce coming along on inside tunnels. It isn't all ready now, but it will be...
In the meantime we are mega-grateful to have a window with melted snow and above freezing temperatures to get our garlic in the ground! That was a close one! It prefers to be planted earlier in November but I know that it can handle this late planting date. It is amazing to realize that when we were rushing to prepare the bed fields for this planting it literally was the last opportunity.
For me, garlic has always been emblematic of future hopes. It goes into the ground in the most inhospitable of times. And through those times, it wakes from its dormant state and begins to grow. Every time I plant garlic, I focus on my hopes and dreams for the coming season and our greater community, and put them all in the ground with these little vegetative propagules, This way we are not the only ones holding them forward. Let our hopes grow with the garlic! Join me in thinking to the future and putting our hearts into it.
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.
- HIRING
- 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.
Hoop house two. We half filled it on time. The other half? Well, better late than never. Keeping greens alive in unheated spaces through periods of below freezing temperatures is a challenge. One of the tools is row cover- large trasluscent pieces of fabric to trap heat while still allowing light to reach the plants. It goes all over the place though and can be quite annoying to take on and off. In this tunnel we may have finally made a way to get it accomplished- wires with additional posts for support. Initial reviews are in and saying better than any plan yet...
Snuggle buddies. They play hard. They snuggle hard. Exie and Boomer, snuggle mode.
Fresh From the Field!
Greens:
Arugula
Bok Choy!
Collard Greens- Limited
Kale
Microgreens!
Mustard- Maybe
Radicchio- A delicious bitter green. Here is some info from The Spruce Eats. Great added to salads (our green variety is stand alone delicious). Ours are looser heads than you may have seen before, yet just as fantastic.
Spinach- Maybe
Tatsoi-Maybe
Tokyo Bekana-Maybe
Pea Shoots
Swiss Chard
All manner of deliciousness:
Cabbage
Napa cabbage
Carrots- Rainbow and regular
Sweet Baby Celery- it is small but so, so delicous!
Fennel
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!
Peppers- friers and bells- Last week!
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:
Cilantro
Dill
Parsley
Greens:
Arugula
Bok Choy!
Collard Greens- Limited
Kale
Microgreens!
Mustard- Maybe
Radicchio- A delicious bitter green. Here is some info from The Spruce Eats. Great added to salads (our green variety is stand alone delicious). Ours are looser heads than you may have seen before, yet just as fantastic.
Spinach- Maybe
Tatsoi-Maybe
Tokyo Bekana-Maybe
Pea Shoots
Swiss Chard
All manner of deliciousness:
Cabbage
Napa cabbage
Carrots- Rainbow and regular
Sweet Baby Celery- it is small but so, so delicous!
Fennel
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!
Peppers- friers and bells- Last week!
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:
Cilantro
Dill
Parsley
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