Helen has been the real mvp this past week! She has been racing the clock trying to cut, disc, and form new beds for the next plantings. We're in striking distance now
I caught this eastern milk snake crossing our driveway the other day! These snakes sometimes get confused with rattle snakes as they too will "rattle" their tail as a warning.
Lake Divide Farm Newsletter:
A window into the production path of your food.
All the garlic has been hauled out of the field. Next on the mega harvest list: Potatoes! I love potatoes. Check out our Crispy Smashed Potato recipe.
We are still waiting for our tomatoes to arrive in earnest, in the meantime, we can enjoy some classic fermenting ingredients (carrots, onions, cabbage, peppers) and some lovely Solanaceous crops like Shishito peppers!
To note:
Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Chelsea
Recipe:
As if we need help eating potatoes. I know I don't. But here is something that makes them even more enjoyable, if you can imagine that! Boiled and smashed, they are quick and crispy.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes- Recipe from Cookie and KateINGREDIENTS
Food for thought:
The past few weeks have had us chasing down various unscheduled tasks: 2 broken tractors, one broken van, cooler troubles, hiring, yet more hiring. I'll stop that list right there. For someone who spends their days obligated to predict problems and develop strategies to deal with symptoms as well as root causes, I have to admit I experience a sigh of relief with each one of these "unexpected" projects. In the end it will be dealt with, and at the end of the day, or the end the week, I will be able to say "One less thing to go wrong. One more thing internalized." After all, you can't get a reputation as problem solver unless you find a way to expose yourself to a significant quantity and diversity of problems. I've found all the purpose I need right here at Lake Divide. I'm not the only one with purpose here though, and problem solving is certainly not our only purpose. I'd imagine, given that we run a farm, our main purpose is growing food!? Yes, it is! With all of the other tasks that go along with running a farm, it can be hard to remember that.
While these events have been unfolding, the team stepped up in the field. While our attention has been divided, they have handled harvest, weeding, planting, irrigation, seeding and produce dividing. It's a wonderful feeling to know that you can trust in the people you work with. Great work steering the ship the past few weeks Lake Dividers, Helen and I cleared a group of icebergs out of our path, set in a course for Fall, all power to engines... ENGAGE! May the coming week be popsicle laden and uneventful.
Cpt. Jim Neumann of the USS Lake Divide
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.
A window into the production path of your food.
All the garlic has been hauled out of the field. Next on the mega harvest list: Potatoes! I love potatoes. Check out our Crispy Smashed Potato recipe.
We are still waiting for our tomatoes to arrive in earnest, in the meantime, we can enjoy some classic fermenting ingredients (carrots, onions, cabbage, peppers) and some lovely Solanaceous crops like Shishito peppers!
To note:
Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Chelsea
Recipe:
As if we need help eating potatoes. I know I don't. But here is something that makes them even more enjoyable, if you can imagine that! Boiled and smashed, they are quick and crispy.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes- Recipe from Cookie and KateINGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds small-to-medium red or yellow potatoes
- 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, chives and/or green onion
- To prepare the potatoes, scrub them clean if dirty and rinse under running water. Remove and discard any nubby sprouting areas. Place the potatoes in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.
- Fill the pot with water until the potatoes are submerged and covered by 1 inch of additional water. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and continue cooking until the potatoes are very easily pierced through by a fork (smaller potatoes are done around 20 minutes, and medium around 25 minutes).
- While the potatoes cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a large, rimmed baking sheet. Brush the oil so it’s evenly distributed over the sheet.
- When the potatoes are done, drain them in a large colander and let them cool for about 5 minutes, until they can be handled safely.
- Evenly distribute the potatoes over the prepared baking sheet, and use a potato masher or a serving fork to gently smash each potato to a height of about ½ inch. (Thinner potatoes are more crispy.)
- Drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the smashed potatoes. Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt over the potatoes. Finally, sprinkle them lightly with freshly ground black pepper.
- Bake until the potatoes are nice and golden on the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle them with chopped fresh herbs, and serve hot.
Food for thought:
The past few weeks have had us chasing down various unscheduled tasks: 2 broken tractors, one broken van, cooler troubles, hiring, yet more hiring. I'll stop that list right there. For someone who spends their days obligated to predict problems and develop strategies to deal with symptoms as well as root causes, I have to admit I experience a sigh of relief with each one of these "unexpected" projects. In the end it will be dealt with, and at the end of the day, or the end the week, I will be able to say "One less thing to go wrong. One more thing internalized." After all, you can't get a reputation as problem solver unless you find a way to expose yourself to a significant quantity and diversity of problems. I've found all the purpose I need right here at Lake Divide. I'm not the only one with purpose here though, and problem solving is certainly not our only purpose. I'd imagine, given that we run a farm, our main purpose is growing food!? Yes, it is! With all of the other tasks that go along with running a farm, it can be hard to remember that.
While these events have been unfolding, the team stepped up in the field. While our attention has been divided, they have handled harvest, weeding, planting, irrigation, seeding and produce dividing. It's a wonderful feeling to know that you can trust in the people you work with. Great work steering the ship the past few weeks Lake Dividers, Helen and I cleared a group of icebergs out of our path, set in a course for Fall, all power to engines... ENGAGE! May the coming week be popsicle laden and uneventful.
Cpt. Jim Neumann of the USS Lake Divide
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 hiring! We have 1 spot left for the 2019 season. You can find details 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.
Van #2 (Vantana- The van with windows) broke down on the way to the Northville Market this past Thursday. We got the call with the bad news news early in that morning and sprung, reluctantly, into action. Thankfully, Vantanna broke down only 2 miles from home on a quiet road. We reattached the line only to have it burst free again... ugh. The fragile plastic clips holding the high pressure lines just didn't seem to do their job. Sooooo, say hello to Mr. Over-sized Hoseclamp! Not pretty, but certainly pretty brawny ;) We then/than (temporally and conditionally) bled the system of air, and got Vantana running again.
Fresh From the Field!
Greens:
Salad Mix? Only maybe
Pea Shoots- later in the week
Chard
Kale: Green curly, red curly, flat leafed tender Red Russian, and the wild and tasty Siber Frill from our friends at Nature Nurture Seeds
All manner of deliciousness:
Cabbage: Abundant and wonderful. Red, green, round, point, smooth, ruffled- we've got it all!
Carrots
Celery
Cucumbers: first round petering out, hopefully the second round comes in
Fennel: Try our fennel top pesto recipe!
Fresh Onions!
Garlic: Fresh, uncured, juicy, green garlic!
Napa Cabbage! Try out our quick kimchee recipe!
Purple Potatoes!
Peppers
Hot peppers: Hungarian hot wax, Jalepenos, and Poblanos
Shishito Peppers: Delicious Japanese friers. Great on the grill, great blistered in a pan, great roasted. Eat the whole thing but the stem!
Radish- limited
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes coming in now. Slicers and heirlooms just around the corner.
Herbs:
Basil
Dill- Flowering
Mint
Parsley
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Coming Soon:
Eggplant
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.
While you will no longer find us at the White Lotus Farm Cart, you can still find our produce. Head out to the garden for doughnuts, pizza, and delicious vegetables!
Greens:
Salad Mix? Only maybe
Pea Shoots- later in the week
Chard
Kale: Green curly, red curly, flat leafed tender Red Russian, and the wild and tasty Siber Frill from our friends at Nature Nurture Seeds
All manner of deliciousness:
Cabbage: Abundant and wonderful. Red, green, round, point, smooth, ruffled- we've got it all!
Carrots
Celery
Cucumbers: first round petering out, hopefully the second round comes in
Fennel: Try our fennel top pesto recipe!
Fresh Onions!
Garlic: Fresh, uncured, juicy, green garlic!
Napa Cabbage! Try out our quick kimchee recipe!
Purple Potatoes!
Peppers
Hot peppers: Hungarian hot wax, Jalepenos, and Poblanos
Shishito Peppers: Delicious Japanese friers. Great on the grill, great blistered in a pan, great roasted. Eat the whole thing but the stem!
Radish- limited
Summer Squash: Green and Yellow Zucchini! Dense and delicious
Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes coming in now. Slicers and heirlooms just around the corner.
Herbs:
Basil
Dill- Flowering
Mint
Parsley
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Coming Soon:
Eggplant
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.
While you will no longer find us at the White Lotus Farm Cart, you can still find our produce. Head out to the garden for doughnuts, pizza, and delicious vegetables!
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