Lizz is great and brings ice for the farm! Even on these chilly mornings, we know that by the afternoon we would all enjoy some nice cool water to drink.
The fall brassicas are coming along nicely. In this picture you can see how our equipment upgrades finally enabled us to clear the pathways of weeds! I used the bedformer that we got this spring, but removed the shaper pan. Next step, beginnign to seed cover crops in pathways!
AHOY!! Greetings from the field!
The mornings are cool. The afternoons are pleasant. September is just around the bend. It seems like fall is upon us. This means, color changes, roots galore, winter squash. Soon we will be hauling our squash in. This year, it isn't a small amount! With our added cultivation equipment, I expect or squash production to improve even more in 2020! It also means our newly abundant tomatoes are considering slowing down, so get your indulgence on!
To note:
Saturday Ann Arbor Customers! Thanks for seeking us out at market last week! We hope to set up back on the sidewalk again this coming week. Jim will likely be there again too!
Pre-Order your tomatoes for all your sauce, salsa, and soup needs! Just send us an email 2 days before your market with the quantity and type of tomato you would like and which market you will be picking up at. We will pack 'em up and have them waiting for you! Order will be filled in the order that they are received.
The amazing Tomato Sale Continues!
If you get over 5 pounds, the price is $2.50/pound (three bursting quarts for $13-$14).
If you go over 10 pounds, the price is $2.00/pound (about six quarts!).
A whole tray of firsts- $25 dollars!
We also have seconds for sale, any amount for $2.00.
You could score a whole tray of delicious heirloom tomatoes for just $20! Get more than 2 trays, that price goes down to just $15/tray.
It is finally time to make that sauce and salsa! Grab some onions, garlic, bell peppers, and something spicy, chop and toss 'em! I love salsa.
Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Chelsea
Recipe:
Brussel sprout tops. Why do we have them? The "Brussel Sprouts" themselves emerge where the leaves meet the stems along the main stalk. To encourage those to grow a little bigger, we "top" the plants. For us this means snapping off the growing points right at the top when the main stalk is long enough to produce a decent number of sprouts. But do we discard the tops? NO! We eat them! As much a delicacy as garlic scapes, another top we snap to encourage growth, these brussel tops have an excellent texture raw and cook up deliciously too. (And to give credit where credit is due, we just picked up this tip from Jeremy Moghtader, the knowledgeable and friendly farm manager from U of M Campus Farm).
Sauteed Brussel Sprout tops with Onion and Garlic!INGREDIENTS
Great with rice.
Great with eggs.
Great in a bowl.
Great with beans.
Food for thought:
I am acclimating to our new equipment acquisitions. This past week I had a great experience using the shanks from the bed former to weed our aisles. It really brought into focus what a difference having the proper tools can make. I see good things in the future.
In the meantime, we have a lot of field work to do to get ready for winter: onions out of the field, wintersquash out and curing, clean and store the garlic, seeding, field prep for those winter plantings that I am ever so determined to get in on time. Lets DO THIS!
The first step to the field prep is mowing. And you know what I did? I deformed one of the blades on the mower with a giant rock. Time to replace them! It isn't such a bad job unless while you are doing it, you break a bolt. Guess what I did. I broke a bolt, leaving the decapitated, threaded cylinder of the bolt is still snugly lodged in place. But I need to use that spot to reattach the blade! So what do I do? Jim is teaching me some tricks. Drill out the bolt and put in a new one. If the old bolt gives you trouble when you try to drill it out? One option drill out the proper sized hole and put in new threads. This is what I am trying now. Hopefully I am back on the mower in no time at all. One side note on this, is that I realized with this new trick, I can put bolt hols in anything chunk of metal I want! Oh the potential!
In the big picture I want you to know that this is the time of year that I always get a surge of future vision. I see potential in the coming year. I have lots of thoughts about this but for now I will just say I am feeling very positive and hopeful. I also wan to say thank you all so much for coming to market every week. Without you, none of this would work.
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.
The mornings are cool. The afternoons are pleasant. September is just around the bend. It seems like fall is upon us. This means, color changes, roots galore, winter squash. Soon we will be hauling our squash in. This year, it isn't a small amount! With our added cultivation equipment, I expect or squash production to improve even more in 2020! It also means our newly abundant tomatoes are considering slowing down, so get your indulgence on!
To note:
Saturday Ann Arbor Customers! Thanks for seeking us out at market last week! We hope to set up back on the sidewalk again this coming week. Jim will likely be there again too!
Pre-Order your tomatoes for all your sauce, salsa, and soup needs! Just send us an email 2 days before your market with the quantity and type of tomato you would like and which market you will be picking up at. We will pack 'em up and have them waiting for you! Order will be filled in the order that they are received.
The amazing Tomato Sale Continues!
If you get over 5 pounds, the price is $2.50/pound (three bursting quarts for $13-$14).
If you go over 10 pounds, the price is $2.00/pound (about six quarts!).
A whole tray of firsts- $25 dollars!
We also have seconds for sale, any amount for $2.00.
You could score a whole tray of delicious heirloom tomatoes for just $20! Get more than 2 trays, that price goes down to just $15/tray.
It is finally time to make that sauce and salsa! Grab some onions, garlic, bell peppers, and something spicy, chop and toss 'em! I love salsa.
Our markets this week:
Wednesday: Ann Arbor
Thursday: Northville
Friday: Stockbridge
Saturday: Eastern Market, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Chelsea
Recipe:
Brussel sprout tops. Why do we have them? The "Brussel Sprouts" themselves emerge where the leaves meet the stems along the main stalk. To encourage those to grow a little bigger, we "top" the plants. For us this means snapping off the growing points right at the top when the main stalk is long enough to produce a decent number of sprouts. But do we discard the tops? NO! We eat them! As much a delicacy as garlic scapes, another top we snap to encourage growth, these brussel tops have an excellent texture raw and cook up deliciously too. (And to give credit where credit is due, we just picked up this tip from Jeremy Moghtader, the knowledgeable and friendly farm manager from U of M Campus Farm).
Sauteed Brussel Sprout tops with Onion and Garlic!INGREDIENTS
- Olive oil in the pan
- Onions, chopped
- Garlic minced
- Brussel Sprout tops, chopped- include the stem!
- Broth or water
- Lemon, salt, pepper to taste, herbs your like, red pepper flakes or a hot pepper
- Heat oil in pan and toss in onions and garlic, herb you like (oregano anyone?!) and hot pepper if using. Cook until onions are soft.
- Stir in water or broth and then toss in the tops! Cook with lid on until they are the texture that you like. Anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
- Toss with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Great with rice.
Great with eggs.
Great in a bowl.
Great with beans.
Food for thought:
I am acclimating to our new equipment acquisitions. This past week I had a great experience using the shanks from the bed former to weed our aisles. It really brought into focus what a difference having the proper tools can make. I see good things in the future.
In the meantime, we have a lot of field work to do to get ready for winter: onions out of the field, wintersquash out and curing, clean and store the garlic, seeding, field prep for those winter plantings that I am ever so determined to get in on time. Lets DO THIS!
The first step to the field prep is mowing. And you know what I did? I deformed one of the blades on the mower with a giant rock. Time to replace them! It isn't such a bad job unless while you are doing it, you break a bolt. Guess what I did. I broke a bolt, leaving the decapitated, threaded cylinder of the bolt is still snugly lodged in place. But I need to use that spot to reattach the blade! So what do I do? Jim is teaching me some tricks. Drill out the bolt and put in a new one. If the old bolt gives you trouble when you try to drill it out? One option drill out the proper sized hole and put in new threads. This is what I am trying now. Hopefully I am back on the mower in no time at all. One side note on this, is that I realized with this new trick, I can put bolt hols in anything chunk of metal I want! Oh the potential!
In the big picture I want you to know that this is the time of year that I always get a surge of future vision. I see potential in the coming year. I have lots of thoughts about this but for now I will just say I am feeling very positive and hopeful. I also wan to say thank you all so much for coming to market every week. Without you, none of this would work.
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.
Here is a nice view of the scallions we will be feasting on come December. I can't really get enough of them. I just ate some from our spring planting. Can you believe that they kept in my fridge from June until now? That is a great shelf life!
It was time to change the mower blades! They rotatate on on a disc under an eight foot wide deck, smacking down weeds. These old ones are a work of art.
Here, our old mower blade is laid on top of the new mower blade. You can see we really whittled them down over the years!
Fresh From the Field!
Greens:
Brussel sprout tops! See our recipe for how to eat them!
Salad Mix!
Kale
Microgreens are back!- Arugula and a spicy mix!
Pea Shoots
Baby Swiss Chard!
All manner of deliciousness:
Broccoli- just a bit but soon we will have LOTS!
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Celeriac- Limited. We decided to wait a little longer to let them size up.
Cucumbers- limited but a new planting is on the cusp!
Eggplant- very limited. This seasons eggplant may be a bust. We are trying to turn it around but will have to wait and see if it comes in.
Garlic
Ground Cherries! Nature's candies wrapped in a husk. You tell us what they taste like!
Kohlrabi- looking for a radish, Try a kohlrabi!
Onions- Cippolinis and tasty reds
Potatoes
Fingerling potatoes
Peppers- friers and bells!
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!
Snack peppers!
Zucchini: Green and Yellow
Cherry Tomatoes are in full effect!
Tomatoes!!!!! Heirlooms, romas, and slicers galore!
Herbs:
Dill flowers
Fennel Flowers- so sweet and delicious! Great for a fancy drink or a tasty salad.
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Coming Soon:
Rosemary
Napa cabbage will be back before you know it
Greens:
Brussel sprout tops! See our recipe for how to eat them!
Salad Mix!
Kale
Microgreens are back!- Arugula and a spicy mix!
Pea Shoots
Baby Swiss Chard!
All manner of deliciousness:
Broccoli- just a bit but soon we will have LOTS!
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Celeriac- Limited. We decided to wait a little longer to let them size up.
Cucumbers- limited but a new planting is on the cusp!
Eggplant- very limited. This seasons eggplant may be a bust. We are trying to turn it around but will have to wait and see if it comes in.
Garlic
Ground Cherries! Nature's candies wrapped in a husk. You tell us what they taste like!
Kohlrabi- looking for a radish, Try a kohlrabi!
Onions- Cippolinis and tasty reds
Potatoes
Fingerling potatoes
Peppers- friers and bells!
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!
Snack peppers!
Zucchini: Green and Yellow
Cherry Tomatoes are in full effect!
Tomatoes!!!!! Heirlooms, romas, and slicers galore!
Herbs:
Dill flowers
Fennel Flowers- so sweet and delicious! Great for a fancy drink or a tasty salad.
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme
Coming Soon:
Rosemary
Napa cabbage will be back before you know it
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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