LDF News: Roots in shed three!

Strange skies. So many lovely mornings, with the sun glinting off the snow in the air. On the way to school drop off this morning, I pulled over to help my oldest work through the disappointment of having to go to school, yet again. We turned the car off and rolled down the windows. It is quiet on a country road. And quieter still, with the snow smoothing out the edges. We listened to the quiet, so full. It was soon interrupted by birds. We heard a woodpecker drumming. We smelled the fresh, cold air and felt it on our faces. We saw the snowflakes in the air. And he eventually tasted some of his breakfast. 

I never would have paused but for his need for reckoning, but I am so glad we did. I was rushing and not focusing. I was already impatiently waiting for the next thing. The next solution. I have to take these moments. They are what "it's" all made up of. It. Life. It. Whatever it is.

And I have to give myself the gift of feeling ok in a moment. Many things can be true at once. Being ok in a moment doesn't erase anything. It doesn't dissolve grief or injustice or struggle or even other joys. Anyway, I just kept on digging! But it wasn't the worst hole to end up in. ​

I picked up a lot of apples. I didn't use the huge backseat of our new truck. I was driving back from looking at a tractor. (We bought it!). But apples! So many, I don't think the folks at the orchard thought i was going to fit them all into the focus. 

The sweet turnips in the tunnel are alive! Whether they are tasty, we'll find out next week when it FINALLY goes above freezing. 

And those rutabaga, still looking good. ​

We delivered our large orders of vegetables with our new truck. It was so nice to just do it. I am so grateful to my neighbors for lending me their vehicle while I looked and looked for a good deal on a good truck. Their generosity is what let us find that. 

We intended to take a picture of the backseat of the truck loaded with crates and crates of vegetables. We forgot! But i think this shot is even better! It fits a whole sprawled Clare!! 

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Ahoy!
​
​It was so fun at market last we, we decided to go again! Of course we were going to go anyway, but after being back last week, I am loaded with enthusiasm. I am so grateful to be part of such a consistent, genuine community of people. 

So many big things happened in the last week:

1. We bought a truck! This happened last Friday. By now we know that all the stuff that made the truck affordable was minor and we did a good job!
2. We bought a tractor!! Finally we will have a front end loader and pallet forks. This means so many things for us but in short? Way less labor across the board! Less moving many small piles, more moving fewer large piles! Less borrowing, more jsut doing! I'm hoping to pick it up next week and I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.
3. We hired two new people! We have room for one more but can make it a good ways into the season without missing an extra!
4. We finished our crop plan and shared it with some of our biggest wholesale customers. They said they're in! It is late to have finished our crop plan. This will be the new "latest I've put in my seed order" but so far it seems to no great loss. The seeds have been available. 
5. And then of course all the regular stuff: getting ready for market, cleaning things for the coming season, fixing things for the coming season. But can someone please tell me how in the world is it already February?

A reminder about our Community Account: 

• It is open to those who need it, no questions asked.
• We will also use it for our local food pantry if the funds don't seem to be being used.
• Please feel free to donate to it when at market

Between all the community resource info and the farm membership promotion, there is a lot going on in this email. Please see the "table of contents" for easy navigation to what you are looking for! You can click on the links there and it will take you where you want to go within the email. 

Onward folks, doing the things we can do. 

Cheers,
Helen
she/her/hers

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In this email:

• Food Resources
  • Community Account Balance $636
  • How to use
  • How to contribute
  • Other resources
• Farm Membership! What it is and how to sign up!
• CSA Balances- find your balance at market! 
  • Member Info- Balances will be updated for next week.
• Links
  • A link to our Stockbridge Community Outreach Project 
  • Here is link to a list of resources to aid in effecting positive social change. Keep your  chin up. 
  • CSA Flier for 2026
• Fresh From the field
• Recipe: Quick Pickled Beets

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​Food Resources:

Community Account, available to Eastern Market Customers that need food assistance
Current Balance: Updated balance available at market

HOW TO USE our Community Account (only at Lake Divide Farm’s Stand)

• No proof requirement
• Look for Community account sign or ask a Lake Divide market attendant if the Community Account is open.
• Select what you need
• $20 limit per person, with some exceptions. 
• Say to the person checking you out “I am using the Community Account”
• Available as long as there is a balance in the Community Account.

Additionally:

• We accept Cash Value Benefits at our Eastern Market stand

More about the Community Account here. 
Want to help:

• Please contribute to our Community Account. This is best done at market. If you know you are going to contribute, please email me so I can match your contribution in advance
• Share this plan with others
• Understand that funds contributed to this account may be used to send produce to food pantries.

Resources for people that want to help:

• Talk to the people in your community and see how you can offer support.
• Donate money or time to a foodbank or food pantry
• Contribute to either of our programs
  • Stockbridge Community Outreach Program
  • Community Account (Eastern Market)
    • Talk to me at market or email me at lakedividefarm at gmail dot com if you have questions or ideas

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Farm Membership!

Our Farm mMembership is based on the ethos of Community Supported Agriculture. It allows the community to support their food producers through the variability of the growing season. Members pre-pay for their vegetables, receive a bonus, and then use their account through the season.

Here is the sign up sheet for perusal or use.

A couple key features of our Farm Membership:

• Select the produce you want at Eastern Market
• No requirement to come every week
• From October onward, signups rollover to 2026 and won't expire until December 31st 2026
• You can use your balance right away!
• You can share your farm account with friends and family

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​Fresh From the Field- 
Greens:
Coming soon: shoots, micros, possibly turnip greens

All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples:

• Honeycrisp: Our Best Seller! Crispy, Sweet/tart and slow to brown!
• Mustsu: A large yellow-green apple from Japan, known for its sweet-tart flavor, crisp texture, and excellent storage quality, making it great for fresh eating, baking, and cooking.
• Empire: Balanced sweet/tart flavor, crispy & juicy. Great all purpose apple
• Enterprise: Sweet, juicy. Lovely flavor all purpose, stores well. Deep red skin, pale flesh.

Beets
Napa Cabbage
Cabbage: red, cone, savoy, round green
Carrots!
Eggs!! From Hen House Farm- Clare!!
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Fingerling Potatoes
Watermelon radish (not pink inside)
Daikon radish: Red, white, and purple
Rutabaga
Winter squash
Purple top turnips

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Quick Pickled Beets

From Cedar Circle Farms

​Make your own pickled beets! It’s easier than you think.

Ingredients

• 1-2 bunches beets from 1 to 2 1/2 inches wide, washed trimmed tops & roots to 1 inch
• 1/2 cup onion sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorn whole
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cover beets with boiling water and simmer just until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and discard the liquid.
2. Run under cold water to cool, then remove the stems, roots, and skins. Leave baby beets (under 1 1/2 inches) whole. Quarter or halve larger beets.
3. In a medium-sized pot, combine apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, peppercorns, and salt, to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add beets and onions to the liquid and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Remove from heat. Add to glass jars and cover. Let cool, then refrigerate.