LDF News: So much rain in March!

Let me just say I've had a series of learning experiences related to my "new" truck. I am so grateful to have a knowledgeable and willing neighbor that is happy to help me troubleshoot. Bonus, he encourages my delight in the simple things. So, here's to learning how to fix some stupid shit and not getting pissed about it!

Mulching the garlic! One of the coolest parts? We got the straw from our neighbor. He dropped off the trailer filled with straw and we'll return it empty. Less moving things for no reason.

People always talk about all the hard work of farming. It is hard work with lots of unpredictability. However. A major bonus to growing vegetables and knowing other plan producers? Warm sunny environments in the winter. Me and the kids spent an awesome afternoon at a friend's greenhouse enjoying the warmth and sun, eating snacks and playing. ​

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Ahoy!

​Another week down. I kinda wish they would slow down a touch. We are creeping up on the main season and I am still doing winter stuff. I hope it's one of those things where I've been moving a few boulders at once and they will all summit at once. Cross your fingers for me. 

• Last weekend while I was at market, Clare seeded a boatload of carrots, beets, and greens. It was really just in time for this warm up and rain. Hopefully they are germinating and not rotting in the ground and in a few short (long) months, we'll be munching and crunching away.
• We used our community account to send 110lbs of purple daikon to the Stockbridge Food Pantry. I love that we are able to do that with the support of our wonderful customers. 
• Our cooler broke. We fixed it. It broke again. Oh my goodness. Determination is one of the required traits of a small business owner. Of a farmer. Of a human
• I've been gathering the supplies to do the maintenance and repairs on our fleet of machines. It is a little overwhelming and as much of a learning curve as it ever was. I will say that today when I didn't have the tool I needed, I had the ability to make something that would work. So apparently, even though it doesn't  feel like it, I learned a thing or two since last year.

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. 

And here I am in my own dome, doing what I do, with worries about the world. 
Onward folks, doing the things we can do. 

Cheers,
Helen
she/her/hers
 
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: Daikon Soup

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Food Resouces:

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:
Microgreens!
Arugula!
Coming soon: Spinach, cilantro, pea shoots

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, round green
Carrots!
Eggs!! From Hen House Farm- Clare!! And Hill Top (David!)
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Fingerling Potatoes
Watermelon radish (not pink inside)
Daikon radish: Red, Korean White Daikon, and purple, Chinese White Daikon
Rutabaga
Sweet turnips from the tunnels! These have a softer texture than normal because of the deep freezes they've been through
Purple top turnips

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Daikon Soup

From I heart UmamiThis Taiwanese style daikon soup (蘿蔔湯) tastes light, savory, yet subtly sweet. Ready in 30 minutes, it'll keep you warm and healthy all winter long.

Ingredients 

• 16 oz. Daikon 1 large
• 3.5 oz. carrots 1 medium
• 0.3 oz ginger sliced, half of one small thumb size
• 3 bulb scallions sliced, separate white and green parts
• 1 tbsp neutral flavored oil
• 3 cup chicken stock
• 0.5 tsp coarse sea salt or to taste
• 0.5 tbsp Toasted sesame oil or to taste
• 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or more to taste
• Small dash ground white pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare the daikon: Rinse and scrub the daikon. Use a vegetable peeler to peel away the outer layer skin. Make a small slice to trim away the tip ends. Dice it into rounds, about 0.5-inch (1.27 cm) thickness then stack a few rounds and slice them into half moon shape.
2. Prepare carrot: Do the same with the carrot: rinse, peel away the outer layer, slice into 0.5-inch thickness rounds.
3. Saute aromatics: In a large 4-quart size soup pot, saute the ginger and white scallion parts with 1 tbsp oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 1.5 minutes.
4. Add the daikon, carrots, and stock. Cover with a lid. If the lid doesn’t have an air venting hole, leave the cover slightly ajar to prevent the soup from spilling over.
5. Simmer daikon: Simmer the soup over medium heat until you can easily poke through the radish with a chopstick without much resistance, about 15-20 minutes. To tell when the daikon is cooked through, besides inserting a chopstick, the daikon color also turns from pale white to a more translucent color yet the texture is still firm and not mushy.
6. Taste & Season: Taste the broth and season with salt, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and white pepper. Taste and adjust.
7. Garnish & Serve: Garnish with green scallion parts. Ladle the soup to individual serving bowls. Serve hot.

Notes

• Vegetarian-Friendly Flavor Boost: If you’re using vegetable stock, add a few teaspoons of shiitake mushroom bouillon powder or Vegetarian dashi powder to enhance the broth’s depth and umami flavor.
• Storage & Reheating: Store the soup in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. When reheating, use the stovetop over medium heat or a microwave until it’s warmed through. You’ll notice the daikon turns more translucent with each reheating, and the flavors become even milder and naturally sweet.
• Daikon Soup Flavor Profile: This soup is light, aromatic, and subtly sweet—like a comforting home-cooked meal straight from your mother’s kitchen.
• Daikon substitute for soup: White turnips can replace daikon in soups, especially in hearty broths. They have a slightly spicier, earthier taste compared to daikon’s mild sweetness. For a milder flavor, soak the slices in room temperature water for a few hours before adding them to your soup to reduce their spiciness.