How was that breath of spring? I felt for a moment that I didn't get quite enough winter, but that feeling was washed away with the incoming winds. It was nice to enjoy fresh air on my arms and face without my skin being seared off by the cold. It will be nice to enjoy another dip and hopefully another big snow or two! I have some ice skating and snow meditation left yet!

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: Pick-up this week on Tuesday. Look for the email. Sorry it is a little late getting out.

Markets: We will be in Ann Arbor and Detroit this week! Find us in the sun in Kerrytown and in shed five at Eastern.

CSA Y'all! Thank you for excusing my relentless marketing but in case you missed it: This is the time that signing up to be a member of our farm has the greatest positive effect on your farmers!CSA's help share the burden of cashflow variability and seasonal unpredictability with the farmer. For us, it makes a huge difference to know that people are committed to eating our vegetables and the early investments take some of the stress out of all the early season improvements that we are making. So what is the CSA? In short, members open an account with us, receive a bonus for their commitment, and then use their accounts at market just like cash. You can find more details here. And let me say, if this is something you are considering, now is the time! We won't let you down!

​Recipe:
Another sweet potato recipe! It is hard to stop sharing culinary uses for these because they are so sweet po-tasty! (Thanks for letting me get away with that one. Just try saying it out loud, it is fun!) The Japanese Sweet Potatoes are a little drier and a little nuttier than the classic orange ones. Lizz came up with this savory (and simple!) recipe. You really can't go wrong.

Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Sauteed Onions: Preheat oven to 425. Cut large sweet potatoes into 1/2' cubes (or use a pile of small ones halved!) and put in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle in some salt, and a dried herb (sage/thyme/rosemary). Bake 'em for 15 minutes, stir, then bake about another 15-20 minutes. When there are only five minutes to go, , pull them out of the oven sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and put 'em right back in for the final five minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, slice some onions into crescents, heat some oil in a skillet and saute them until translucent. Scoop some sweet potatoes onto a plate, put the onions on top and enjoy! I would love to eat this with an over easy egg, a slice of buttered bread, and some pickled turnips! 

Food for thought:
We aired out the caterpillar tunnels and hoops this week! The plants were glad for it. I must admit, Sunday was a little concerning. I slopped around the farm, the soil trying to suck my boots off my feet at every chance, grumbling about how wet it all is. We had standing water in some fields and in the area that I chose to set up the caterpillar tunnels, just a general extensive sogginess. While it was in the forties, there was still persistent ice on the tunnels and on the row cover. Now rowcover is not the sturdiest of materials. It is a thin weave and tears with ease. Much of it was frozen to the ground, to the anchor bag, to the side of the tunnel, etc. After some sincere attempts of removal and in favor of preserving the material so it could live a fuller life, Jim and I held off on pulling all the covers until Monday. 
Monday, everything looked a little better. It was a little less "mucky", the covers weren't frozen, the sun was sunny. I finished the uncovering solo but it was no problem. My heart felt lifted, the plants looked grateful to enjoy an outing from their ice fortress. I was too, and so were the dogs. We frolicked. It was too wet to do much weeding but even so, the sight of new leaves on our plants brought my spirits up. 
Now, the temperature is dropping again (as to be expected) and the great winds that accompany this temperature change are picking up. We check to make sure everything is secure in the evening and then at night, sleep with pillows pressed over our heads so that nightmares of winds wrecking havoc on the farm don't infiltrate our slumber (although they do anyway).
Farm life continues. We have just about acquired another market vehicle, completed our crop plan for the coming year, and settled some managerial plans. The farm planning revealed that we are hoping to be planting in the field by the end of the month! Holy moley! We are going to be planting in the greenhouse in only a matter of weeks! That is wild too! IT IS UPON US! SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE BEND! The plants can feel it in daylight hours and whether we recognize it, so can we! I love that this life has brought with it an intrinsic appreciation of the changing of the seasons. Every time,  I am aching for a change of pace, the world offers it to me just by spinning. 

Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

• 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 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs 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. 

Fresh From the Field!
Greens: (Limited):Head lettuce!- Maybe.....
All manner of deliciousness:
Cabbage- running low
Carrots
Kohlrabi- kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes! White and orange fleshed
Radishes: Classic (with greens! May be limited), White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
Turnabaga- a cross between a crunchy sweet turnip and a rutabaga
Markets, always rain or shine!Saturday: Ann Arbor and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 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

Lake Divide Farm Newsletter:
A window into the production path of your food.

Well, the grand majority of our vegetable population survived the second deep freeze of 2019. I am impressed again! I love a good snow day and this past week, we had a few and I was peak joy. We haven't had to do much clearing of snow this year from our hoops. In fact, the hoop houses usually take care of it themselves by heating right up with the sunshine and shedding the snow. This time, things were a little different. With lots of snow coming and the drift from the wind, we had a drifts 4 feet high piled against the northwest side of the houses! No need to risk bending a hoop on that! Jim and I, plus our loyal canines (don't worry we were careful with them in the low temps, headed out and cleared the weight off. After finishing that up, Exie and I head off into the woods to lay in the snow and marvel at the magical world. Getting cold makes the warmth all the much more wonderful.

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: No pick-up this coming week.

We will be in Shed five (inside!) at Eastern Market. Look for our expansive and joyous vegetable display. Don't forget to seek us out!!

Back at Ann Arbor Saturday this coming week!  Following a roller coaster week of obsessive weather checking, Saturday morning temperatures have risen significantly! Thankfully our market hiatus was shorter than expected. Hope to see you in Ann Arbor tomorrow!

CSA Y'all! If you saw me last week, I likely pitched you our account-based farm membership. This is the time that signing up to be a member of our farm has the greatest positive effect on your farmers! CSA's help share the burden of cashflow variability and seasonal unpredictability with the farmer. For us, it makes a huge difference to know that people are committed to eating our vegetables and the early investments take some of the stress out of all the early season improvements that we are making. So what is the CSA? In short, members open an account with us, receive a bonus for their commitment, and then use their accounts at market just like cash. You can find more details here. And let me say, if this is something you are considering, now is the time! We won't let you down!
Recipe:
Get that oven going! Roast some sweet potatoes. I like the sweet and spicy combo.

Roasted sweet and spicy Sweet Potatoes: Preheat oven to 425. Cut large sweet potatoes into 1/2 pieces (or use a pile of small one whole!) and put in a bolw. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle in some salt, chili powder, cayenne, paprika, and black pepper. Add a little honey or a little brown sugar, then stir the mixture to to coat. Bake 'em for 15 minutes, stir, then bake about another 15-20 minutes. I like mine crispy and tend to leave them in for long enough to achieve maximum ideal crispiness.  
Food for thought:
When I went out to check the state of the vegetables in the caterpillars on Wednesday it was negative 11 degrees. I was bundled. We spent a bit of the night (as I am sure other folk did) unfreezing pipes in our house and given that, I wasn't sure what to expect. I unfurled the makeshift plastic door and squirmed into the tunnel. The ground just inside the tunnel, but outside of the inner cover was hard to the touch, offering little give. I looked up and saw ice crystals like a science project. With trepidation, I lifted the frozen frost blanket and lo and behold , dripping water! Okay, well, that much moisture in a tunnel in the winter is not ideal however, it does tell me that the temperature is above freezing. I love it! I'll take it! And thawed kale leave! Alive chard! Everything is seeming good out there. Next week, the temperatures are briefly heading up to 40. That will be a change. We will uncover the crops, vent the sides and let everything breath. Hopefully it will move some of the condensation out and the plant will have more fuel for photosynthesis.

For my mindfulness notes? Snowdrifts like coolwhip. Until next week!   
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

• 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 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs 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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited):Arugula (maybe)
Head lettuce!
Herbs: 
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage- running low
Carrots
Kohlrabi- kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes! White and orange fleshed
Radishes: Classic (with greens! May be limited), White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips

Markets, always rain or shine!All good things come to an end: The Wednesday Ann Arbor Farmers' market and the Saturday Chelsea market will return in May after a winter haitus. 

Saturday: Ann Arbor and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 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

​

Lake Divide Farm Newsletter:
A window into the production path of your food.

Well, the grand majority of our vegetable population survived the first deep freeze of 2019. I am impressed. Purportedly the temperature dropped to negative 12 degrees Fahrenheit, and this after a more reasonable low of negative 3 degrees! We are in the process of obtaining and placing thermometers about our farm. Data, data, data, however, even without this home furnished data, I trust that temperature to be accurate to within a few degrees. Bitter, that is the word for a temperature like that. It wasn't the last of it though. Next week, the temperatures will creep back down and there will be more snow. So, get out your skis, snow shoes, and ice skates. Get your mind in gear for bundling up and getting out there. There is joy to be had in this alternate universe that we call winter. 

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: The next pick up is Tuesday, January 29th. Please look for your order forms and complete them by Monday morning at 9 am.

We will be in Shed five (inside!) at Eastern Market. Look for our expansive and joyous vegetable display. 

No Ann Arbor Saturday this coming week. With the single digit temperatures for a portion of the day, plus blustery winds, we have decided to  forgo the foray this week. Stay posted for next week!
Recipe:
Returning to a simple shredded vegetable recipe that never disappoints. I eat delicious scoops of this in the morning with my breakfast fare.
Shredded carrots, apple, and watermelon radish: Wash! Grate carrots and apples. I don't even cut the apple, just apply it to the grater and go to the core. Thinly slice the watermelon radish. Toss it all together with powdered ginger, a pinch of salt, a little black pepper, and some lemon juice. It satisfies every time. 
Thoughts and rambles:
I don't know if you folks know it yet, but we are scaling up, again. We have added two, large markets to our line up while business continues to improve at our existing markets. This brings with it all sorts of growing pains. We need additional market vehicles, additional storage, additional people, and we need to grow more food. We are attacking these tasks voraciously. Just today, Jim drove to Ohio through this icy mess, to look at another sprinter van. The prospect looks good and we will hopefully check that acquisition off the list within the week.
Interviewing has become a domineering part of our lives. It is exciting to have so many wonderful applicants interested in working with us. Jim has been carrying out the phone interviews and checking references and I am about to start lining up the work interviews. At least this year we start off with one returning staff member taking of a full-time position (Lizz!) and one taking on a part-time position (Brianna!). I have never had returning staff before and it is so exciting that people are gathering with us to build this farm. This farm that will become all of our farm as is the dream. 
Taking on an additional farmers' market for the winter has been wonderful. We were able to sell many of the field greens that otherwise would have stayed in the field. And we are meeting lots of new people. The downside of this impulsive expansion is that our carefully planned stores of vegetables, with numbers taiilored to a single market, are dwindling due to the doubled exodus from our cooler. Bear with us this winter while our supplies may decline for the months of March and April, just remember, this gives us all the more time to really prepare for increased harvests in the early spring. This year we are hoping to put up some more caterpillar tunnels and seed them for early harvests of carrots, salad greens, turnips and more. These are incipient plans, however keep them in the crooks of your mind and cheer them on with us. 
In my non-work life, I have been restoring my good habits to good working order. Eating food that makes me happy- shredded carrot and apple, an egg from a farmer friends flock, delicious toast from bakers that I love. Lighting candles. Cleaning up after myself- one of the less glamorous habits that needs to be restored. One of my favorite habits that I am trying to cultivate is to simply experience the world. Every walk I take,  I try to push the static of decisions and  concerns, analysis and debate, towards the back of my mind (or out of it for that matter) so that I can exist as just myself, so that I don't have to look through that fog. I don't have to think of all the factors, every moment. If I put them down, they will be there when I return to pick them up again. In this practice, I make a point of noting one interesting thing that the world is doing. The picture of the tunnels in the snow was the product of one of these walks, as were the ice crystals. Mindfulness doesn't require pictures however. Join me in enjoying the world. 
Keep warm and see you this weekend. 
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

• 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 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs 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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited):Arugula!
Head lettuce!
Herbs: 
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage- running low!
Carrots!
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes! White and orange fleshed!
Radishes: Classic (with greens! May be limited), White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips!

​Markets, always rain or shine!All good things come to an end: The Wednesday Ann Arbor Farmers' market and the Saturday Chelsea market will return in May after a winter haitus. 

Saturday: Ann Arbor and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 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

Ahoy!

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: No pick up this week. 

We will be in Shed five (inside!) at Eastern Market. We are still new there and getting moved around. Please look for us. We may be by the doors on the North Side of the building- that is a good place to start looking.

Recipe:
Japanese Sweet Potatoes! White on the inside, with a nutty flavor, they are a little more dry than the classic orange fleshed sweet potato. They make GREAT chips. I recently got a mandoline from a second hand store and have been toasting up a batch in the oven every chance I get. They make a great crispy addition sprinkled on top of any meal or just a crunchy, healthy munchies to fill that indulgence slot. 

Sweet potato chips: Scrub them up and slice them thin. I have been using a mandoline but you could use the slicer on the side of your cheese grater or a regular ole knife. Coat the slices with the oil of your choice and season to taste with salt, pepper, and any other flavor you desire. Spread them onto a baking tray. They do not have to be completely single layer.  Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, give them a scrape and flip, and then bake for another 20-30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and give them an additional stir. Allow them to stay on the pan while they cool to add on some additional crispy-ness. Enjoy!
Thoughts and rambles:
We are moving from a dusting of snow to a real snow and along with that, a real dip into the winter cold. By Sunday we will experience this year's first dip into the single digits, and a potential for a drop into the negatives. We are bracing for it by adding additional covers to the crops in the hoophouses and crossing our fingers. Hopefully our impressive plants will bear with us.
We are also working on completing our seed order. We aim to have the bulk of our seed orders placed by January 25th. This involves looking at all that we grew and sold this past year, predicting how much markets will expand or contract and making adjustments, nixing crops that didn't pan out or firming our resolve and trying again, and resisting the temptation to add too many new types of crops. There is so much data in a diverse vegetable business like this, organization is key. This is where excel becomes an actual member of our team, taking on human form and advising our decisions.  Thank you human-excel, for holding all this information for us. Just next month we will be starting our first seeds for the season. It amazes me yet again how easily time passes.
But never fear, we aren't letting this time slip by unnoticed. We took a dip in the winter woods and saw some beautiful ice crystals. They look like leaves! This is known as hoarfrost and happens when temperatures are cold enough and there is ample water vapor around. We saw more hoarfrost in the forest where the frozen soil heaved up. Between the cracks, leaflets of beautiful ice crystals were exposed! 
I hope you can make some time to get out in the world and observe some beauty! Looking forward to seeing you at market.
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

• 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 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs 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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited):Arugula
Head lettuce
Herbs: 
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes! White and orange fleshed!
Radishes: Classic (with greens! May be limited), White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
Turnabaga- Turnip-Rutabaga cross! Delicious, sweet and crisp!

​Markets, always rain or shine!
Saturday: Ann Arbor and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 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

Ahoy! 
​
See the greens that I promise exist pictured about. They are coming! In the meantime, roots, roots, roots.

To note:
Stockbridge Farm Members: We will be sending out an order form to be used. Orders should be placed by Sunday night for pick-up Tuesday evening at Positively Chiropractic (thank you ladies!) between 4:00 and 6:45 pm. More details in the order sheet.

We will be in Shed five (inside!) at Eastern Market tomorrow. We are still new there and getting moved around. Please look for us. We may be by the doors on the North Side of the building- that is a good place to start looking.
Recipe:
I know you have seen these pointy, lime green cabbage at market! Did you know they are tender and sweet? They carry a meal! Here is a unique way to enjoy them.

Roasted Arrowhead Cabbage: Cut the cabbage into wedges, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Roast for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. A dusting of parmesan cheese just before finishing is optional. 

Blatherings:
We got a dusting of snow! I miss the snow of last year. It was thick and quieting. I don't really miss the super cold we had, but the snow. And the prospect of ice skating on whatever lake I wanted. 
The warm weather this past week has been really enjoyable. And the sun. In the gray times of Michigan's winter, slivers of sunshine and string lights are the only way through. We can control the influx of string lights (you should see our kitchen!) but the sun is on its own schedule. As we knew, the warm weather couldn't last forever. It will be cold cold by the end of the week.
This weather change that we are experiencing is bringing a lot of wind. As the air warms and rises, it leaves a low pressure area begging to be filled. In comes the cold air. Wind with a farm is stressful. Before the farm, wind was a portal. I could feel the big systems that we are a small part of. It was like getting a glimpse of the big magic. While that is still true, and could still be visible, it is often overshadowed by the threat of destruction. Our structures seem flimsy when up against the all powerful wind.
Our caterpillar tunnels, the ones with the greens you see pictured, are such structures. Especially with the rain softening the ground that their stakes are holding on to. We had an even last week when the plastic, loosened by the warmer weather, slipped off to the side. Kindly, it was still belted in with cord, but it was an effort to pull it back on. This week, we were more ready. We have been maintaining our caterpillar tunnels diligently, checking rebar and tightening plastic. We have found that on windy days, regular checks are imperative. It takes a lot less time to maintain than it does to recover.
We are going to dramatically extrapolate that theme into our lives. Maintain rather than rush and rebuild. 
Onward and upward!

Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

• 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 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs 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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited):ARUGULA!!
Herbs: 
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes!
Radishes: Classic (with greens! May be limited), White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
Turnabaga- Turnip-Rutabaga cross! Delicious, sweet and crisp!
Markets, always rain or shine!All good things come to an end: The Wednesday Ann Arbor Farmers' market and the Saturday Chelsea market will return in May after a winter haitus. 

Saturday: Ann Arbor and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 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

AHOY!!
​
I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed celebrating the arrival of the new year. Although the days are getting longer and the plants feel it, I barely do. It seems the days are as short as ever. Whelp! It will only seem like that until I notice it is still light out at 9 pm! Honestly, I can't wait for that!

To note:
The Wednesday Ann Arbor market and the Saturday Chelsesa market are on break until May.

For our local Stockbridge folks, that means quite trek. Never fear, we are planning on bi-weekly pickups in Stockbridge beginning the week of the 14th (likely on a Tuesday). Expect more details in next weeks email.

We will be in Shed five (inside!) at Eastern Market tomorrow.
Recipe:
This is the season that is light on greens. It is the time to get in touch with storage crops, eating them in all sorts of original ways. This is currently my favorite every day eat.

Shredded kolrabi and carrots with onions! It is as easy as it sounds. Shred the kohlrabi and carrots, mince the onions. Stir together with a generous amount of lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and caraway seeds plus salt to taste! It goes down easy so make a lot!
Blatherings:
The plants we placed in the hoops so late are slowly growing and appreciating the increasing sunlight ever so much. It is hard to remember now, the frantic pace of the summer. Why was it that we didn't get them planted? Oh, it is coming back to me. The tie-rod on the tractor needed to be replaced. Can't steer? Can't use the tractor.  Anyway. They plants are coming along. And with no help from us this last week and a half. 
It was the first time I can remember that I was able to completely disconnect with the farm. We made rules. We didn't talk about equipment we are planning on building. We didn't talk about plant varieties. We didn't discuss modifications of systems to increase efficiency. We ate food. We were quiet. We were loud. I slept and slept. On the mental back-burner, ethos clarified, materializing some of our goals as a family farm business. Without prodding, they leapt from our minds. Schedules, boundaries, defining emergency, personal space. These are all things people find themselves talk about when they talk about other people. This system we are working with, it has a life of its own. It has its own needs and wants. Within that, we must claim what we need otherwise we will have no room. Also, the realization that our farm foundation is almost laid. We are almost to the place where we get to build upon it and instill it with our dreams and hopes. 
This, of course, is all very vague and undeveloped, proof that I did in fact, stick the pact. Armed with almost two weeks of mental freedom, I will tease the gold out. For now, I am grateful to have had some space to just exist. The "decoupling", as the break has come to be called, will become an annual ritual. The coherence that precipitates from unfocused repose is invaluable. 
And now we are back, a little sharper than before. The sun for the past few days has been glorious. We are joyous to get our backs back into it. We are preparing to get the greenhouse back online, the first round of seeds include micro greens, pea shoots, and some head lettuce and bok choy transplants.
We can't wait to see you back at market this week!
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

• 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 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs 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. 

Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited):Tatsoi
Herbs: 
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes!
Radishes: Classic, White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Rutabaga
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
Turnabaga- Turnip-Rutabaga cross! Delicious, sweet and crisp!
Your balance is: 0Markets, always rain or shine!All good things come to an end: The Wednesday Ann Arbor Farmers' market and the Saturday Chelsea market will return in May after a winter haitus. 

Saturday: Ann Arbor and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 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

Annnnd we're back at the Ann Arbor Wednesday market for one more week! Lizz brought the goods and it is a warm day! Head on down! This will be our last Ann Arbor Wednesday market until it starts back up in May. This will also be our final week of markets for the year of 2018! We are taking a vacation! We will be back at Ann Arbor Saturday and Eastern Market January 5th.
But before our hiatus, I want to make sure to tell you, we are doing exciting things here at Lake Divide Farm and there are lots of ways to be a part of it. There are two things I want to be sure you know:

• This is a great time of year to sign-up or renew your farm 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 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions opening up for the 2019 season. You can find details about the jobs on our website here. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please send us an email or pass along the information. 

Now, about our vacation. This vacation is a little more than a state of mind-style of the summer. We won't be going anywhere and we won't be completelyrelieved of duty. but we will have mental space to read all day, go on walks, be mindful in our meal preparation, and indulge in some hygge (pronounced hooga- the Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness with undertones of wellness!) We are going bring a tree in from out side, adorn it with decoration, string excessive lights inside and out, and set some candles ablaze. We will make crock pots full of soup and heat up cider. We will write letters of gratitude- whether they end up delivered or not- to all the people that have supported us and brought joy, and comfort to us over the last year. We will bundle up and venture outside to observe our quiet but not sleeping, colder world. And we will celebrate the returning of the light. 

The shortest day of the year is upon us again; the great dip in the great light. This winter solstice falls on the coming Friday and coincidentally, the full moon will be gathering about that day as well. For us, the darkest night of the year, represents the beginning of the next growing season. From here on out, daylight hours will accumulate with each trip around the sun. Towards the end of January, our plants will begin to pick up the pace again, packing on biomass for our consumption. For now, we will enjoy the full moon and we hope you do too. Thank you so much for all your support this year. We couldn't do what we do without you.Enjoy any time you get to spend with family and friends and let us all head into the new year together with high hopes and bright faces!
To the FUTURE!

Helen writing for the Lake Dividers
Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited)Arugula
Baby Bok Choi
Mustard
Tatsoi
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Herbs: 
Rosemary
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage
Celery root- limited
Fennel: Crispy bulbs.
Garlic
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes!
Radishes: Classic, White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Rutabaga
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
Turnabaga- Turnip-Rutabaga cross! Delicious, sweet and crisp!
​Markets, always rain or shine!NO Wednesday Market this week: Ann Arbor
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.

Saturday: Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It runs May thru October from 8 am to 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

ALERT, ALERT! We will NOT be attending the Ann Arbor Wednesday market this week, but we WILL be at all our regularly scheduled Saturday markets. 
And at these regularly scheduled Saturday markets, in addition to delicious produce, you can find gift cards! They area great way to get friends and family out to the farmers' market and eating fresh. If you have any questions about them, shoot us an email, or better yet, come visit us at market this Saturday. The weather will even grace us with ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES! It may be downright balmy!
That said, it's been another routine winter week at the farm. Harvest, clean and divide produce, go to markets, office work, meetings. It may not sound like the spiciest material to write about, and in fact I am finding it difficult to weave a compelling story about the budget meeting... maybe if I interwove excerpts from the Harvest Log Excel sheet debate?! Now that sounds like entertainment! This is not the flashiest time of year to be a farmer, but this is when all the magic happens. In the winter we make all our plans for the coming season. We do our best to predict income, expenditures, problems of all shapes and colors, and we try to figure out how we should handle each one: when you encounter round purple problems, you push through, but when you find a yellow and white polka dot spherical triangle problem, you buy it a coffee, make friends. As we have.
It is nice that this year, we are rounding the bend on some of the planning work a little earlier than last. A notable improvement in our lives can be observed as a result. 

Until next week!


Jim (+mini additions by Helen) writing for the Lake Dividers
Fresh From the Field!

Greens: (Limited)Arugula
Baby Bok Choi
Mustard
Tatsoi
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Herbs: 
Rosemary
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage
Celery root- limited
Fennel: Crispy bulbs.
Garlic
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Sweet potatoes!
Radishes: Classic, White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon radish
Rutabaga
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
Turnabaga- Turnip-Rutabaga cross! Delicious, sweet and crisp!
Your balance is: 0Markets, always rain or shine!NO Wednesday Market this week: Ann Arbor
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.

Saturday: Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It runs May thru October from 8 am to 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

Ahoy!!
​Rest. Like long days catch up, short ones do too. Last week in a blur of distress, I expressed the feeling that there would be no relief. Jim assured me we were there, firmly planted in the opportunity to take a breath. I slept a lot and I can I feel it now, the settling of time around me. And with the time afforded to us, what will we do? 
We have created a gift card that can be used just like one of our CSA accounts. Choose any starting balance and get one for your family and friends giving them the gift of good food, friendly faces, and community. We are at the Ann Arbor and Eastern Markets all winter and the Chelsea market through the end of December! Alternatively, gift card holders could wait to use their balances until their favorite farm fresh vegetables arise from the earth! But why wait, I say, you could be missing out on the favorite vegetable you didn't know existed! Pick one up at market starting Saturday!
In the field, our greens, under their mere fabric cover, have survived still! I am blown away by their resilience. Our hoop house greens are behind as expected, which makes me all the more grateful that our field greens stubbornly refuse to die. If all goes well, the hoop greens will step up to shoulder our consumptive needs just in time. And as the field work slows, we populate our winter to do list. We just purchased our ginger and turmeric seed for next year. It was a sad crop loss this year, but one that we are not prepared to repeat. We are signing up for our seed CSA! Just like you (may) sign up to be a member of our farm, we sign up to be a member of a seed farm. It is a great way to let farms feel your support throughout the year. These steps are just the beginning of looking forward into the details of next year. We are gathering our grit and preparing to populate our winter to do list. This winter, one of the top items will be resting and finding some enjoyment in the world!
And as we look forward, we must also look back. We are lucky enough to have google's updated map from this year. It is so cool to actually be able to look at some of what we did. In the picture below, you will see ground prepared for fall crops, spring crops going to seed, acres of cover crop establishing, fields of actively harvested crops, and even a truck in the field. Someone is out there, putting their shoulder into it. The shapes of the fields, while not as squared up as in my drawings, look remarkably similar to what I have on paper. Last spring, I tromped around the field with Lizz, Brianna, and Tony alike, trying to mete out some sense of the land. Now there it lies, one more thing we don't have to do next year. It will be nice to use this a reference when planning for the coming season.
This is just one more way our farm is building context, making our path more clear. It is wonderful to take a moment to appreciate how far we have come in these past two years. Our farm has grown and is growing still with increasing momentum. Jim had an interesting conversation with a market friend about how ideas become reality. The short version is this: Where before, it felt like we had to manifest all ideas through shear will, there is less resistance. Now we ease the path, like sweepers in curling. It is a relief to transition into support staff to our dream as it takes on a life of its own.


Helen writing for the Lake Dividers

Fresh From the Field!

Greens:Arugula
Baby Bok Choi
Head lettuce!
Mizuna
Mustard
Tatsoi
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Herbs: 
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Cabbage
Celery root- small but fantastic!
Fennel: Crispy bulbs.
Garlic
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Potatoes limited
Sweet potatoes!
Radishes: Classic, White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelonradish
Rutabaga
Turnips: Purple top and golden roasting turnips
Turnabaga- Turnip-Rutabaga cross! Delicious, sweet and crisp!
Markets, always rain or shine!Wednesday: Ann Arbor
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.

Saturday: Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It runs May thru October from 8 am to 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

Fall in Michigan is unpredictable. But I think I am beginning to get the idea. We can count on it being unpredictable and preparations that allow us to succeed regardless of the conditions are the best ones. Is that true for all of life? Am I on the verge of becoming a prepper? Anyway, I wasn't expecting the temperatures to lope into the cool teens as early as they did (thank goodness for the extended weather forecast). I wasn't expecting inches upon inches of snow. 
We are shoveling the snow off of the frost blankets before harvest. We are waiting through days of below freezing temperatures for a moment above 32 before we collect greens from their chilly beds. We are rolling up hoses so ice doesn't clog the passage of water. More than anything, we are impressed with the plants. We have arugula that has survived the brutal cold under a mere thin woven fabric! They have survived through consecutive days of below freezing temperatures and we will see if they survive the next round. After the next three days of frigid temps, we will know if bok choy, among others, can withstand this type of treatment! What great data! The crops in our tunnels are not quite ready, although they are looking great.
Next year, for ultimate preparedness, we will have more caterpillar tunnels allowing warmer, non-freezing temps for harvest and growth in the tunnels. This way, we can plant our fall greens and move cover to them to bridge the gap between fall and winter without as much snow shoveling and fast-slow-weather-watching-sprint-harvest-action.
I hope all of you had time to see family and eat food and appreciate the beautiful world. My friend Jill and I cooked a giant feast for my dear family. It was my first turkey. We got it from our friends at Two Track Acres. It was beautiful and delicious. On Friday, we ate leftovers and cooked what was left of the bird into a soup, laughing in the kitchen into the night. Saturday we ate soup while playing board games. Well fed through and through- stomach and soul. There were four dogs at the gathering and they all got along and provided endless entertainment: dog-in-a-cone, all-snuggles-welcome-dog, old-man-dog, insane-puppy. Let the insanity ensue!  
Come refill your fridges at market this week. See Lizz at Ann Arbor's Wednesday and Saturday market, Helen back at Eastern on Saturday, and Jim in Chelsea! 
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers
Fresh From the Field!

Greens:Arugula
Baby Bok Choi!
Mizuna
Tatsoi
Tokyo Bekana- Bok Choi lettuce!
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Herbs: 
Rosemary
Parsley: The stems of the curly parsley are incredibly sweet!
Sage
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
Beets
Broccoli- limited
Cabbage
Celery
Fennel: Fresh licorice-y fronds with crispy bulbs.
Garlic
Kohlrabi- beautiful meal sized kohlrabi and tender petite 
Onions
Potatoes limited
Sweet potatoes!
Radishes: Classic, White Daikon, Green Daikon, and Watermelon\radish
Rutabaga
Turnips: Sweet white turnips and purple top roasting turnips
Turnabaga- Turnip-Rutabaga cross! Delicious, sweet and crisp!

*End of the season for starred crops so stock up while you can!
​Markets, always rain or shine!Wednesday: Ann Arbor
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.

Saturday: Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Detroit's Eastern 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 to 3 pm.

The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It runs May thru October from 8 am to 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