September 29, 2025
Brassica Bounty
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #22 (Week B) should include broccoli, napa/chinese cabbage, winter squash (autumn frost, butternut), leeks, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, Swiss chard, eggplant, sweet peppers, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, potatoes, beets, hakurei turnips, arugula, and kale. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include herbs and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

September 29, 2025
Workshifts this Week (9/29/25) - Probably Sweet Potatoes
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you).

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

September 29, 2025
Seeking Fall-ing Temperatures
by Linda Dansbury

I don't remember a late September this warm. These temps are causing things like broccoli and cabbage to mature faster than anticipated so our farmers are working extra hard to keep up with the harvests. I, for one, am wanting to start enjoying things like soups and stews sitting outside with the fire going, but with the temps so warm and humidity high, that's not happening. Anyway, here are a few things I made this week:

Kale, peppers, leek, garlic basil, cilantro - made the Kale Rice Bowl. This is a delicious, quick and easy one pot/wok dish, perfect for a busy night. The recipe as written does not include peppers or onions, but I have found the peppers are great in it - they add a sweetness to the dish. During the winter months I use peppers out of the freezer and they work great in this prep. I will also make it with bok choy either with or without the kale.

Leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, beans (I froze in the summer), edamame (also frozen), carrots, Swiss chard - I made a French inspired veggie soup. My version did not include the veggies in the recipes, but rather those that I had on hand. It is a labor of love and requires a lot of chopping. Dried beans soaked overnight and then slowly simmered with the allium (I used leeks but onions are normally used), and then the other veggies slowly added and simmered. Pasta can be added or not. What really makes this dish is the addition of Pistou when serving. Pistou is simply the French version of Pesto, and does not have cheese or nuts in it. The dish also is served with grated cheese, often parmesan but my preference is gruyere and a nice crusty loaf of bread is a must. Note that I made the soup but we haven't eaten it as of now - maybe toward the end of the coming week if it chills down.

Tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro - made a large batch of salsa and canned it for enjoyment all winter. Again, lots of chopping!

September 29, 2025
Early Autumn Heat
by Farmer Derek

Fall is here but it certainly feels more like summer. I think it was much cooler at the end of August than it is at the end of September. At least we received some much needed rain last week, about an inch in total. Freshly sown cover crop seeds where winter squash, leeks, and tomatillos once grew can now germinate and begin nurturing the soil during the offseason. The final round of outdoor transplants, planted last Monday, won't need to be irrigated.

This coming week we transplant the last crops of the season (excluding garlic that is planted in early November but is harvested next year). All four protective structures (high tunnel, hoop tunnel, caterpillar tunnels 1 and 2) will be full of crops for November (and maybe December) harvests, including lettuce mix, arugula, bok choy, komatsuna, cilantro, dill, parsley, and swiss chard.

Traditional fall crops are probably peaking (sometimes it's hard just to keep up with them). Broccoli, napa/chinese and regular cabbage, beets, sweet potatoes, all need our attention. Greens are growing like mad thanks to the warm weather. It appears to be a bountiful autumn once again!

September 29, 2025
It's Cabbage Time
by Linda Dansbury

Fall is for brassicas and this week we will see the first of the cabbages - Napa or Chinese cabbage. Obvious because of it's oblong shape and frilly leaves, this version has more tender leaves and is more mild and prized for stir fries and for part of the filling in things like dumplings. Although like garden cabbage it keeps well, it does not keep as long as garden cabbage. If you are not going to use the entire head at once, I recommend taking off the leaves you will use rather than cutting through the plant - cutting will cause the cut leaves to turn brown. Store in a plastic bag that is left open a bit to allow for some air flow.

Soon behind will be garden cabbage - the one that you see most of the time. Note that the different types are pretty much interchangeable in recipes - this type needs to cook a bit longer for the leaves to soften and it can be a little stronger in taste.

Enjoy the fall bounty!

September 22, 2025
First of Fall Goodies
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #21 (Week A) should include broccoli, winter squash (autumn frost, butternut), leeks, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, Swiss chard, eggplant, sweet peppers, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, potatoes, beets, hakurei turnips, arugula, and kale. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include cherry tomatoes (last week for these, you can always pick green fruit and let them ripen on your counter), herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

September 22, 2025
Pepper Palooza
by Linda Dansbury

Late summer, early fall brings colorful peppers - we have been receiving them for weeks now. I have cut up and frozen a lot for enjoyment in the winter, but also made some dishes with them that will make delicious food prep easy in the months ahead. Here are some things we enjoyed recently.

Peppers, tomatoes, onion/leek, garlic, herbs of your choice such as thyme or rosemary - roasted all of these together on a large sheet pan at 400 degrees until nicely cooked and soft. Allow to cool and then place in a blender or food processor and blend until fairly smooth. The result is a delicious sauce that is a great way to cook fish or chicken. I normally make a large batch and use some and freeze some.

Eggplant, peppers, hot peppers, basil and parsley - made the Grilled Eggplant and Pepper Salad. This is really good with a nice crusty bread.

Peppers, tomatoes (cherry tomatoes and romas work best), garlic - I do a somewhat simplified version of the traditional Catalonian Romesco sauce. It's delicious and freezes well. Grill or roast peppers and tomatoes - the tomatoes should be fairly dry but not completely. I also like to roast the garlic, because it becomes more mild. For measurements, about 2 cups of the roasted peppers to 1/4 - 1/3 cup of tomatoes and 2 cloves garlic. Place in food processor with about 1/2 cup of almonds (if salted, taste dish before adding salt), a nice splash of sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of paprika (smoked is best), a dash of cayenne. Blend up and then start adding olive oil a bit at a time until it's the consistency of a thick dip. Enjoy on fish, and/or veggies such as the upcoming cauliflower and broccoli.

Tomatillos, onion, garlic, hot peppers - made a large batch of Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with the remaining tomatillos in my fridge. I canned it, but I am sure it would freeze well too.

September 22, 2025
Workshifts this Week (9/22/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you).

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

September 22, 2025
Fall For Real
by Farmer Derek

The astronomical autumnal equinox occurs on Monday, that mostly invisible to us time and space line of orientation where we in the northern hemisphere begin to point away from our very own star, the Sun. On our level it's all just a slow transition between seasons without a starting and ending point. We mostly experience it through observing the space and place around us. The green sheen of summer becomes less vibrant and alternate colors begin to reflect back at us. Summer crops announce their annual retirement with lessening production and lack of ripening. Fall crops become dominant with their obvious vitality and vigor. They simply look more alive, thriving when they should.

Fall crop fields are going bonkers right now, loving these growing conditions, and we do what we can to keep up with their harvest. Late July and August sown cover crops are also at their peak health. Soon (but hopefully not too soon) we'll experience our first frosty morning which will sweeten up fall crops even more. Any lingering summer crops will be removed and soil nurturing cover crops will be sown.

Right now we continue the steady march of clean up of spent summer crops, maintenance (i.e. weeding, mowing, pruning) of perennials like raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, and harvesting of bulk roots, spuds, and tubers. Sweet potatoes are next up; we'll probably start on those in a week or two.

September 22, 2025
New and Returning Veggies
by Linda Dansbury

The return of lots of greens is a sure sign that fall is here - hope you welcome the change of seasons/veggies as much as I do. Very soon we will receive bok choy, komatsuna and broccoli. Which will be followed by cauliflower, Napa cabbage and cabbage. Here are a few tips for the first of these to come in. For a nice warming fall meal, try making a green minestrone with pesto (for the pesto, either use the beautiful basil pesto from the farm herb garden, or pull some out of your freezer). Most green minestrones call for veggies that we don't have now, but just substitute with what we have at the farm now. I might make one in the coming week or so and will share with you!

Broccoli - everyone knows their favorite ways to enjoy broccoli. Sometimes, little caterpillars hang out in the broccoli - an inevitability of organic farming! So, just look closely as you chop the veggie for use. Consume within about 5 days for best flavor. And, enjoy the stalks too! Just peel them and add to stir fries, roasted veggies, etc. I often munch on the stem pieces as a snack as I am preparing a meal. If you haven't roasted broccoli yet, try it! Simply drizzle with a bit of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper if desired, and roast in a 375 or 400 degree oven until a bit charred and slightly tender. Delicious - works great on the grill as well.

Bok choy - there are lots of ways to enjoy bok choy: roasted, stir fried, sauteed, cole slaw, added to salads and soups. I have added it to thick chicken and rice soups for a nice crunch and added nutrition and it is so good!

Komatsuna - pretty much the same as bok choy in how to enjoy it. The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads, the others are great in sautes and stir fries or added to soups.

September 15, 2025
A Delectable Mixture
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #20 (Week B) should include winter squash (pie/edible pumpkins, autumn frost, butternut), leeks, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, Swiss chard, eggplant, sweet peppers, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, potatoes, beets, hakurei turnips, arugula, and kale. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should cherry tomatoes, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

September 15, 2025
Workshifts this Week (9/15/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you).

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

September 15, 2025
Weather Roller Coaster
by Linda Dansbury

Every fall we seem to get a cool snap, followed by days that are quite warm, which for me makes it harder to figure out what I feel like eating. We also have a mix of summer and fall veggies to eat as well.

Here are a few things my family has enjoyed recently.

Peppers, potatoes, eggplant, onion or leek, garlic - Still grilling veggies on these lovely days - I do par boil the potatoes before grilling. I add some herbs and salt after cooking.

Cherry tomatoes, garlic, thyme and/or rosemary - I made Tomato Confit. It takes a bit of time to roast in the oven, but it's inactive time. The resulting tomatoes are delicious - great on crostini, mixed into pasta, top fish or chicken.

Arugula - don't forget how delicious arugula is as a main salad ingredient - just add salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Top with cherry tomatoes if desired.

Tomatillos, poblano (or sweet peppers), jalapeno, onion, garlic - made another batch of the Slow Cooker Chicken or Pork Chili Verde so now I have both the pork and chicken versions in the freezer, Yay!

Hot peppers, sweet peppers, garlic, onion, tomatoes, tomatillos - made various salsa recipes and enjoyed with chips as a snack and as a topping for grilled fish.

September 15, 2025
Fall Greetings
by Farmer Derek

Celebrate - the fall equinox is almost upon us! For many a farmer, this is the best time of the year. Cooling temperatures, shortening days, emptying fields, cover crops thriving, golden rod and aster blooming, crickets chirping, storage crops getting safely stowed, fewer crops to plant, less ground to prepare. The to-do list shrinks. Early plantings of traditional fall greens and roots are reaching maturity, tomatoes and sweet peppers remain productive. Dry weather enhances crop health and reduces pest and disease pressure. Winter squash have all been removed from the field and are the best they've been in years in yield and quality. Potatoes are all out too. One field performed pretty well; the other less so. Sweet potatoes are next up and will probably be harvested later this month followed by curing for a couple of weeks before we can distribute. We look forward to sharing all of the great produce with you!

September 15, 2025
Full Circle
by Linda Dansbury

The season is coming full circle - the greens and veggies we started the harvests with are back - Swiss chard, radishes, turnips, beets - yum! Greens are getting more tender and delicious as the nights cool down. I find myself desiring salads, soups and stews as the days get shorter and nights become chilly. Here are some ideas on how to enjoy some of these during the fall months.

Radishes and Turnips - these are unlikely to have tops because of the current abundance of other more desirable greens. They will store in the fridge for quite some time. I use the turnips and radishes interchangeably in raw dishes such as added to salads, crudite plates. For fall inspired dishes, they can both be roasted or sauteed - radishes take a long time to become soft and sweet, so place in the oven ahead of most of the other veggies you would mix with them. Try the Glazed Baby Turnips and Carrots for a nice fall veggie. Shaved Turnip Salad is simple and radishes can be used instead or blended with the turnips for nice color.

Swiss Chard - remember, if you don't use the stems in the dish you are making, save them for later or place in a plastic bag in the freezer to use in stock later. Make sure you keep the leaves fairly dry, or they will not last long. Swiss chard can be used instead of spinach in cooked dishes. A dish from this site that I like this time of year is Tomato, Swiss chard and Gruyere Casserole.

Beets - I really enjoy adding roasted beets to salads. Savory Beet Soup is a very easy soup to enjoy when the nights get chilly - great for lunch too. Fun recipes to try include Pickled Beets and Eggs and Chocolate Beet Cake (so, so good).

September 8, 2025
Alliums Alive
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #19 (Week A) should include pie/edible pumpkins, autumn frost winter squash, leeks, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, eggplant, sweet peppers, basil, tomatoes*, hot peppers, shishitos, potatoes, arugula, and kale. Some items will be a choice.

*Note on tomatoes: they're ripening less quickly due to cool nights so we're harvesting them less ripe. You can fully ripen them in your kitchen where temperatures are probably warmer and more stable.

U-pick should cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

September 8, 2025
Workshifts this Week (9/8/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you).

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

September 8, 2025
Thirst Quenched
by Farmer Derek

Cumulatively about two inches of rain appreciatively fell at the farm Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon and night. We're so thankful for this satisfying quantity of life-sustaining liquid. New transplants that weren't irrigated yet are satiated, acres of cover crop seed can now germinate and go about protecting and nurturing the soil, unirrigated long-season crops like sweet potatoes and leeks get a much needed drink. And your farmers can breathe easier. Last week the dust on the farm became quite unbearable. We seemed to have passed someone unknown moisture-content threshold where any movement in the fields stirred up tiny soil particles in large quantities and a healthful enterprise like an organic farm suddenly became slightly less so.

The rain has also ushered in some consistently cooler late summer weather. The Fall Equinox is in two weeks. Last Friday in the greenhouse we sowed the last of the crop seeds for late October and early November harvests. Some are destined for the comforts of the protective tunnels, others will battle the elements outside. Seeding has been done weekly since the end of February. Crops have been going in the ground weekly since the end of March. We have about a thousand more feet of beds to plant outside and about two thousand under cover. As temperatures drop and daylight decreases in strength and length getting crops in the ground on time is important because growth rate greatly slows.

September 1, 2025
September Switch
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #18 (Week B) should include pie/edible pumpkin, onions, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, eggplant, sweet peppers, basil, tomatoes*, hot peppers, shishitos, potatoes, arugula, kale, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

*Note on tomatoes: they're ripening less quickly due to cool nights so we're harvesting them less ripe. You can fully ripen them in your kitchen where temperatures are probably warmer and more stable.

U-pick should cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

September 1, 2025
Workshifts this Week (9/1/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you).

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

September 1, 2025
Getting Ready...For Winter?
by Linda Dansbury

Cooler, shorter days always start me thinking about getting dishes that use a lot of farm veggies into the freezer for enjoyment all winter long. So in addition to the grilling, enjoying the sweet melons and tasty salads from the lettuces, tomatoes and beans, here are a few things I enjoyed making and packing away for the long winter ahead:

Zucchini (last of the year), onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil - made a lasagna and replaced the noodles with zucchini that was sliced the long way into "noodles". The rest of the dish was a typical lasagna, and the noodles were not missed. Froze half for enjoyment later.

Onion, tomatillos, poblano pepper, sweet peppers, garlic, jalapeno pepper - made another batch of Slow Cooker Chicken or Pork Chili Verde. The last time I made it I used a pork shoulder. This time, I used chicken legs. Both are so good and I now have both versions in my freezer.

Peppers - are abundant right now. They freeze beautifully. Cut them up, remove seeds and ribs and chop into the size pieces you would use in most recipes. Place on cookie sheet to freeze, then place in freezer bags. Pull out what you need for soups, chili, stir fries, etc.

Edamame - Cooked up what I still had in my fridge from the bountiful harvest this year. I shelled them with help from my hubby, placed on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and froze. Then placed in plastic bags for use later in soups, spreads for crostini, etc.

September 1, 2025
Well Watered
by Farmer Derek

August concludes as our third driest in 17 years having only received 1.4" of rain during the month, the majority in the second week. The dry weather pattern appears to continue through the first half of September as well. Fortunately temperatures have been cool but humidity has been low so the current state of the farm is very dry. Thus we must add our own water pumped out of the underground aquifer.

For the most part we've been able to reuse irrigation supplies that were in use earlier in the season on various parts of the farm and stored temporarily in select safe locations (mowing is the main hazard). It takes about half a day to set up irrigation in a new field and then we typically irrigate a new spot for about 8-9 hours to fully saturate the raised beds. The second time around, typically in 6-7 days, we'll only irrigate for 5-6 hours since there is normally some residual moisture from the previous irrigation iteration. I like the idea of a good soaking followed by some drying out to encourage roots to penetrate deeper into the soil.

Like I said last week, dry weather is generally better for crop health than hot/humid/wet. This time of year we're transitioning a lot of field space from crop to cover crop so a nice rain event once in a while would be very helpful to establish a healthy stand of plants to protect and nurture the soil over the fall and winter months. I don't think we've ever irrigated cover crops but in theory we could if we were truly desperate. Let's hope the rain forecast for Thursday night into Friday morning trends in a more promising direction.

September 1, 2025
Transitioning
by Linda Dansbury

By Labor Day, the days are noticeably shorter, and this year the temperatures are truly making it feel autumnal. The crops are transitioning - the beautiful peppers remind me of fall colored leaves, and this week or next a couple of new, fall crops will be in the pick up room:

Pumpkins - these small, beautiful pumpkins are for eating, not making into jack-o-lanterns. They are sweet and delicious with a rich, buttery, sweet flavor with a smooth, dense texture, similar to butternut squash. They will keep in a cool place for quite awhile. There are many recipes on this site, both savory and sweet, including Basic Preparation information. Pumpkins and other winter squash, such as butternut, are interchangeable in recipes.

Leeks - another wonderful fall product is a delicious alternative to onions. Milder than many onions, these don't keep for too long. Stored in the fridge, use them within 2 weeks. Most recipes call for using the white part only - save the green tops for making stocks. There are several recipes on this site. In addition to the Potato Leek Soup recipes, a couple of my favorites are Baked Risotto with Kale, Leeks and Mushrooms, Braised Salmon with Leeks, and BLT (Bacon, Leeks and Tomato) and P Soup.