December 8, 2025
Cold Treats
by Farmer Derek

Late Fall Harvest #4 (Week B) should include garlic, cabbage, purple daikon, winter squash, lettuce mix, curly kale, kohlrabi, head lettuce, hakurei turnips, salad radishes, bok choy, and komatsuna. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include herbs.

December 8, 2025
Cold On Cue
by Farmer Derek

Winter sure has arrived with December! The ten day forecast shows barely any days rising above freezing and nights dropping into the teens and low-20s, temperatures more consistent with deep winter in January. Seems appropriate and also begins to feel less and less naturally intuitive to be growing, harvesting, and washing produce this time of year. It's a mindset really, because it is feasible to do so, albeit with some unique challenges, such as planning when to harvest and wash around the subfreezing temperatures and how to further protect crops from the cold, if need be. We've had to use space heaters in the pick up room in the past but are hopeful that's not necessary this week (we'll see).

It's probably safe to assume that most outdoor crops except for the hardiest kales are done for the season, which is fine with me. What's left will act as a nourishing cover crop for next season's crops as nutrients get returned to the soil. We have tried our best to harvest and distribute all farm produce during this short Late Fall season, without overwhelming you too much. Regardless, we will be unable to get rid of everything and will probably host a few 'flash share sales' throughout the winter months, possibly as soon as next week sometime. These are all weather-permitting of course.

Thanks for joining our mini CSA season! Happy holidays!

December 1, 2025
Winter Goodness
by Linda Dansbury

The date says it is still fall but the temps feel like winter. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here are a few things we enjoyed this week.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic - "kicked" up mashed potatoes by doing a mixed mash. Added garlic to the water and it resulted in a subtle garlic taste if you ate it without gravy. With gravy, it was not noticeable. My family really likes these - so yummy.

Winter squash, onion, garlic, Swiss chard - made a delicious pasta dish. Roasted the squash in bite size pieces. While it was roasting, cooked up some crumbled sausage (mix of hot and sweet), then added onions. Added pasta to the pan, and covered with water/broth mix. When pasta was almost cooked through, added A LOT of chopped chard leaves and simmered until wilted. Added the squash and a bit of cream to the mixture. Served with a nice amount of grated parm cheese. A very nice winter meal - in a single pan.

Bok choy, kohlrabi, garlic - made a slaw for Thanksgiving dinner. It called for Brussels sprouts, but I used bok choy and kohlrabi instead. The ingredients were thinly sliced bok choy, apples, shallot. Made a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, shaved garlic. Mixed everything together then added toasted slivered almonds and grated pecorino cheese and mixed again. Very good it was a hit with everyone.

December 1, 2025
What is Daikon?
by Linda Dansbury

Daikon radish is one of the final "new" items we see in the pick up room this time of year. Common in traditional Japanese cuisine and widely used across East and Southeast Asia, daikon radish is a crisp, subtly sweet root vegetable that brings brightness, texture and a hint of peppery flavor to dishes. Whether it’s tucked into soups, tossed into stir-fries or served pickled alongside a meal, daikon adds bite and refreshing balance. It can be grated, cubed or thinly sliced, and can be added to everything from salads to stews to savory condiments. Its mild taste and satisfying crunch make good in raw preparations, and its ability to soak up flavors from broths, sauces and seasonings make it very versatile, delicious veggie.

I have to admit that I have only ever used daikons in a couple of ways. One is grated and added to soups. The other is sliced and used with ground pork and fermented black beans in a Chinese dish. I just found a recipe for Spicy Roasted Daikon "French Fries" that I plan to try. Hope it is as good as it sounds to me.

December 1, 2025
December Delights
by Farmer Derek

Late Fall Harvest #3 (Week A) should include garlic, cabbage, purple daikon, winter squash, romaine, curly kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, hakurei turnips, salad radishes, bok choy, and komatsuna. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include herbs.

December 1, 2025
Winter to Some
by Farmer Derek

Last week I wrote about the trials and tribulations of dealing with floating row cover and forgot to mention how useful it is when tripled/quadrupled up inside the tunnels when we just need a night or two of protection. While it's effectiveness is minimal as a single layer unless elevated with hoops, laying it right on top of crops in multiple layers does provide adequate cold protection. And because the larger tunnel blocks most of the wind, sandbags can be used minimally. However, one downside of this method is that it has to be removed during the day since it doesn't allow much light to filter through. We're basically tucking the crops in at night, trapping the grounds warmth under the covers. With temperatures forecast to dip into the teens off and on over the next couple of weeks we may be employing this method of protection in some of the tunnels.