Last Saturday night we had about 70 CSA members and friends at the farm for our harvest dinner - a great turn out! We spent a couple days clearing out our hayloft to set up tables for the event to squeeze everybody in. I have to say it looked pretty cool.
I do wish all our CSA members were able to attend since the harvest party was just one small way to thank you for being members for the season. Like I told those in attendance, we honestly would not be able to do what we do without CSA members. Your making a decision to get your veggies in a way other than at your local grocery makes our farm viable. With only a roadside stand or a stall at the farmers market, market gardening is a volatile, and, frankly, brutal business. However, CSA members across the nation take the risk when writing a check in the spring that a tornado not destroy the crop and trust a local grower to provide an ample harvest. This makes not only our farm a reality, but also hundreds of other small farms just like our own. When a couple farms in upstate New York began the first CSAs in the early 1980's, this was time when the family farm seemed doomed, especially here in the Midwest. Operations were foreclosing left and right in the farm crisis. Today, however, small family farms are making a comeback, albeit in a different form. Many of us may not operate traditional 40-head dairies or 160-acre row crop farms, but our heart is in the land just the same. So, if you are a CSA member, take pride in knowing that you are not just "part" of a movement, you ARE the movement.
In the Box:
- Brussel Sprouts on the Stalk: Simply pull the brussel sprouts off the stalk and put to work. I don't know what to do with the stalk afterwards...croquet mallet?
- Parsnips: Look like white carrots.
- Napa Cabbage
- Acorn Squash
- Butternut Squash: These turned out really well this year. Good color, good size.
- Red Kuri Squash: Cook as you would any other winter squash (buttercup, etc). We made a coconut squash soup last night with Red Kuri and it was excellent. We thought a good description for the squash was nutty, almost chestnut like.
- Russet Potatoes
- Swiss Chard
- HaralRed Apples: These are pretty good for fresh eating (a bit sweeter than a Haralson), but, like a Haralson, are great for baking and sauce.
