Could you use some good news? A diversion? A little less doom in your scroll? I know I could. And thankfully, I have the pleasure of inviting you on a Virtual Farm Walk of Wild Hare! Farm Walks are farmer-to-farmer educational opportunities hosted by organic, sustainable, and innovative farm and food businesses throughout Washington State, and they have been such a helpful and inspiring way for us to learn from fellow farmers as our business has taken shape.  We were honored to be asked to host a Farm Walk of our own last Summer, and we were OVER THE MOON when we found out that the event would be crafted into a virtual format that would allow us to share our farm in such a creative and accessible way. We're so thankful to Edge Perma, Tilth Alliance, the Washington State University (WSU) Food Systems Program and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) for making this project and collaboration possible. If you've ever wanted an in-depth experience of our farm, to learn more about our growing practices, see Mark geek out on his gadgets and get to know us a little better, you can do so without having to put on a jacket or set foot in the soil thanks to this project. We hope you enjoy it!

It has been such a delight to look back on last Summer through the tour, looking back at many of the would-be overwintered beds. The fields are far muddier today, but at least they’re not frozen this week and field harvests are back on. The overwintering Kale is on the brink of budding out, so this week, we're opting  to harvest a round of small-to-mid-sized clusters of leaves that can be easily broken down into all kinds of salads, soups and such.  It is a more intact cut than our typical looseleaf method, but we think it might make for a more lush food product from field to table at this growth stage. Hardy greens like these are such a Wintertime staple for our farm, and their frost-sweetened flavor are a perfect match for the many varieties of squashes, apples, and even fun citrus that round out the seasonal eating experience as we await Spring's arrival.

Best,
Katie

Growing for the Winter season means intentionally producing and storing fruits and vegetables to be enjoyed at a time when growing and harvesting don’t necessarily come easily. This is one of those days. After clear skies and deep freezing over the weekend, and the sun didn’t bust through the clouds until it was just about to set this evening, hours after the crew called it a day. This means that we still won’t be able to evaluate what will be thawed and therefore harvestable from our fields and greenhouses until tomorrow at the earliest. Weeks like these, it is good to have a couple of coolers worth of veg stored up and remember that we’re part of a really great local food system. I plan for times like these, the ones where we I could use to give and receive a bit of comfort and ease, in nourishment or otherwise.

So, this seemed like a good time to tap into the bin of Butternut Squash that I’d been saving for a Winter’s day when only the very easiest and most coveted squash would do. Butternut is an absolute darling. That oddball, oblong shape and smooth exterior make it easy to peel in long swathes, and the seeds sit in one tidy little burrow. This makes it a sinch to scoop out, cube up and cook with, and this is one of the reasons that there’s a disproportionate number of recipes published in cookbooks call for Butternut over all others. If only were as effortless to grow as it is to work with post-harvest. It takes so much longer than the other squashes and pumpkins, and this year might be as close as we have come to the sweet spot. We’ve taken the notes and will rinse and repeat for next year! It also seemed like kismet that I was able to source locally grown Broccoli Raab (Rapini) in quantity for the CSA this week. Being in NY rekindled just enough of our family’s love for these leafy, Italian Mustard Greens and we’ve been kicking ourselves for not sneaking in a rotation to grow our own sooner. It is fantastic in pasta, with squash and/or sausage, and it is one of my favorite comfort foods. I hope it brings you a bit of comfort too this week.

Take Care (and hope to see you this week!),

Katie

I guess Purple Sprouting Broccoli wanted to be a January crop again this year, and you won’t find me complaining. I’ll take the little glimmers and delights where I can find them. For those of you who joined us last Summer and may not have had the pleasure, PSB is one of our favorite overwintering crops. We plant it in late Summer and typically get to harvest it in early Spring/late Winter; however, this temperate January weather (excluding the past couple of frosty mornings, of course) seems to have coaxed it along a little early again this year. Unlike typical crowning broccoli, the sprouting stuff flowers into tender little shoots that are to be eaten leaf, stem, floret and all. The crew went through and did a first round pick this morning, and we’ll have a nice little bit to share with folks this week. Yum! These cold mornings have me craving warm, nourishing bowls of soup all hours of the day, so it seemed as good a week as any to break out another round of aromatic Celery Root to go with Potatoes and Leeks that I’ve sourced from fellow organic growers in Washington for this week. No matter how you slice it, mash it or roast it, you’ll have good stuff to work with this week.