BIG TRANSITIONS--FALL SHARE BEGINS IN 3 WEEKS!
WILD HARE WEEKLY, SUMMER #15
Even though the end of our Summer CSA season is still three weeks away, I've got to start talking about Fall. And there's plenty to talk about this year as we encounter some big shifts that aren't just about weather. Mark and I took our usual planning walk (in the rain for the first time in quite a while today), passing through the fields of brassicas, gorgeous chicories and pie pumpkins that are starting to take on their signature orange. Since things are now stormy and rainy, we began clearing summer crops out of the greenhouses in anticipation of getting them flipped and ready for the cold months ahead.
This Fall will mark a particularly significant transition for our farm, one that we have been mulling over as a family for the majority of this growing year. After more than 25 years of incredible work, mentorship and warm friendship, Kim is beginning her hard-earned retirement. Many of you have come to know Kim over the years and decades of service that she has given to so many people via this piece of land in the valley, and even if you don't know her personally, I can guarantee that you have eaten well because of her great skill and care. Kim is so much more than a co-worker, and she takes an incredible amount of pride in her work and has shown so much love to all of us. She has always wanted Mark and I to succeed, and we have always wanted Kim to feel purposeful, respected and above all, supported through her seasons of life and farming. A piece of this farm will always be hers, and I hope that we continue to make her proud during our time here. If you happen to see Kim about picking up her produce, be sure to thank her for feeding you and your family over the years.
Farmers like Kim are hard to come by, and it is easy for an employer to lose skilled people if you cannot employ or offer them any sort of off-season compensation. Plain and simple. Coaxing a little bit of Salad Mix from the greenhouses through the Winter is lightweight work, and it allowed us to keep Kim working through the lean months. But, growing Salad Mix through the coldest part of the year is a very costly endeavor that only pencils out if you factor someone like Kim into the bottom line. (Kim was worth a whole lot of lost pennies). Salad Mix ties up every square inch of greenhouse space that we have for over five months, only serving a portion of rather than the entire CSA.
And, getting down to brass tacks, that after a great deal of consideration, we've decided to phase out Fall and Winter Salad Shares beginning in October 2019 and will therefore not be selling any Salad Shares until next Spring. If you have a full year share and have already prepaid for your full year of Salad, we plan to harvest as far into the season as we can for you and then credit you for the balance that you are due when the crop runs out. We apologize for the late notice and for any upset that this causes anyone out there reading this news, but we hope that it allows us to shift the way our growing spaces are used throughout the year for everyone.
This is all to say that transitions are tough and that I'm going to miss seeing a friend that I have been honored to work beside for 7 years, but I wish her all of the rest, joy and comfort in the world. I'm so thankful that she's part of mine. Here's to Kim.
Katie
IN THE CSA SHARES THIS WEEK:
Frisee and/or Lettuce
Carrots
Onions
Fingerling Potatoes
Zucchini and/or Cucumbers
Jonagold Apples
Asian Pears
SEASONAL RECIPES & TIPS
A GREAT LUNCHBOX IDEA--APPLE CHEESE WRAPS- WEELICIOUS
GREAT APPLES FOR BAKING - BON APPETIT
DRIED 5 SPICE ASIAN PEARS
Against All Grain
6 Asian Pears (about 1.5 pounds)
4 cups cold water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice Powder
CONTINUE TO RECIPE
ASIAN PEAR SALAD WITH PECANS (AND FRISEE!)
Sunset Magazine
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 to 3 heads frisée (about 12 oz.), ends trimmed and leaves separated
2 Asian pears, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup pecans, toasted
3/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
CONTINUE TO RECIPE
GARLIC LIME LETTUCE WRAPS
101 Cookbooks
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1- inch segment of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 cup almond, cashew, or coconut milk
scant 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
8 ounces plain tempeh, crumbled
1 1/2 cups / 6 ounces leftover rice
1 teaspoon soy sauce or shoyu
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 small cucumber, deseeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
a handful of sliced herbs, cilantro, basil, mint
10 - 12 whole lettuce leaves, romaine, little gems, etc.
to serve (all optional):
extra lime, serrano vinegar*, shallot oil, a favorite curry paste
