Good evening everyone! Here we are…..OCTOBER! What a gorgeous weekend we had to ring in a new month. I cannot even believe it; tomorrow this is our last week of the CSA shares for the year! Jordan and I spent the day with our kids doing what we love to do on Sunday afternoons…..play around in the garden. It has been a blast watching this space transform over the season; from a snow covered construction site to a flourishing space that was able to grow over half of our produce the season. Those of you that have been part of the CSA for a while have known that we’ve bounced around a bit with field locations and what a blessing it has been to have so much of our produce be right at home, with the rest being grown at our greenhouse locations in Hudsonville. We are thankful.
With tomorrow being the last day of deliveries, with a few pick ups on Tuesday…I just wanted to go over a couple of things before we part for the winter.
- It would be so very helpful to me if you could keep your box from last week, as well as the final box delivered to your house to reduce the amount of boxes I will have to haul around and recycle/dispose of myself. (thank you)
- If you have any outstanding balances for tomatoes or eggs, let me know what works best for you to settle up for the season:)
I want to make sure I take a moment to let you all know how incredibly thankful I am for ALL of you! Your kindness and support are more than I could ask for, and you make my “job” so enjoyable. It is my goal to continue to grow and learn through all that we do, and I appreciate your understanding and input as we go through the season. Thank you for considering our program and for jumping on board. Thank you for caring and being a part of the farm in which you get your food…even the crazy stuff you’ve never tried before! If I can share my heart with you, Jordan and I just had a discussion late last night about the CSA. I have a slew of ideas and dreams and sometimes have a hard navigating my way through real life situations and/or expectations. There are times where I wonder what people think about what we are trying to do with our farm, the community we are hoping to create, and if it even matters, especially when I hear feedback on what we’re doing from people that don’t quite get it. Jordan simply asked me if I felt that 1 family benefitted from something we were doing, and I immediately felt a burst of excitement and confidence in my heart. I thought about what I had seen in some of our families this summer; kids that tried things they never have before and realizing they LOVE certain vegetables; parents taking the plunge to try new recipes in efforts to create a healthier lifestyle; togetherness with a community of like-minded people……all of those things affirmed the reason we are here….the reason I do what I do. Did you guys know that our farm also sponsors 2 amazing families in the area? You have all been blessed to be a blessing just by investing and being part of our farm! THANK YOU…..from the bottom of our hearts.
Ok…now that you know probably way too much about what goes on in my head….here’s what this week’s box is looking like:)
I’m calling this box: the GLEAN Box. Originally the plan was to have this be the last week of boxing up items, followed by a week of whoever wanted to come glean from the garden, however….the heat wave and drought last week sent us over the top. Especially now with these cooler nights, things have drastically slowed down, leaving us to glean all that we have for tomorrow’s shares. Here are a few staples you will find in your box…with a few mix and/or match items thrown in:)
Butternut Squash
Onions
Leeks
Zucchini
Lettuce
Dill
Beets
Turnips
Peppers
Eggplant
Peas or Beans
Kale
Given that produce may not be super consistent throughout , I don’t have any awesome recipes for you this week. I hope you have enjoyed those and that they have given you inspiration to try a different way to prepare the vegetables you find in your box.
I am looking forward to seeing/serving you this week and look forward to being in touch with you in the future. Stay tuned to your email for an end of the season questionnaire as well as some exciting news for next year. Have a great week everyone!!! It’s been an absolute pleasure working for you:)
e
The Farmer's Wife CSA 