The height of the crops season has now passed and we are gearing up for our winter CSA. The summer was an incredibly abundant time and our team of six apprentices, Matt the farm manager, and our two devoted volunteers Anne and Fred, worked incredibly hard to harvest all of those huge eggplant and heirloom tomatoes, prickly okra, majestic sunflowers, bright purple and yellow cauliflower, and the dozens of other fruits and veggies we grow here.

In October, we harvested most of our winter veggies including: sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, turnips, radish, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and celeriac, with the help of our CSA work share members. They are now being stored in our root cellar, which we hope to have down to about 38 degrees soon! All of this warm weather has slowed down the cooling process (i.e. the fan that blows cold air in), but it has also allowed us to continue harvesting late plantings of greens, bok choi, radish, cauliflower, and lettuce. During the past couple of weeks we delivered these veggies to local stores and restaurants, in our awesome Drumlin Farm truck with a huge beet on its sides, so that people could continue eating local. It was so exciting to see people in Boston and Cambridge walking by the truck and reading the side- community-based farming in Lincoln? To have a part in making local, sustainable, agriculture visible in the city is a great thing.
At the farmers markets we have seen a big increase in WIC and Farmer's Markets Elder Coupons, both of which we accept just like cash. This might just be one of the best government-supported programs ever- making organically grown vegetables accessible to everyone.
This week we will be putting together next year's crop plan and harvesting storage cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, collards and more (and more!) potatoes for our first CSA pick-up.
From the misty farm,
Ellie
Storing Winter Veggies:
For our Winter CSA members or for anyone interested in storing winter vegetables, click here- How to Store Winter Vegetables in a Typical Suburban Home.
Simple Cooking Methods for Storage Veggies:
Winter Squash
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cut squash in half
3. Scoop out seeds and pulp (put in a bowl and save for roasting)
4. Oil a baking tray and lightly oil inside and outside of squash halves (this seals in moisture and prevents cracking)
5. Place squash upside down on the tray and bake until you can stick a fork easily into the flesh.
Now for the seeds...
1. Wash pulp off of the seeds
2. Mix seeds with some olive oil and tamari
3. Spread out on a baking sheet so that the seeds are in a single layer
4. Put in oven with the squash and roast until brown and crispy.
Brussels Sprouts-
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Wash sprouts
3. Slice in half
4. Oil a baking tray and the sprouts
5. Salt lightly and roast until brown
They will be sweet and delicious! Pan frying sprouts is also an easy way to prepare them.
"Thanksgiving-esque" Recipe:
Butternut Squash Soup: Roast 2 butternut squash (follow directions above), one cubed celeriac root, one sliced carrot, and one sliced apple at 375 degrees. Have fun with the amounts. Puree all veggies and spice with fresh or dry sage, thyme, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Alternately, spice with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Important Information For Our CSA Members Only:
Want to learn more about our CSA? Check here.
This week's pick-up: Thursday, November 20, noon-5:00 pm
- See above for information on storing all the great veggies we'll be distributing. Onions, garlic, pumpkins,and winter squash do great on a kitchen shelf or kitchen table, just as long as they are not in direct sunlight and are not stacked on top of each other. If you let them breathe and keep them dry, they should do fine at room temp. If you want to store them for a long period of time, think COOL and DRY.
- Please send me any of your favorite recipes and I may feature them in the newsletter!
- Subscribe to our blog at the top right hand corner of this page and you will get emails whenever a new post goes up.