What a wild week!
It all started on Saturday, when we looked ahead to the coming forecast and realized a frost was predicted for Monday night. Randy, Eric, and I kicked it into high gear and started bulk harvesting the gourds and remaining pumpkins. Admittedly, I wasn't feeling super well and had to bow out before the end of the day. They finished bulk harvesting the peppers.
Sunday was, of course, Enrollment Day, and what a showing we had! It was truly record-breaking. Randy and I really never take a day fully off, but other than stocking the store and making sure Enrollment Day was open, we spent a really nice day relaxing. I even read for pleasure. Amazing...
It was the calm before the storm (frost) because once Monday rolled around, it was time to kick it back into high gear. The question before a frost always becomes, "What do we want to save?" To give you an idea, many of the crops we've been harvesting can't withstand freezing temps: tomatoes, peppers, husk cherries, beans, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and even flowers will die off.
Although we never fully want to say goodbye to these crops, we know it's time, so we harvest them one last time for storage. As I'm sure you can imagine, this takes a lot of time and energy when we're also harvesting for CSA shares, too. Lettuce, romaine, and escarole can withstand cold temperatures but not a hard freeze, so we tried to get a lot of those into storage, too.
Once we finished that task on Monday, we realized... wow, we harvested a TON of tomatoes. Maybe not a "ton," but literally half a ton. So, then the question became, "Do we make another batch of Sunday Sauce?" Well, why not? Things seemed pretty crazy already. By Tuesday, Randy and I were inspecting, sorting, crating, and weighing another 1,000 lbs. of tomatoes to be sent off to New Haven for Wednesday morning.
Oh yes, and meanwhile, we had decided to cover up the beans since this young planting had barely produced any beans yet. We hauled the Reemay cloth and large rocks out to the field and covered up the beans. Since nothing is ever perfect, we don't label our rolled up pieces of cloth well (a goal for next season) and realized this piece was a little small, wouldn't cover both rows all the way up, and couldn't be reinforced with a double layer. Oh well, time was ticking and it was already about 4:30.
We had a light freeze, but nothing too damaging on Monday night. Wednesday night looked the worst.
On Tuesday afternoon, two last minute major wholesale orders came in, and we were struggling to continue to wrap up our bulk harvesting. Meanwhile, as the tomatoes were weighed and crated, our inventory started to dwindle and I wondered if I had made a mistake to order the Sunday Sauce labels and reserve our drop-off time with the processor. Randy was determined to make it happen. We wrapped up the work day on Tuesday night short about 200 lbs., holding our breath and hoping to go back out into one of the tomato fields one last time the next morning to meet our 1,000 lb. minimum.
On Wednesday morning, we somehow pulled it off. Some of the tomatoes were a little underripe but we knew they would sit and ripen up for a few days. Off they went to New Haven! The labels still won't arrive until next week, which poses a slightly more costly problem, but we're glad we did the project all-in-all.
Meanwhile at the farm, we received another huge wholesale order, continued to stock the store and Stuff-a-Bag - which wrapped up on Wednesday - and made the last few decisions of what to harvest before the major frost, like raspberries, dahlias, and summer squashes. We also decided to reinforce the beans with another layer of Reemay cloth, tucked them in, and said goodnight.
Actually, our Booth Hill property was hit with a heavier frost than our Waverly property on Wednesday night, and Randy thinks the previous two nights were actually colder than Wednesday. Some of the summer loving crops are still okay to continue to produce, believe it or not. They're certainly trickling off now though, so we encourage you to enjoy them like it's the last time you'll have them this season. What will you miss the most?
As of this writing, 183 members have enrolled in next year's CSA! It was such a busy week that I barely had time to sit and wrap my head around that number, but as I was off from work today I was able to fully soak that in. What an absolutely incredible blessing it is to have all of your support for next year already. What an incredible community this is. We mean it, thank you.
For me, things will remain busy through the end of the season - another incredible blessing as we head closer to Thanksgiving. We are selling produce to Shelton and Milford Public Schools as well as the Bridge Academy, we'll be working on applying for another grant in November, and our Extended Season CSA and many of our wholesale orders will continue in the weeks to come, too.
This season we hired a friend named Steph to help with stocking the store and packing the CSA as it's become more involved than it used to be. Thanks, Steph, for all you've done so far - I'll snap a pic of her in action this week so you can get to know her, too. Every year this farm continues to grow and we know that in the years to come our job roles will continue to evolve.
With all of this being said, it stands to reason that we want to keep the positive momentum going and share our abundant harvests with you!
This weekend, Saturday from 9-4 and Sunday from 10-3:
$10 gourd Stuff-a-Bag... Normally $2.50/lb. Dig through our crates and find the gems that speak to you! Mix and match to fill our bag.
And the very last of the beautiful dahlia bouquets for the season.
Treat yourself, you deserve it!
I don't know who needs to hear this, but legend has it that if you put gourds and flowers around your house, it will magically appear clean...
Bulk boxes of tomatoes are finished for the season but we have bulk green tomatoes available. 25 lb. boxes are $35 and 2.5 lb. bags are $5 each. Bags are available daily, and boxes can be packed on a walk-in basis while inventory lasts.
Plus, this Saturday Wave Hill Breads is back with baguettes, boules, pan loaves, cinnamon monkey bread, and apple turnovers.
Hang out with the chickens and enjoy a pastry!
Chicken plushies are mostly sold out, but Amanda will do one last restock before the holiday season.
Will we do a wreath making workshop? You betcha! Stay tuned for more information soon!
HELP!!!!
We are seeking more clean boxes to reuse for orders! Medium and large sizes only, please. Nothing smaller than a box for a case of wine or a box of diapers. Think Chewy, Amazon, meal prep service, etc. Simply rip your address label off first - no need to break down the boxes. Thank you for your support!
WHAT'S IN STORE
Here is the fresh produce we plan to have in stock while supplies last (through Friday, 10/25):
Acorn squash
Arugula
Beets
Bell peppers (final availability for 2024)
Bok choy
Broccoli
Broccoli rabe
Butternut squash
Cabbage (green)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Collard greens
Cucumbers (final availability for 2024)
Delicata squash
Eggplant (final availability for 2024)
Fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, mint, and basil)
Garlic
Grape tomatoes (final availability for 2024)
Green/wax beans
Hakurei salad turnips
Honeynut squash
Hot peppers (final availability for 2024)
Husk cherries (final availability for 2024)
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Mustard greens
Napa cabbage
Onions
Potatoes (red and gold)
Radishes
Scallions
Shishito peppers (final availability for 2024)
Spaghetti squash
Spinach (limited availability)
Swiss chard
Tomatillos (final availability for 2024)
Tomatoes
Yellow squash (final availability for 2024)
Zucchini (final availability for 2024)
STORE HOURS
Monday: 10:30 to 6
Tuesday: 10:30 to 6
Wednesday: 10:30 to 6
Thursday: 10:30 to 6
Friday: 10:30 to 5
Saturday: 9 to 4
Sunday: 10 to 3
So sorry, but we can't accommodate early or late arrivals even if we are around. Our staff is scheduled to work on prepping the store with the freshest products right up until we open. We also try to honor personal lives by closing promptly.
** Vegetable subscription pickup occurs during all open hours on members' scheduled pickup day and we hold shares for 24 hours afterward.
MARKET HOURS
Shelton Farmers' Market - Saturdays from 9 to 12 at 100 Canal Street.
Monroe Farmers' Market - Fridays from 3 to 6 at 7 Fan Hill Road.
THIS WEEK'S VEGGIE SUBSCRIPTIONS
MAIN SEASON WEEK 20 OF 20
(Tuesday, October 22nd through Saturday, October 26th)
FINAL WEEK
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 head of broccoli
1 head of cauliflower
1 head of bok choy
2 summer favorite free choices: zucchini, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
2 grab-a-greens: romaine, lettuce, escarole, Napa cabbage, arugula, or bok choy
1 lb. of carrots
1 bunch of parsley
Small:
1 head of broccoli or cauliflower (farmer's choice)
1 head of bok choy
1 summer favorite free choice: zucchini, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
1 grab-a-green: romaine, lettuce, escarole, Napa cabbage, arugula, or bok choy
1 lb. of carrots
1 bunch of parsley
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Store bok choy in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Wash and pat dry when ready to use (within the week).
Most sources will recommend wrapping a head of broccoli and cauliflower in a damp paper towel in the fridge. We think the less air it's exposed to the better. Open air causes it to wilt fast. You can try putting your the head in a plastic bag in the fridge and using it within the week. Wash when ready to use.
Remove the greens from the carrots and store them in plastic bags in the vegetable crisper. Use greens within the week, but the carrots may last for weeks when stored properly.
Store parsley stems in a glass of water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Cover the leaves with a plastic bag. Or, put the parsley in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
How to Change Your Vegetable Subscription Pickup Day
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours notice for any of the options below. This is because we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday.
Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday.
Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday.
You have the option to choose another of those pickup days in a given week: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.
You can skip a pickup and receive a double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day, and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you accidentally miss your pickup - just come the next day.
You can always send a guest to pick up in your place by simply notifying us of their name.
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