It's been such a warm fall, which means our crops are still ripening rapidly. Our cooler is running out of room! So, you know what time it is...
This Saturday, October 12th through Wednesday, October 16th, we're holding another Stuff-a-Bag of veggies!
Stuff-a-Bag works like this. You come into the store during any of our open hours and pre-pay $35 for your bag. We give you a bag, and you go out in front of our store to stuff the bag with as much veggie goodness as you want.
Veggies included in this round of Stuff-a-Bag are:
Arugula
Bok choy
Bell peppers
Eggplant
Husk cherries (limited amounts)
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Napa cabbage
Potatoes
Romaine
Shishitos
Tomatoes
Yellow squash
Zucchini
And more, depending on our harvest schedule later this week!
All of this fits in one bag...
And beginning this Saturday, all mums are now 50% off, making them $5 each through the remainder of the season until they're gone.
Here's what we're working on this week...
Bulk harvesting! You know the saying "when you know, you know"? We feel like it's completely true of identifying when crops are ready to harvest and they won't be able to hold on any longer.
For example, last week mid-week the broccoli rabe was ready to go. We were gritting our teeth because we hadn't included it in the veggie share assortment, and broccoli rabe has a very short window of time before it starts to flower. We scurried to get it out of the field this week and use it as fast as we could.
Right now, because it's been so warm, there are so many crops struggling with the same problem - lettuce, romaine, escarole, broccoli, cauliflower, and more... We keep an eye on all of these crops daily because it's almost like the second you look away, they've already started to bolt or rot. Our crew goes through and harvests broccoli and cauliflower most days so we don't lose it.
Greens are very time consuming to harvest when they're bunched, so many of these tasks are tedious. Here's the crew in the middle of a sea of broccoli rabe, snipping and bunching the stems.
Can you spot Emily, Eric, and Ryan?
It's also time to bulk dig and store our potatoes. Randy's family always referenced the calendar and the cutoff was Columbus Day. You want to be careful and harvest all of your potatoes before the ground starts to freeze because potatoes grow underground. Overnight temperatures are starting to inch closer to the 30s, so even though we're not quite there, it's time to get the potatoes into storage. We've had a fantastic yield and grown more than ever, so this will be a time consuming task as well. We use a potato digger attachment on the back of the tractor to get this done, but then the crew picks them all up by hand, puts them into crates, and will unload the crates into our storage barn where the winter squash and onions are currently residing.
So what's one of the items in veggie shares this week? You guessed it... potatoes!
By the way, a few weeks back at the Monroe Farmers' Market "Tater Fest," we were tasked with decorating our own Mr. Potato Head. All of the farmers entered a friendly competition and market shoppers voted on their favorite. Ours was the winner!
Where are all of the Mets fans?! This potato head has since rotted, but I feel that he's brought the team some really good luck in the post-season... LGM!
Finally, I just want to provide a little more of a general overview about our subscription program as you'll often hear me talk about it in this newsletter. You'll notice that at the bottom of every newsletter, I also list the contents of what veggies are in the subscription boxes for that upcoming week so that our members can meal plan.
Here's what it entails in a nutshell:
Enrollment opens for 2025 this Sunday, October 13th at 7 a.m. There is a cash or check discount and a bonus if you enroll by Monday, October 14th. Learn more here.
And members, if you haven't already, be sure to redeem your bonus coupon as the Main Season ends soon! Extended Season members must redeem in the next 2 weeks as well, since availability of free choice items will reduce.
Chicken plushies are back in stock this Saturday, and there are two new "breeds."
Speaking of which, I wanted to provide you with an update on Tilly, Richard the Rooster's "daughter." She's doing great and growing so much already at our friend Jess's house!
Last call for plum tomatoes for the season - they'll be available through Sunday, October 13th and then finished for 2024. $45 for 25 lbs. of plum tomatoes.
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, 10/18):
Acorn squash
Arugula
Beets
Bell peppers
Bok choy
Broccoli
Broccoli rabe
Brussels sprouts
Butternut squash
Cabbage (green)
Carrots
Cauliflower
Collard greens
Cucumbers (winding down)
Delicata squash
Eggplant
Fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, mint, and basil)
Garlic
Grape tomatoes
Green/wax beans
Hakurei salad turnips
Honeynut squash
Hot peppers (assorted)
Husk cherries (winding down)
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Mustard greens
Napa cabbage
Onions
Potatoes (red and gold)
Radishes
Raspberries (hanging on a little longer)
Scallions
Shishito peppers
Spaghetti squash
Spinach (limited availability)
Swiss chard
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Yellow squash
Zucchini
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 19 OF 20
(Tuesday, October 15th through Saturday, October 19th)
FINAL BIWEEKLY PICKUP
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 lb. of tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 head of lettuce
2 heads of escarole
1 additional grab-a-green (arugula, Napa cabbage, bok choy, romaine, and more depending on availability)
2 lbs. of potatoes
1 onion
Small:
1 lb. of tomatoes
1 head of lettuce
1 head of escarole
1 additional grab-a-green (arugula, Napa cabbage, bok choy, romaine, and more depending on availability)
1 lb. of potatoes
1 onion
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Shake out any excess water in the heads of lettuce, escarole, and any other greens, then store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and spin out when ready to use.
Store dry onions in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a pantry, cabinet, or cellar. Ensure that they have plenty of airflow; you can store them in a mesh bag. Keep them away from potatoes.
Store potatoes in a mesh bag in a cool, dark place such as a cabinet or pantry, and ensure that they get plenty of air flow. Do not wash until ready to use, but wipe away dense soil, if any. Keep away from onions.
Keep tomatoes out on the counter and out of direct sunlight, where they will get plenty of air flow. Do not put them in the fridge; it will dry out the tomatoes and change their consistency. Tomatoes continue to ripen after harvested, so use within a few days. To ripen a tomato quickly, put it in a paper bag in a dark place, like a cabinet.
Store peppers in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Set the crisper drawer to low humidity to allow some of the ethylene gas that results from decomposition to escape. Ethylene gas will cause the peppers to rot sooner.
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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