Last week was a Birthday Week here on the farm! Join us in wishing Dan a happy mid-40's birthday! He was graced with a groundhog-themed birthday card, shown above. We like to have a great sense of humor while farming vegetables for you.
So many ::REMINDERS:: this time of year...
* The current Farm Share season ends just before Thanksgiving. The final Wednesday share would be the day before Thanksgiving BUT WE WILL MOVE PICK UP TO TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24th that week due to the holiday. Some every-other-week members have their final share on Nov 18. Log in anytime and check your specific details.
We grow year-round, so we have vegetables to harvest after Thanksgiving, but less diversity and less quantity. ?? How to get vegetables from us after Nov 24th??
:: We continue to stock our self-serve FarmStand here at our farm all winter. Some weeks it may be open only certain days of the week. Check for availability on Facebook or Instagram
:: We will continue to sell through Richmond's online market, Fall Line Farms, as we have for the past seven years. Use "broadfork" as a code to get a free subscription. Order on the weekend, pick up the following Thursday at one of various spots around our area.
:: We will continue to offer the chance to order one-time shares through the digital FarmStand here on Harvie. Sign up to receive an email whenever the digital FarmStand is open.
:: We plan to be (outdoors) at the Farmers' Market @ St. Stephens on certain weeks of the winter. Sign up on their webpage for their newsletter to receive updates.
The early fall harvests were significantly diminished due to extreme weather in August and September. (There's often a 6 week-long impact after extreme weather events.) We are finally on the other side of it! Lettuces, Kale-family-plants, and roots are finally ready for strong harvest.
Carrot harvest has begun! The orange roots are a fan favorite, of course, but many folks are unsure about how to use the TOPS. Our favorite ways to use them are...
:: Put those tops in a bag in the freezer! Constantly add any veg scraps to the bag, especially onion/scallion and garlic parts. When you have a big bag full, pop it all in a pot (we use the instant pot) and make vegetable stock. If you eat chicken, add the bones and all not-eaten parts of the chicken to the pot and it becomes chicken/vegetable broth. We add a dash of salt and also apple cider vinegar if including bones (to help extract minerals).
:: Make Carrot Top Chimichurri. It's delicious and versatile. Google and find your favorite recipe, or try this one. Carrot Top Pesto is also a fantastic way to enjoy them. We love spreading hummus plus chimichurri or pesto on top of flatbread for an easy lunch or dinner.
GINGER continues to be available this week. In this climate, we harvest Ginger at the "baby" stage which means the skin is so thin you don't need to peel before using. It is incredibly tasty and medicinal. It doesn't stay turgid in the fridge for much more than a week but it freezes wonderfully. You can grate just what you need for a dish (or tea) from a frozen piece. Use the stalks/stems for tea and soup. PRO-TIP RECIPE: Mince with Scallions (and maybe also Garlic) into a paste to freeze. (Perhaps in an ice cube tray to create little nuggets of goodness.) When ready to use, thaw and then mix with soy sauce/tamari/liquid aminos/salt plus Rice Vinegar and you are perfectly prepared for a delicious Asian inspired meal. (Thank you for Farm Share member Alicia for this great tip!)
Our Sweet Japanese Turnips are new for a lot of people, and most folks are especially unsure how to use the tops/greens...see below for an incredible recipe using the tops. Enjoy the roots raw on top of a green salad or roast them and drizzle with a balsamic reduction, or include them in a spiced soup. Here's a photo, below, from our archives as an example of how delicious these roots are raw! The little three-year-old in the photo is now almost 9. The Chimichurri recipe below the photo has been a HUGE hit with our farm family and staff this week. Thanks to Farm Share member Melissa for this tasty recipe.
Turnip Greens Chimichurri
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup firmly packed chopped turnip greens
- 1 cup firmly packed chopped parsley leaves and stems + extra for garnish (or use cilantro instead)
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more to thin if need be
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- a few grinds of black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Also: Check out our Pinterest page of recipe ideas (organized by vegetable) for suggestions.
Blessings on your meals, and keep masking up and washing your hands, plus staying home whenever possible ~
