Yes the snow has finally come and it feels a bit like winter but that doesn’t mean produce is ever off the minds of us farming folks.  Seed catalogs are filling our mail box and dreams of spring greenhouse work and the sweet smell of earth fill our heads.  I think this year is going to be the best year yet.  Of course I always think that but I know it will be this year.  So why don’t you come join us for the growing season.  We will have a full line of veggies and some fruit to fill our boxes as well as a few protein options.  We are also offering an extra four week extention on the regular season.  This is our fourth year as a CSA farm and we are loving our connections to you our CSA members.  Come join us!

I’m sitting at my computer on a late October afternoon.  The weather is warm and the sky is clear, a beautiful fall day.  We continue to garden, with garlic to plant and root crops to dig but the pace has definitely slowed down.

This time of year we switch gears to construction projects that need to be done and the planning for 2012 begins.  Yes its true we are already thinking of 2012, but there is so much to do and we want to provide more beautiful vegetables, so the research begins on how to do that.  We are also working on our offering for next season, we have a couple shares we are adding so look for that information to come out in the next two weeks.

I hope you enjoyed what we had to offer this season and we look forward to what we can do next year.  Happy Fall!

Pick up for the Winter Share will be November 16th at the site you choose on your sign up form.  The share will be available for pick up during the same hours as the regular season.  Please feel free to email if you have any questions.

Well it’s happened.  After wiping the sleep from my eyes and walking downstairs I gazed out my kitchen window and saw patches of frosted green grass.  So I donned a pair of insulated rubber boots and walked out into the world to get a  feel for how much frost we actually got.  Outside I was greeted by the crisp air and lingering smell of the first wood fire of the season.  Although the air was cold the sun on my face felt warm and I know this frost will be but a memory in the leave of our plants in a mere hour.  Damage to our precious vegetables will be lite and the picking will go on but its a gentle reminder that the season is rapidly coming to a close.  It seems like just yesterday we were packing our first boxes of the season and now here we are looking towards the fall and eventually winter.  My daughter Karma walked out the door to wait for the bus that will wisk her and her sister off to school and said “It smells like Christmas out here”.  “Well not quite yet honey” I thought but the changes in season are more noticeable everyday.

Mixed Beans – Purple, Yellow, Green

Summer Squash – Yellow crookneck and patty pan’s

Heirloom Tomatoes

Celery – Greener with stronger flavor then regular celery

Swiss Chard

Onion

Wild Apples and Pear – We only have a small amount of pears so just a taste this year but yields will go up as the trees get older.

Cucumbers – Probably going to be the last of the season for them.

Cucumbers

Sweet Corn – First of the season!  We loaded this week up with sweet corn and will be doing that for the next couple of weeks.  There is tons in the field!

Basil

Heirloom Tomatoes

Ground Cherries – In the clam shells.  The smaller berries with the paper husk around them

Green Beans – I am very sorry but they only got packed into some boxes because the volume was low and I wasn’t aware it happened until it was to late.  We will have a bunch more coming into next week and beyond.  In the future if we don’t have enough of one product we will substitute something else.

Okra

Tomatillos – First of season!  This item is larger then the Ground Cherries but does have a papery covering like the Ground Cherries.  Remove paper husk before using

Mixed bag of Early Apples and Pears – First of Season!  Fruits are just starting to come in.  The apples are tart but delicious.  If the pears are a little hard let them sit for a day or two on your counter to soften.

Green Zucchini

Cucumbers - The long twisted looking thing is a specialty Japanese cucumber named Tasty Jade

Okra – Just a taste for now.  If you slice it thin and fry it that helps lessen the slimy texture

Ground Cherries - First of the season.  We made a sauce of them lastnight using a cup of ground Cherries, a pinch or two of sugar (use as much as you want to get to the sweetness you desire) and 1/2 tsp Cinnamon.  They can be eaten raw as well, very unique flavor.  Just remove the papery skins and enjoy

Cherry Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes - They are starting to ripen more so the amount you receive in your box will go up.

Parsley

Basil

Swiss Chard

Bunched Beets

heirloom Tomato – First of the season, just a small first run, more to come as the season moves on

Thyme

Cucumber

Peppers

Potatoes

Radish

Kale

Onions

Bulb Garlic

Cherry Tomatoes

Carrots

Cabbage – This is a savoy variety which mean it has the crinkly leaf

Peppers – First of the Season

Cherry Tomatoes – Check back in tomorrow for a post of our cherry Tomato recipe

Basil

Kale

Zucchini – There are some big one in there, I will post another recipe for zucchini

Bulb Onions

This coming weekend Saturday the 30th Organic Valley is hosting it 8th annual Kickapoo Country Fair at its headquarters in LaFarge, WI.  I am pleased to announce that Keewaydin Farms has been asked to do a 90 minute demo called “Cooking from Your CSA”.  I will be preparing several recipes using ingredients you will find in your CSA box this season.  Although I am a farmer by trade I do spend time in the kitchen utilizing the wonderful produce that surrounds us throughout the season.  It is a special treat for me to be able to share some of my cooking experiences with the general public.  One dish I will be preparing will be the Honey Carrots, the recipe was posted a couple weeks ago.  We will also be preparing a cold tomato soup and cherry tomatoes and basil paired with mozzarella.  So if you are looking for something to do this weekend why not come to beautiful southwestern Wisconsin and enjoy a day of workshops, food, fun, music and visit with you CSA farmer.  See you there!