Harvest Newsletter

Greetings from the Garden!  This week's CSA box has greens, cabbage, onions, shallots, garlic, pie pumpkin or squash, rutabaga. potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi, celery root, and the last of the winter tomatoes.

Field Notes.  Later this week Ken will start full season crops. The crops planted now will be transplanted later as the soil gets warmer and drier. 

Ken has also been cutting down trees that shade the gardens and fields to the point where crops will suffer from lack of sunlight. In August Ken is looking at where and when the garden is in shade and often marks the trees that will need to come down. Ken also assess which trees are competing for space and sunlight. Trees need thinning just as carrots do.  We use this wood to cook our food, heat our house and fire the pottery.  When there are long large straight trees we also saw lumber for building projects

On a recent cold day, Ken cleaned some of his saved seed.  This time of year I start work on improving our various computer uses like the web site, the vegetable ordering process, etc.  We are always looking for more user friendly options.

From the Kitchen.  During the long nights and in cool weather Ken often cooks - he is the more creative of the two of us.  One day he made a Finnish ham from our pork and some bread.  He has been doing soups and stews with root vegetables.

 We use the Dutch oven often.  Ken made a batch of chili with some Chorizo style sausage we had made, the last of the leeks, garlic, some winter tomatoes with soft spots, and dried beans that we grew last summer.  Friends came to visit and really liked it.  I made some cornbread to go with it.

But they were really excited about the sprout salad we served them!  It had sprouts, grated carrot, radish, and celery root.  I also clipped some of the sprouting roots for leaves and tossed with salad dressing.


'Til Next time - February 11th, 

Judith