Thanks for a great season! Box 19 (and 20) Oct. 23rd 2012

Thanks for being a part of our farm this year! Your support is a crucial piece of our operation. We are in our 3rd year of CSA and this was our biggest membership yet. Making the jump from 25-40 members was a little nerve-racking at first, especially given the extreme weather conditions this summer! We definitely learned a lot this year and are excited to implement a few new changes for next season.

We were able to upgrade to a walk-in cooler this fall which will save a ton of time every day (though we’ve gotten pretty good at refrigerator tetris) and will also allow us to harvest storage crops all at once which will free up planting space for other crops sooner.

We will definitely be investing in a better irrigation system next spring. We had one of the worst droughts in a while this year and a lot of our crops suffered because of it. I don’t think we had a decent looking beet all year! The irrigation system will help immensely with our root crops such as onions, carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, etc. These are key crops for us as they store well and are generally things that our membership really enjoys. Having irrigation will also allow us to ensure that we are including a good variety of produce in the boxes each week. When we are faced with tough weather conditions and we end up losing crops it really affects the variety of vegetables that we are able to include in the CSA.

It was a challenging year on the farm but we learned some excellent lessons! Thanks for sticking with us through the good and the bad (hopefully there is more of an emphasis on the good). The CSA model is designed that way. That’s what makes a CSA different. It’s not a replacement for the grocery store or the farmer’s market. It’s a model that allows you to basically become part of a farm. You have an intimate relationship with your farmers. You are supporting a local farm. You are reestablishing a relationship with your food that many people have lost these days. You are able to enjoy the bounty of a great harvest… but you are also assuming a risk. The risk that a crop will fail, or hail will destroy the tomatoes, or a late frost will kill the apple blossoms, or a cow will break into the garden and eat all the kale! Many things can go wrong in the daily life of a farmer and many of these are beyond our control. But for us, the joys far outweigh the woes. We love growing your food but we also understand that the CSA model doesn’t work for everyone.

Thanks again for allowing us to be your farmers! We look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with you…


Your Farmers,


Bryan Crigler and Katelyn Foerster
Herbal Turtle Farms


WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Herbal Turtle Horseradish Sauce
Shiitake Mushrooms
Cabbage
Pumpkin or Squash
Onion
Garlic
Broccoli

BONUS BOX:

Squash or Pumpkin
Bok Choy
Oyster Mushrooms
Watermelon Radish
Onion
Cabbage

RECIPES WE THOUGHT: YOU'D ENJOY

Here are a few pumpkin recipes from one of our members... Thanks Lizzy Haywood!

I made these cookies and they are awesome:


http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-pumpkin-spice-cookies/

And then I got inspired by this recipe:

http://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipies/fruit-leathers/154-pumpkin-bliss-fruit-leather-gourmet-edition/

....but I modified it thus:

2 c shredded apples (soft ones that aren't as good for munching)
2 ripe bananas
1 c pumpkin puree (cooked, but you could do raw if you want)
1 T real maple syrup
2 t. pumpkin pie spice from the co-op
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c craisins
1/2 c pecans


Make sure to coat your dehydrator or cookie sheet with an oil spray (like organic coconut or canola oil) otherwise these will stick like crazy.

flip the leather once while it is drying.

Frozen fruit leather is yummy, and also if you tear it into bits it makes a good topping for salads!

Braised White Cabbage with Thyme:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/braised-white-cabbage-with-bacon-thy

Shiitake Mushroom Pizza:
http://www.marthastewart.com/256514/shiitake-mushroom-pizza