Lake Superior CSA
Bayfield Foods Cooperative August 31st , 2016
In The Boxes This Week
Lake Superior CSA
Veggie Boxes: Carrots, Green Beans OR Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Sweet Corn/ Great Oak Farm Potatoes, Sweet Corn, Herb Bundle, Zucchini // Yoman Farm Tomatoes, Pepper, Salad Mix // River Road Farm Tomatoes // Twisting Twig
Veggie Basics : Carrots, Corn, Green Beans //Great Oak Farm Tomatoes// River Road Farm
Meat Boxes: Ground Beef + Roast // Hidden Vue + Griggs Cattle Co. Assorted Pork//Maple Hill Farm
Trout // Bodin’s Meat Basics : Trout// Bodin’s
Ground Beef // Hidden Vue Pork // Maple Hill Farm PLUS ITEM: Dill Beans // Spirit Creek Fruit: Blueberries
It’s August, and on a vegetable farm that means one thing: get up and work. Weekdays, weekends, evenings, it’s all fair game– gotta strike while the iron’s hot. Here at Great Oak Farm, a big part of that August work includes catching up on pulling weeds that evaded cultivation with the tractor or hoe (especially in the crop of carrots we planted for storing in the root cellar for shares this winter) and picking beans for a 10-15 hours a week (it takes a long time to pick all of your beans!) Green bean season is winding down, so enjoy them while they last – and the fall carrot crop this year looks absolutely fantastic, by the way! While keeping up with the current harvesting and weeding is a huge task, we’re also racing the clock to get the late season crops seeded or transplanted before the day length drops too low. Once September 15th rolls around, vegetable crop growth really slows down as the daylight begins to fade more noticeably. Cleaning out crops and weeds from our hoophouses in late August, spreading compost, and getting fall/winter crops like spinach established early next month is a top priority. If the spinach is seeded too early, it’s likely to germinate poorly due to the heat – 65 to 70 degree soil temps are best for spinach germination. However, if it’s seeded too late, the spinach won’t grow quickly enough to make a nice crop to put in your boxes this fall and early winter. Like we said before, timing is critical. In the fields outside, the clock is ticking as well – we’ve got microbes to feed. Microbes, you say? As spring planted crops are harvested, we hurry to mow them down and cultivate the weeds out a few times before finally seeding down the soil with cover crops like oats, field peas, rye, vetch, and clovers. In addition to building soil organic matter, the roots of these crops provide a habitat for the bacterial and fungal microbes in soil through the winter, and provide ground cover to prevent erosion during fall and spring rains. As organic vegetable farmers, we work our soil through mechanical cultivation regularly throughout the season. While this helps us control weeds without chemicals, it also breaks down organic matter and disturbs the millions of tiny microbes that help make non-synthetic fertilizers like compost and minerals accessible to plants. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Hello CSA Customers! Spirit Creek Farm production has started for the production season of 2016-2017. This is always a season of transition for us. The kitchen has been idle for several months. We dust off the cobwebs, do some deep cleaning, and bring in the produce and start putting it in barrels. We have to hire the production crew and get them to come to work. Farmers start to deliver produce. Supplies need to be ordered. Goals for this year (that should have been figured out some time ago) need to be figured out. Overall it starts to get busy. It is kind of like the back to school thing but instead of school it is fermented vegetables. So far this year we already have several barrels of Beans going and several barrels of beets going. Cabbage will start to come in in a week or so. So it is off to the races for us. It is a long race that lasts till April with thousands of pounds of vegetables bought, processed, fermented, jarred and then sold. Thanks for being part of the process. Thanks Andrew and Jennifer and the Spirit Creek Farm crew. Continued From Page 1 Much like winter gives farmers a time to recharge our batteries after a busy summer, growing cover crops gives our soil microbes a chance to rebuild and recharge after the disturbance during the growing season. And just because we can’t see microbes doesn’t mean they aren’t there or aren’t important to the biology of a farm. An acre of healthy topsoil (the top 6 inches of soil) contains over 2,000 pounds of these microbes! Two thousand pounds. That is as much as a cow and her calf weigh, invisible to the naked eye, right under our feet, in every acre of topsoil, helping plants grow. Without a doubt, being mindful of microbes, controlling weeds mechanically or by hand, and using natural PLEASE FLATTEN fertilizers and cover crops to keep crops healthy takes some extra thought and effort. Growing food organi& RETURN CSA any othcally with nature takes more work during the busy growing season, but I wouldn’t think of farming BOXES! er way. Thanks for growing with us, everyone! Chris Duke, Great Oak Farm
Carrot Cake Smoothie Honey BalsamicTips Glazed Carrots Carrot Cake Smoothie – Gluten-free + Vegan Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings ▪ 1 cup carrots, peeled and then grated (if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, you could probably just roughly chop them) ▪ 1 organic banana, frozen ▪ 1 1/2 cups homemade almond milk (or other nondairy milk of your choice) ▪ 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for two hours (or 1/4 cup homemade cashew nut butter) ▪ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ▪ 1 Medjool date ▪ 1 tablespoon organic raw shelled hemp seeds ▪ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon ▪ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger ▪ 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg ▪ 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves ▪ Optional – instead of the hemp seeds, for additional nutritional support, you could also opt for a scoop of Vega Plant-Based Protein Powder, either the Vanilla Chai or straight Vanilla would be great. Directions: Add all of th e ingr edients to your h igh speed blender and pr ocess until smooth and creamy. Top with a little cinnamon and a pinch of grated carrots. Enjoy immediately.
Here is a Sneak Peek at Next Week 9.7* * Please note these are subject to change
VEGGIE BOXES: Carrots, Green Beans OR Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Sweet Corn // Great Oak Farm
Bayfield Foods Cooperative
Winter is Approaching! We now have Winter Veggie and Winter Meat shares available for ordering. All summer shares end the end of October. Winter Shares Start November 2nd
Potatoes, Corn, Herb Bundle, Zucchini // Yoman Farm
Winter Schedule:
Tomatoes, Pepper, Salad Mix // River Road Farm
November 2nd November 16th
Tomatoes // Twisting Twig Garden
December 7th
VEGGIE Basics : Carrots, Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Tomatoes MEAT BOXES:
Ground Beef //Hidden-Vue Farms + Griggs Cattle Co. Assorted Pork // Maple Hill Farm Whitefish // Bodin’s Whole Chicken // Heritage Farm
January 4th February 1st March 1st Click here to order Winter Veggie Shares
Click here to order Winter Meat Shares
Need tomatoes for canning and sauce making adventures? River Road Farm has 20# boxes for Meat Basics Ground Beef + Pork + Beef sale. Steak Click here to order! PLUS ITEMS: Honey // Great Oak Farm Sheep + Goat Cheese // Happy Hollow + Sassy Nanny Creamery
Fruit: Apples
In The Boxes This Week
Lake Superior CSA
Veggie Boxes: Carrots, Green Beans OR Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Sweet Corn/ Great Oak Farm Potatoes, Sweet Corn, Herb Bundle, Zucchini // Yoman Farm Tomatoes, Pepper, Salad Mix // River Road Farm Tomatoes // Twisting Twig
Veggie Basics : Carrots, Corn, Green Beans //Great Oak Farm Tomatoes// River Road Farm
Meat Boxes: Ground Beef + Roast // Hidden Vue + Griggs Cattle Co. Assorted Pork//Maple Hill Farm
Trout // Bodin’s Meat Basics : Trout// Bodin’s
Ground Beef // Hidden Vue Pork // Maple Hill Farm PLUS ITEM: Dill Beans // Spirit Creek Fruit: Blueberries
It’s August, and on a vegetable farm that means one thing: get up and work. Weekdays, weekends, evenings, it’s all fair game– gotta strike while the iron’s hot. Here at Great Oak Farm, a big part of that August work includes catching up on pulling weeds that evaded cultivation with the tractor or hoe (especially in the crop of carrots we planted for storing in the root cellar for shares this winter) and picking beans for a 10-15 hours a week (it takes a long time to pick all of your beans!) Green bean season is winding down, so enjoy them while they last – and the fall carrot crop this year looks absolutely fantastic, by the way! While keeping up with the current harvesting and weeding is a huge task, we’re also racing the clock to get the late season crops seeded or transplanted before the day length drops too low. Once September 15th rolls around, vegetable crop growth really slows down as the daylight begins to fade more noticeably. Cleaning out crops and weeds from our hoophouses in late August, spreading compost, and getting fall/winter crops like spinach established early next month is a top priority. If the spinach is seeded too early, it’s likely to germinate poorly due to the heat – 65 to 70 degree soil temps are best for spinach germination. However, if it’s seeded too late, the spinach won’t grow quickly enough to make a nice crop to put in your boxes this fall and early winter. Like we said before, timing is critical. In the fields outside, the clock is ticking as well – we’ve got microbes to feed. Microbes, you say? As spring planted crops are harvested, we hurry to mow them down and cultivate the weeds out a few times before finally seeding down the soil with cover crops like oats, field peas, rye, vetch, and clovers. In addition to building soil organic matter, the roots of these crops provide a habitat for the bacterial and fungal microbes in soil through the winter, and provide ground cover to prevent erosion during fall and spring rains. As organic vegetable farmers, we work our soil through mechanical cultivation regularly throughout the season. While this helps us control weeds without chemicals, it also breaks down organic matter and disturbs the millions of tiny microbes that help make non-synthetic fertilizers like compost and minerals accessible to plants. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Hello CSA Customers! Spirit Creek Farm production has started for the production season of 2016-2017. This is always a season of transition for us. The kitchen has been idle for several months. We dust off the cobwebs, do some deep cleaning, and bring in the produce and start putting it in barrels. We have to hire the production crew and get them to come to work. Farmers start to deliver produce. Supplies need to be ordered. Goals for this year (that should have been figured out some time ago) need to be figured out. Overall it starts to get busy. It is kind of like the back to school thing but instead of school it is fermented vegetables. So far this year we already have several barrels of Beans going and several barrels of beets going. Cabbage will start to come in in a week or so. So it is off to the races for us. It is a long race that lasts till April with thousands of pounds of vegetables bought, processed, fermented, jarred and then sold. Thanks for being part of the process. Thanks Andrew and Jennifer and the Spirit Creek Farm crew. Continued From Page 1 Much like winter gives farmers a time to recharge our batteries after a busy summer, growing cover crops gives our soil microbes a chance to rebuild and recharge after the disturbance during the growing season. And just because we can’t see microbes doesn’t mean they aren’t there or aren’t important to the biology of a farm. An acre of healthy topsoil (the top 6 inches of soil) contains over 2,000 pounds of these microbes! Two thousand pounds. That is as much as a cow and her calf weigh, invisible to the naked eye, right under our feet, in every acre of topsoil, helping plants grow. Without a doubt, being mindful of microbes, controlling weeds mechanically or by hand, and using natural PLEASE FLATTEN fertilizers and cover crops to keep crops healthy takes some extra thought and effort. Growing food organi& RETURN CSA any othcally with nature takes more work during the busy growing season, but I wouldn’t think of farming BOXES! er way. Thanks for growing with us, everyone! Chris Duke, Great Oak Farm
Carrot Cake Smoothie Honey BalsamicTips Glazed Carrots Carrot Cake Smoothie – Gluten-free + Vegan Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings ▪ 1 cup carrots, peeled and then grated (if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, you could probably just roughly chop them) ▪ 1 organic banana, frozen ▪ 1 1/2 cups homemade almond milk (or other nondairy milk of your choice) ▪ 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for two hours (or 1/4 cup homemade cashew nut butter) ▪ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ▪ 1 Medjool date ▪ 1 tablespoon organic raw shelled hemp seeds ▪ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon ▪ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger ▪ 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg ▪ 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves ▪ Optional – instead of the hemp seeds, for additional nutritional support, you could also opt for a scoop of Vega Plant-Based Protein Powder, either the Vanilla Chai or straight Vanilla would be great. Directions: Add all of th e ingr edients to your h igh speed blender and pr ocess until smooth and creamy. Top with a little cinnamon and a pinch of grated carrots. Enjoy immediately.
Here is a Sneak Peek at Next Week 9.7* * Please note these are subject to change
VEGGIE BOXES: Carrots, Green Beans OR Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Sweet Corn // Great Oak Farm
Bayfield Foods Cooperative
Winter is Approaching! We now have Winter Veggie and Winter Meat shares available for ordering. All summer shares end the end of October. Winter Shares Start November 2nd
Potatoes, Corn, Herb Bundle, Zucchini // Yoman Farm
Winter Schedule:
Tomatoes, Pepper, Salad Mix // River Road Farm
November 2nd November 16th
Tomatoes // Twisting Twig Garden
December 7th
VEGGIE Basics : Carrots, Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Tomatoes MEAT BOXES:
Ground Beef //Hidden-Vue Farms + Griggs Cattle Co. Assorted Pork // Maple Hill Farm Whitefish // Bodin’s Whole Chicken // Heritage Farm
January 4th February 1st March 1st Click here to order Winter Veggie Shares
Click here to order Winter Meat Shares
Need tomatoes for canning and sauce making adventures? River Road Farm has 20# boxes for Meat Basics Ground Beef + Pork + Beef sale. Steak Click here to order! PLUS ITEMS: Honey // Great Oak Farm Sheep + Goat Cheese // Happy Hollow + Sassy Nanny Creamery
Fruit: Apples
