Week 16: Tired farmers, heavy harvests and short days.

It is that time of year again…autumn winds in with slightly cooler temps (sure to change in a flash with no warning), gorgeous golden light and the sweet changing of leaves. For us, it means a scramble to get in the heavy stuff- buckets and buckets of onions, cabbage, winter squash, potatoes while still getting the last tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. The short days mean we have to hustle a little more, and inevitably, it looks like physical therapy for sore joints, yoga and NSAIDS to keep moving smoothly.
It’s a beautiful time of year- some of the harvest has been nursed along all season from tiny seeds carefully tended in pots in March and April to the fields in June and then carefully weeded and weeded and weeded again, irrigated, fertilized, checked and managed for pests and disease to harvest now like presents from the earth. And then, when the harvest is in, we turn the soil over, plants and debris curving gently back into the earth so that fertility can be added for nourishing the cover crops that will blanket the soil to keep it intact under winter frosts, ice and snow until next spring. We call it ‘putting the fields to bed’ because it feels exactly like that- a tucking carefully in for winter sleep- and it is nourishing for both the soil and for us.

What’s in Your Share this Week (maybe):

• Cherry tomatoes (PYO, take a quart first planting is looking pretty done, but the second is still going strong)
• Beans, dragon (PYO-2nd planting is starting to come in!!!)
• Hot peppers (PYO)
• Tomatillos (PYO hiding under all the huge growth-they should be bursting out of their paper skins)
• Arugula and/or Braising Mustards (spicy and delicious)
• Cabbage, tendersweet
• Radishes/Salad turnips
• Onions
• Eggplant
• Peppers, sweet
• Rapini (also called Spring Raab or Broccoli Raab
• Kale
• Chinese Cabbage (napa cabbage), Red
• Tomatoes, sauce
• Carrots
• Delicata/Sweet Dumpling

Upcoming Events: HARVEST FEST IS COMING UP FAST!

• HARVEST FEST is just around the corner!!!! Coming up on October 8th (the day before Heritage Day here in Southboro) we will hold our 3rd annual celebration of the harvest and the farm! It is a fun time full of local music, pumpkin carving, our fantabulous hay maze, crafts, food and more. Put in on your calendar!!!!
• First of our Barnyard Brew Hikes!!!!October 5th, Thursday from 630-8pm There will be local craft brews to try and guided hiking by the light of the full moon.
• We have a call for artisans and vendors for Harvest Fest! Have a trade, a skill to demo, craft and art to sell and want to be a part of the fun at the festival? We still have some booth space open and would love to have you join us! Please contact Kira at kbaker@thetrustees.org or talk to Desiree during pickup for details.
• Our Preschool Farm Explorer Program Series is happening during October. The Fall has a lot of fun to offer on the farm- see how big our goat kids have gotten! Milk a goat! Romp through the farm fields eating a cherry tomato or picking flowers with Kira, explore the fields, the forest and the hills, meet the cows. We have spaces available! Sign up online or email kbaker@thetrustees.org to get in on the fun. (Program is meant for 2.9-6 year olds, with a caregiver).

Farmstand: 

We have APPLES & PEARS from Cider Hill this week in the farmstand. Apples include varieties: Paula Reds, Red Free, Zestar, Cortlands, Macouns, Galas and Macs (red ripe from the tree!!!!) WHOA! 7 types of apple!!!!
UM. OUR NEW SWEATSHIRTS ARE INCREDIBLE!!!!! In honor of autumn, we have gorgeous, warm hoodie sweatshirts with our goat logo on the front. Support the farm and buy one today! We also have great, sturdy canvas tote bags to haul your veggies home from CSA! Tote bags are USA made and printed locally so grab one up today.

Veggie of the week: Oh those mustard greens…they are so good. 

So we’ve noticed that many of you are avoiding the mustard greens. Are they too spicy? Too colorful? Too weird? Know that this type of green contains high amounts of vital nutrients to support anti-inflammatory and cardiac health and skin radiance. Especially when paired with good olive oil (by ‘good’ we mean, not the cheap stuff- good olive oil isn’t anything but olive oil but it has the highest adulteration rate of any oil….! Try to buy producer direct oil if you can, cold-pressed is best AND California is making some great olive oil!!!! Don’t be afraid of American pressed olives!) and nuts/seeds. These greens are a mix of our favorites and most of them actually aren’t spicy at all. The mix consists of mizuna, Russian kale, tatsoi, hon tsai tai, red giant, golden frills, green giant, ruby frills, and probably a couple more. We admit that some of them have a bit of a kick to them, but the overall blend isn’t too spicy and any kick can be mellowed out easily with a little creamy dressing, by braising them in a pan (essentially a wilted salad- particularly good with chunks of pear and goat cheese) or by making our mustard green pesto. The recipe below calls for soaking the nuts/seeds overnight and doesn’t include any parmesan or romano cheese. I would suggest eliminating the soaking or buying presoaked/sprouted nuts/seeds if you don’t have the time, but if you do- go for it, it makes the nut part creamier and easier overall for humans to digest. This recipe keeps for a month in the fridge, but freeze it in ice cube trays or small containers and pull it out for a mid-winter summer greens kick! Add the cheese after to
ssing it with pasta, roasted potatoes or grilled meats/fish.

Mustard Green Pesto

Ingredients
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• 6 cloves garlic, (crushed)
• 2 bunches mustard greens, (trimmed and chopped)
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 1½ cups extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
1. Toss pecans, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds into a bowl, and cover them by 2 inches with warm water. Allow them to soak for 4 to 6 hours, drain and rinse well. If you're in a bind, you can substitute sprouted or roasted nuts and seeds.
2. Place soaked pecans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and garlic into your food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until just combined. Toss in mustard greens and sea salt and pulse for a few seconds.
3. Turn the food processor on and slowly drizzle olive oil into the seeds and greens until it forms a smooth and uniform paste. Serve immediately or transfer to mason jars, cap with additional olive oil and refrigerate for up to a month.