Fox Creek Farm CSA Newsletter, week of September 27, 2021
In this newsletter:
Farm News
In this week's share
U-Pick update
Recipe: Simple Roasted Carrots with Lemon
Farm News
Foggy mornings, making space for clear skies. The crispy morning air. And the slowly but steadily turning foliage. Is there something not to like about Upstate New York in late September? Don't think so! At the farm we are plugging away on the harvests, filling the barn with late-season storage crops. No frost in the long-term forecast yet, which makes our lives just a bit easier!
And where fields are harvested, we rush to get cover crops planted. Summer squash makes space for oats and peas; where the garlic was, the sorghum-sudan grass is standing tall. And the winter rye is sprouting in more and more of our fields. You can call it regenerative agriculture, or climate resiliency. The cover crops will protect our fields from the harsh winter weather, and contribute to the soil health. Decomposing cover crops add to the organic matter in the soil. The organic matter feeds the soil biotope - which in exchange contributes a substantial amount of nitrogen to grow future crops.
Did you notice the smoothness of our deliveries? Eric and Mike are doing an excellent and important job, getting the fruits of our labor to your doorstep. Their diligence is nothing but admirable!
To another week of exceptional produce,
Your farmers,
Raymond and Sara
In this week's share:
In this week’s share, expect Red Maria potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, Nantes carrots, Savoy cabbage or kale (Full share only), and tomatoes (either red, turning, or green).
We are rotating parsley, broccoli, all the peppers, and eggplant.
U-Pick update:
Last week we started a little bit of a fall clean-up in the U-Pick: we moved the cherry tomatoes that were well over their prime, as well as some sad looking sunflowers. Vibrant smaller flowers, culinary herbs (like the rosemary in the picture), a large selection of hot peppers, and more remain. Still worth a visit!
The garden is open from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily, no appointment necessary, and is complementary to your Fox Creek Farm CSA membership. No additional charge – we just ask you to pick what you will use, and to keep in mind that the garden is shared with a lot of other CSA members.
You'll find bags and harvest scissors in the blue box!
Recipe: Glazed Carrots
These glazed carrots are tender carrot coins simmered in a mixture of brown sugar and butter and topped with a sprinkling of parsley. An easy side dish that's perfect for an everyday dinner.
Ingredients
About 1 1/2 lbs carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
Place the carrots in a large pan and add 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring the carrots to a simmer, and cook for 8-10 minutes or until carrots are tender. Drain off any excess water. Add the butter, brown sugar and salt to the pan. Stir to coat the carrots. Add a little bit of water, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a sauce has formed. Sprinkle with parsley if desired, then serve.
Pre-announcement: We're getting ready for our End-of-season 2022 sign-up campaign!
We've started working on our plans for the 2022 growing season, and as usual we will give our current membership the first opportunity to reserve a produce share for the next growing season. As you know, we completely sold out in 2020 and 2021, and it doesn't take more than a small deposit to guarantee your spot for next year.
We will release the 2022 membership form and open the website store on Saturday, October 9. More information to follow in next week's newsletter.
Questions? Concerns? A recipe to share? Contact your farmers!
We encourage you to share your questions, concerns, or recipes with us: we love to hear from you! Email is best, but if you would like to leave us a message on the phone we will return your call at our earliest convenience (518-872-2375).