Final week of the main season! 

What's in the box? 

medium share

• garlic
• onions
• peppers
• hakuri (aka salad) turnips
• carrots
• brussels sprouts
• dino(lacinato) kale
• broccoli or cauliflower  
• yukon gold potatoes
• diakon radish
• cabbage (savoy for small, storage for medium and large)
• winter squash (butternut for medium and large, acorn or sweet dumpling for small)
• salad mix (medium and large)
• vitamin green (large)

small share

Notes on the box. 

It's the last box of the main season! 

Diakon radish will hold in your fridge for quite a long time.  It is great to use in kimchi or shredded and added to salad. 

We had to take the brussels sprouts off the stalks to fit them in your boxes. They are best roasted in your oven or on the stovetop.  Bacon and brussel sprouts?  YES. 

Cheese Shares.

I ran out of the waxed paper that I usually wrap the cheese in and had to use plastic wrap. 

The yellower cheese is a variation on an English style cheese.  It is aged two and a half months and tastes like Summer to me.  Great all purpose and snacking cheese. 

The cheese with the quilt design tape on the wrapper is our gruyere type aged 6 months.  It goes perfectly with roasted vegetables or melted into any kind of galette, grilled cheese sandwich, or to top off a chunk of bread on french onion soup.   

Did you know that if you signed up for a Season Extension, you can get cheese and eggs added on to that?  YES!  So if you would like to add that, please let us know and we can add it to your account. 

Recipes.

please check back! 

On the farm.

We are wrapping things up and very grateful for the warmer weather to harvest and pack the last box of the main season.  Sam had his last day with us last Friday and Ben and Dana will be heading off at the end of this week.  Haley will stay on to help out with the season extension shares (last chance to sign up!).  We can't say enough about how great the crew has been this season.  Super strong, competent, resilient, thoughtful, and fun people picking and packing your produce this season.  They also planted and tended to each seed, weeded the crops, helped with problem solving, and caring for animals on the farm.  We cook and share lunch together and live in a family style setting all season long.  It's a very challenging job and takes adjustment as a lifestyle.  Farming certainly isn't for everyone, but we could confidently say that anyone on our crew this season is fully capable and would make a great farmer! 

There is a survey in your email and we hope that you will take some time to fill it out and let us know how the season went for you, what you would improve upon, and any other thoughts you might have.  This season we took out the section about quantities of each individual crop.  It is so subjective and in the past we have had a quarter of respondents saying "too much", a quarter saying "not enough" and half saying "just the right amount" of any given crop.  We will continue to try to grow the best quality possible and include usable quantities of vegetables each week.  We DO need to hear about any quality concerns that you may have had so that we can improve.   We did have a few instances of boxes toppling over in the back of the delivery van and crushing peoples tomatoes and possibly bruising other veggies.  We are looking into tote style boxes for next season.  We will have to find something affordable that works with our share sizes, but hopefully that will happen for next season.  We also know that the melons were pretty spotty as to good and bad ones this year, and that some of the radishes in the spring were overgrown.  Please do let us know of any other areas of improvement that we can work on! 

Overall, I'd say this was a pretty good season.  The spring was great with perfect weather.  The Summer was okay with some sudden cold weather that threw us and some crops for a loop.  Then the warm fall came with way too much rain during what is normally the driest part of the season, so that has been a little difficult.  But we didn't have any major pest infestations, we are noticing the effects of the soil building and improvement that we have been working on, we are working out systems to gain efficiencies, and we are still and always learning and adapting. 

We've been really pleased with the feedback that we've gotten on the cheese and happy to have the resturants and stores that we've brought it to be very receptive.  Raw milk cheese from 100% grass fed cows is quite rare and we hope that the choices that we make in raising our animals and in the cheese making process are noted for how unique they are!  Starting a new business and learning the ropes for marketing cheese has been full of learning and challenges, but we are loving it all and will continue to develop this side of our business in hopes of creating a balance and harmony on our farm between our lands fertility needs and our animals and our own work load.

We will be holding off on 2016 signups likely until January.  Don't fear, though!  Our previous members always get first dibs on shares and we will let you know as soon as we are taking sign-ups!  If you are a returning member, you will ALWAYS get priority in signing up. 

Also, we will be emailing you periodically to let you know about Winter farmer's markets that we will be attending with some storage crops and with cheese.  We are planning on making some gift baskets for the holidays for pickup at the markets, so be on the lookout for that! 

We are so grateful for your support and commitment this season.  We would not be here without it!  Thank you for your contribution to relocalizing the food system, supporting our small family farm, and for voting with your forks and dollars for an environmentally sustainable and just agriculture! 

Thank you for letting us be your farmers! 

What's in the box?

medium share

small share

• red fingerling potatoes

• onions

• carrots

• rainbow chard

• braising mix (bagged)

• bell peppers

• thyme

• broccoli

• cauliflower (medium and large)

• butternut squash (medium and large)

• delicata squash (small)

Notes on the box. 

Remove tops from carrots before storing.  They store best in a plastic bag in our crisper.

Rainbow Chard should be stored in a plastic bag in your crisper.

Braising Mix is good quickly cooked down in a little butter with a bit of broth or water until it's good and wilted.  You can then add it to pizzas, quiche, or make a hot sandwich with the braised greens, some roasted bell peppers, some herbed quark or cream cheese, and smoked meat or bacon on a sturdy roll. 

These potatoes are a new variety for us this season.  They are a red fingerling and we really like them!  They are great for roasting.  They will store best in a paper bag outside of your fridge.  Ideal storage temp is around 45 degrees, so a cool basement or garage is a perfect place to store potatoes, onions, squash, and garlic. 

Broccoli and Cauliflower will store best in a plastic bag in your fridge crisper.

Thyme is so great!  The leaves can be removed from the stems and added to vinaigrette.  It is also really wonderful with roasted meats or vegetables.  IT loves to be with potatoes or squash.  If you are braising meat or making a soup or stew, tie the thyme sprigs together with some twine and put the little bunch into the stew as it cooks.  This way you won't have thyme stems in your finished dinner.  It can be kept in a plastic baggie in your fridge.  If you leave it on your counter, it will dry over several days.  

Cheese Shares.

This week we have quarkagain!  Yay! 
And also a tomme.  I was trying to get to a tomme similar to the first one that I sent out this season, but I didn't have much luck getting the thick layer of mold on the outside of the cheese.  So instead it's more similar to the others from the later spring.  This one is 3 months old.  Not the prettiest wheels on the outside, and it's not exactly what I was hoping for, it's still a tasty cheese. 

Recipes.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup from Smitten Kitchen
the recipe calls for canned pumpkin, but roasted and pureed butternut, pumpkin, or even acorn squash will work

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters from Smitten Kitchen

Roasted Red Fingerlings with Thyme and Whole Grain Mustard

• 1 lb. fingerling, small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, unpeeled
• 1 Tbs. thyme leaves, removed from stem
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (or other fat of your choice)
• 1 Tbs. whole-grain Dijon mustard
•  salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheatoven to 400°F.  If the potatoes are larger than 1 1/2 inches in diameter, cut them in half lengthwise. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with thyme leaves. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil and mustard. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the potatoes, then season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat the potatoes evenly, then spread them out in a single layer.  Roast the potatoes, turning them 2 or 3 times, until the skins are golden and the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork, 40 to 45 minutes. Eat 'em up!

Turkey Meatballs over Greens (for your braising greens and/or chard)

MEAT!

We have 6 pigs unsold that are going to the butcher on the 19th of Oct. prices are as follows and includes all processing and delivery to home or drop site.

whole hog 4$ lb. hanging weightapproximately 160# = 640$

half hog 4.50$ lb. approximately 80# = 360$

quarter hog 5.50 $ lb. approximately 40#=  220$

All pigs are heritage red wattle and Hereford cross breeds, fed 100% organic grain, and whey from the creamery. Raised in the sunlight, so a fantastic source of soluble Vit D for the winter months.

If you are interested in any of these options let us know by email. delivery will be approximately last week of Oct or 1st week November.

 

On the Farm.

As a farmers we are constantly thinking about the future, days, months, and years ahead. This isn't an affliction of not living in the present moment but rather a very practical and daunting task to attempt to stem off the bleeding that is not being prepared. Do we have the money to buy compost now in the fall so we have it for spring when road bans are on? Do we take the plastic off the greenhouses so we can let the ground freeze and catch snow or do we try to plant some crops and try for an early succession?  We are at that point where we look back on the season with a fresh memory and decide what worked, and what didn't this year.  Where can we improve?   We will be sending out a survey soon we really hope you respond to the questions. You are a big part of our decision making!  We are growing food for YOU. We need you to tell us where we can improve, and what we did well.  But before I give you a false sense of control, let's temper that statement with this fact; much of what we both might want is out of our control.  For example, we wanted spinach in these last four boxes, but it rained a LOT and drown it all.  The idea of a true CSA is that we have a community of committed eaters who support the farm financially and sometimes physically so we can grow your food and not worry about where we are going to sell it and for how much.  To put it another way that means members don't jump ship because they didn't get enough lettuce or the brussel sprouts didn't size up. This is the shared risk that is part of the true CSA model.  A CSA membership means much more than just the right selection of Organic produce at a rock bottom price. We are a family farm in a time when there are few of us, and we are working to keep small family farms alive and viable. Community Supported Agriculture is about rural revitalization, it means we live and farm here in Clear Lake WI.  We show this community that it is possible to have a small diverse farm and make a living and we provide meaningful, fun and safe employment for people that live here. We become a magnet for more like minded people and then this community grows and the community of eaters benefit from the security that provides. I've said this before, but Turnip Rock Farm wouldn't exist without our dedicated members. Some of our 8-10 year members will remember some of our first years with low fertility fields, still working out systems, still LEARNING how to farm (and we are still learning now and always). If those members would have given up on us, we wouldn't be here now. The weather isn't always going to cooperate, the cards won't always fall in our favor. I'll remind you at the end of a FANTASTIC growing season that farmers take tremendous risk and the margins of this business, even with a dedicated CSA membership, is razor thin.  Your support means everything to us. Thank you for a great season and allowing us to stay here and care for this piece of earth.

Many of you may not know this, but we have been renting this farm for the past two and three quarter years and building up infrastructure. Although we hoped to have more time to get our financial feet back under us after our move from New Auburn, next week we will be signing a mortgage on this farm.  This is a big deal!  So here is to the future of good eating and good stewardship for the long haul. !  We look forward to putting in some perennials and planting some trees.  More roots!

Enjoy the second to last box of the main season.  The colors, textures, and flavors of fall are at peak right now.  Next week is the last week of the summer season, week 18.  We have a few season extension shares left (that's 4 weeks added on to the end of the season).  Email us if you want to sign up.  And if you'd like to keep eating wonderful local food all Winter long, we really encourage you to check out the true Winter Share from our friends and mentors at Foxtail Farm.  We are partnering with them to add the option of cheese to their deliveries!  Have a wonderful week and happy eating!

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And now some more beautiful photos of the farm from Dana

What's in the box?  

Medium Share

small share

• Winter Squash
• Garlic
• Red onions
• Yukon Gold potatoes
• bell peppers
• carrots
• radishes
• brussel sprout tops
• eggplant
• cauliflower (medium and large)
• arugula (medium and large)
• broccoli (large)

Notes on the box.  

Winter Squash this week is a mix.  You will get delicata and either acorn (dark green with deep ribs), autumn crown (squat beige pumpkin type), pie pumpkin (looks like a small pumpkin), or spaghetti squash (oblong and bright yellow).  We didn't grow enough of any one of these squash for all boxes to get the same variety.  Winter Squash do not need to be stored in your fridge.  They store best at room temperature.

Remove the tops from the carrots and radishes before storing them.  They will keep longer with tops removed.

Potatoes should be stored in a dark dry area, but not in the fridge.   Same with Garlic and Onions.  

Brussel Sprout Tops can be used as you would kale, collards, spinach, or chard.  They are more tender than kale and cook more quickly and have a nice brussel sprout flavor.  Hopefully the sprouts size up in time for the last CSA box.  Or the Winter shares!  

Cheese Shares.  

We have a creamy Feta and the gouda type cheese again (that still hasn't been named).  The creamy Feta is perfect for making a feta dip or dressing to  serve with roasted veggies, to put on a burger, or to use as a spread.  

Feta Dip

1/2 to 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt, 1/2 cup Feta Cheese, 1 small clove crushed garlic, fresh herbs (Rosemary, Oregano, and/or parsley work well),  2 Tbsp lemon juice, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Put all ingredients in a bowl and whip together until well blended. Great on Pita chips, or with carrot, red peppers, cauliflower, and radish crudite.  

Recipes.  

Cauliflower Cake

Cheesy Hasselback Potato

Farmer Ben's Shredded Winter Squash Fritters

• 2-3 cups shredded winter squash (you can use delicata, acorn, buttercup and none of these need to be peeled.  Just scoop out the seeds and shred on a box grater or your food processor)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons minced fresh sage (or other fresh herb, optional)
• oil for frying

Mix shredded squash, flour, eggs, and herbs together.  Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet.  Drop squash mixture by the spoonful into hot oil.  You may need to gently spread fritters out if your batter is very thick.  Fry until browned on each side (2-3 min per side).  Transfer fritters to plate lined with paper towels or pieces of paper bag to absorb excess oil.  Serve hot.  

On the Farm.

We had a really wonderful time at the Harvest Party!  So happy to see familiar faces and to meet long time members that we had never met and to meet new members, as well.  So many kids!  It was a blast.  If anyone has pictures from the party that they would like to share for the blog, sent them our way.  If you weren't able to make it to the party but are traveling through the area, please feel free to give us a call and come out to see the farm.  

We still have some Winter Shares left.  That's 4 additional weeks added to the end of the season.  Click here to sign up, but let us know if you have any trouble and we will be happy to add the Winter Share to your account.  

We put postcards about our friend Nancy's Fall/ Winter Herbal CSA share.  Her farm is called Red Clover Herbal Apothocary.  The CSA is  a one time delivery and if you sign up for one, we will deliver it to your dropsite with your CSA box.  She does a really wonderful job. Please consider a share with her!  Or you can find her at the Mid-Town Market on Saturdays.  

sunrise on the farm

wagon rides!

hooray!

Otto preparing his favorite recipe, Sweet Pepper Salad, which is just cut up bell peppers.