All Good Things…

Another season comes to a close here on the farm.  Our last pick-up will be one for the pantry with potatoes and winter squash leading the way.  Read on for our bulleted list of how to store all of these year end items to enjoy into the winter months. By all accounts we have had a an exceptional year of produce and quite possibly the most pleasant in the past decade from the farmer’s point of view. We had regular rain, temperate temperatures, and no wild cards in the form of disease or pest invasions.  Our farm crew was top notch this year, working hard since we started in the snowy fields in April. When all of this comes together all we can say is thank you.

IMG_9366We hope that you can make good use of all this food in the weeks or maybe even months to come. Fall, especially in the northeast where we know that darker days are coming, is the season of gathering. Bringing together all the ingredients we need to make the winter comfortable and warm. Beyond the food you bring home from the farm we hope that your weekly visits this summer can also be stored away and enjoyed again when the snow flies and the days are shorter. When our kids were little we read them a favorite book about a group of mice preparing for winter. These mice would gather nuts and seeds, straw and grass, storing all of it away in an old stone wall where they lived. All of the mice worked very hard at this except for one named Frederick who would be seen just looking out at the sunrise or studying the fall flowers. The other mice asked him what he was doing while they worked so hard. He replied “I’m gathering the suns warmth because winter is cold and the colors of the fall because the months ahead are grey.”  As we all rush around filling our stores hopefully we can take a moment to gather up these lovely days and put them up as well.

How Do I Store these Vegetables?IMG_7687

  • Beets, Carrots, Potatoes, Cabbage– Plastic bag with a hole or two (they are alive and have to breath a little) in a cold part of the fridge.
  • Winter Squash and Sweet Potatoes– Pack loose in a box. Cool but not cold (60-55˚) and dry place with little air movement. A closet or garage with some heat is good.
  • Onions– Cold in plastic bag. Keep them away from other storage items (or everything will taste like onions!).

Crystal Spring Farm Grass-Fed Beef Almost Gone

We have but two beef freezer packages left as this newsletter goes out. If you are thinking about this act now! Here is the description of what we are offering: Fill your freezer with Crystal Spring Farm Grass Fed Beef this winter.   Our grass-fed and grass finished animals are raised on Crystal Spring Farm certified Organic pastures.  Grass-fed beef is high in healthy Omega-3’s and cancer fighting CLA’s not to mention it tastes great.  Family Freezer Packages are $325 for 45 pounds and come frozen and vacuum packed. This amount will fit into the standard size family freezer but without much space to spare. We ask for a deposit of $50 and we will be in contact with the date in December when your beef will be ready. Follow this link to make you deposit online.

Each package will include:

  •  Assortment of 10-14 oz steaks including Delmonico, Sirloin, and NY Strip
  •  Several 2-3 lb Roasts
  •  1lb packages of Ground
  •  1lb packages of Kebobs and Steak Tips
  •  1lb packages of Stew Cubes

Reserve Your Farm Share for Next Year!

Many Thanks to all of you who have signed up with us for next season!  We have had a great record turnout so far and will open up sign-up to our wait list later this week.  If you have not signed up yet and are planning on it please do!  We have an easy payment plan program to break up the cost of your share over the winter. Click here for the link.

What’s In the Share…

Carrots

Sweet Potatoes

Potatoes

Lettuce

Parsnips

Kale

Winter Squash

Onions

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage