17th CSA Week

Week # 17 eh.  Crazyness.  I can hardly believe that next week will be the final pick-up for the 2012 season.  Lost of folks were asking me tonight if I was going to be glad to be done.  Honestly, yes I am very happy that next week will be the final pick-up.  My back is sore, my fingers and hands are dry and cracked making for everyday tasks like buttons and shoe laces to be a rather slow and painful experience.  I've got the nightly bag balm treatment in effect but its not really helping.  Derek says my hands feel like sand paper, how romantic : )  But on the flip side I'm also going to miss my weekly routine and the free workout!!!  Nothing like hauling bins filled with vegetables around to keep one in tip top shape.  I love working outside and getting a good 12 hour work day out in the elements sure makes for a great nights sleep.  I will of course miss everyone at pick-up.  I have so enjoyed this season and all the members and their families that I get to see each week.  I feel so blessed to have such a great group of supportive customers!!! 

So what will I do after next week?  Well, that list is WAY too long but it involves planting garlic, digging the rest of the veggies that are in the field (which in terms of carrots is going to be a big job!!!), paper work paper work and more paper work, did I mention paper work??? and planning for next season just to name a few.  I'll also have more time to focus on my other little side line job that I do helping potato growers get ready for their on-farm food safety audits.  It's something I've been doing since 2008 and I love it!!  I've got a few speaking engagements in November which I'm looking forward to and then its off to the ski park in the new year where I work in the rental shop (that is if it snows!!).  So, needless to say I keep busy and I'm sure Ben & Jake will enjoy having me around more and not having to share me with vegetables!!

So, what's in this weeks large share?  Carrots, parsnips, hakuri turnips, beets, acorn winter squash, lettuce mix, peppers & leeks.  The grab boxes had purple cabbage, hot peppers, dill, cilantro, parsley, winter squash (spaghetti, buttercup, butternut, hubbard, delicata and pie pumpkins), celery, celeriac, fennel, bok choy, chinese cabbage, radishes, tatsoi, some tomatoes and more of the above mentioned veggies. 

Grab boxes

Fennel

It's pretty nice to have Hakurei turnips back in the mix of things.  They sure are pretty little things. 

Celeriac, what an ugly vegetable eh!!  It's a variety of celery that is grown for it's root, some folks call it celery root but seed catalogues call it celeriac.  I have grown it a few times but it never gets any bigger than a large marble so its nice to have some decent sized ones to give out.  Just peel them, chop them up and add to potatoes when boiling and mash into mashed potatoes.  Or chop them up and add into a soup and puree for a nice fresh celery flavour. 

 

Let's hope the sun sticks around a bit to help dry out the land so that the potato farmers can get their crop out of the ground.   Bone dry summer and then it rains every second day this fall.  Good old mother nature is always up to something.