CSA Week 5
~ Week A Half Share members + Full Share members ~
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life. Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.
Never take the first. Never take the last. Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half. Leave some for others. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken. Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken. Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.
― Robin Wall Kimmerer,Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
This past week Conscious Clothing visited the farm for a workwear shoot & feature of the farm. One of the interview questions I typed up yesterday was What does a typical day look like for you?. Which I felt it worth sharing here given I focused the attention on a July day….
Each day is guided by the needs of the farm & the passing seasons. In July the workdays are in stride with the rising & falling sun; we balance a hefty load & an endless list of tasks. With the solstice behind us we know to prioritize fall harvests, so we seed storage carrots & plant successions of cabbage, kale, swiss chard, broccolini, radicchio, celery. The garlic planted last November is harvested & now curing slowly in the shade. The onions will be putting energy into their bulb growth, but currently they are being shaded out by weeds. So we’ll have a ~ save the alliums with a big weeding session ~ very soon. All this in hopes that the bounty will continue filling supper tables through months of snowfall.Â
We also know to prioritize the summer crops that have begun to flower & fruit. The tomatoes reach towards the sun, surpassing my head as the green globes ripen to shades of yellow, orange, & red. All the pests love eggplant, yet they are resilient & now covered in lavender blooms. The cucumbers climb their host trellis with ease & hydrate us throughout the day; there is no comparison to a warm cucumber sunny day snack. The melons are taking form, growing larger by the day. The field of peppers has caught my attention lately because their leaves are hosting a bacterial disease that, if not tended to, could spread widely. With the high humidity & drastic weather patterns this season, we have noticed high rates of disease & pest pressure in the field.
So with this all in mind, we begin a July day. Let’s say it is a Tuesday……
~ A dawn beginning. If it is an especially hot week, we start at 6:30.Â
~ Breakfast, coffee, a check-in about the week’s priorities. I do this alongside the other farmers here, Brian, Kade & Michelle. On Tuesdays we try to do this assessment by taking a full field walk. This allows us to appreciate the growth, note the beauty of each other’s projects, channel curiosities, assess the tasks ahead of us…..
What disease or pest pressure can be tended to? Where do we need to take preventative measures? What beds need to be planted this week? What needs to be direct seeded & what needs to be weeded? What does the greenhouse seeding schedule look like for the week? What will be harvested for Friday & Saturday market vs CSA shares? What infrastructure projects will Brian or Kade balance throughout the week? Do we need to spend any time at our storage crop field (our leased second location nearby)?
~ Until about 11 am I fill whatever role makes sense. Sometimes this means I write the weekly CSA newsletter, work alongside the crew to prep, plant, seed, weed, or I prepare routes for future tasks to be completed. There are many small ways that I am able to offer myself & my knowledge in hopes of easing the workday.
~ Late in the morning I prepare a group lunch. Cooking for others is my greatest joy & I feel so lucky to share the bounty of the season in this way.Â
~ After lunch I harvest & wash Tuesday’s CSA shares, a small group for the folks that pick up their produce on the farm. If I am able to complete this prior to Kade & Michelle heading out for the day, I will often hop in on whatever they may be working on.Â
~ During Tuesday CSA pickup Brian & I can often be found in the field weeding, catching up on pruning or trellising, or occasionally finishing up a greenhouse seeding list.Â
~ Family dinner with our good friends & housemates, Alex & Ness. We sit as the sun falls.Â
The moon rises, the sun will rise all too soon. Wednesday’s tasks will be much different than Tuesday’s. For this, we are always grateful.
CSA Harvest Week 5
This is our best guess of what will be in your share! Harvest list subject to changes :)
~ Kale
~ Chard
~ Broccolini
~ Fennel or Kohlrabi
~ Cucumber
~ Beets
~ Cucumber
~ Fresh Garlic!!!!!
~ Herb Choice
~ Napa Cabbage or Fresh Cabbage
Recipes to Pair…..
Beet Fennel Soup ~ I lovvveeeeee, great chilled soup option!
Cucumber Soup w/ Bacon Gremolata
Melon, Cucumber, Corn Salad ~ Melon & cukes are one of my favorite combos. For another fun recipe with this pairing, I would recommend checking out Abra Berens book, Pulp.
Chocolate Chip Fennel Cookies ~ Here I share my favorite cookies to arrive at the party with.
As always, please reach out to stillwindfarm@proton.me, Mik (616-402-7415), Brian (616-676-6527) with questions!
xoxo,
Mik
