Week 18. That's all folks. This is the last week and I am happy to have made it. I was a little worried for a while. I really wanted to quit at about week 9. I wasn't getting the harvests I wanted, someone asked for their money back and I was losing the land for next year. My family, friends and quite a few of you helped me through. You reminded me it was my first year. You told me some of the things I was doing well and how great the veggies tasted. I came to realize that I wanted to try again. I've enjoyed so much about this work and I know I can do better next year. I'm really looking forward to the break that winter brings but I'm also excited to do this all again next year with more knowledge. Next week we'll start in earnest at the new place and getting that garlic planted. I know the leaves haven't fallen yet but please think of me when you are cleaning up your yards. I will take your yard waste. Send me an email and I will come and get it or you can drop it off at my house. Just put it in the front path. I'm going to send out a survey so that I can get your feedback on this year. I'm well aware of many shortcomings but it would be great to see if there is anything I missed or maybe you thought I did better than I think I did. Look for it soon. Next season I will be capping the vegetable box shares at 20 small boxes. This year I went above that and some weeks I had almost 30 shares to pack. It was definitely too many people and not enough produce. I may still offer the every other week share but only if I have enough interest to fill the alternate weeks. There will be 2 days for pick up. Tuesday and Friday at Lowell Ave. Any other pickup locations will depend on the number of people who sign up and may include an additional fee. I'm still mulling over pricing but founding members (that would be you since you signed up in the first year) will get their box for the same price as this year. $20 per week for the small and $35 per week for the large. I'll send the sign up link with the survey in the next couple weeks. Leeks and ParsnipsLeeks and parsnips. Those are the feature vegetables this week. Lots of them to go with your Thanksgiving turkey or whatever you eat as you gather with your family this weekend. There is also the usual lettuce and arugula. Cilantro is the featured herb. You'll also get carrots and tomatoes. The tomatoes will be green. Like I said in the last post, they will still ripen, especially if you leave them in a warm sunny window, and you can eat them green. Tomatoes don't like the fridge they will go mealy. With some of the other vegetables there aren't enough to go around so everyone will get something a little different. These vegetables include radish, squash, cabbage (yes there are a couple!), rutabega, broccoli, peppers, zucchini, cucumber, beans and even eggplant. What do you do with those parsnips? Maybe you've never even tried a parsnip. I hadn't until I met my husband. Parsnips are related to carrots and parsley. They are a very cold tolerant vegetable and can be left in the ground well after frost. They are delicious roasted like most vegetables. My husband roasts them with honey. They can be added to mashed potatoes along with garlic and sage for a twist on the usual mash. You can add the leeks too. If you like to juice they go well with carrots. If you eat meat they are well suited to turkey, game meats, beef and pork. I think there are a lot of options for them and I think that they could replace carrots in a lot of things. The leeks? Leek and potato soup of course! My leeks rarely get used for anything else. The little ones go well in a stir fry or vegetable pasta or in pretty much anything you use onions for. This soup recipe combines the leeks and the parsnips. Parsnip Soup with Leeks
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April 2022
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