This Week at the Farm: Signs of Fall
It’s that time of year! The first leaves are beginning to change color and the mornings are cool and foggy. After a few more days of temperatures in the 80s, it’ll finally begin to feel like fall.
Another sign of fall is pumpkins! Although our pick-your-own patch isn’t open just yet, we do have some displayed around the farmstand, along with fall gourds, mums, flowering kales, pansies, and ornamental peppers.
Starting next week, you can buy fall bulbs in the farmstand. Plant them now, and you’ll have beautiful flowers in the spring!
By the way, have you noticed anything different about the newsletter? Last week we launched our new website! It should be easier for you to navigate and, with the weekly newsletter now located in the blog, you’ll be able to access it from the homepage, come back to it later, and share it with your friends! We have to admit, there have been some hiccups as we figure out the new system. Last week’s newsletter had some broken links – they should work now (please let us know if they don’t)!
Family Education Programs
Get the family together and join us for one (or both!) of our family education workshops. Learn sustainable gardening techniques in Home Gardening (Sept. 29th) and the ins and outs of small-scale chicken husbandry in Backyard Chickens (Oct 13th). These programs are $6 per person and FREE for kids under 5.
From the kitchen
The kitchen has been focusing on preserving, as they do most weeks. If you stop in the farmstand, here are a few things you’ll find:
- Sweet pickle relish
- Pepper corn relish (not peppercorn relish!)
- Tomato chili preserves, a sweet preserve that pairs well with bread and a mild cheese
- Plum preserves **made with plums from our orchard, also featured in baked goods this weekend!
- Golden kraut
Our stuffed peppers are perfect for a quick meal. (All you have to do is reheat them.) They’re vegetarian, made with CCF organic heirloom beans, and absolutely delicious! They’re a great example of a course you might get in a weekly share of our fall Friday Night Dinner CSA, which starts October 12.
From the fields
Late summer produce (peppers, corn, etc.) is still available in the farmstand, but not for long! Next week we’ll harvest our last planting of corn, so make sure you stock up while it’s still available. We had a rough couple of weeks with smaller ears and worms, but they’re big and super delicious right now!
We’re starting the transition to cooler weather crops – like spinach, winter squash, pumpkins – and the field crew is working on “bulking” beets, which is yet another sign that cooler weather and shorter days are coming.
Over 14,000 strawberry plugs were delivered on Tuesday, and the crew worked together to plant them all in one day! They’ll weed and care for them throughout the fall, then cover them with straw for the winter.
Volunteer on October 7th!
Our Pumpkin Festival is a huge success each year thanks to the 50+ people who volunteer! In exchange for a morning or afternoon shift, all volunteers get free admission to the festival, lunch, and a coupon for a 20% discount in the farmstand (valid through the end of the year). We hope you can join the fun!
Upcoming Events
- Saturday, Sept. 14 – Little Farmers (10–11am)
- Sunday, Sept. 15 – Knife Sharpening (10am–2pm)
- Tuesday, Sept. 18 – Little Farmers (10–11am)
- Thursday, Oct. 4 – Free Farm Tour (5:15–6pm)
- Sunday, Oct. 7 – Pumpkin Festival (10am–3pm), Knife Sharpening (10am–2pm)
