This Week at the Farm: Thanksgiving Food and A Little History

Despite a couple of warm sunny days, we’ve experienced our fair share of blustery winds and gray skies this week. Temperatures are gradually dropping, barely reaching above freezing in the 10-day forecast and, with the sun setting around 4:30pm, the warm, sunny days of summer are a distant memory.

It’s cold outside, and yet the farmstand – open Friday (12-6), Saturday (10-3), and Sunday (10-3) – is a little haven of warmth, with baked goods, hot cider, and coffee for you to enjoy while you visit. This time of the year, it’s packed with organic produce, prepared foods, beautiful indoor plants, and an array of local and organic grocery items.

Winter is coming… stock up!

While root vegetables and storage crops make up the majority of the produce in the farmstand this time of the year, the production crew is still regularly harvesting lettuce mix, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and kale.

Spinach is nearly done for the season and, although lettuces and kales are planted in the hoop houses, there’s only so much time before it’s too cold for them to grow. We recommend stocking up on greens and freezing them while they’re in season! (Note: Both kale and spinach can go directly in the freezer (without blanching), and are perfect for adding to soups and smoothies when the fresh stuff is no longer available.)

Now is also the ideal time to stock up on select root vegetables and storage crops. If you buy them in bulk, you can use some in your Thanksgiving recipes and preserve the rest to use throughout the winter.

Get 20% off when you buy 25 lbs or more of the following:

• Beets
• Carrots
• Onions
• Potatoes (Sifra, Anushka, Purple Majesty, Magic Molly) **mix and match varieties
• Winter Squash (Carnival, Acorn, Spaghetti) **mix and match varieties

Thanksgiving Pre-Orders

Thanksgiving is a time to eat, relax, and enjoy time with friends and family. This year, we want to help you out! We’re whipping up delicious desserts and seasonal sides in our farm kitchen to supplement your family’s favorite recipes. Fresh rolls, roasted fall vegetables, carrots glazed with maple syrup… pumpkin cheesecake with a ginger crumble crust, chocolate beet layer cake with buttercream and chocolate ganache, pumpkin pie with a flaky brisee crust, to name a few.

Order by noon on November 18 and pick up during farmstand hours on Monday (12-6), Tuesday (12-6), and Wednesday (10-3) before Thanksgiving.

Celebrating Indigenous Cultures

Did you know that the “classic” Thanksgiving feast as we know it – turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc. – is not an authentic representation of the first Thanksgiving meal? To recognize and celebrate the cultures of native peoples on this controversial holiday, consider including indigenous recipes as part of your meal this year. The First Nations Development Institute has some delicious looking recipes for you to try out. The Three Sisters Soup sounds especially tasty!

Agricultural Literacy Week

Hosted by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT), the Vermont Department of Libraries, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, Agricultural Literacy Week is dedicated to celebrating the importance of farms in Vermont communities. This year’s theme is “Celebrating our Ancestral Roots”. Libraries across the state will host events featuring storytellers, with the four main events focusing on Abenaki heritage. There is a lot to learn from the agricultural and land-use practices of indigenous peoples. They may even teach us how to develop better systems in the face of “climate chaos”.

A local event at the Bradford Library on November 15 (6:30-8:30) features a presentation on how the practices of pre-contact indigenous peoples in New England and pre-20th century diversified farms in Vermont can teach us about “resilient agriculture in the age of climate chaos”.

Upcoming events

• Friday, Nov. 9 – Farmstand open (12-6, weekly)
  
• Saturday, Nov. 10 – Farmstand open (10-3, weekly)
  
• Sunday, Nov. 11 – Farmstand open (10-3, weekly), Knife Sharpening (10–2)