2015 CSA Newsletters & Photos

An archive of our  2015 season, our fourth season here at Alternative Roots Farm.

The "Posts" contain pictures of each box & a link to the newsletter.

Preseason {1} May Newsletter

Preseason {2} June Newsletter
Member Supplements:
Storage Guide • Herb Guide • Honey Add-On Order Form

Week 1 Post • Newsletter

Week 2 Post • Newsletter

Week 3 Post • Newsletter

Week 4 Post • Newsletter

Week 5 Post • Newsletter

Week 6 Post • Newsletter

Week 7 Post • Newsletter

Week 8 Post • Newsletter

Week 9 Post • Newsletter

Week 10 Post • Newsletter

Week 11 Post • Newsletter

Week 12 Post • Newsletter

Week 13 Post • Newsletter

Week 14 Post • Newsletter

Week 15 Post • Newsletter

Week 16 Post • Newsletter

Week 17 Post • Newsletter

Week 18 Post • Newsletter

CSA Week #18 ~ Wrapping up the CSA season!

Week 18, the final delivery of our regular season shares. It's always a bittersweet end. I love seeing our awesome and enthusiastic members every week, but it's also nice to move on to the next wave of chores and projects. This year we will be will be delivering our first "Fall Share" in two weeks, plus we'll likely attend a few markets until we bring our inventory down a bit. Cheers to a great season all!

CSA Newsletter Week #18 ~ Featuring: farm news, info on Fall Shares, produce still available, recipes for radish butter & winter squash-chipotle quesadillas and a poem.

CSA Box Week #18 ~ October 14, 2015

In the Box: butternut squash, broccoli (half shares), red & gold beets, parsnips, yellow onions, 2 bulbs garlic, acorn squash (tan), 3 green peppers, 2lbs German Butterball potatoes, red onions, radishes--Cincinnati Market & White Icicle, pint ground cherries and Brussels sprouts.

A look inside a packed box.

The young herd is growing! After CSA finishes some of our time is spent cleaning up the field--removing crops that are left, planting next year's garlic crop and removing fencing and debris, tilling in what we need to and removing the rest. We will be finishing up our greenhouse and preparing the pigs, pig shelters and pastures for winter. We are expecting the next round of piglets in December after all!

CSA Week #17

Today and yesterday were absolutely beautiful days for harvest! Ending up in beautiful and bountiful fall CSA boxes. The ninth week of deliveries for our A-week half shares, which meant their final delivery. Next week will bring the final week for everyone else.

CSA Week 17 ~ October 7, 2015

In the Box: 3 green peppers, carrots, broccoli (half shares), 3 red onions, large butternut squash, 8 jalapeno peppers, 5 yellow onions, 1lb parsnips (half shares), 2lbs Nicola potatoes, Dinosaur kale, mixed radishes, 1lb leeks, 2 bulbs garlic, sage (half shares) and basil (full shares).

CSA Newsletter Week #17 ~ Featuring: farm news; info on Fall Shares; Featured Veggie: Parsnips; recipes: Grilled Parsnips, Parsnip & Potato Puree, Butternut Squash & Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs.

Half Shares all packed up.

Full Shares all packed up.

Radishes washed and ready for CSA boxes.

I can't believe I picked basil in October! It's starting to look a little rough, but it is aromatic and tasty as ever.

Parsnips, a fall treat.

CSA Week #16

Week 16 boxes were hefty with butternut squash and potatoes! Fall broccoli began coming in, tomatoes and cucumbers end.

CSA Week 16 • September 30, 2015

In the Box: leeks, cucumber, Valencia tomato, broccoli head (full shares), Waltham butternut squash, Caraflex green cabbage (half shares), pint cherry/grape tomatoes, yellow and red onions, herb bunch: sage, 2 Russian Red garlic bulbs, bunch carrots, 2lbs Nicola potatoes, muskmelon (some half shares, not pictured).

CSA Newsletter Week #16

CSA Week #15

CSA delivery from September 23rd. This is a couple weeks late! Needless to say we are keeping busy on the farm ;)

In the Box: 4lbs baking apples, 2 bulbs Georgian Fire garlic, yellow and red onions, Thelma Sanders acorn squash, Valencia yellow tomatoes, bunch celery (half shares), Kennebec potatoes, muskmelon (some half shares), brussels sprouts, green peppers, cucumber (full shares), pint ground cherries, green cabbage.

Week 15 CSA Newsletter

CSA Week #14

This week's delivery brings  even more tastes of fall, with acorn squash adding to the heft of the box. The quote below struck me the other day, this is what we are trying to do--create change. Create an alternative to the current food system, ways of thinking, ways of living. You too are creating change as a consumer in this new way of thinking/eating/being.

"Change in ourselves and in the world in which we live may not take place in a hurry: it will take time. 

But if we don't make an effort nothing will happen at all. Change will not take place because of 

decisions taken by governments or the UN. Real change will take place when individuals 

transform themselves guided by the values that lie at the core of all human ethical systems, 

scientific findings, and common sense." 

-Dalai Lama

Week #14 CSA Box • Sept. 16, 2015

In the Box: Hale's Best muskmelon (full shares/some half shares), 1-3/4lbs beets, 2 red storage onions, 2 bulbs German Red garlic, herb: sage, Valencia tomatoes, leeks, 2 Regent apples, Thelma Sanders heirloom acorn squash, 1 bunch Swiss Chard (pictured) or kale, 6 jalapenos, 1 quart specialty tomatoes (Flamme (orange)/Wapsipinicon Peach (yellow)/Riesentraube (red), 2 Northern Spy heirloom apples, 2 green peppers, bunch celery, 1-2 Gilbertie roma tomato.

Week #14 CSA Newsletter ~ Featuring: farm updates; what members/farmers are making; recipes for acorn squash.

Northern Spy and Regent apples went into CSA boxes, Apple Boosters and Apple Shares.

Leading up to packing CSA boxes and custom Farm Share orders I harvest, sort out items to get delivered (packaging up tomatoes, counting out peppers and onions, weighing out items). Then I line up all of the produce items in the order they will get packed into boxes - my little assembly line.

It looks a little messy, but really, it's totally organized. ;)

CSA packing assembly line.

I also sort out my CSA boxes for the week and fold them so they are ready to go. As you can see we pretty much fully utilize the whole packing shed!

CSA boxes ready for packing.

 Here is this week's box fully packed and ready to go! Stick a newsletter in and we're done.

 Four more weeks to go!

CSA Week #13

Week #13, the last hurrah for cucumbers, tomatoes are winding down a little, as are the summer squash. With 1.88" of rain at the beginning of the week we are good on the rain and hope for sunshine and light wind to keep things dry and healthy. Time to dig potatoes!

In the Box: 2-3 lbs Summer squash and/or zucchini, leeks, 2lbs potatoes--Sangre (pictured) or Kennebec, cooking greens (Brussels sprout tops, use like collards), 3-4 bell peppers, 2 each yellow onions and red onions, basil, lovage, 2 bulbs garlic, pint ground cherries (half shares), 1-2 slicing tomatoes (Valencia or German Johnson), pint specialty tomatoes (Flamme, Wapsipinicon Peach, Riesentraube), one cucumber, 2 apples--Wealthy/Haralson, carrots...watermelon or muskmelon (some shared, not pictured).

Week #13 CSA Newsletter

Carrots are pre-soaked, tops trimmer, spary-washed, hydro-cooled/sanitized, then bunch for members..

 Washing up carrots and leeks, post-harvest, to bunch and pack into CSA boxes and Farm Share orders.

Leeks are spray-washed, beards trimmed, then bunch for members.

CSA Week #12

Week #12 bring us two-thirds of the way through our season. Peppers are coming in more, tomatoes keep up their abundance and apple harvest continues. Summer squash and cucumbers begin to wane, as do the beans. Onions and garlic have finished curing. We will start to see a slow transition into fall fare.

CSA Newsletter Week #12 Featured Veggie: Beets; Recipes for: roasted beets, sautéed Brussels tops; tips for: cooking beets, melons on the grill, drinking water in the morning; along with the usual farm updates and farmer shenanigans.

2015 CSA Week #12

In the Box: 3lbs Kennebec potatoes, 1lb heirloom snap beans, Ronde de Nice summer squash (full shares, 2.5 lbs mixed heirloom tomatoes, a bunch of "Brussels tops" (the top of the Brussels sprout plant, cook like collards), cucumber, pint ground cherries (half shares), 2 bulbs garlic, 3 yellow onions, 1+lb bunch beets, 4 green peppers, apples--2 McIntosh (redder), 2 Wealthy, Blacktail Mountain watermelon (some shares, not pictured).

Apple Boosters received 2 lbs of McIntosh.

Herb Boosters received 1 bunch each: basil, tarragon, thyme, lovage.

CSA Week #11

Week #11 continues the summer bounty. We dig into our mid-season potatoes and some of the Kennebecs are ridiculously large! And beautiful. Tomatoes abound. The aroma of basil greets you as you open your box.

In the Box: Heirloom tomatoes 3.5lbs, 2 leeks, carrots 1lb, pint ground cherries (full shares), basil, summer squash (half shares), German Extra Hardy garlic 2 bulbs, small bunch beets, 3lbs Kennebec potatoes, parsley, 1 cucumber, 3/4lb mixed heirloom snap beans, watermelon (some shares, not pictured).

Week 11 CSA Newsletter ~ featuring farm news, orchard update; featured veggie: tomatoes; recipes: Tomato-Parmesan Quiche, Tomato-Cucumber Salad, Basil Pesto, Garlic Herb Salt; tips for: cooking leeks, tomatoes on the grill, dealing with excess.

Other Farm Shenanigans
Putting Up Loose Hay (You Tube Video)

CSA Week #10

It was a wet and muddy harvest! Tuesday was probably my wettest day I have ever had to work. Rubber boots, rain pants and a rain coat and changing into dry clothes a couple times. Sunday through Wednesday we received four inches of rain. It's all soaking in, it's not muck out there, so this ground water recharge could be very nice; however, a sunny day, with a moderate wind would do well to dry out the foliage, as we continue to battle disease in the field. The leeks did pull out nice without having to dig them! Our Tuesday night potato digging date wasn't as mucky as I expected and produced some fantastic 'taters.

Muddy leeks and potatoes, harvested and ready for washing before delivery.

CSA Newsletter Week #10 ~ Featuring a recipe for Best Ever French Beans and how to grill-roast peppers; instruction on preparing leeks; featured veggie: potatoes; updates from the field and pasture.

In the Box: Blacktail Mountain heirloom watermelon, not pictured (some shares), red table onions, green peppers (half shares), sage, small bunch Swiss chard/kale, Centennial Crab apples, Craig's Grande Jalapeños, big bunch leeks, 2 quarts/2.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes, 3-4 lbs Sangre potatoes, summer squash, mixed cucumbers, 1 lb Purple Podded Pole beans, two bulbs garlic.

Building a box...

Layer 1 ~ potatoes, summer squash, cukes and leeks.

Layer 2 ~ add in the tomatoes, crabapples, beans.

Layer 3 ~ top it off with sage, garlic, chard/kale, peppers, onions.

CSA Week #9

Week #9 marked a half way point in our delivery season, as well as the first main season apples, green peppers and cured garlic. Tomatoes are starting to kick up a notch and red peppers are blushing in the field.

CSA Newsletter Week #9 ~ Featuring recipes for zucchini bread & a basil vinaigrette, as well as an article by Brooke "Food Waste: Put Your Guilt in the Compost."

In the Box: Green peppers, beets, carrots, basil, mixed heirloom tomato quart, 5 mixed cucumbers, ~2lb zucchini, heirloom tomato slicer (half shares), Beacon apples, celery, red table onions, Ronde de Nice summer squash (half shares), papalo (herb), 1/2 pt French Gray shallots, bulb German Extra Hardy garlic.

CSA Week #8

This is so late! Apologies. I was away from the computer, then not wanting to be at the computer, then time went by. Here is a snapshot of last Wednesday's CSA delivery.

2015 CSA Week #8

In the Box: Ronde de Nice summer squash, Sangre new potatoes, cucumbers, green onions, basil, 1 lb of leeks, beets, celery, carrots, French Gray shallots, mint, mixed heirloom snap beans, mixed heirloom tomatoes

CSA Newsletter Week #8 - Featuring recipes for Italian Three-Bean Salad, Glazed Roasted Shallots, Yogurt Mint Dip and a link to directions for freezing green beans

Herb Booster received a big bunch of basil, thyme, papalo and tarragon.

Articles of Interest

Juicing vs. Blending

CSA Week #7

These days in July can be long and hot, taxing for a farmer feeling the full swing of harvest, a never ending list of things to do, but CSA day is always rejuvenating.

Some deliveries I drop off and don't see folks, but most members I get to interact with each week and this is a lift I look forward to and need when July gets long. It's wonderful to see folks energy, to get excited at the weight of a heavy box and feel the appreciation for the long days of work we put in to make fresh, organic food happen. Community Supported Agriculture in action.

 It was a full and heavy box!

In the Box: mixed cucumbers, 'Ronde de Nice' (round) summer squash, 3lbs Mountain Rose new potatoes, yellow spring onions, fresh garlic bulb, carrots, 1+ lb zucchini, Swiss chard, quart heirloom wax or snap beans, Lodi apples, parsley, mixed heirloom tomatoes, jalapeños and beets (not pictured). Paper copies of the newsletter are packed in all boxes as well.

CSA Newsletter Week #7
Recipes: Basic Roasted Veggies

Swiss chard bunches.

Fresh garlic.

 What it looks like when you open the box - colors and aromas greet the eater!

See you next week!

CSA Week #6

Week 6 means we are one-third of the way into our delivery season. This week the very first early tomatoes were picked, so it won't be long until they are filling boxes. For now the taste of summer keeps coming with summer squash, green beans, cucumbers and the delightful aroma of basil as you open your CSA box.

In the Box: quart Dragon's Tongue wax beans, bunch red & yellow spring onions, 1 lb carrots, 1/2 lb leeks, big bunch celery, basil, head of broccoli (half shares only), pint snow peas, 4 mixed cucumbers - green and white, heirloom Ronde de Nice summer squash (1 or 2, half & full shares), zucchini, Lodi apples (nice and tart!), 1 lb heirloom snap beans and a small head of green cabbage (not pictured).

CSA News Week #6

 A couple photos from harvest.

Leeks, as they sit in the ground. The white portion is "blanched by the soil.

Our first load of Lodi apples.

A bountiful basket of basil.

A view of the piglets on pasture, with the native prairie, alfalfa strip and veggie field beyond.

Rogue sunflowers add great color to the field!

CSA Week #5

Here is Week #5, in photos. The boxes were brimming, I could barely get them closed ;) 

In the Box: 1+ lb zucchini, 1 head of broccoli, red & yellow spring onions, baby leeks, garlic scapes, Ronde de Nice heirloom summer squash, Swiss chard or kale, 3/4lb Dragon's Tongue wax beans, 1 lb English shelling peas, 1 pint Mammoth Melting snow peas, 2 lbs Mountain Rose new potatoes (half shares only), 4 cucumbers and a bunch of parsley...and a newsletter, of course.

CSA Newsletter Week #5 - Featured Veggie: Broccoli

An abundant harvest of big bodacious heads of beautiful broccoli starred in this box.

The whole cucumber trio went into each members box! Double Yield (light green) and Holland White heirlooms, and Marketmore 76 (dark green). Which one is your favorite?

 Herb Booster Members received: two doses of basil, mint and lovage.

See you at farmers' market on Saturday! We'll have some of that bodacious broccoli there ;)

CSA Week #4

Week #4 brings a big shift into summer produce with the first summer squash, carrots, cucumbers and beans. Tastes of spring items remain with garlic scapes and peas. Take a gander at the photos to check out what's in the box and don't forget to read your CSA News, to get updates on the farm happenings, as well as recipes and storage tips!

CSA Box Week #4 ~ July 8, 2015

In the Box: Garlic scapes, pint snap peas, white/green cucumbers, bunch of green onions, small bunch carrots, broccoli (full shares only), quart of Dragon's Tongue heirloom wax beans, quart of Mammoth Melting snow peas, 1.5 lbs Mountain Rose new potatoes, summer squash (pictured) or zucchini (half shares only), bunch of baby beets, papalo (herb) and one head of cabbage (not pictured). Herb Boosters members also received their first delivery (of six): dill, sage, parsley and thyme.

Herb Booster Week #1

Cocozelle zucchini and Ronde de Nice heirloom summer squash.

The Sesame Snow Peas recipe, from the newsletter, is farmer-tested and farmer-approved!

Sesame snow peas, with red peppers from the freezer.

Mountain Rose new potatoes. What beauties!

Aaand pig pictures, for fun ;) My darling Cecil is very friendly. Not every pig like to snuggle like that! They are surely getting big very fast now.

Brooke and Cecil (6 weeks).

 The kiddos.

Farmers' Market this Saturday, July 11th • 9 am - Noon in the Target parking lot, New Ulm

See you there! We'll have peas, carrots, beets, garlic scapes, greens, herbs, cabbage and more!

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