“No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.” ~Frank Lloyd Wright
Week 15 crops
- Red kale
- Potatoes
- Fennel
- Radishes
- Bell Peppers
- Eggplant
- Bok choy
- Garlic
- Winter squash
- Green beans – full/half
- Beets – single
- Watermelon – full
- Mint or cukes – full
Farmer notes
- **All full share members please put one hand beneath your brown box if you are transporting it anywhere
- Several more days of rain – many of the winter squash/pumpkins are rotting in the field
- We will give you some ideas for using bok choy as you will receive it the next couple of weeks
- 10 full hive boxes of honey gathered this week but not yet spun
- The final summer share delivery is Thursday October 13th
- Our Fall Harvest Gathering Celebration is Sat. Oct. 15th
- Wash all of the produce before you prepare or eat it
Our Hill
Earth Dance Farm is nestled into the western edge of the bluff lands of SE Minnesota. There is hardly a flat place to unhook the flatbed.
Over the past decade of living here and managing the CSA business, I have routinely noticed the manner in which our farm interns wander up the hill and out of view throughout the evening hours. Perhaps it is to converse with the horses, cows, chickens or goats, or to witness the miracle of day giving way to night. Maybe it is to play guitar beneath the pasture ash or to stretch tired muscles after nine hours in the fields, but always when asked they reply, “The cell phone reception is so much better up there.” I too, find myself walking up that same hill every evening at twilight. The chicken coop needs to be closed up, often an electric fencer needs to be put on, or I want to check on this crop or that, but always when asked I reply, “The connection is always so much better up there.”
It may be the play of the dwindling light. Often it is the rhythm of the burgeoning night. Sometimes it is the simple music in the wind. But always it’s the pulse of a grateful heart.
We all need a place to go to listen to the quiet, a place where we can speak to no one – and to everyone, a hill to just wander up onto and be still for a while.
I hope you have your place.
Curious what to do with your Bok Choy for the next couple weeks? Faith Durand wrote up some great ideas in her article for The Kitchn:
- Stir-fried with mushrooms – Just today, Mark Bittman talked about stir-frying bok choy with oyster sauce and mushrooms. It’s delicious! We’ve done that too; here’s a recipe for bok choy with wild mushrooms.
- Stir-fried with anything else – Bok choy is just fabulous when stir-fried with just about anything. A little sesame oil, a little soy sauce, some — it’s a great vegetable to throw into a last-minute meal.
- In dumplings – Try making homemade dumplings (like these) with a cup or two of finely minced bok choy. They’ll give a sweet and bitter flavor to the filling, with the refreshingly bitter leaves and sweet, juicy stalks.
- In soup – This sour and spicy soup includes bok choy. It looks so delicious!
- In a salad – Bok choy is refreshing and crunchy when raw, too. It’s like a two for one treat, with the tender leaves and crunchy stalks. Toss with a little sesame oil, vinegar, and scallions for a quick Asian-inspired salad.
Perhaps in the coming weeks we’ll have some more member-inspired recipes?
