Hi there!   It's now officially the last week of Summer and the bags are starting to change: tree fruits like Honey Crisp apples, pears and plums are coming in to replace the berries, and colder-loving veggies like string beans and spaghetti squash are taking center stage in your shares. We're not totally over the melon, tomato and pepper harvests yet, but soon they'll be making their final appearances of the season. We have so many things happening over the next six weeks as the Summer Share draws to a close. First up, is the The Farm Tour this Saturday, September 22nd and we still have a few seats left on the bus. It's a full day adventure to a handful of our favorite farms, and includes breakfast, lunch, collect-your-own eggs and pick-your-own apples. An amazing experience and so far the weather looks perfect for being outside all day! Thanksgiving pre-order is also now open--do you know how many people you're hosting yet? We also have our Salmon & Cod Buying Club 2018, and finally, we have registration for the Winter Share now open, too! We'd love to get our numbers in for the coming season as soon as possible, so even though you don't need to make your first payments 'til mid-October, it would be great to know if you'll be in. If you have any questions, you can just reply to this email .

A slice of picture-perfect gluten-free plum cake and a cup of tea from @nourishup .

STEWING CHICKENS

The Stewing Chickens that the Large Omnivores are getting in their bags this week will look much scrawnier than the Whole Chickens you're used to seeing: they are quite skinny and the meat is tough from their years of exercise pecking at bugs and eating grass on pasture. However, where they lack in meat, they make up for in rich flavor, which is great for soups and broths.   The stewing chicken is an old laying hen. Laying hens are a different breed than meat chickens. The genetics of a meat bird result in fast growing, hungry birds that mature quickly - we harvest them at 9 weeks. The laying hen genetics are smaller birds with lighter appetites. These birds mature slowly until they start laying eggs around 20 weeks of age.   A laying hen then lays, ideally, 1 egg per day if conditions are right. The first eggs she lays are small and not marketable, and only increase in size as she continues to mature and hopefully, as she eats and exercises well. Her productivity is subject to a lot of variables - feed, weather, and hours of daylight being a few key factors. As she ages, her productivity drops and eventually the number of eggs the farmer gets is of less value than the amount of feed the hen consumes. It's then time to cull her out of the flock. Try the stewing hen in your stockpot, pressure cooker, or crock pot to make rich bone broth or stock. Use the stock to add flavor to risotto, make a soup, or gravy. Many traditional communities and immigrant groups in our area (from the Amish, to Dominicans, to Congolese) seek out our laying hens because they say they are the best for their traditional recipes and they make the most flavorful broth. Here is a recipe for Amish Spent Hen Stock , or follow any recipe for stock or bone broth you love (more included at the bottom of this newsletter.) Also, if that's not quite enough chicken for you, we also have loaded up the shop online with lots of extra chicken: brats, thighs, patties, drums & breasts and whole chickens all available via Special Order .

Parker's Pot Pie all filled up, waiting for the crusty lid. For the recipe, click here.

Some reminders from our office

REDUCED CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS THIS THURS-MON This Thursday through Monday, we will have reduced customer service hours. The quickest way to reach us is via email, and we will get back to you as soon as we can! TIA for your understanding. BEACHWOOD: DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR STOP BACK If you are a Beachwood subscriber and changed your stop last week to pick up somewhere else, don't forget to change your stop back to Beachwood by tonight at midnight so your Special Orders get routed to the correct location. ACCOUNT MUST HAVE $0.00 BALANCE TO SIGN UP FOR WINTER Just a reminder that in order to sign up for the Winter Share, your current Summer Share needs to have a $0.00 balance. Your October 1st payments are still a few weeks off, so if you're on the payment plan you can wait until after you've made that payment to sign up. Including this week, there are only 6 weeks left in the Summer Share, so if you still have a large outstanding balance due on your account, please plan accordingly to pay it off by the last week of the share. All shares must be fully paid by the end of the season.

Featured Product

If you haven't tried our brand new Pear Butter from Wholesome Valley Farm, pick some up this week to bring a hint of Fall to breakfast. Locally-grown pears, cooked low & slow with a pinch of sugar and a trio of spices: cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Spread it onto buttery toast or stir into yogurt or oatmeal.

Place a Special Order

We had a wonderful dinner this past Saturday down at Wholesome Valley Farm to help raise money for the Wilderness Center. We decorated the barn and the grounds with pumpkins and corn, and enjoyed an enormous meal made with food grown and raised on the farm.

Bag Contents

THE MINI Sweet Potatoes - 4# Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pt String Beans - 1# Green Peppers -2 Honey Crisp Apples - 6

SMALL OMNIVORE Sweet Potatoes - 4# Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pt String Beans - 1# Green Peppers -2 Honey Crisp Apples - 6 Melon - 1 Spaghetti Squash - 1 Maple Breakfast Links

LARGE OMNIVORE Sweet Potatoes - 4# Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pt String Beans - 1# Green Peppers -2 Honey Crisp Apples - 6 Melon - 1 Spaghetti Squash - 1 Maple Breakfast Links Onion Stewing Chicken Plums - 2# Oats - 1.5#

SMALL VEGETARIAN Sweet Potatoes - 4# Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pt String Beans - 1# Green Peppers -2 Honey Crisp Apples - 6 Melon - 1 Spaghetti Squash - 1 Eggs - 1 dozen Onion Bartlett Pears - 6

LARGE VEGETARIAN Sweet Potatoes - 4# Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pt String Beans - 1# Green Peppers -2 Honey Crisp Apples - 6 Melon - 1 Spaghetti Squash - 1 Eggs - 1 dozen Onion Bartlett Pears - 6 Plums - 2# Oats - 1.5# Sharp Cheddar

VEGAN Sweet Potatoes - 4# Cherry Tomatoes - 1 pt String Beans - 1# Green Peppers -2 Honey Crisp Apples - 6 Melon - 1 Spaghetti Squash - 1 Onion Bartlett Pears - 6 Plums - 2#

Place a Special Order

Recipes featuring this week's share ingredients

Easy Crockpot Chicken & Overnight Broth Ingredients from share: Stewing Chicken, Onion

Chunky Harvest Muffins Ingredients from share: Pears, Apples, Oats

Tex Mex Spaghetti Squash Casserole Ingredients from share: Spaghetti Squash, Onion, Green Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Cheese

Smokey Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup Ingredients from share: Sweet Potatoes, Onion

For more of our recipes, click here .

More recipes online

Coconut Oil Apple & Oat Crisp Homemade Greenbean Casserole Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Bowls Bone Broth Basics Cinnamon Apple Pear Crisp Apple Plum Cobbler Sweet Potato Wedge Fries The Girl & the Goat Magic String Beans How to Dry Plums Instant Pot Chicken Stock String Beans with Summer Squash FFM's Autumn Breakfast Strata Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Macadamia Nuts Cinnamon Streusel Sweet Potato Casserole Garlic Spaghetti Squash with Herbs and Pine Nuts Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Plum & Tomato Galette Green Beans and Cherry Tomato Salad

Roasted Grape, Goat Cheese & Honey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Whole-Grain Any Fruit Crisp Sweet Potato Polenta with Fried Eggs Vibrant Tasty Green Beans Slow Cooker Apple Crisp Instant Pot Vanilla Spiced Poached Plums Zucchini & Sweet Potato Noodle Minestrone Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash Bowls Slow Cooker Spiced Pear Butter Chicken Bone Broth in the Pressure Cooker Miso Green Bean Salad with Fried Mushrooms Single Crust Apple & Plum Pie Plum Galette Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole Fiesta Chicken Skillet Pie

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