Upswing Farm Summer CSA

The season is changing! It's getting darker and spookier!

That's Harvey, getting geared up to help us go out and do some of our evening chores. We don't raise animals (thank goodness - someday we hope to find someone who wants to raise animals here, but I'm tapped out. I can't imagine being responsible for a single additional creature, I'm still working up to getting a dog). We had to re-cover some spinach and lettuce in two of the caterpillar tunnels that we watered today. They are covered not to keep them warm (although that is a bonus) but to keep the darn bunnies out!

We are having some small rodent troubles on the farm (which is a perpetual issue that we attempt to preemptively manage for, but sometimes, those little critters have a good year . . . )

We haven't had pea tendrils for a while, in part because they don't do as well in the summer and also because we were having some trouble with the seeds being eaten from the trays. So we just stopped having them to eliminate the food source, and now we have these . . . .

Left: "Baby cage" for germinating stacked pea tendril trays.

Above: Fully enclosed growing space for 72 pea tendril trays!(2 enclosures not pictured)

We didn't want to stop growing pea tendrils, but I think the smell of the germinating peas basically put up the bat signal for every small creature that eats seeds, and our regular traps weren't enough. So, exclusion was our only option. It's really the most effective option, and the one we use for food storage. Keep it completely sealed in a cooler and they can't get it. But we live and work in nature, and needing to create enclosures demands effort and time.

BUT, it was totally worth it. In just about a day's time Jamie was able to build the four enclosures, mostly with left over materials from other projects, which we are now using to produce pea tendrils again!

A note on the "baby cage". We found it in the attic when we moved here - it's definitely the creepiest thing we've found on the farm. I'm sure it's from a time when keeping bugs and rodents off your baby was solved with a wire-mesh box. But, from today's standards, it seems a bit over the top . . .

Anyway, folks picking up in Pepperell will see both of these in the back of the distribution tunnel. It feels great to give use to an old item (maybe a little more fun because it's a creepy item and it's almost Halloween) and to have created a simple solution to an annoying problem.

We've got some new items in the choice this week! Pea tendrils, as I have been talking about. They are a great choice for salads, lots of people tell me they like to eat them with eggs, or you can very gently cook them with a stir-fry. By gently cook I mean toss them with cooked vegetables just before serving and after you have turned off the heat. On top of soup is really nice too. They have a mild pea flavor and LAST a long time in the fridge. A great item to plan to eat towards the end of the week. We are limited in how many we can grow at a time because we have to grow them in our exclusion contraptions, but I designed them to grow the amount based on how popular pea tendrils have been in the past. Of course, because of this riveting narrative there will be a rush on pea tendrils and I may not have enough for this week, but no worries, they are back in the rotation and will be available most of the rest of the fall.

We also have purple broccoli in the choice. Our brassicas really liked the water this year. Regular broccoli could not hold up to the disease pressure, but this purple broccoli again is shining through as a champion on the organic vegetable farm. The stems are SO sweet. Definitely if you take the purple broccoli only slightly trim the stems and then either steam, roast or sauté the whole stalk and floret. These are a special, special treat.

Giant kohlrabi are in the mix. Don't be intimidated by their size. Kohlrabi is like a wheel of cheese, just cut off what you want and put the rest back in the fridge, it will still last for several weeks after being cut if you put it in plastic in the vegetable crisper. The flavor is sweet, kind of like broccoli, and very crispy. You can roast it. Harvey likes it raw cut into funny shapes. Make sure to trim off the greens before storing as they will draw energy from the kohlrabi. We left them on because they can be eaten and some folks are hard core and want them.

Savoy cabbages are in and large! These are great for cabbage wraps.

It's probably the last of the tomatoes this week, and close to the last of the sweet peppers.

Sweet potatoes need to cure more before we can put them out, we went through the first batch I cured last week. Don't worry Hopkinton, we will send a few to those of you who didn't get sweet potatoes as a choice last week.

I also just want to put one more plug in for making your own stock. It's one of my favorite things to do. I don't save up for a big batch either. If I'm cooking and the carrot peels, mushroom nubs, garlic peels and onion skins amount to at least a cup, I'll put them in a little pot with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil then simmer on very low for about an hour, Then I have a little stock I can use later in the week. Or I can drink it. I don't really like tea (gasp) but savory stock - yum.

Here's some 411 on making stock.

DAHLIA BOUQUETS!

Frost is still in the distance and our lovely dahlias keep on giving!

We will have dahlia bouquets available for purchase at distribution this week.

$20 bunches

Enjoy these stunning fall beauties and feel good about supporting a farm going through another tough growing season with troublesome weather!

Give some to a friend, neighbor, or anyone who might need a little pick-me-up!

Mushroom Share: Week 4 of 8 . . . we will see what we get! (Also, anything you trim off of your mushrooms makes really rich vegetable stock, even the smallest bits go a long way!)

Ok, So What's in the Vegetable Share!?

Mix and Match 4 pounds: tomatoes, sweet peppers, red and yellow onions, leeks, potatoes, beets and carrots (some yellow and purple carrots in the mix - these are fun, but I think the orange ones are sweeter)

Choose 4 items: garlic, mt magic tomatoes, lettuce of some kind, micro greens, arugula later in the week (sorry Tuesday, it's just a bit too small), micro greens, pea tendrils, celery, savoy cabbage, radishes, swiss chard, purple broccoli, kale, scallions, and a few other items throughout the week.

Where are the brussels sprouts? We will start picking them next week. We really like them to get lightly frosted before harvest, it really improves the flavor, but it seems like frost is still in the distant future . . .

FOR SALE THIS WEEK!

Our own hot sauce! $9/bottle. It's a vintage batch, but I've been forgetting to send it out and we are about to make more this year. Plus kimchi and tomato sauce!!!!!

Seconds: $1.50/lb - there won't be many

DAHLIAS!!!

*Please note* we do our absolute best to estimate what our customers will prefer when it comes to choices based on years of CSA and market experience and data collection. That said, sometimes a crop is more popular than anticipated and we do run out of that choice. We try to avoid this, but have determined this is a better alternative than not giving choices.

Know someone that would like to receive weekly CSA emails but can't join the CSA? Click Here to add their name to the weekly CSA list for updates on what's going on at the farm, and to get an idea of what we will have available for retail sales!

Recipes

Hi! Jessica Girotti here. If you have a recipe that you love that you'd like to share with other members, or if a recipe link isn't working for you, feel free to email me at jgirotti@live.com. (Please note that I can't re-print a recipe from a cookbook that isn't already online.) Don't forget to check out the recipe pages on the Upswing website if you need more ideas.

AUTUMN FARMHOUSE SALAD

Perfect for your fall share! Kale, carrots, radishes, parsley and more, all with a maple vinaigrette.

WHITE BEAN, KALE, LEEK AND KIELBASA SOUP

There are a lot of kale, white bean and sausage soups out there, but we have always had good luck with this one.

CRISPY RADISH CARROT SLAW

Try out this delicious Asian slaw but don’t toss those radish tops! Radish greens are peppery, like arugula, and are delicious in a salad or you can make them into a pesto or sauté them with a little olive oil and garlic.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH CRISPY BEETS AND PESTO

I love the addition of fresh dill in the pesto. Top this with a sprinkling of microgreens if you've got them! Don't worry if you don't have a mandolin, I have made this with roasted beets (cut into large chunks) before too.

SWEET POTATO KALE SALAD WITH CREAMY HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING

I've been loving the Half Baked Harvest salads lately. They're always packed with flavor and hearty enough for a dinner, but easy enough for a weeknight.

ROAST COD WITH CHORIZO CRISP & BABY POTATOES

A great way to use your tiny potatoes! My son gave this recipe the following rave review, "If you HAVE TO make fish, make this recipe." LOL!

IMPORTANT DETAILS

Below is information for pick up at all 3 of our weekly locations. If you can't remember your pick up location, please refer to the email sent on 6/4/2023.

Upswing Farm

65 Brookline St, Pepperell, MA

Pick Up Days: Tuesday, Wednesday

You can come either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Hours are 1:30pm to 6:00pm.

Here is a list of the exact dates of your share pick up. *

I recommend stopping what you are doing and adding them to your calendar, with an alert, right now!

September 26th/27th

October 3rd/4th

October 10th/11th

October 17th/18th

October 24th/25th

October 31st/November 1st

November 7th/8th

November 14th/15th

Parking: Please park in the parking lot by the greenhouses and the white Upswing Farm sign. It's more like 53 Brookline if you are using GPS.

Picking Up Your Share: Please check in with Joella and cross your own name off the list !

This is very important. We need to know who has come! Then, read the signs and choose your produce based on the signs. Joella can answer any questions you have.

If you are going to be late: Text 508-215-8378. We can pack a box for you and leave it in the cooler trailer for pick up. Make sure you close the door!

YOU CAN COME ON TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY. IF YOU CAN COME DURING REGULAR PICK UP HOURS, NO NEED TO LET US KNOW WHICH DAY YOU ARE COMING.

If you want to send someone else in your place: This is a great idea if you are going on vacation! Give your neighbor or anyone who is helping take care of your place your share for the week. Just make sure you forward the person you are sharing with the weekly email so they know pick up procedure. No need to tell us if you are going to do this.

Can't make it and want to donate your share to a local food pantry? Let us know and we will make sure it gets to one of the five food pantries we serve weekly.

Holliston Community Farm

34 Rogers Rd, Holliston, MA

Your pick up day is Tuesday.

Hours are 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

If you can't make it by 6:00, we can leave the share in the walk-in cooler for you to pick up later.

Here is a list of the exact dates of your share pick up. *

I recommend stopping what you are doing and adding them to your calendar, with an alert, right now!

September 26th

October 3rd

October 10th

October 17th

October 24th

October 31st

November 7th

November 14th

Parking: Please driving up the driveway at 34 Rogers Rd, past the yellow house and past the farm stand and park in the parking lot. Please drive carefully, it is a narrow drive, and you will need to travel the drive from the house to the street single file. Please be patient and courteous with one another.

Picking Up Your Share: Please check in with Lindsay, cross your own name off the list !

This is very important. We need to know who has come! Then, read the signs and choose your produce based on the signs. Lindsay can answer any questions you have.

If you are going to be late: Text 508-215-8378 if you are going to be late. We can pack a box for you and leave it in the cooler to pick up later that evening or the next day.

If you can't make it and want to switch your pick up day to Thursday 1-6 at Weston Nurseries or Saturday at the Ashland Farmer's Market*: Please let us know by Monday morning at 7am, if possible, so we can adjust our harvest for the week. Email upswingcsa@gmail.com.

*note the last Ashland Market is October 21st, after that this option will no longer be available.

Can't make it and want to donate your share to a local food pantry? Let us know and we will make sure it gets to one of the five food pantries we serve weekly.

Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton

93 East Main St, Hopkinton, MA

Your pick up day is Thursday.

Hours are 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

Here is a list of the exact dates of your share pick up. *

I recommend stopping what you are doing and adding them to your calendar, with an alert, right now!

September 28th

October 5th

October 12th

October 19th

October 26th

November 2nd

November 9th

November 16th

Parking: DO NOT GO IN THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF WESTON NURSERIES! There is no way to drive to the back lot from there. Instead, turn north at the light in front of Weston Nurseries onto Legacy Farms Rd North and turn right into the parking lot behind the nursery. You will see our white Box truck there, with tents. Park anywhere on the gravel lot, not too close to the tents, if possible.

Picking Up Your Share: Please check in with Anna (Ah-na) (she's new and she's great!) and cross your own name off the list !

This is very important. We need to know who has come! Then, read the signs and choose your produce based on the signs. Anna can answer any questions you have.

If you are going to be late: Text 508-215-8378. We can arrange a spot for you to pick up.

If you can't make it: Please let us know by Monday at 7:00am if possible. You can switch to pick up at the Holliston Community Farm (see details above) or at the Ashland Farmer's market*, 125 Front St, Ashalnd, Saturday 9am-1pm

*note the last Ashland Market is October 21st, after that this option will no longer be available.

Can't make it and want to donate your share to a local food pantry? Let us know and we will make sure it gets to one of the five food pantries we serve weekly.

Don't forget to sign up for Winter Shares!

Subscribe to Winter Shares

Your Farmers,

Brittany, Kevin and the Upswing Farm Team

Also, I'm bad at spelling. I am a generalist, so as long as most of the letters are there, and there is good context, by brain prefers not to be bogged down by details. Also, I am frequently typing these emails late at night or early in the morning after or before a big day of work. I promise I'm not making spelling or grammar errors because I don't care. I really, really do care, I'm just no good at copy editing and I rarely have time to send these out for a proof read to Kevin who is still sleeping. I hope you can forgive me.