SWEET POTATO HARVEST PARTY!!

Join us on Saturday, September 19 for our annual Sweet Potato Harvest Party from 9 am to 1 pm. Pulling sweet potatoes out of the earth is a great job for members of all ages. We planted the sweet potatoes in a field with dry soil so there won’t be the struggle of getting them out of the mud like we did in 2023 (iykyk). Bring gloves, a water bottle, a hat, and sturdy shoes. And a dish to share for the after work potluck with Roxbury Farm grilled hamburgers. Please RSVP HERE.

We purchased a root crop harvester a few years ago for the carrots, beets, and winter radishes. We buy in our storage onions and potatoes from other organic farms. Both of those crops caused way too much stress on the farm and are actually more cost effective to buy in from farms who are more mechanized. So that leaves us with sweet potatoes as the last storage crop we still dig out of the soil by hand. It usually takes us two entire days of the whole farm team to dig them up. Fortunately we had enough CSA members attend our harvest party day last year that we only had a partial day of work on our own.

At one point we did have a machine that we rode on to dig up the sweet potatoes. The machine was designed for regular potatoes and we made it sort of work for the sweeties. Sweet potatoes grow on vines and the stringy vines and leaves would get caught up in the digging machine. So one person was dedicated to pulling the vines out of the machine while four other people rode on the machine and moved the sweet potatoes from the conveyor into buckets. Then one or two other people (depending on the sweet potato yield) would move the full buckets off of the machine to the driving lane. Then at the end of the row we would carefully dump the buckets into bins on a wagon. All of us found the whole set up to be taxing on our bodies. And the machine had a tendency to beat up the sweet potatoes in a way that wasn’t great for long term storage.

In the past we also grew a Japanese type of sweet potato that was so viney the harvest machine didn’t work at all. So we tried out another machine that we use to dig up carrot bunches and garlic. This machine loosens the soil around the roots and puts the crop near to top of the soil. Then we unearth them the rest of the way by hand and snap the roots off of the vines. The farm team requested we use this method for all of the sweet potatoes. It is less stressful on the body, quieter, and a more mellow way to spend a couple of days. And the sweet potatoes go into bins undamaged and store much longer. (We actually just composted the last of the 2025 sweet potatoes last week. We had kept one box for farm team eating.)

It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day on Saturday for our annual Sweet Potato Harvest Party. The forecast calls for a 70 degree day and a bit of clouds and no rain until Saturday evening. We welcome as many extra hands as possible to help us get this crop out of the ground. So please come join us and please RSVP in the link above.

~Jody

The 2026 leek harvest stored in the cooler

IMPORTANT DATES

Sweet Potato Harvest Party: Saturday, Sept. 19 (see box at top of newsletter)

Chicken Shares: Week of Sept. 22-25

COOKING TIPS AND RECIPES

Leeks: store in the crisper drawer in the fridge. Trim off the root ends and rinse before cooking.

Chickpea Pancakes with Leeks and Squash

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, chopped

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated peeled butternut squash

1 large egg

¾ cup chickpea flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup plain yogurt

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high. Add leek, season with kosher salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leek is softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add squash and season again. Cook, stirring often, until squash is cooked through and softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a plate and let cool. Wipe out skillet and reserve.

Meanwhile, whisk egg, chickpea flour, baking powder, 1 Tbsp. oil, ½ tsp. kosher salt, and ½ cup water in a medium bowl; season with pepper and let sit 5 minutes for flour to hydrate. Stir vegetables into batter just to coat.

Heat 1½ Tbsp. oil in reserved skillet over medium-high. Add batter by the ¼-cupful to make 4 pancakes, gently flattening to about ¼” thick. Batter should spread easily—if it doesn’t, thin with a little water. Cook until bottoms are lightly browned and bubbles form on top, about 4 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully flip pancakes over and cook until browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and tent with a sheet of foil to keep warm. Repeat with another 1½ Tbsp. oil and remaining batter. Serve pancakes topped with yogurt, parsley, sea salt, and pepper.

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Last season’s sweet potato harvest

Morning mist steaming off the hay and corn field.

COMING IN NEXT WEEK: napa cabbage, head lettuce, tomatoes, hot peppers, kale, arugula, scallions, garlic, red bok choi, leeks, and hot peppers (share items may vary slightly by site depending on what is available in the field.)

FRUIT: Bell Pears

Full Share: head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, arugula, garlic, tomatoes, fennel, plum tomatoes, butternut squash, purple bok choi or napa cabbage, scallions, and leeks. (Contents may vary slightly by site.)

Small Share: head lettuce, cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes, plum tomatoes, fennel, garlic, butternut squash, purple choi or napa cabbage, and leeks (Contents may vary slightly by site.)

Red Rice Salad with Fennel

1 cup red rice

1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided

⅔ cup pecans, divided

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup cilantro leaves and finely chopped tender stems

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toasted pistachio oil or almond oil (for serving; optional)

Cook rice according to package directions. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet; let cool.

Meanwhile, toss fennel and onion with 2 Tbsp. lime juice in a large bowl and let sit, tossing occasionally, until lime juice is almost entirely absorbed, 10–15 minutes.

Coarsely chop ⅓ cup pecans; finely chop remaining nuts. Cook in olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low until golden brown, 5–10 minutes. Let cool.

Add rice and pecans to fennel mixture along with remaining 1 Tbsp. lime juice and toss to combine. Gently fold in cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with pistachio oil, if desired. www.bonappetit.com