Farm Notes

It’s about to get real chilly around here, so we’ve been soaking up this week of gloriously warm and clear fall weather. We’ve also been taking advantage of the wild amount of leaves that fall around the farm, by gathering them up and spreading them out over the beds before covering everything with a tarp, so the leaves can decompose and add organic matter to the soil all winter long. Leaves are nature’s way of fertilizing the soil, so don’t let all that fertility go to waste.

Yesterday was our Week 11 CSA pickup, which means there’s only one more pick up left for this year! I’ll admit that going into this fall CSA session, I was pretty nervous about whether I could really keep managing the CSA while welcoming + taking care of a newborn at home. But I shouldn’t have worried. Thanks to our absolutely wonderful team (made up of all wonderful lady friends + neighbors), this season went WAY more smoothly that I could ever have hoped for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am just so darn grateful to get to do this work, to work alongside such amazing humans, and to get to put good food on lots of tables in our community.

No other big farm updates at the moment… we are just focusing on slowly but surely cleaning up and tucking in the farm for winter. In other news, stay tuned next week for a fun “Eat Like a Farmer” Holiday Gift Guide that I’ve been working on! It’s chock full of my favorite tools for the garden and in the kitchen, as well as some wonderful food + farm non-profits that you can donate to if you’re not as into physical gifts this season. Next week I’ll also release another batch of our Heal-All Herbal Salves, since our first batch sold out so dang quickly!

Kitchen Notes

Every season when the first of the fall carrots are ready to be harvested, I want to enjoy them in their purest and simplest form. Because when you cook with local vegetables at the peak of freshness, you really don’t need to do much to make a delicious, nourishing dish. This recipe for maple butter roasted carrots with pistachios is one of my favorite ways to cook with sweet + crunchy fall carrots. It’s super simple to whip up, and it would be a fabulous side dish for your Thanksgiving tables next week! Recipe adapted from The Almond Eater.

MAPLE BUTTER ROASTED CARROTS

WITH PISTACHIOS

INGREDIENTS

2 lb carrots ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoon butter melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
14 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup pistachios chopped

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set aside (don’t skip the foil / parchment.. this dish gets a little sticky)!
In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, maple syrup, salt, and red pepper flakes.
Place the carrots onto the baking sheet and toss them with the maple butter until they're completely coated (there should be a little maple butter left… save it).
Place the carrots into the oven and bake them for about 30 minutes, flipping half way through to make sure they don’t burn.
When the carrots are tender and beginning to brown, drizzle them with the remaining maple butter. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve topped with chopped pistachios and enjoy!

Today’s Stats

Low temp: 25F
High temp: 52F
Sunrise: 6:58am
Sunset: 5:07pm
Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous
Additional notes: Sunny and chilly!