Is it time to eat the sweet potatoes? Find out below.
But first, I want to make sure everyone is aware that our veggie season is over. If you show up at the farm this next week to pick-up your vegetables you will be put to work. It would be the only logical reason you are here!
Second I want to thank all of you for supporting the farm this past season and for as long as you have been a member. Without our customers we have no business and without a business all these fine vegetables just become deer food (wait, it seems like this is happening anyway!) Again, thank you for your support.
Third, we are still taking orders for winter FruitShare. Payment plans are available so don’t let that be a hindrance to your enjoyment of delicious, organic fruit all winter long! Pick-up locations are at the farm and our St. Paul drop site near 94 and Dale St. Let me know if you’d like to participate.
Fourth, we have some excess items for sale, mostly consciously uncoupled unsold winter shares. Onions $15 for a 10 lb. bag. Shallots $10 for 5 lbs. Potatoes (various types) $1.00/lb. Winter Squash (various) $1.00/lb. Garlic $12/lb. Sweet potatoes $3.00/lb. Beets $1.00/bunch. Carrots $1.50/lb. Brussels sprouts, leeks, green peppers, kale and other assorted veggies: Free. If you’d like to purchase anything send me an email with the items you want and a time you’d like to stop by to pick up. Quantities are limited so act fast!
Fifth, we are still taking orders for 2015. Thank you to all who have rejoined and to those new to the farm. Don’t forget if you refer someone to the farm we will credit your account $25! Help spread the word.
Farm News
Monday was the last harvest day of the 2014 season. It was a “get to work outside” day instead of a “have to work outside” day. And we enjoyed it. If we could have weather like that until the end of November we could add another month to our season! But alas, our weather control system is not up to the task (maybe version 2.0?) so we are stuck with the climate we are given and therefore ending our season now.
But that doesn’t stop the farming. Tuesday for instance I took apart the tractor to discover where all the coolant has been going this past summer. I felt it was best to wait until the season ended since the tractor still ran and we always seem to need the tractor. I just needed to keep an eye on the coolant level and refill it as needed. Now with the dirt plowing season over and the snow plowing season a few days or more away I have time to fix the tractor. I wish it was a “get to work outside” day while I am working on it though.
Just because the season is over doesn’t mean we quit providing our members with valuable information. One public service we are doing for our members this week is trying one of the sweet potatoes. As I mentioned many times, the literature states that sweet potatoes need 6-8 week of storage to sweeten up. That puts us right about at Thanksgiving. But do we really have to wait? Could the literature be wrong? Could we have sweet sweet potatoes after just a few weeks? Inquiring minds want to know.
I figure it is better for us to waste one the remaining sweet potatoes than to have each of our members waste one of theirs. So last night I put one in the oven while I was roasting a bunch of other veggies (potatoes, carrots, beets and onions). I didn’t do anything special to it; just washed it and set it on the rack in the oven. Forty-five minutes later, at 425 degrees, I took it out, sliced it and served it to our volunteers. The results? Sorry our time is up so you’ll have to tune in next week where we will replay everything I just told you until the first commercial break just to keep you watching.
Just kidding. Our reality show is more real than that. The sweet potato was actually reasonably sweet. Plus the skin was quite edible; no need to peel. One of the select members of our panel said, “It is not overly sweet, which is the way I like it.” So there you have it. If you like sweet potatoes that are not overly sweet feel free to eat them now. Otherwise wait until another time.
That is all for this week’s installment of “As the Farm Turns”. Tune in again next time (which could be any time since there is no longer any pick-ups and therefore no newsletter deadlines) as we test whether green beans need to be blanched prior to freezing.
What will we have this week? Nothing but memories and whatever you have left in your freezer.
Don’t forget to vote early, vote often next Tuesday!
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