Good morning! 

In just over a week, we have had three birthdays in our household – Aaron 44, Frannie 5 and Ken 70. Each celebrated in their own way, but Frannie, motivated by her own dream in the night, started riding a bike with no training wheels. It’s inspiring to watch the determination of someone set to do something new – leaping from a falling bike over and over, legs striped with grey marks from the wheels, yelling ‘I’m ok!’ whilst falling. I get into a similar – albeit quieter – mode in these dark days – I take up creative pursuits that I don’t have space for in the busy long days of summer. I try making something new. I love working in the workshop, making wooden gifts, warmed by the wood stove and surrounded by the grease, paint and sawdust smells of my father. I like making weird minimalist holiday decor for myself that has very limited appeal to anyone else, and all my favorite cookies. I burn beeswax candles like I’m a beekeeper. I stretch and read novels and plan really ambitious, super-time-sensitive plans for my no-till vegetable operation that are totally screwed by June but it’s ok because I’ve spent so many dark hours over cooking it and organizing my brain that I really have three overlapping plans. 

Jess just commented the other day that she just realized that we are closer to asparagus season than we are far away….I told her to just be quiet already. Let me enjoy this for a second. 

New this week – 

French Lentil Soup – green French lentils with parsley root, carrot & celeriac. Eat it on its own, or treat it like a grown up hamburger helper and add a pound of ground beef – brown the beef in a pot, then add the soup. We did it yesterday for lunch and it was fantastic. Pro move – make a wild pesto garnish with chopped parsley, and/or arugula pesto, onion or shallot, preserved lemon & chopped olives. 

Coming soon – more Dill Pickle Kohlrabi Kraut, more Curried Veg Pickle, variety packs of hot sauce, popcorn seasoning. 

Have a great week and thanks for all the support.

Ellen

Jess and Jordan – Friday was Jordan’s last day for the season – thank you Jordan and thank you Jess! We have a great team here – they have demonstrated such kindness, flexibility and hard work, couldn’t have done it without them (there are more not pictured – thank you Ken, Martha, Cheryl, Jac, Jennifer, Derek, Jacob, Aaron, Frannie & Della).  Fall is for reflection. Each year in November we sit down as a team and have a seasonal review – what worked this year, what didn’t, what we would like to see next year, financial and personal goals, etc. People are always talking about January as the new year, the time to reflect and set goals, but by then I need to be ordering seeds and putting pencil to the garden plan (and besides we already had to roughly plan the garden and plant cover crops ages ago, so there are already some parameters in place).  This year, obviously, has been different than we imagined last November. We have a website where you can buy stuff, so we have an option if all the farmers markets are shut down.I wish that I had more melons this year, and I will be more meticulous with my onion & leek propagation next year. I will grow more peppers and give up on the dent corn for a year. I’m planning to grow more tarbais beans (this year I grew them mostly for the seed), and use broom corn as an in-garden trellis. I’m going to commit to more no-till techniques. I will buy a new potato digger that doesn’t require so much (live) horse power. I will plant more parsnips and one more succession of carrots and Dino kale. I’m uncomfortable with the amount of plastic we use each week, but I also want the produce to be of the highest quality…thinking on this one.  So send me an email if you have any feedback. New this week: Curried Squash Soup, Squash & Brown Butter Soup, Mexican Tomato Soup & Autumn Minestrone Soup (for real).Coming soon: Dill Pickle Kohlrabi Kraut, Cabbage Roll Soup, Kimchi. Have a great week and thanks for all the support.EllenPS – I know this seems like a season’s end type email BUT IT’S NOT – we will go to market at Covent and take online orders until Dec. 21.

Take me to the store

Life is short – eat good food.