Kale From Olde Furrow Mixed Bunches of All The Varieties of Kale We Grow
Potatoes From Tebogt's
2lb of Yellow Potatoes
Leeks From Tebogt's
A bunch of beautiful leeks
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbages little crunchy cousin
CROP TALK
Leeks & Brussels Sprouts are higher value crops due to two main factors. One, their days to harvest is between 90-120 days, depending on the variety you grow. To put that in perspective bunched radishes and salad take about 30 days. Longer maturity crops are often slower to start so transplanting is preferable to direct seeding which then means you will need transplant trays, potting soil and organic liquid fertilizer. Once you get them in the ground you then have at least a couple months of weeding them to ensure their success. The second main factor is these wonderful crops are heavy feeders, they need lots of nutrients to get a good crop, which means lots of composted manure.
If that wasn't labor intensive enough farmers have figured out hilling leeks, the act of pushing soil up around the crop as it is growing will give you more white in the stems. This considered more desirable since it is more tender and sweet but I find all leeks supremely delicious. Brussels sprouts also have an extra technique called topping, where you cut the tops of your plants off as the sprouts begin to pop out to promote the plants energy to go into the sprouts!
So now you know what makes these crops so special and a little more pricey!
FEATURED RECIPE
Ingredients
3 tablespoonsunsalted butter
5 cups leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
3cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 poundsPotatoes, peeled & roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
7 cupslow sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2bay leaves
3 sprigsfresh thyme
1 teaspoonsalt
1/4 teaspoonground black pepper
1 cupheavy cream
Chives, finely chopped, for serving
Instructions
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so as not to brown.
Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.
Fish out the thyme sprig and bay leaves, then purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée the soup in batches; see note.) Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If it's too thick, add water or stock to thin it out. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
More Recipes Just Click On The Picture Below To See The Recipe
This recipe calls for tempeh but can easily be swapped for with your classic tofu or protein of choice. I also love swapping out sweet potato for turnip/rutabaga to switch things up.
I love white beans in soup, they add a more creamy texture but potatoes or rice works just as well if beans aren't your thing. You can add proteins or swap kale for cabbage.
FARMERS TALK
Emily has been busy harvesting carrots despite all the mucky weather we have been having. Last I checked she was at 13 apple bin fulls of carrots so I think it is safe to say the CSA will be stocked with carrots for the winter. Haha. Carrots are traditionally stored dirty and in a cool place usually 4 degrees or lower to maintain their dormancy which keeps them from sprouting. Since expanding her farm Emily has had to expand her cold storage capacity too and thanks to her fiance Lloyd she is doing just that but it hasn't been an easy journey!
Fixing up the warehouse cooler was one of the biggest investments she has made this year and also one of the longest to come to fruition, with it taking almost a year to complete but now it is done! She isn't quite at the place where she can fill this whole space herself because things like this take time. Emily originally plan to share it with other farms to help offset the cost of the electric bill but because it took so long to fix these farmers had to make other plans and while some may come around, right now the costs are all on her shoulders. Emily also hoped taking on an additional market in Halifax would help ease the pressure but it takes time to build a loyal customer base and well with the way the world is right now it has been extra tough. She is taking this all in stride and isn't missing a beat and pushing forward because that is just who she is
This journey is what made me (Courtney) reach out to her in the spring and say maybe we could do a CSA together in the winter to help with that power bill. This is what farming is all about- adapting in any way possible, even in ways that may be new and doing it with the help of family and friends. So while the rewards are wonderful the pressure is high. Below is a throw back picture of Emily lending us her honda tiller to prep the soil in our greenhouse tunnel. We had never used one before so she was giving us a little lesson on how to use it. Such a cute picture of 2 of my favorite people!
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