Winter Distribution #3, January 6th, 2024

The News from Windflower Farm

Your third and final box of the season will arrive this Saturday, January 6^th. Please see below for the distribution timeframe for your pickup site.

What you’ll get this month

• Rosa Di Milano (red) and Talon (yellow) onions
• Ed’s Red Dutch shallots
• Peter Wilcox (purple) potatoes and Natascha (yellow) potatoes
• Covington sweet potatoes
• Boro beets
• Tendersweet cabbage
• Lacinato or Red Russian kale
• Space spinach
• Bolero carrots and Brilliant celeriac, both from the Denison Farm
• Honey Crisp and Jonagold apples from the Borden Farm
• And a jar of jelly from the kitchen of our neighbor Deb

Jan noted that the beds we harvested your kale from were a little dry, and that the kale itself was slightly wilted. She suggests that you give it a quick dip in cold water prior to tucking it away in the fridge.

The Jonagold apples can be distinguished from the Honey Crisps by their brighter colors (bright reds and yellows without the greenish background), their naturally waxy skin, their softer mouth feel and their slightly less sweet flavor.

Celeriac can be grated over any salad to make it more interesting. But my favorite way to have celeriac is to fry it. Cut it into French fry shaped pieces, coat with olive oil and a blend of salt, pepper, and paprika, and fry until fork soft Recipes can be found online. A dip consisting of mayonnaise and mustard really completes the dish.

Now that our barn has been emptied of its bins of Alliums and root vegetables, it’s time to pull tractors and the many pieces of farm equipment in need of repair into that space. These months in the workshop have become a favorite part of the farm year for me. It’s unrushed and quiet. There are no deadlines. Our seasonal farm staff is absent (they are in school or visiting family or working on their own projects). The wood stove might be going. There might be music playing. If I’m fortunate, there will be neighboring farmers dropping in to visit and to compare notes. It’s also planning time. And tax prep time. And, in some years, it’s time to get away. Or at least to play. A storm is expected this weekend. Let it snow!

The Windflower Farm Team and I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

Cheers, Ted

Central Brooklyn CSA (1251 Dean St., 4:30 to 6:00)

Please note:

1.       A friend, family member or neighbor can pick up your share for you if you are not able to make it to distribution. Please ask this person to sign-in under your name.

2.       Site hosts are not obliged to save shares for members who miss the distribution window. Any shares leftover after distribution will be donated to community fridges or food pantries and will help other community members in need.

3.       The farm is not able to send you a make-up share if you miss a distribution. The farm will only send shares to your pick-up site on the scheduled pick-up dates.

4.     We will send you a newsletter a day or two before distribution. Please save these two emails to your preferred contacts list: windflowercsa@gmail.com and tedblomgren@gmail.com and check your SPAM folder if our newsletter does not make it into your inbox.

5.       Watch for updates from site hosts on social media. Many sites post updates about the share on Instagram and Facebook.

Winter Distribution #2, December 16th

The News from Windflower Farm

Your second box of the “winter” season will arrive this Saturday, December 16^th. Please see below for the distribution timeframe for your pickup site.

What you’ll get this month

• Red and yellow onions
• ‘Ed’s Red’ Dutch shallots
• Purple (‘Peter Wilcox’) and yellow potatoes
• Red cabbage
• Covington sweet potatoes
• Bolero carrots (from Denison Farm)
• Lettuces
• Lacinato or Red Russian kale
• ‘Honey Crisp’ apples (and a couple of ‘Empires’ or ‘Ruby Frost’) from Borden Farm
• Honey from Harry’s Honey Shack
• Plus a small butternut squash from the Denison’s 
• All the vegetables in your winter share come from Windflower Farm’s certified organic fields except where otherwise noted.

Because we produce your winter share greens in unheated greenhouses, we don’t usually attempt to produce lettuces for the share – they are not especially cold hardy. But this year’s mild fall has meant that several beds have fared just fine. Please note that we don’t wash your greens during the winter – a quick rinse will make any soil particles and bugs disappear.

It’s easy to run out of ideas for dealing with crops like kale in the kitchen. But the Brassicas – and, like broccoli, kale is a Brassica – are superfoods, and finding ways to enjoy them is truly worthwhile. Here are two simple ideas. First, wilt kale into your eggs for breakfast. Or sauté kale with an onion, then add eggs, stir, and cook until they are the way you like them. Second, add kale to soup near the end of the cooking cycle. Kale (and spinach) can be added to virtually any soup. For lunch today, we added chopped kale to a carrot-lentil soup when we were reheating it. Kale adds color, flavor, vitamins, and nutrients, and contributes cancer-fighting compounds.  

Next month’s share will include red and yellow onions, shallots, miscellaneous potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, greenhouse kale and spinach, celeriac, ‘Tendersweet’ cabbage, the Borden’s apples, and jam from the certified kitchen of our neighbor Deb.

Happy Holidays from the entire Windflower Farm Team!

Best wishes, Ted

PS. Here is a note and recipe from Kristoffer Ross about this month’s grain share. 

Hello Folks,

Kristoffer here from Hickory Wind Farm. For grain share subscribers, your items this week are a bag each of whole grain Rye and Red Fife Wheat flours, please remember to take both bags. I’ve included a recipe for rye bread below, should you wish to try it out, your share should be sufficient to make two batches. It was adapted from Our Beloved Sweden, a cookbook and folklore collection from Swedish-American families in the upper midwest about 30 years ago. The main alteration I’ve made is to replace the white flour with whole wheat, but if you desire a lighter loaf feel free to reverse this choice. Note that if using all whole grains note that the dough may not quite double in the course of either rising.

Regrettably, this month’s share will be the final one to include Red Fife wheat until autumn of 2024, due to a crop failure in the wet summer this year. I’ve saved back enough seed to replant in the spring, and we will hope for a slightly dryer July this time around.

Swedish Rye Bread

Makes 2 rectangular loaves, or one large boule.

• 1 Cup warm water
• 1 Cup skim milk
• 1½ tablespoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 3 ½-4 cups Rye Flour
• 3 ½-4 cups Whole Wheat Flour (or all-purpose white flour for a lighter loaf)
• (Optional: rolled oats to sprinkle on top)

1. Add the warm water, milk, yeast, and a single teaspoon of sugar to a large mixing bowl, stir and let stand 10-15 minutes.
2. Add the molasses, remaining sugar, salt, oil, 3 ½ cups of rye, and 3 ½ cups of wheat flour.
3. Begin kneading the dough, add ½-1 cup of flour gradually until the dough is stiff and no longer sticks to the bowl or your hands.
4. Add to a greased bowl (flipping it to grease the top), cover, and let rise in a warm location for 1 hour.
5. After an hour (dough may not have fully doubled) place on a floured surface, divide in half form into two loaves, and add to greased pans. Let the two loaves rise for 1 hour.
6. Add to oven preheated to 375F, and after 10 minutes reduce heat to 350F. Bake a further 35 minutes. The bread is done when the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove and cool on wire racks.

Thanks to the Windflower staff and my family for enthusiastic taste-testing. As Ted has pointed out, it is best served with real organic butter. 

Wishing you warm, peaceful, and merry holidays,

~Kristoffer Ross

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Winter Distribution #1, November 18th

The News from Windflower Farm

Thank you for purchasing a Winter CSA Share. Your first box of the “winter” season will arrive this Saturday, November 18^th. Please see below for the distribution timeframe for your pickup site.

What you’ll get this month

• Yellow onions
• Yellow Satina potatoes
• Covington sweet potatoes
• Bolero carrots
• Orion fennel
• Bandit Leeks
• Tendersweet cabbage
• Assorted greens (lettuces, kale and tatsoi) from our “caterpillar” tunnels
• Curly kale from the field
• Butternut squash from the Denison’s organic farm
• Borden Farm apple cider and Ruby Frost apples
  
  All the vegetables in your winter share come from Windflower Farm’s certified organic fields except where otherwise noted. Next month’s share will include beets, shallots, kohlrabi, spinach, red cabbage and honey. It will also include red and yellow onions, purple potatoes, freshly dug carrots, greenhouse kale and the Borden’s apples.  

We are gearing up for the greens harvest. We’ll start in our “caterpillar” tunnels where we’ll harvest Red Russian kale, tatsoi and baby Romaine lettuce. They were planted just over a month ago and have been growing underneath row covers in these otherwise unheated spaces. All three will be packed together in one bag. The curly kale, which we’ll pack in a second bag, will come from the field we call MaryJane #1. Although they have been snowed on and subjected to below-freezing temperatures a few times, they are still tender. Nevertheless, the curly kale will benefit from cooking, while the Red Russian kale (and the tatsoi) can be eaten fresh. The harvest and bagging might take all day, but the forecast is for a high of 60 degrees and sunshine, and it will be good to be working outdoors again after the cold of early November. If you have done this kind of work for very long, you know how to dress for the mud. You have an old pair of ski pants for kneeling and gloves that keep your fingers warm without reducing their dexterity. And, if you are like me, a thermos of hot coffee. It’s going to be a good day. (Images from the harvest can be found on our Instagram page.)

Jan reminds me to recommend that you bring something or someone to help with getting your vegetables home – the box is heavy! And please be on time – the sites are staffed by volunteers who will likely have other things to do after pickup time. Boxes left over after the pickup window will be given to someone in need. Thanks again for being with us this winter – we hope you enjoy your share of the harvest!

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving, Ted and Jan

PS: We do not wash our winter share greens, so please be sure to give them a rinse before eating them. 

Here are some reminders about your winter share. 

Your pick-up time and location is noted below: 

Central Brooklyn CSA (1251 Dean St., 4:30 to 6:00)

Please mark your calendars for our three distributions on the following Saturdays: November 18^th, December 16^th, and January 6^th.  

Please note: 

1.       A friend, family member or neighbor can pick up your share for you if you are not able to make it to distribution. Please ask this person to sign-in under your name.

2.       Site hosts are not obliged to save shares for members who miss the distribution window. Any shares leftover after distribution will be donated to community fridges or food pantries and will help other community members in need. 

3.       The farm is not able to send you a make-up share if you miss a distribution. The farm will only send shares to your pick-up site on the scheduled pick-up dates. 

4.     We will send you a newsletter a day or two before distribution. Please save these two emails to your preferred contacts list: windflowercsa@gmail.com and tedblomgren@gmail.com and check your SPAM folder if our newsletter does not make it into your inbox. 

5.       Watch for updates from site hosts on social media. Many sites post updates about the share on Instagram and Facebook.

Distribution #22, Week of October 23rd

The News from Windflower Farm

What you’ll get this week

• Carrots
• Beets
• Leeks
• Red onions
• Red cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Sweet potatoes
• Green leaf lettuce
• Salad mix (mixed mustard bunch)
• Kale
• Garlic (more “seconds” from Brian)

*** Your vegetable share is packed in individual boxes this final week. Please take your box home and recycle it. Thank you!

Our vegetable car wash, the AZS Brusher-Washer we picked up in Lancaster County, PA a few years back, was busy all weekend. We sorted and washed perhaps 2000 pounds of sweet potatoes, 1000 bunches of leeks, 500 heads each of lettuce and escarole, 500 bunches each of kale and braising greens, perhaps 1500 pounds of carrots and over 1000 cauliflower heads (our first cauliflower crop ever!). And there’s more to do tomorrow. I’m not sure where we’d be without this fantastic machine!

You’ll find a link to an online Windflower Farm CSA survey here: 2023 CSA SURVEY (wufoo.com). If you haven’t already done so, please help us to be the best CSA we can be by taking five or ten minutes to fill it out. And you’ll find a link to our winter share information page and signup form here: Windflower Farm’s 2023-2024 Winter Share (wufoo.com). The deadline for signing up is fast approaching!

News from the farm

Thank you to all who have filled out our CSA survey. I’ve read every one. More cucumbers and Delicata squash – I know, I know! It’s easier said than done, but we will try our hardest next year to increase your quantities of these veggies. We’ll have to bring back some version of free choice or the swap box to deal with the fact that equal numbers of you seem to like/dislike Swiss chard, fennel, and eggplant. Thank you for your excellent comments and kind words. We value your input; it will truly inform our 2024 crop planning.

Sweet potato soup, sweet potato lasagna and sweet potato omelets with cardamon are excellent ways to enjoy sweet potatoes. New to us this fall is something called sweet potato toast, but we’ve now had it with hummus and pumpkin seeds, onion jam, and sweet chili chutney. These bring to mind the meals Cher would prepare for Winona Ryder in Mermaids. Tomorrow, as part of our end-of-season potluck, Nate is making sweet potato toast topped with black beans and a dash of salsa and cilantro. Simply slice the sweet potato into slices (toasts) ¼ inch thick, place the pieces on parchment paper or oil on a cookie sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for about ten minutes on each side, or until fork soft. It’s better to underbake to avoid mushiness. Then top with your favorite concoction – perhaps a medley of diced roasted vegetables or finely chopped braised greens. In “Eating Bird Food,” Brittany Mullins lists several ways to enjoy sweet potato toast (www.eatingbirdfood.com).  

As you know, this is the last week of CSA deliveries for the summer season. Thank you for choosing to be a member of our CSA this year. I hope you’ve enjoyed the experience enough to want to come back next year. If you’d like more, sign up for a winter share. An extra big thanks goes to the folks in your neighborhood who help organize your CSA site – the CSA model depends on these community volunteers. Without them, we’d be a very different kind of farm. And you wouldn’t have this chance to make so many new friends among the vegetable lovers in your neighborhood.

Thank you, and best wishes from all of us at Windflower Farm, Ted

Distribution #21, Week of October 16th

The News from Windflower Farm

What you’ll get this week

• Yellow wax beans
• Assorted potatoes
• Rosemary
• Garlic (the Denison’s “seconds”)
• ‘Bolero’ Carrots
• ‘Boro’ Beets
• Green cabbage
• Salad mix (mixed mustard greens)
• Winterbor kale
• ‘Magenta’ lettuce

Your fruit share, the last of the season, will be Yonder Farm’s ‘Empire’ apples.

When I mentioned to my friend and fellow farmer Brian Denison that we had a garlic crop failure, he offered to give us some of his “seconds” garlic at a good price. I couldn’t pass it up. It will be in this week’s share and in next week’s. I couldn’t imagine a CSA season without garlic.

You’ll find an online Windflower Farm CSA survey attached to this newsletter. Please help us to be the best CSA we can be by taking five or ten minutes to fill it out. 2023 CSA SURVEY (wufoo.com)

News from the farm

It’s been a busy week here at the farm. Although the weather has been pleasant for October, with no hard freeze in sight, the place still has a mad dash feel. The winter greens have all been planted, hooped, and covered. So too for the overwintering onion plants. But numerous beds of leeks, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, cabbages, beans, and greens remain to be harvested. We still have a half-acre or so of onion sets and garlic cloves to plant and to mulch. We have perhaps five more acres to sow to cover crops. And we have over a dozen small greenhouses to clean up and ready for winter.

It is inevitable that cold weather will come, hence much of the urgency. But there is also the fact that our staff will be heading out of town soon. I will be purchasing airplane tickets for four members of the Medina household this afternoon. Candelaria, Daniel, Martin, and Miriam all plan to spend the winter in Guanajuato, Mexico. One day I’ll surprise them by purchasing a fifth ticket and tagging along, but not this time. Nate and I are excited about some projects we have planned for our workshop. And we bought ski passes at Bromley, the local mountain where farmers from throughout southern New England go to ski and to trade tips about new vegetable varieties, pest controls or staffing. It’s tempting to write the pass off as a business expense.

Next week’s vegetable delivery will be your last of the regular season. This one is the last for odd-week members. I’m not entirely sure what we’ll send next week, but it will likely include herbs, leeks, fennel, sweet potatoes, beets, and red onions, along with some escarole, braising greens, and kale. Oh, and more of Brian’s “seconds” garlic. Thanks very much for being with us.

I was at a memorial service at the rural cemetery down the hill from our house. Everyone from the community was there. I talked with a neighboring vegetable farmer about the farm season. “It’s been a rough year,” he said, and then showed me the scar he received from a run in with a piece of farm machinery. He then proceeded to tell me that he was going to quit farming. It wasn’t any one thing, he said, mentioning the labor challenge, the rains, the low pay, his back. His heart just wasn’t in it anymore. What will you do, I asked. He wasn’t sure, but he knew he was going to have a very large garden. And I reminded him that he had 2000 onion bulbs up at my place ready to plant.

Winter share news

We hope you’ll join us for the winter share. More information and a signup page can be found by following this link: Windflower Farm’s 2023-2024 Winter Share (wufoo.com). In short, our winter share consists of three deliveries of organic greens, vegetables, and fruits made between late November and early January. We finished transplanting the greens that will go into the winter share last week, including 12 beds in six ‘caterpillar’ tunnels and 15 beds in three high tunnels, to three types of lettuce, plus tatsoi, bok choy, two kale varieties and spinach. The storage vegetables in the winter share will come from our farm (potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, cabbages, red and yellow onions, shallots, and leeks) and our friends at Denison farm (butternut squash, carrots, and celeriac). The fruits (apples primarily, and pears if I can find any) will come from Yonder Farm and the Bordens. Each month, we’ll include a sweet treat of some kind, including fresh, sweet apple cider, local honey, and local jam. Optional shares of eggs, maple products and grains are available, too. Consider joining us.

Take care, Ted