This Week's Vegetable Harvest: Napa Cabbage Green Bean Rainbow Swiss Chard Heirloom Tomatoes Broccoli Bell Pepper Leeks Cilantro Basil This Week's Fruit Harvest (from Mick Klug Farms, St. Joseph, MI) Gala Apples Raspberries Bartlett Pears 'Einset' Grapes - bright red grapes with Labrusca and strawberry character

What's New at the Farm Stand

Frozen Cider - We're welcoming in the flavors of fall with frozen cider leading the way! Warm this cider and add a dash of cinnamon for an early taste of autumn. The Farm Stand is open daily, 7am-7pm.

LAST CALL! Order Bulk Tomato Cases We are again selling bulk quantities of our certified organic tomatoes for eating and canning. We are holding at our 2022 prices for members. Our availability and prices are as follows:  20 lb Heirloom Tomato Cases - $72 20 lb Paste Tomato Cases - $52  20lb Mixed 'Seconds' Cases - $42 - These cases include imperfect tomatoes (a mix of all varieties) that will need to be processed quickly as the tomatoes will not hold. Despite their imperfections, these tomatoes are delicious!  To place a reservation for tomato case(s), please fill out the following form. If harvests become limited, our 2023 CSA members will receive first priority. On the week of your delivery/pickup, we will send a confirmation reminder email to you. We are unable to provide replacement tomatoes if your case is not picked up. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you!

Reserve Your Local, Pastured-Raised Thanksgiving Turkey  Reserve a local, pasture-raised turkey for Thanksgiving dinner from our friends at Jake's Country Meats. The farmers at Jake's raise their turkeys on pastures with pride and respect. Each bird enacts their natural instincts out on the pasture foraging for grass, bugs, and more. Jake's does not use any antibiotics and they are fed a NON-GMO diet of farm-grown grains. The natural environment promotes the best flavor and highest quality meat for your Thanksgiving holiday feast. Weights range from 14-20+ lbs (choices are small - 14-17, medium 17-20, large 20+). We will do everything we can to provide you with a turkey in your desired weight range. Turkeys are frozen and packaged in a vacuum-sealed bag. Heart, liver, neck, and gizzard are included inside each turkey. Reservation: $35 deposit per turkey due at the time of order. The deposit will be deducted from your final total which will be determined by the weight of your turkey. You will be invoiced with your total at $7.75/lb (less your deposit) due upon pickup. Turkeys will be available for pickup on the farm on Saturday, November 18 and Sunday, November 19.  Place your reservation here. Thank you for supporting local farmers!

Farm Journal

Good evening from the farm!

Last week, we could feel the transition towards autumn and with this week's autumnal solstice, we are firmly heading towards fall. Now is the time of year that we finalize our plans for the winter season and begin to plan for spring. To this end, Jeff is preparing the fields for garlic planting, and he's seeded this fall and next spring's spinach...and good news: the spinach has sprouted!

Members are cooking up amazing soups and sauces with bulk tomato cases! We are offering the last of our bulk tomato boxes next week, so don't delay if you're interested in reserving.

We are also beginning to take reservations for local turkeys for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will be working with Jake's Country Meats this season to provide you with humanely and pasture-raised turkeys in much the same way that we have in the past. Our mouths are watering just thinking of the spread.

We've made the difficult decision not to offer Winter CSA Shares this year to allow ourselves more time with our family this winter. We know these shares are appreciated, and we still strongly believe in supporting a local food system that provides Midwest-grown food for Midwest eaters year-round. So, in partnership with Jeff's "Engineering a Sustainable Future" class (Grayslake District 127), Jeff and his students will grow a smaller amount of fresh food for the farm stand this winter. His students have already seeded lettuce, salad mix, spinach, and kale to be soon planted into hoop houses. In addition to produce we've already stored throughout this growing season, we will offer these farm products for sale at the farm stand throughout the winter. Never fear, local food is still here.

Finally, thanks to our members, we've recently made several significant donations to the Avon Township Food Pantry. This food pantry serves the Grayslake, Hainsville, Round Lake, and Third Lake communities. Recently, they've put out several calls for contributions as they have struggled to keep their shelves full due to the large need they are seeing. We will continue to contribute produce, particularly as the weather cools, into the holiday season.

Thank you for supporting farming and local food throughout all of the seasons. Your farmers, ~ Jeff, Jen, Gavin, David, Cleto, Miguel, Anacleto

Notes from the Farm Kitchen

The broccoli harvest continues! We've had a lovely week for growing broccoli and it will only get better as cooler evenings continue. To make the most of your broccoli, place it into plastic, and use it within a week. Or, chop and briefly blanch in boiling water or lightly sauté before tossing it into your freezer for winter.

Apple and pear season begins in earnest in late summer and we always take full advantage of this for our fruit share members. This week's share includes familiar varieties, Bartlett Pears, to accompany the Gala Apples, both of which are perfect for late summer picnics or snacks. Enjoy these easy-to-eat treats, and as we get into the cooler temperatures of late summer, you can expect more great apple varieties for cooking, baking, and storage. Here's to flavor diversity!

Napa cabbage has light green crinkly leaves with white ribs. It adds a nice crunch when used raw in a salad, but it also stands up well to the heat of a quick sauté or stir fry. Napa cabbage is our favorite cabbage to make coleslaws similar to those made with the familiar green cabbage.

Seasonal Recipes in the Farm Kitchen Veggie and Wonton Soup with Napa Cabbage Broccoli Slaw How to Preserve Raspberries Spicy Green Beans and Swiss Chard

• Tags: Broccoli, Green Beans, Napa Cabbage, Raspberries, Swiss Chard

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