Sweet beet has been on road keeping up on all of the happenings that are revolving around the sustainable and organic farming world in the Midwest! Sharing ideas, learning new ones, ect! We made press in the Heavy Table check it out!
http://heavytable.com/notes-from-the-sustainable-farming-association-conference/

Hi, folks – hard to believe September is cruising by!

Here’s the WEEK 13 NEWSLETTER
See you Sunday!

Week 12 Newsletter
The season is rolling right along. Hope you’re enjoying your veggies this week.
Tomatoes are tricky this year. They’re a fussy crop to begin with, but this year especialy, with the wetness, the solacious beauties are suffering. Many of our farming neighbors are reporting similar problems. Tomatoes are very susceptible to fungus and blight if the conditions are too wet. This year, we have been fortunate with plenty of regular rainfall. Good thing we planted a zillion tomatoes – we’re getting by o.k. but we don’t have quite the bounty we predicted.
Tomatoes are native to Peru, so, when you think about it, it’s a wonder that we can grow them here in the first place. They sure are great while they last.

A book recommendation from CSA member Janet, and duly seconded by us:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Link It follows one family through a year of eating locally and growing most of their own food. It’s a great look at the food industry and the garden’s seasonal rhythms.
It also features this wonderful picture that conjures up all sorts of interesting ideas:

Hot off the press! View the Week 11 newsletter HERE
Also, a nice picture of us courtesy of my mom:

Hope you’re enjoying the boxes this week! It was a bounty!


Check out the Wright County 4-H exhibits at the State Fair, along with my mom’s sheep in the Miracle of Birth Center, and Amelia’s uncanny talents as a judge in the 4-H BBQ Chicken Contest!

Hello! Just a word about MN Garlic Festival, happening this Saturday at McLeod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson
Amelia and I are both active in the Crow River Sustainable Farming Association, which hosts the Garlic Fest. More than just garlic, it’s a celebration of local food, art, music, and…garlic!

http://sfa-mn.org/garlicfest/

See you Sunday for Week 10!

Week Six newsletter
Enjoy!

I remember looking at the calendar on my grandma’s wall when I was growing up.  It was a cloth one she had printed up every year, with some standard picture above the dates – a blue jay, a plant, or some other pleasant scene.  I remember marking July 15 as the middle of summer.  Summer, at least, to a kid, whose life ebbed and flowed with the school clock.  Now, it’s nearly July 15 and it feels like summer has barely begun.

Tomato plants have that smell to them.  I’ve been sensing it all year, but it especially hit me tonight – I could smell them from a few rows away.  They’re getting huge, and we’ve fallen behind in trellising them.  Instead of using cages this year, we are trellising most of our tomatoes using rebar posts and twine, supporting them as they grow up.  It’s cheaper than buying or making tomato cages, and it’s easier to store in the winter.  But it takes a lot of time keeping up with the plant growth.  We put about 300 tomato plants in the fields this year.  Even by our standards, that’s a lotta tomaters.

Tonight, we planted some black radishes (“Great with beer and dip!” according to the seed packet)  I found them on a trip to the nursery with my in-laws up in Pequot Lakes, MN, and thought they looked fun.  We’ll see.  They’re a “winter” radish, which, along with daikons, do best after a mild frost.  Plus – they’re black radishes!  Also planted another round of cilantro, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and purple top white globe turnips.  Part of growing for a CSA is that we have to keep planting new rounds of veggies to keep the boxes fresh.  Someone last weekend said that growing for a CSA is one of the most challenging methods of market-growing.  I don’t know what I think about that.  I guess if we’re starting out this way, it’s probably easier than transitioning to this system.

A few items of note:

WEEK FIVE NEWSLETTER Smokin’ hot off the press!

Also, I wanted to plug Minnesota Garlic Festival , happening Saturday, August 14, at the Mcleod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson.  It’s a celebration of all local food and farmers, and GARLIC of course!  Nick and Amelia are part of the Crow River Sustainable Farming Association, which hosts the event.  It’s a family-friendly event, and it’s a great place to learn all about the people growing your food around here.  We will have 2-for-1 tickets available at the farm on your pickup days.

Hope you’re eating well!

Nick & Amelia

We got some nice rain Monday night. 2.5″ – it came just at the right time, too, as we had started watering the gardens again. No standing water this time, everything soaked in, and the following heat is really making the nightshades (tomato, pepper, eggplant, potatoes) grow. They love hot stuff.
It’s amazing, too, the difference between RAIN and WATER. Rainwater’s got all those great minerals in it that just makes the plants thrive – hose water just doesn’t have the same effect.
Here’s WEEK FOUR NEWSLETTER.
Hope you’re enjoying your share.
Nick and Amelia

Kale is abundant this year – we have a few different kinds growing in the garden. What’s a family to do with this glorious green?
Check out this site for 20 different kale recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/seasonal/winter/kale/top.aspx

Many are soup recipes – summer is not top soup season, so consider freezing some kale for the chillier months. It’ll be a welcome scent of summer in your kitchen.

This recipe also looks great: Mashed-Potato Cakes with Onions and Kale It’s a healthier hamburger!

And, just for fun, check out this website. Eat More Kale There aren’t many recipes on here, but you can buy a sticker or t-shirt that says “EAT MORE KALE.” What a great idea!

Hope you’re enjoying the veggies!
Vitamins N & A