A BIG winter squash awaiting imminent harvest!
Oh September. How is it possible that this month is already almost over? And, yet, here we are so smack in the thick of early fall and all of its particular tendencies. The golden light of late afternoon and early evening. Longer nights. Yellow jackets on the hunt (several people, including me, got stung today on a hiking trip!). Winter squash to harvest and move to storage. Trees turning yellow and orange.
It all feels so beguiling. And so very fleeting. These shoulder seasons of fall (and spring) just seem to move. From one day to the next, changes in our landscape are so visible and everything feels like it is busy winding up. I feel some level of urgency in the world, beyond just the aggression of those pesky yellow jackets. Canada geese are flying in large numbers, with a clear destination in mind. It’s just time. It’s time to finish up before (eventually) those first frosts and muddy days arrive.
In preparation for the winter squash harvests, Casey cleaned out our “squash room” in the pole barn. It has been used at times as a shop as well as for squash storage, and it was time to return it to just squash. It’s simpler that way. Where the shop will go is still somewhat up in the air, as it has been for about, oh … ten years now. Maybe that’s the thing we’ll figure out in 2017, how and where to keep our random tools, most of which we rarely use in place anyway (our real “shop” is always out in the fields, but we still have to store tools somewhere in the interim!). The biggest challenge with storing random objects and materials is, as always, mice and other rodents, who seem to find their way into most spaces as they look for nesting spots (the squash room is 99% sealed from rodents, which is why we were temporarily using it for two purposes!).
We’ll figure this out eventually. It’s more of a winter project really, and I suppose that one could surmise that establishing our perfect “shop” hasn’t been a priority for this last decade, so what’s another year or two really? Farming and living on land like this has instilled in me a deeper level of patience; a greater understanding of how somethings really just take time. Especially big projects, like farming and managing land. Each year, we really do figure out another piece of how to manage this big puzzle more effectively. Next year that will be true too.
And tonight, I’m trying to ignore the ache on the back of my head (from the sting) and looking out at the golden evening light and anticipating a dinner of fall flavors (roast beef with cabbage and spaghetti squash). It’s funny how sometimes deep relaxation can co-exist with deep urgency — it feels like this season brings both so strongly, co-existing in a vibrant paradox of experiences.
Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
P.S. I owe you all a follow up on last week’s newsletter about Grand Island and gravel quarries, but I am honestly still sorting out some of the information and am not ready to post something coherent! Soon!
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Meet this week’s vegetables:
- Grapes
- Apples
- Bartlett pears — Did you know that European-style pears (such as these) do not ripen properly if let to ripen on the tree? Instead, we farmers pick them when they are mature, but not yet ripe (you can tell because they are full sized and come off easily). We hold them in cold storage until it is time to give them out, and they will ripen (i.e. soften and sweeten) slightly in that situation, but really we have to pull them to room temperature to finish the job. Casey has been letting these pears ripen a bit before giving out, but you might still want to make sure yours are ready before eating. Put them on a not-too-warm spot on your kitchen counter and check them every day to see if they are ready. They should give under your knife with no resistance (like butter!), and then they are ready to slice and eat. A perfectly ripe pear is so totally worth the wait.
- Spaghetti squash — Dottie is such a quintessential little kid who can’t properly pronounce this word. Right now around our house, this is “scuh-betti” squash. But she’s working on it. How to cook: we slice this lengthwise and then scoop out the seeds and pulp. Then we place it cut side up on a baking pan and pour olive oil and lots of salt over the top. Bake at 375° until it is tender through. When finished cooking, you should be able to take a fork and “scrape” out the “spaghetti”-like strands of cooked flesh onto your plate. It makes a fantastic base for all kinds of stews or sauces. We love “scuh-betti” squash!
- Tomatoes
- Sweet peppers
- Kohlrabi
- Chard
- Beets
- Red potatoes
- Zucchini
And this week’s extra goodies from the farm:
- Beef cuts — The last beef from our farm for the foreseeable future! Steaks are $14/lb; ground beef is $10/lb; organs and bones are $6/lb.
- Lamb — Also the last lamb from our farm for the foreseeable future! Chops are $14/lb; roasts are $12/lb; ground lamb is $10/lb; organs and bones are $6/lb.
- Eggs — $6/dozen
