CSA Newsletter #17 - Oct. 2, 2021

 

lol!

Yes, friends, your adventure in eating locally through the Frog Holler Farm CSA will come to an end next week, but we certainly hope it won't send you to the three-month-old cans of beans! Next week we will share a totally biased report on market vendors who will help your diet stay varied and locally produced, right through the winter. 

Of course, our bias is for organically-oriented local producers. According to a recent article, Kathleen Merrigan, former USDA Deputy Secretary under the Obama administration and now Executive Director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University, details why... "converting more agricultural land to organic food production should be a national goal", while noting the tremendous growth of organic, as well as the reality that it still makes up a small percentage of overall food purchases and land use.

Ms. Merrigan goes on to say, "Organic farming consumes 45 percent less energy than conventional production, mainly because it doesn’t use nitrogen fertilizers. And it emits 40 percent less greenhouse gases because organic farmers practice crop rotation, use cover crops and composting, and eliminate fossil fuel-based inputs. Despite the considerable benefits of and demand for organic, “current USDA assistance for organic producers is paltry, especially given the billions of dollars that the agency spends annually in support of agriculture. Two-thirds of farm subsidy dollars go to the top 10% richest farms.” 

Supporting local growers also may contribute to a healthier choice for the climate. California has long been the nation's prime produce grower, but according to a recent, and rather depressing, New Yorker article, it is time to reevaluate our reliance on California agriculture. According to the article's author, Anna Wiener:

Most investigations into California agriculture begin with the Central Valley: a depression, largely bounded by mountain ranges, that spans much of the state and is responsible for more than a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. The region’s growers provide almost all of the celery, garlic, figs, olives, raisins, kiwis, and canning tomatoes in the United States, and also the varieties of tree nuts that one might purchase at a gas station: pistachios, almonds, pecans, walnuts.

The plenitude of the Central Valley is a point of pride for many Californians, but it is a frightening one to encounter for the first time in the summer of 2021, following the world’s hottest month on record and the I.P.C.C.’s latest report. For years, academics and others have pointed out that California’s current agricultural industry is unsustainable and long overdue for either a reckoning or a restructuring. Some argue that the solution lies in sustainable farming, practiced by small and midsize farms growing a diversity of crops—but for now federal farm policy tends to favor larger, industrial operations, many of them in the business of monocropping. In “Perilous Bounty,” published last year and written before the pandemic, Tom Philpott, a journalist for Mother Jones, suggests that produce farming should be decentralized, and that California agriculture should be scaled back to adapt to its water resources. The future of the Central Valley, Philpott argues, is increasingly imperiled, and it is untenable to rely on the region for such a significant portion of the country’s food. 

Michigan is blessed with an excellent growing climate and an incredible supply of water. Yes, it also has winter and can't grow tomatoes year-round. But supporting the human-scale, independent growers across the state just might be the right choice for the planet, the local economy, and your own health. Bon appetit!

The Lake Michigan waves roll in! Did you know that Lake Michigan is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world? Lake Superior is the fourth largest and Lake Huron is the seventh. And these three Great Lakes embrace our state - we do have water!

And although last week most of the rather unwelcome water was coming from the sky, this week proved warm and sunny and the crew had a respite from boots and rain gear.

Last week - hoods up harvesting

This week - sunshine, smiles and carrots!

So, IN YOUR SHARE are CARROTS! This is our last patch and they are growing in a part of the garden that has minimal stones - maybe another reason why the crew is smiling! We made Mustard Glazed Carrots  this week, substituting maple syrup for the brown sugar and a little apple cider to braise the carrots. Different and delicious!

Also this week, Sam and Edwin harvested 840 lbs. of butternut squash. 

Just a portion of the full harvest. The Butternut grew pretty well!

So, in your share, BUTTERNUT SQUASH! We baked some Butternut Squash this week, and, after having some for dinner, found ourselves with a lot left over. Cooked squash freezes well, but we also tucked it into several other dishes. Layered into lasagna? Yep! Added to refried beans? Si!

We do use squash in a homemade dog biscuits recipe. Oh yes, our pooches are pampered!

  Lol, but this recipe is a good use of extra squash. And really economical. Here's the recipe:

HOMEMADE DOG BISCUITS:

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. pumpkin or squash

1/2 c. broth - I buy a meat-based bouillon for this recipe

Mix, roll out to desired thickness, cut into strips, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Can dust with powdered milk if you're feeling really indulgent for your precious pups. :-) I roll them on the thin side so they are crisp and crunchy. If thicker, they will be chewy - your choice!

Freya approved!

More share items: SWEET POTATOES - if you have extra after cooking, they also freeze well. They will keep for a week out of the fridge and a much longer time in the fridge. 

BEANS - we'll have them until frost, which seems far away. Although, last year by the CSA end, we had experienced a frost or two. Anything can happen as we head in October!

LETTUCE - this is a new patch that we've started to pick on the young side. Lettuce will take some frost but no reason to push our luck - anything can happen as we head into October! :-)

GARLIC

COLLARDS/KALE - some lucky members will get COLLARDS; some lucky members will get KALE. If you are feeling full of greens, consider freezing some for winter use. They freeze very easily with a light blanching. A market customer once told us that it's not necessary to blanch the greens to freeze them. We tried that and it worked; the kale came out tender, crumbly and ready to use in smoothies and stir-fries. It does take up a bit more freezer space when it is frozen without blanching.

Or you can adopt the attitude of CSA member DorothyAnn, who reports: Present eating adventures in this kitchen —Eating kale at every meal and finding it really is good in oatmeal and scrambled eggs and my smoothies, never mind any and all soups, stews and stir fries.

Go DorothyAnn! Anyone else have a favorite use for kale?

There may be some extras added to the share as we finish the harvest, but we do know that you will find either a bunch of PARSLEY or a bunch of DILL in your box. Both herbs freeze well with no blanching required. Simply chop and store in a plastic bag in your freezer. You can easily crumble off the amount you need for winter dishes. And they will be more flavorful than dried versions of the herb.

And finally, the reviews for The Tragedy of MacBeth are in, and they are glowing!

 

The "three witches" who offer the prophecy that initiates MacBeth's downfall
"Double, double toil and trouble..."

Rotten Tomatoes has given the film a 100% on the "Tomatometer" after the premiere at the New York Film Festival last Friday. Here is an excerpt from one review:

Joel Cohen's "Tragedy of Macbeth" is Masterful Art, with Oscar Worthy Performances from Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand

What Coen has achieved is magnificent and monumental, not words to be thrown around. He’s exceeded his best past work and then some. This production is almost hybrid theater-cinema, using the best techniques of each. They’re literally going to have make a mini documentary about how Coen et al conceived these sets, the lighting, the noir-ish look of Scottish moors created on a soundstage. Some of the sets had the moody feel of the Metropolitan Opera sets for the  Ring cycle. Some of them had nods to Julie Taymor. But knitted together they form their own unique universe.

So McDormand is Lady Macbeth (a leading role, Fran, not supporting), Denzel is Macbeth, they are calmly scary and duplicitous political plotters who kill King Duncan (Gleason) and basically go mad as they overreach for power.  Denzel is understated and keenly a royal wannabe before he loses his mind. It’s a very unusual performance for him and one his most powerful. McDormand is always letter perfect. Her Lady Macbeth has one scene I really loved where her eyes are closed, she’s waking up to realize she’s achieved her goal. It’s delicious. Hunter plays the three witches in a turn that is frightening and mesmerizing. 

- Roger Friedman, Showbiz 411

We are obviously fans of Ms. McDormand, although we assure you, she has never been to the farm and most certainly does not realize that she is getting press in a CSA newsletter! But from what we do know, she would probably get a kick out of it. And we applaud Ms. McDormand's unwavering and fearless dedication to her art. At Frog Holler, we have always believed in feeding the body, mind and spirit. Artistic expression of any and many forms does just that.

And Billy King, oldest King Brother and mechanical magician who keeps the farm machinery going, among many other tasks, is also a dedicated artist on the guitar. As the garden load lightens just a bit with the cessation of planting, Billy is commencing his "Garden" tour (still can't get far from the garden!). He kicks it off on Saturday, Oct. 9, and here's Billy's "review" by host of the concert, Barry Lonik:

Last concert in the barn for 2021 and it's a beauty!  Billy King is one of my favorite songwriters anywhere as well as a smokin' guitarist.  His lyrics are so lovely and poignant, and most of the songs are also mad dance tunes.  The new CD Garden shows his musical breadth with everything from blues to sweet love songs to all-out rockers.  Highly recommended!

Saturday, October 9

Fall concerts in the barn are only for those fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have a legit medical reason.

Advance tickets only, $25 payable via:
Venmo: @Barry-Lonik

All proceeds go to the musicians.

The long-awaited celebration of Billy's fabulous first-ever professionally recorded and produced CD Garden!! Mad dance party with Will Osler (drums), Brennan Andes (bass), Jordan Adema (violin). WSG Chris Good opening set!

This will be a live musical performance in my barn for a very limited audience of 50 people who have been practicing a high degree of caution to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and are preferably fully vaccinated. There is space on the south side of the barn for anyone who would prefer to dance and/or watch the show outdoors.

This is a ticketed event; if 50 are sold, there will be no walkups (and pretty much every show here sells out). Parking is via the Ruhlig Farm Market driveway one west of mine. Carpooling is encouraged. Guests can arrive starting at 7:00 p.m., music will start at 7:30. Please no tobacco products or animals. BYOB and a lawn or stadium chair. 11300 Island Lake Rd, Dexter, MI 48130-8513

Billy on the farm

Billy on the guitar

Send an email if you want more info!

The leaves they are a-changing!

Have a great week everyone!

 

CSA Newsletter #16 - September 25, 2021

 

Yes, this week summer left on Tuesday and fall arrived with a bit of a vengeance the next day. Here, branches of Black Walnut, a lone Cottonwood, a Box Elder, an Oak, and Mulberry tree all get tossed about in Wednesday's wind, while the chickens remain nonplussed:

Your share has landed firmly into fall, but with one toe still in summer, as you'll see.  Here's the scoop:

SWEET POTATOES - Some of these spuds have been speared in the digging process but we trimmed them and the cuts have cured and healed. They are good to go; you can always cut off a bit from the trimmed end. As was chronicled in last week's CSA newsletter, sweet potatoes grow underground and you really can't see them when digging.  The crew did a great job but it's almost impossible not to spear a few spuds. The alternative would be to get one of these commercial sweet potato harvesters!

This would probably completely fill one of our rows!

We appreciate that we can share with our members these less-than-perfect specimens, products of human-scaled labor. That's what we eat, and we made Chili with Sweet Potatoes this week. Hit the spot as the temps turned cool. 

We also roasted some sweet potatoes; we like to add cinnamon and/or cumin - or both!

The sweet potato sizes vary; some of you got the biggest ones - just cut off and use as much as you want; store the remaining in the fridge. Otherwise, they do not need to be refrigerated, as long as you'll use them up in a week or two.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH - Roasted or in soup, butternut squash is one of the most versatile of the winter squash. 

CARROTS 

ONIONS

GARLIC

BEANS - are back! This is our last patch for this season, and, although the cool nights are slowing the growth, the beans are pretty happy so far. Don't know if we can say the same for the bean pickers :-)

HERB - possibly parsley or dill

CURLY KALE - Lately we have been featuring summer kale salad recipes with peaches and other fruit; now it's time for a heartier kale salad. This dish is almost a meal in itself; add a hunk of good bread and you're good to go! 

Hearty Kale Salad with Chipotle Pecan Pesto

The rest of the share will be a surprise in terms of how the harvest goes. But it won't be a surprise in terms of a veggie variety - no cardoons in this week's share!

Notes from the farm, and Hollywood:

We mostly stayed out of the fields on windy, wet Wednesday, but had no wiggle room for the Thursday and Friday harvest days. The crew donned their wet suits and headed out to the kale patch. (thanks to neighbor Tom Hines for photos)

Ashleh harvesting kale -  suited up and still smiling

Edwin, collards, light rain, also smiling!

Hoods up harvesting!

More summer-into-fall scenes on the farm:

These bouquets were over a week old and were on their way to the compost pile but...

...this bee decided there was still plenty to work with here. The flowers stayed!

The turning colors of the leaves are still subtle at the pond; blue sky not so subtle!

Puffball mushrooms appear on the path this time of year. Puffballs are known as the "tofu" of mushrooms and to be honest we probably won't cook this one, not when shiitake mushrooms are abundant from our own logs (trying not to sound smug :-) But it's always kind of magical to find these large dome-shaped fungi - almost seeming to appear overnight.

Emily found a beautiful specimen of a mushroom known as "chicken-in-the-woods" -

 

and turned it into this delicious soup!

Did you know you can get a variety of fresh, locally grown mushrooms from a vendor at the A2 Farmers Market? (if you can't find any yourself - but always definitely i.d. your mushrooms!)

More from Frog Hollerwood: The trailer for The Tragedy of MacBeth, co-starring Francis McDormand, was not available when Ms. McDormand's latest project was mentioned in last week's newsletter. The trailer became available this week and strikes a somber and dramatic note. The film, although not in theaters until December, will lead off the New York Film Festival on Sept. 24, and no doubt there will be "buzz" until its wide release.

And if you're wondering what Francis McDormand has to do with Frog Holler Farm - our farm family member and Edwin's partner, Emily Foley, has worked closely with Ms. McDormand for several years. We are happy to "loan" Emily to whatever project takes her on location! As we mentioned last week, Emily was not involved in the MacBeth production, but just finished a project with Ms. McDormand that will emerge eventually from the editing room. Stay tuned!

and back to the farm....

Trees preparing to don their fall finery

Have a great week everyone!

CSA Newsletter #15, Sept. 18, 2021

SWEET POTATO TIME!

Edwin at the head of the sweet potato line

Yes, we started to dig the sweet potatoes this week and no, you will not find them in your shares this week! Yes, that's kind of mean, but no, you don't really want freshly dug sweet potatoes! They sweeten in curing so we are tucking them away in the pole barn for two weeks and, if all goes well, they will star in your final two boxes. 

Digging sweet potatoes is one of the last "whole harvest" tasks of the season. We plant the sweet potato "slips" in the spring after the ground has warmed.  Since this veggie did originate in Central and South America, it likes its soil and growing conditions on the warm side. The sweet potato vines grow all summer, covering the patch in lush greenery. One market customer told us that the sweet potato vines were preferred for eating in her native Costa Rico.  We occasionally take vines to market upon request but we mostly wait until the fall to dig the brightly colored spuds from the earth.

Digging is a process. First the lush vines must be removed so that we can find the rows of sweet potatoes. Then the "landscape fabric" that has been keeping the weeds at bay must be removed and saved for re-use. Then we can start the digging, which must be done rather carefully. The sweet potatoes spread out underground as they grow and the clumps are really not visible when they are mature. It's important not to spear a spud with the digging forks; that results in a sweet potato that won't keep. So it's a combination of proper angle of the digging fork, getting a feel for where the clumps of potatoes have spread from the initial "slip", and yes, some good ol' muscle! Here is a quartet of sweet potato diggers bringing up the harvest. On your left, you can see the vines that are rolled back to reveal the rows, and on the right, the mass of vines yet to be addressed. 

The crew put in a good morning's work and will finish the job in the next session. Here is a sample of what we have so far. Aren't they pretty!?

Off to be washed, dried, cured and sweetened!

And here is a closer shot of the sweet potato digger you saw at the end of the digging line: Sam Robyn Walker, our featured crew member for this week! (If you missed our feature on the other two-thirds of the crew, revisit our soon-to-be travelers, Ashleh and Cale, in last week's newsletter.)

Sam with spud

Sam literally swooped in at the end of July, flying in from Germany to spend a few months with family in the area. Sam had originally worked at Frog Holler in the summers of 2018 and 2019, while on break from Grinnell College. Grinnell has a very strong study-abroad program, and after an initial summer course in Leipzig, Germany, and with encouragement from a Grinnell advisor, Sam returned to Germany, completing junior and senior years and graduating in 2021 with a degree in German from the University of Freiburg.

But Sam also worked on a large organic farm in Germany: Klosterhof - Gundelfingen. "Kloster" is related to our word, "cloister", and denotes that this was once a monastery garden, as many of the farms were in Europe. "Hof" means "court" or "yard". There is no longer a monastery at Klosterhof - Gundelfingen but the present owners kept the name, with "Gundelfingen" denoting the village that this particular "klosterhof" is situated near.

This is a large farm, serving 6-7 markets and several restaurant accounts. According to Sam, efficient organization is key when managing so much harvest and crew; systems and tasks are designed for maximum production in the time allotted. Of course we asked how they pick beans!

Beans are picked by hand, but using two hands, sort of like milking a cow. The crew moves through the patch only once so any bean close to maturity is picked. This results in variably sized beans but apparently most efficient use of the time, especially when, with a large acreage at Klosterhof's disposal, it's easier to move on to a new patch than keep milking an old patch with steadily decreasing productivity. Are we going to adopt that method at Frog Holler? Probably not! Our limited space demands use and re-use of each patch - but it's always interesting to hear how other farms manage their harvest.

Some of the Klosterhof crew harvesting Celeriac. Sam in the colorful hat on the left

Apparently Celeriac is a very popular root vegetable in Germany, especially as a storage crop for winter use. It's not so popular in the US, but we are fans of celeriac and always offer seedlings in the spring and plant some ourselves. But we plant a row, whereas you can see that Klosterhof plants a field!

The Celeriac harvest is finished. You can see the trailer piled high. And the crew looks happy!

Often European exchange students come to the US and are surprised by two staples of the American diet: peanut butter and sweet corn. Apparently corn has been considered mainly as animal feed in Europe. But perceptions and diet choices change and here is a very small portion of the sweet corn harvest at Klosterhof:

Sam with co-worker Ajmad

Sam also helped at the markets in nearby villages and in Freiburg. The marketing system is very different from our farmer's market - veggies are displayed in bulk and everything is weighed out "by the pound", but what stands out is that there are no plastic bags - ever. Klosterhof might supply a few paper bags since they also sell mushrooms and baked goods, but they hardly ever need them. European shoppers have long been trained in bringing their own bags to any market. Grocery stores will supply bags, but they charge for them, which has apparently provided a good incentive to shoppers to bring their own!

A beautiful bulk veggie display. No plastic bags in sight!

At Frog Holler, we regularly assess our use of plastic and, given that we offer so many fresh, but wet, greens at market, have accepted the use of plastic bags - for now. And at least we are able to offer biodegradable bags and compostable bags.  We appreciate shoppers and members who bring their own bags!

Freiburg, where Sam studied and now resides, is one of the "greenest" cities in Germany. Sam reports that it is easy to reach anywhere in the city by bicycle in 15-20 minutes. Bike lanes are integrated parts of the roads, not afterthoughts on the street's shoulder. Emphasis on accessibility via bicycle, walking and public transport have all contributed to preservation of natural beauty, better air quality, and dynamic urban community spaces in the city. Situated in southwest Germany, Freiburg is close to the Black Forest, which Sam visits regularly - by bicycle.

Sam's trusty steed for bicycling to farm, forest and Freiburg fun!

Sam returns to Germany on October 7. Sam has been hugely helpful at the farm and market and we definitely appreciate being included in this stateside visit.  We look forward to keeping in touch with our European farm correspondent!

And here goes Sam!

And while we're being international - look who showed up this week! Emily is just back from her summer-long project "on location" in Ontario. Emily was on the production team for Francis McDormand's latest film project which now moves into editing, so you won't see it for quite a while. But you can see Ms. McDormand in The Tragedy of MacBeth, premiering at the New York Film Festival on Sept. 24, and then available on Apple TV+. Ms. McDormand plays Lady MacBeth opposite Denzel Washington as Lord MacBeth, and directed by Joel Coen. And that's the scoop from your Hollerwood reporter!

Emily reunited with her animal companions - Kali in arms, and Freya close behind

Have a great week everyone!

 

CSA Newsletter #14 - Sept. 11, 2021

The crew at work in the kale patch

Many of you may be familiar with The Sun, "an independent, ad-free literary magazine that seeks to open hearts and minds." For over 45 years The Sun has published thought-provoking memoirs, fiction and long-form interviews while never seeking advertising.  Each monthly issue also includes a section titled "Readers Write," where readers of The Sun are invited to share short reminiscences around a suggested theme. The theme for the August, 2021, issue was "Summer Jobs," and one reader shared the following:

I DON’T THINK I’ve ever been more exhausted than the summer I worked on an organic farm. I was nineteen years old and had just returned home from a college that I had left for good. I wanted work that engaged my body, something more fulfilling than the pizzeria job I’d worked throughout high school.

My family got almost all of our summer produce from an organic farm in our small Vermont town, and my parents were well acquainted with the owners. My brother had worked there for twelve years, so it wasn’t hard for me to get hired.

My first couple of days were mostly spent in greenhouses, planting thousands of seeds. I couldn’t wait to get out in the fields and do some “real” farmwork.

By the end of the week I came home crying, drained, and sunburned, but I stuck with it. We rotated from task to task among different crops: we might spend two days weeding kale, three days transplanting squash, and a day harvesting green beans. I once spent three eight-hour days weeding beets in the sun. My wrists ached from propping myself up, and my hands and knees were sore.

My social life was almost nonexistent that summer. I was too tired. When I did have the energy to go to parties with friends, I was always the first to fall asleep on the couch, and if I could make it to a movie, I’d usually wake up at the end of the film with my head on a friend’s shoulder.

Despite the brutal days on the farm, that job taught me never to question the higher price of organic food. I know how much sweat goes into it.

Mallory Corley Moon
Johnson, Vermont

So the question is: Why would anyone want to do that?? Well, we are fortunate to have found a few intrepid souls who have stuck with us this summer through what has been admittedly one of the toughest years in terms of heat and mosquitoes!

Actually Ashleh Worden and Cale Stoker have stuck with us for three seasons now. We featured Ashleh and Cale in two of last year's newsletters, and we encourage you to go to the links and refresh your memory or read about them for the first time.

Ashleh with onions

Cale with puffball mushroom hat

 In addition to being dedicated soil stewards, Ashleh and Cale are partners in life and also in their Etsy shop, where they feature beautiful jewelry by silversmith Ashleh, and unique wooden spoons by carver Cale.

Samples of some of Cale's spoons - available in the shop by mid-November. Email the farm if you are
 interested in a spoon before November.

Just one example of Ashleh's beautiful work

Ashleh and Cale have also explored much of this state and country by land and canoe. And apparently their three seasons of farm work were all in preparation for a Thru-Hike of the Appalachian Trail, planned for 2022. Thru-Hikers cover the entire 2,190+ miles of this "longest hiking-only footpath in the world"; to qualify as a "Thru-Hike" it must be completed in in 12 months, although not necessarily all at once. Ashleh and Cale will be "thru-hiking" with us to end of this season, but are starting to make their plans for next year's adventure!

Ashleh, Moe amidships, and Cale setting off on a breezy Vineyard Lake (Brooklyn, MI) cruise

Taking a pause on the river that winds its way out of Vineyard Lake

Wherever Cale and Ashleh's travels take them, we know they will continue to tread lightly on the earth and offer their unique perspective of gentle justice to all they encounter.  We certainly appreciate the time that they spent at Frog Holler - we will miss them!

Off to see what's around the bend!

As for the share this week - we will be surprised as much as you will! :-) There are some items that we know for sure:

KALE - we made this Summer Kale Salad with Peaches and Candied Pecans although, not really. As in last week's Kale Salad With Peaches and Cornbread Croutons, we didn't have all of the suggested ingredients. But we were again inspired to make a Kale salad with peaches and candied walnuts, and it was good! Michigan peaches are peaking, and when you aren't eating one out-of-hand with juice dripping down your chin, they certainly can make Kale salads go down easy! Some day we'll get all those awesome ingredients together and make one of those recipes; if you do it, let us know!

CARROTS - working through our latest but not our last patch.

LEEKS - You no doubt have lots of ideas for what to do with leeks, but here are some basic suggestions for use and prepping. Looking for some leek inspiration? Here are 37 ideas! One of them might be just what you are looking for.

POTATOES - forget the 37 suggestions, did someone say Potato-Leek Soup? Lots of versions for this satisfying cool weather tradition, what's yours?

GARLIC AND ONIONS - can never have too much of these, right?

CELERY - Also appreciated in Potato-Leek Soup! 

maybes: tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, greens - we'll have to see how the harvest goes

Fun fact about celery: did you know that Michigan was the leading US celery producer in the early 1900's? Although the beginnings of the Michigan celery industry are a bit foggy, Dutch settlers, especially in the Kalamazoo area, are credited with developing large-scale celery growing and earning the city of Kalamazoo the title of Celery City The black muck soil around Kalamazoo, that emerged when swamps were drained, was especially suited to growing moisture-loving celery. Horses needed to be fitted with special shoes so that they didn't sink into the deep muck, but Dutch settlers, sporting the wooden shoes or "klompen" that were so useful in their lowland home country, had the right footgear to stay atop the soil. Other towns around Michigan also sported thriving celery farms, including Tecumseh, right next door, Grand Haven, Muskegon, and even Newberry, a small town in the U.P.!

You can see them placing boards along the sides of the celery rows. This technique "blanched" the stalks, creating a white or yellow celery variety, different from and (for a while) preferred to the green variety coming out of California.

At Frog Holler, we do have some low ground where we regularly try to grow celery. We don't blanch it, preferring a greener, more full-flavored veggie to the bland, uniform stalks now coming out of the California vegetable juggernaut. The Michigan celery industry eventually gave way to the four-season, predictable climate of California and Kalamazoo became know as Mall City in the 1950's.

The torrential rains of this season wiped out most of our crop in the low ground (sorry, no broccoli!), but some of the celery made it and we have been able to harvest a decent crop - even without our wooden shoes! 

Oh wait - Ashleh and Cale had another canoe - look who else got to come!
(l. to r. Kenny, Cathy and Billy King)

Hope you're enjoying these last days of summer - have a great week!

CSA Newsletter # 13 - September 4, 2021

 BEANS REDUX

One bean picker, one bean sitter, and a hill of beans

More bean business! One reader told us that she was not able to access the video of a commercial bean picker embedded in last week's newsletter. If that was also the case with you, well, you don't want to miss it! Here is the YouTube link; it's kind of mesmerizing in a slightly horrific way. And our crew has taken up a collection to purchase one. :-)

Only $85,465 to go!

One reader asked how the machines that make one pass, harvesting everything in their path, were able to harvest only the mature beans. Well, these commercial outfits grow a bean variety designed to ripen all beans at the same time. It might not be the best tasting variety; it might not be the most tender variety, but it gets the job done - remember, 1-2 bushels a minute! 

At Frog Holler, we grow a fairly old-fashioned bean variety called "Provider". It's a fitting name and we really like the flavor. But it does not ripen all at once. During peak bean harvest, it's a Monday, Wednesday, Friday affair so that we are picking beans that are not too big, not too small, but just right!

Referencing last week's "origin story" of best use for the land at Frog Holler, we had a former farm-mate mention a different version. That story happened a little later than our origin, but it still relates to the farm in a funny way.

This land has been occupied for well over a century. We were always told that our house was pre-Civil War. It sort of looked like it had been through the war by the time we took occupancy, and when we tried to make some renovations, the basic beams of the house were awesomely solid oak. Hard to pound nails into!

When we were first here we would often get visitors - old timers who had lived at or visited the farm in earlier days. It doesn't happen so much any more, because after fifty years, we are the old-timers! So one day a rustic-type older gentleman drove in, got out of his car and stood and surveyed the land with a sense of ownership or at least strong familiarity.

Other visitors with ties to Frog Holler would occasionally come by. Once a middle-aged fellow drove in with his elderly mother. She painstakingly got out of the car, seemed a little unsteady on her feet, but then looked around and literally started running toward the barn. Her son caught up with her, explaining to us that they had lived there much earlier and he had been born in the farm house. He also told us that they had farmed with mules and all the hills had been planted with popcorn, due to there being a popcorn factory in Brooklyn, the closest town. His mother seemed happy to see her previous home, although she was sure we had turned the chicken coop around. We had modified the coop to use as a makeshift greenhouse, so she was correct in noticing something different!

Brooklyn select popcorn distributed by the Hart & Howell Co.

Another well-dressed visitor, in his early forties, was from a later time. We bought the land from the Dr. Robert and Cora Lees Gesell. After Dr. Gesell died there was a series of caretakers until a new owner could be found. So this dapper visitor had been one of the caretakers when he was in law school at U-M. He asked if he could take a walk around - we said sure; he seemed to have really enjoyed staying at the farm.

A few weeks later we received a legal-looking offer. This recent visitor offered to buy the farm pond/small lake, along with the historic stone cabin overlooking it and a surrounding buffer area. We could still use the two-track to access our fields to keep farming, but everything else would be off limits.

I can understand the effect that this beautiful piece of land has on people, but I hope I was polite when I declined the "offer". We never saw him again.

Not for sale

So back to the gentleman standing in our driveway surveying our rolling property. And in a scene almost out of The Graduate, he proclaimed, "I'll tell you what this land is good for - gravel! Yep, gravel. You're sitting on a million dollars worth of gravel! And you could clean it back at your pond and no one would know the difference." (except we might!)

Not for gravel

And we went back to gardening. Not that this gentleman didn't have a point. As I reported in last year's CSA Newsletter of September 5, the soil in the Irish Hills, where we live, has been classified as "glacial rubble". The linked newsletter offers more interesting details, but we certainly can't challenge that description. At least our knees can't!

Baby lettuces planted in $1,000,000 worth of "rubble" 

And that concludes our Holler History for today! 

Back to the present, your share this week contains:

BEANS! - probably all green this week

KALE - We made this Kale Salad with Peaches and Cornbread Croutons this week. Well actually we thought about making it - it sounded delicious. But we didn't have many of the ingredients so we used a dressing we had on hand, massaged it into the kale, added some ripe peach slices that a grower at the market had gifted us, and topped it off with candied walnuts. It was good! And what's a recipe for but to inspire you to cook something - either that recipe or your version of that recipe?

BEETS

LETTUCE 

GARLIC

ONION

POTATOES

TOMATOES       

I'm afraid we are still looking for our 45 minutes this year - our second crop will be short again, very sorry to say. And the heirloom tomatoes, renowned for their flavor, have been very sulky. But at least you have Michigan fresh tomatoes and we hope you are enjoying them in salads or sandwiches. 

Freya closes it out with her homage to our popcorn history. We might not grow popcorn but she sure can catch it! (Cinder tries for a little action too!)

Have a great week everyone!