Newsletter: Box #4 Get Some More
Sweet mercy, that’s a lot of Sweet Mokum Carrots!
Homegrown (Is The Way It Should Be)
My fingers hurt. Well, I should be more specific. My fingertips hurt. While a farmer’s hands are rough, those callouses don’t mean a thing when it comes to the six tensioned razor wires that are guitar strings. That’s a long, roundabout way of saying that Emmalyn and I had a gig!
For those that didn’t know, before Foxtail I used to lead a seven piece “cosmic country” band, playing in and around Minneapolis. I called the group Fletcher Magellan (though I’m not sure why), and Emmalyn was my singing partner. All in all, we put out a couple CDs and a 45, played a few music festivals, and a whole lot of shows in the five or so years we were active. When we got married in September 2019, we had a mini-music festival for our reception. C.O.O.L. Fest (Celebration Of Our Love) featured 11 acts, ranging from solo acoustic singer-songwriters to hardcore punk. “Fletch” played somewhere in the middle, to all of our friends and family. In the middle of the set, we signed our marriage certificate onstage, and it was overall the most fun we had at a gig, bar none. Good thing too, because it was the last full-band show we ever played. Just three short months later, we were officially owners of Foxtail Farm, and a few months after that COVID shut music venues down along with everything else. Opportunities to play music have been few and far between since September 28 2019, and I really miss it.
Which brings me back to the gig. Emmalyn and I were the "entertainment" for the St Croix Valley Food Alliance Winter Farmers Market this past Sunday. We spent a little time last week dusting off my old songs and trying to remember the harmonies, but there were a few tunes that we hadn't played since our nuptials! It felt weird going to a farmers market without a van full of vegetables to sell, or anything more than a guitar, music stand, and John Prine songbook, but I'm so glad we did. We played pretty well if I may say so myself, and it definitely reignited a fire within me to start taking music more seriously again.
Now that we're nearing the end of the Fall CSA, we'll have all of January to relax and recoup before starting all up again in mid-February. I'll also say this: our systems and our confidence in them is also helping tremendously with free time. Like I mentioned in the box 3 newsletter, tasks that took hours three years ago are taking far less time now. I don't think there's a world tour in our future or anything, but playing a couple shows, writing a song or two, or maybe putting a little combo together sounds doable and not just a pipe dream. If any of our members play Dobro, you're hired.
I do want to take a minute and talk a bit more about the St Croix Valley Food Alliance. SCVFA is a new organization that we formed with 25 other farms and local producers on the Wisconsin side of the St Croix River Valley. Our focus is to increase awareness, excitement, and access of our locally grown food to our community. It surprised me to learn that Polk and Burnett counties are among the highest in all of Wisconsin for food insecurity, and we're constantly trying to find ways to help lift our neighbors up. Even though we didn't have veggies to spare (we saved them all for you CSA members!), it felt good to support SCVFA with our music this past weekend. Look for more events going forward, there's one more winter market on Sunday the 18th in St Croix Falls. We're excited to continue working with our neighbors in the Food Alliance, and with some other organizations I'll be writing about in the next box.
Thank you as always for trusting us to grow your food, it takes people like you to make people like us.
-Cody
What’s in the Box?!
-Cilantro: What a tough herb! Made it through the single digit nights!
-Kabocha Squash: I love the texture of a Kabocha squash. It has a thicker consistency than a butternut or pumpkin. Great for gnocchi or roasting in chunks.
-Cylindra Beets: Deep in color when cooked with a sweet earthiness in taste. Peel and roast. To save on clean up, use a piece of recycling to cut the beets on.
-Kickin' Greens Mix: This mix is a bit heavier on the baby kale and lighter on the mustard greens. The kale is super sweet from the frosty nights. Great messaged into a salad with your favorite tangy vinaigrette.
-Delicata Squash: These might be tiny, but they were just too cute and delicious.
-Green Cabbage: Great as a side raw, cooked or fermented.
-Leeks (Community Homestead): We partner with our neighbors at Community Homestead to grow leeks. It's a fun chance to learn and spend time together doing what we love. We are thankful for this year's continued collaboration.
-Sweet Mokum Carrots: Enjoy raw, roasted or steamed.
-Garlic: Still in LOVE with our first ever garlic crop!!
-Pear Sauce: Our first attempt at a pear sauce and....... wow. So sweet and subtle.
-Pickled Veggie Medley: Carrots, Daikon Radish, Red globe radish and Kohlrabi comprise this mix. After you finish the veggies don't toss the brine! Re-use it to make a salad dressing. YUM.
-Kohlrabi: Peel before eating. Kohlrabi can have a tough outer skin when cooked. The white interior is tender and sweet.