Newsletter: Still Crazy after both these Years
Winter at Foxtail Farm
Before I get into a brief year-in-review, I want to report that we suffered NO damage during the storm earlier this week. We battened down the hoop houses as best we could, threw every cinder block, pallet and sandbag we had on our field tarps, and parked our vehicles far away from our old maple trees. The wind was intense, but through some combination of preparedness and luck, the only losses we suffered were a few small tree limbs that fell harmlessly to the ground. OK, on to the 2021 recap:
Just like that, our second year is in the books. Officially speaking, Monday will mark two years since we signed and initialed what felt like hundreds of pages and became the owners of Foxtail Farm. Sometimes December 2019 feels like a decade ago, sometimes last week. More often than not, both simultaneously.
For us, 2021 began in a log cabin in the Upper Peninsula. Emmalyn, Rexana and I took a road trip at the start of the year to decompress and plan for the year to come. We outlined our big field irrigation overhaul, not knowing just how much we'd thank ourselves later.
In February, we built a prototype grow room in the basement of our house. I still had long hair at that point, and I got plenty of looks every time I walked out of Menards with another dozen grow lights. Once the sun started coming out, we transitioned our subterranean plant starts into our small propagation greenhouse. While they survived in the basement with no trouble, they thrived once they had access to the sun's natural light.
April brought with it the Spring CSA, and with May came our big plant sale and the beginning of the farmers market season. There were many more people out at markets this year compared with 2020, we were happy to reconnect with so many folks we hadn't seen in a year or more. We launched a "mini-CSA" starting in June, and it ended up being successful enough that we'll be doing it again in 2022!
Much of July and August are a blur. We watered a lot of plants, I remember that much.
September gave us a little rain, and once October hit we started the Fall CSA, which brings us to now.
Generally speaking, and especially compared with 2020, it's been a good year. We're feeling more confident in the systems we started implementing, and we have a better handle on some of the factors we can control. We're feeling good about our trajectory next year and beyond, and are excited to continue both the Spring and Fall shares for 2022.
All that said, it's time for your farmers to take a long winter's nap. We're heading down to Atlanta to visit with family in a few days, and will take most of January off again before getting back on the horse in February for another year of growing.
As for catching up with us in the new year, keep your eyes peeled for a few e.mails and CSA sign ups to start Jan 1st!! As always, our Facebook and Instagram pages are the best way to keep in touch year round.
Thank you all for supporting us this year, it's been an honor to grow your food for you this fall. Enjoy the holidays, and we'll see you next year!
-Cody
What’s in the Box?!
-Sweet Mokum Carrots: Sweet raw or cooked into any of your favorite dishes.
-Butternut Squash: Slice in half, scoop out the seeds and roast cut side down until soft. Blend into curry, soup or sauce.
-Cylindra Beets: Strange looking, but sweeter than other beet varieties. These are great roasted or boiled and blended.
-Daikon Radishes: These store for a LONG time in a crisper drawer. Great when pickled or in stir fry.
- Kohlrabi: Grate it into a slaw, chop and add it to a soup, roast in chunks. Peel first.
-Green Cabbage: Great sautéed with onions. Also wonderful steamed in wedges.
-Purple Top Turnips: We love chopping these up and tossing them into a roast or blending them into mashed potatoes!
-Yellow Onion: So happy to say we grew these onions! Last year's crop was a disaster. Enjoy however you like onion!
-Apple Sauce: (Milled apples and water) As breakfast or a snack, this simple treat doesn't last long in our house.
-Kimchi: (Organic*Napa, *Radish, *Carrot, *Onion, *Garlic, ginger, salt, red pepper flakes) Made with Foxtail veg, this is a mild take on a Korean staple. As a bonus, kimchi is loaded with benefits for your gut.
-Frozen Whole Tomatoes: Set these aside for the deep of winter. When ready to use, partially defrost and peel the skins from the tomatoes for a smoother texture to any sauce or soup.
-Frozen Sweet Corn: The taste of July in January. Use as you would in any recipe calling for canned corn!