2023 CSA Farm Update: Week 5
Milkweed
Hello Everyone and welcome to week 5 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. The rains have let up slightly allowing us to plant our fall cabbages, broccoli, lettuces, and Brussels sprouts. There is rain in the forecast for all but two days for the next week, but one never knows if and how much may fall. I am not sure about all vegetable growers, but I have an odd relationship with rain during periods of timely work.
My first real experience was in my early twenties when I was helping my father replace the tar paper on a roof. It was a multi-day process that involved first removing the old tar paper and tar then putting on a layer of waterproof roofing material followed by a new layer of tar paper and tar. Before the old material was removed the weather was checked several times to make sure no major storms were forecasted.
The first part of the job went well, the old material was removed exposing plywood sheathing. Then later that night, the skies grew dark, and the rain came pouring down. Much of that night was spent emptying pails through an open window and mopping up rain water to minimize damage to the floor. Needless to say, this turned into much more than a roofing job once everything dried out! Since that time, I have had a multitude of feelings about the rain, from not wanting another drop to wishing for any amount to fall from the sky; ultimately wishing for Mother Nature to bring balance.
I would share one very special moment on the farm this week. Over the past several years, there has been a small patch of milkweed that I would intentionally leave unmowed for the monarch butterflies to lay their eggs on. I had never seen monarchs around this patch, but I figured that I had been missing the moments when they are engaged with this plant. Like many things in life, timing is everything! Mowing around the patch of milkweed, I noticed two things. One that the patch had spread out, which is what I was hoping to achieve by not mowing it and the other was that the milkweed flowers were in bloom. Upon looking more closely, I could see dozens of monarchs visiting the flowers! These delicate insects whose wings seem to be woven of light are here to proliferate life and continue a process that is thousands of years old. I was very honored to get to see them here on the farm.
This week brings us a very busy week on the farm. In addition to our normal harvest, planting and seeding schedule, we have our garlic to harvest, somewhere around 25,000 heads. I have been watching the garlic mature over the last several weeks and now is the time when the plant’s leaves have started to dry down slightly and when cut in half, the cloves form distinct from each other. This week also brings the Sylvia Center’s yearly summer fundraiser to the farm. People from all over get to share an evening on the farm together to support the work of the Sylvia Center. There will be lots of wonderful food and conversations. I hope to see you there.
Until next time,
Farmer Jon
WEEKLY HARVEST INCLUDES*
*We try our best to provide the most accurate CSA list in the newsletter! However, there’s always a chance of last minute substitutions in some bags if we don’t harvest enough of a vegetable.
chef andrew’s recipe corner
Orange and Butter Poached Bronze Fennel
Ingredients
1 cup orange juice
½ cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 head bronze fennel, cut into wedges, fronds reserved for garnish
Salt
Preparation
In a thick bottomed pan add white wine, orange juice and bay leaf. Bring this mixture up to a boil and allow alcohol to cook off.
Add butter into pan and fennel wedges reduce heat to low and cover with paper cartouche.
Allow to cook till fennel becomes tender.
To serve place fennel on to a plater coating with any left over cooking liquid and garnish with fennel fronds. Serve right away.
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