We hope this message finds you well following the holiday weekend.
This morning, we are on the other side of the cold. We made it through four nights of freezing temperatures on the farm, with two of those nights being deep freezes with temps in the mid-twenties. We worked all of last week getting the sensitive crops covered and greenhouses prepped and heated. We offer profound thanks to our farm team that worked shifts this holiday weekend to keep the crops safe.
We are happy to report, all of the crops we worked to protect made it through the weather. Some things will be slowed down for a few weeks – expect less beans, peppers and eggplant at the market for a short period of time while our plantings recover. Sunflowers will be gone now until March. The sunflowers are too tall to protect from cold.
Other crops will be improved by the cold weather. This includes kale, cabbage, leeks, lettuce, carrots, and turnips. During freezing weather, cold-hardy plants convert the starches in their cells to sucrose, which serves as cold protection, and also makes the flavor of the plants extra fine. These crops are all in abundance now, so give them a try to experience the cold-sweetened veggies. We have settled into wintertime now and these winter crops are in their prime.
New things on the horizon:
This week we are harvesting the first ranunculus flowers of the season! Ranunculus thrives during the cold part of the year. We welcome this beautiful, fragrant, long-lasting bloom. You can find them at the farmers market beginning this weekend.
Celery season! We began harvesting the first celery a couple weeks ago. Our celery is famously delicious. Local, organic, just-picked celery is unlike celery from the grocery store, with increased depth of flavor and crispness.
Red turmeric. In the early season, we harvest a yellow variety of turmeric. Once winter really sets in, we begin harvest a deeper orange (red) turmeric. This spice is deliciously warming, and perfect for this time of year. Have you tried turmeric golden milk? Recipe and more information about our turmeric here!
We are open New Year’s Eve:
We hope to see you this weekend at the farmers market for the final market of 2022. We look forward to ringing in the New Year with our market friends.
And that’s the update from this cold week on the farm.
Take care and see you soon,
Ellen and Cole
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