Farm News – November 11, 2019

Hi Everyone! It was a beautiful day today; after the frigid weekend it felt like summer was back! Too bad it won’t last. Another arctic blast will be blowing in tomorrow and is predicted to break lots of low temperature records. Here on the farm we are expecting lows in the mid-teens two nights in a row (brrrrr).

We have been working hard to stay ahead of this icy assault- harvesting as much as we can to hold in storage and pulling the plastic off of the high tunnel greenhouses, whose crops have already been ruined, to cover other crops in the field. Tomorrow will be a big push to bring in the last of the sweet potatoes, dig beets and carrots, and cut a few more cabbage and cauliflower. We are doing all that we can to bring you two more nice shares to finish out the season. That being said, enjoy the greens in this week’s share because it’s probable that spinach will be the only green left for next week.

The share for this week will be: parsnips, lettuce, salad turnips, baby bok choy, cauliflower, scallions, choice of cilantro or parsley, Brussel’s sprouts, Japanese sweet potatoes, and choice of kale, collards, or chard. Premium shares will also include fennel, choice of arugula, tatsoi or broccoli raab, and yacon.

A note on yacon (pronounced ja-cone). It is a tuber in the sunflower family native to South America. It is sweet and juicy and has a slight nutty and carroty flavor. I like it grated in salad and though I have not had a chance to experiment cooking with it, I suspect that it could work well in a stir fry or in soup. It looks like jicama or like a sweet potato, but don’t roast in the oven! It should be kept in the refrigerator and be aware that it oxides quickly after being peeled and begins to turn brown. Lemon juice may prevent this issue. While not rich in vitamins it is a good source of potassium and calcium and has an impressive list of health benefits including lowering LDL cholesterol, helping with weight loss, and preventing fatty liver. It has an unusual sugar called fructoogliosaccharide which the body can’t metabolize but apparently your gut bacteria can so it is considered a good prebiotic food.

Enjoy! Farmer John