Storage Cabbage

Reed picked 120 heads of storage cabbage after school yesterday. We had been picking about 8-10 per week for the last month but with the extreme cold predicted for Halloween we decided to get them inside.

Here is how you store cabbage...

Market Menu October 18, 2014

The watermelon have been late this year so we still have lots left. Check them out at our stand. We have 6 different varities.


We will have 20 large 50 + pound pumpkins at market this week. They are gorgeous with heavy duty handles. If you are decorating your porch these would make a great center piece.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula, wild arugula, Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, lettuce, and beet greens. A new bed of cilantro too.

Reed took this picture of our Onion display at market last week. We will have baskets of Red, Sweet Spanish, Cipollini, and maybe some Walla Walla Sweet left. They make a great soup and Caramelize very well.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 18, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Exotic Cheesy Acorn Squash and Leek Dip

Lisa created a great dip for using acorn squash (or the squash of your choice) and leeks. The ingredients can be used with chips or grilled baguette slices.

I normally suggest people cook their squash whole, but in this case it is beneficial to cut then in half and remove the seeds.

We served this when we had company the other night to rave reviews.

Market Menu for October 11, 2014

The watermelon have been late this year so we still have lots left. Check them out at our stand. We have 6 different varities.

I made some really good pepper relish this week. Making your own is amazing in terms of the flavor. I did everything with organic ingredients and spices.

Here is the recipe for pickles.

We will have 20 large 50 + pound pumpkins at market this week. They are gorgeous with heavy duty handles. If you are decorating your porch these would make a great center piece.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula, wild arugula, Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, lettuce, and beet greens. A new bed of cilantro too.

Reed took this picture of our Onion display at market last week. We will have baskets of Red, Sweet Spanish, Cipollini, and maybe some Walla Walla Sweet left. They make a great soup and Caramelize very well.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 11, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Healthy Mac 'n' Cheese with Butternut Squash and Spinach

The flavors of fall can be blended in many ways. Macaroni and Cheese is a perennial favorite. The addition of squash and spinach adds a delightful twist to this old standby.

Market Menu for October 4, 2014

We picked about 20 baskets of not quite perfect tomatoes for canning this week. I have been canning some salsa my self and have about 70 pints so far. The recipe is on our web site.

I made some really good bread and butter sweet pickles last week. I like B&B Pickles from the store. Making your own is amazing in terms of the flavor. I did everything with organic ingredients and spices.

Here is the recipe for pickles.

I picked 50 large 50 + pound pumpkins this week. They are gorgeous with heavy duty handles. If you are decorating your porch these would make a great center piece.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula, wild arugula, Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, lettuce, and beet greens. A new bed of cilantro too.

Reed took this picture of our cherry tomato display at market last week. We will have about a hundred boxes of cherry tomatoes this week. Sun Gold, Grape, Black Cherry, and Yellow Pear. Reed and Christopher pick a whole bunch after school.

If you like tomatillos, I picked three bushels this week.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 4, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

The title of this post is the line from a children's nursery rhyme, Both of our daughters were home for the beautiful weather last weekend. We had a mini-family reunion at the farmers market. With everyone converging there around 10:00.

Both girls gathered up a pile of fresh vegetables to take back to school. Winter squash and carrots were the favorites.

Andrea is studying Music Education at Northwestern University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Jenna is studying Kinesiology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Honey Nut Squash

It was the strangest thing. I had been harvesting squash from the middle of the field and I switched to the other side. There was a new variety that I hadn't found in a month of harvesting.

It was a miniature sized butter nut squash that was a beautiful gold and green. They were 1 to 1.5 pound size.

My daughter Andrea had planted the squash and I wasn't even sure what she had planted. I finally found it in one of my seed catalogs.

We had two for supper tonight and they are very smooth and flavorful.

They are good for eating but I think they would make excellent pie as well.

Squash Blossom Farm Fall Festival

With wall to wall beautiful weather on Sunday we exhibited our pumpkins and squash at Squash Blossom Farm's fall festival. The event was a great success.

Susan and Roger are friends and neighbors with similar commitments to the farm and rural life.

If you didn't get a chance to attend, put the last Sunday in September on your list for next fall.

Easy Dill Pickles

Making pickles is not difficult no matter what you choose. Dill pickles are especially easy.

The key to good pickles is fresh crisp cucumbers from your local farmers market. They don't have to be pickling cucumbers. Small slicing cucumbers will do just fine.

Here is the recipe...