November 10, 2012

letter head csa
sunflower

"Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth "You owe me."Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the whole sky."


FULL SHARE DELIVERY TO ALL LOCATIONS  
HALF SHARE DELIVERY FOR FARM PICK-UP AND THE NUR CENTER

skyline

We delivered the final share of the season this past weekend!  As much as I am grateful for the time to rest, reflect, and prepare for the next years' season; I am already dreaming of a green house full of young green life, new apprentices arriving, and an abundant spring harvest!  That is the beauty of winter though.  It allows us farmers' time to do the "inner" work.  Not only does the winter bring us inward in to our homes  and out of the fields; it nourishes our souls, giving us time to rest, reflect and plant seeds of knowledge in our minds and hearts as we dream of spring.   Last week, we interviewed two apprentices, Brenden and Valerie.  We are excited to welcome them to the team next April and have had many inquiries into next years' CSA.  I am so encouraged to see the growth of the 2013 season already beginning peek up from under the soil and show it's beauty, as the garlic beds are full of little green leaves emerging from the soil, that will go dormant over the winter and spring into full growth early spring, God willing.

We have a few books lined up ready to read, by Elliot Coleman and Joel Salatin, along with others.  Our calendars are marked for the upcoming Farm to Table conference in Virginia and the PASA conference in Pennsylvania, which always leaves me incredibly inspired and hopeful to see so many hands and hearts longing to care for this creation in a loving and healthy way.  The PASA conference offers a wealth of information for a range of interests, whether you want skills for a more sustainable life, run a small farm, enjoy networking with like minded individuals, or enjoy learning a new skill.  You can visit their website to learn more and see if you might enjoy the trip.   I highly recommend it!


The garden beds were about emptied into your shares this past weekend, as were the baskets of garlic and sweet potatoes.  We cut the remaining swiss chard, collard greens, and joi choi from their beds and shared amongst you.  All the parsnips were dug, and the sweet white turnips pulled from the earth.  Now all the beds will rest until early spring, when we begin to transplant from the green house and sow more seeds into the earth.  Jesse will still work on the construction of a high tunnel for earlier spring harvest and transforming an older building on the farm into a quaint cabin for a future farm apprentice.  The kids' have been enjoying digging away to create a pond in the garden.  We are hoping this will invite frogs and other insect lovers in to the garden.  Jesse also has plans to build bat houses to attach to the garden shed and green house, creating habitats for these voracious insect eaters as well.
 Digging Pond

We thank each of you for your support of the CSA this year, whether you purchased a share, lent a hand in the garden, and/or supported us with your prayers and heart felt gratitude.  I realize joining a CSA is an act of surrender and generosity.  As you intend to support local farms growing in harmony with the earth, you give up some of your choice as to what you'll be receiving throughout the season.  You do help to heal the planet one by one, while keeping the diversity and beauty of small farms across the landscape, and to me that's the best way to create change.   Lots of us making small choices that add up to a big difference. "Many hands make light work."  It is a generous act and we pray you received deep nourishment and enjoyment from your share this season.

Please contact us over the winter with any questions about the coming season.  We have opened enrollment for 2013 and are taking share reservations.  Please visit Farm of Peace to find out the details and complete a reservation.

I will be sending you all a survey in the coming days.  Please take the time to complete this.  I will keep it short!  It makes a big difference to us in knowing how to best serve you.  We do take the feedback into deep consideration in our planning for the coming year and your voice counts.  

We wish you all deep peace, vibrant health, and many blessings~ 

Thank you for joining us this season to share in the harvest and all of it's beauty, nourishment, and healing. 
 

Please contact us any time with questions.  You are always welcome to come visit!

   Sunflower Art
Peace and Blessings~ 

Halima Willett
717-573-2956


 

This Weeks Harvest

Parsnips
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet White Turnips w/tops
Joi Choi
Collard Greens/Swiss Chard
Habernero & Serrano Pepper
Sage
Storage Garlic
 


Joi Choi
 


 Bok Choi in Autumn

 

Joi choi is a type of Chinese cabbage whose parent, pak choi, you may more easily recognize as bok choy. While you need to treat joi choi with care during cooking to preserve its nutritional value, you will not find many vegetables that can match the nutrition of raw joi or bok choy. A 1-cup, 10-calorie serving of joi choi has no fat or cholesterol and is a good source of fiber. In addition to its calcium and iron content, joi choi provides 60 percent of your daily vitamin A and 50 percent of your vitamin C requirements.

Joi Choi Soup
3 cups broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable)
 10 leaves joi choi, thinly sliced
 2  teaspoons soy sauce
 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

 1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped

 

Bring the broth to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, Asian sesame oil, and chopped garlic.

Add the joi choi. Simmer for up to 10 minutes, until the joi choi leaves turn dark green and are wilted and tender.

 

Try this soup also with cooked chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu.




Farm of Peace  
CSA 2013 Rainbow of Tomatoes
Join us to receive an abundance of fresh, locally grown produce.

Directly from the farmers field to your table.
 
Visit our website
to make your reservation.