Abbe Hills Farm CSA

Greetings shareholders,

This week, we have potatoes, onions, squash, kale, Chinese cabbage, arugula, lettuce, mustard greens, bok choi, daikon radishes, red globe radishes, broccoli, chard, beets, and turnips.  Whew!  Long list.  The garden just doesn't want to quit!

Pickup this week is regular time, Wednesday afternoon, 3:30 until 6:00.  Next week, you pickup on Tuesday, same time.  If this conflicts with your Thanksgiving travel plans, say something this week and we'll see what we can arrange.  I think I'll be able to scare up a few brussels sprouts for next week, plus more of most of the things we are having this week.  This time of year, there aren't too many new things appearing in the garden.  Although those greens I planted to harvest in October are looking nicer and nicer all the time!

Here is a link to a nice article about the fall bounty and the pleasure of eating seasonally, especially this time of year.  http://www.localharvest.org/newsletter/20091116/

Good news.  THE GARLIC IS PLANTED.  When the weather turned dry and the condition of the soil improved, I hustled up some really nice seed garlic and got it planted in a couple of not-too-cold days.  So (barring any winter disasters), there should be garlic in the 2010 share.  Can't wait for scapes!

One reason I was able to plant the garlic is that the place I had planned to plant it finally opened up.  There were potatoes in the garden next to the farm driveway.  Some of them, we dug in October, but there were so many, and I was so sick of working in the mud, I decided to let the last 8 rows or so stay in the ground.  That's the place I had planned to put the 2010 garlic if possible.   My friend, Susan Jutz, found out about my plan and she couldn't stand the idea of all those potatoes going to waste, so she called in her volunteer troops.  With two major events two afternoons in the first week of November, the volunteers - primarily associated with Metro High School in Cedar Rapids - picked up almost 2 tons of potatoes.  We were able to donate 3300 pounds to the teachers at Metro to distribute to the families and neighbors of the school, plus, we took 150 very large, very nice bakers to the Free Lunch in Iowa City were they will be served in a baked potato bar on Wednesday.  Very big treat.  I'm sure glad we went to the trouble.  Lots of people are going to get to enjoy some really great potatoes, thanks to all the help from the big group of volunteers.

Please, remember that there are 2 cute kittens here, still waiting for families who will let them live inside the house.  Still adorable.  If you know anybody who needs a kitty, send them here first.

Here's a link to a new slide show developed to promote a more socially just food system in this country.  A lot of the slides are from Immokalee, Florida, where I used to live.  I was a Church of the Brethren worker who managed an emergency service center for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and the homeless.  Things there were pretty tough.  I think it's still pretty bad there, but there is a glimmer of hope for farmworker justice with the work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.  I sure enjoyed seeing the photos from Immokalee.  I really enjoyed living and working there, and what I learned there has a lot to do with the kind of person I am today.   http://www.fairfoodproject.org/

See you Wednesday,

Laura