Letter from John Krueger

Hello everyone, Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukah! 

It is always good to give thanks. It doesn’t matter what your religious beliefs are, or if you are an agnostic or a secular humanist. Even in the most difficult times there is much for which to be grateful. This year, for me at least there is more than ever to be thankful for. I am thrilled and happy to report that this Tuesday we had the closing on the farm purchase. I am the proud owner of a beautiful 80 acre property known as Circle Brook Farm. It is the culmination of a lifelong dream and ten years of hard work. I am so grateful to you the members for all your faith, support and kind words. I could never have succeeded without your help. I am especially grateful to those of you who demonstrated an even greater amount of confidence in me by prepaying for the 2014 season. I am very grateful to the core group members who put in so much time coordinating and organizing the CSA groups for relatively little compensation. I am thankful to have had a tremendous crew of workers this past season. My team worked so hard in all sorts of difficult conditions. I am thankful for the good weather; while not completely cooperative, it was at least not utterly disastrous.  If only to indulge my sense of irony, I can report that we finally got a good rain on Wednesday.

It was a bountiful season and I am very satisfied with the good food we have been able to provide you and your families. I look forward to many more seasons of nourishing you and yours.                                     

I wish you all a safe and healthy winter and Happy Holidays.       

Farmer John

This Week's Shares -- Friday, November 22, 2013

Vegetable

Lettuce, sweet potatoes, broccoli or cauliflower or red cabbage or Napa cabbage, delicata squash, red or purple top turnips, kohlrabi, rainbow carrots, choice of escarole, endive or radicchio, celery root, white potatoes, choice of spinach or tatsoi or arugula, a few Brussels sprouts and choice of cilantro or dill.       

Fruit

Apple cider
Apples

Eggs

Pasta

Stock-Up Share for those who ordered.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Letter from John Krueger

Hello Everyone. 

We have arrived at the week that perhaps you all have been dreading - the last delivery of the season. I have been getting feedback from many of you on what a great season it has been.  I am gratified by your kind words and support. I am quite satisfied and content with the produce we have been able to provide to you this year. I like to think that I improve as a farmer with each passing year and I know that those of you who have been members for many years will almost certainly concur.  I always worry after a good year that we won’t be able to match it the following season, but so far that hasn’t been a problem.  With all the frigid weather we’ve had over the past few weeks I have been worried about what we would have for the final delivery, but those fears as well appear to have been groundless. We farmers do a lot of worrying; it just comes with the territory I guess; an occupational hazard you might say.  The only real disappointment I feel with the final share is with the Brussels sprouts. They are always a bit difficult and slow to mature, but each year I try to plant more and earlier. Unfortunately we still won’t have large quantities for the final distribution. Sorry!

A few of you have still not received your giant head of Napa cabbage and a few other groups have not gotten a red cabbage this fall. We will rectify that this week. For the rest we hope to have broccoli or cauliflower. We don’t have much kale left but we do have a lot of collards. We will send these items as extras this week.

I am still waiting for a closing to be scheduled for the farm purchase, so I have no real news to report on that front. I am hoping to close on the 25^th or 26^th.  I will write one final update next week so I can keep you informed of the status. 

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, sweet potatoes, broccoli or cauliflower or red cabbage or Napa cabbage, delicata squash, red or purple top turnips, kohlrabi, rainbow carrots, choice of escarole, endive or radicchio, celery root, white potatoes, choice of spinach or tatsoi or arugula, a few Brussels sprouts and choice of cilantro or dill.       

Enjoy!           

Farmer John

Today's Shares -- Friday, November 15, 2013

Vegetable

Potatoes, garlic, carrots, parsnips, choice of escarole or endive, bok choi, choice of radishes or salad turnips, lettuce, choice of spinach or a mustard, butternut squash, choice of dill or cilantro and broccoli or cauliflower or Napa cabbage. 


Fruit

Apples
Cranberries 

(These cranberries will last for Thanksgiving. Fresh cranberries keep well in the refrigerator for about a month.  They will be good for a year in the freezer.  Whichever you decide just wash and dry them before storing in refrigerator or freezer.)

Eggs

Pasta

Enjoy

Letter from John Krueger

Hello Everyone, 

We continue to experience dry conditions here at the farm, with last week’s rain dropping only a miserly quarter of an inch. This along with very cold weather has greatly slowed the growth of the crops that remain in the field. We are expecting to be hammered with 2 or 3 nights of temperatures near or below 20 degrees this week. We are scrambling to harvest or cover as many of the most susceptible crops before they are ruined. 

We have been harvesting much of the cauliflower and broccoli at a smaller size than I would like, to avoid losing it entirely. Greens production is way down, so for this week there will be a choice of spinach or a mustard family green (arugula, tatsoi, etc.). We are beginning to rely more on root crops and items we have in storage such as squash and potatoes for a larger portion of the shares. 

We will try to have broccoli or cauliflower for as many as we can this week, however those who have not yet gotten Napa cabbage will be receive it this week. Clear out some space in your refrigerator- the cabbage heads are huge! We also have some kohlrabi that has reached harvestable size, so some will receive that this week.

The share for this week will be: Potatoes, garlic, carrots, parsnips, choice of escarole or endive, bok choi, choice of radishes or salad turnips, lettuce, choice of spinach or a mustard, butternut squash, choice of dill or cilantro and broccoli or cauliflower or Napa cabbage. 

Enjoy!    

Farmer John

Today's Shares -- Friday, November 8, 2013

Vegetables

Lettuce, salad turnips, daikon, lettuce, acorn squash, broccoli or cauliflower or Napa cabbage, celery root, white potatoes, choice of mustard (arugula, broccoli raab or tatsoi), scallions, choice of radicchio or fennel, spinach and choice of parsley or cilantro. 

Fruit

Cranberries
Apples

(We will most likely getting cranberries for the last few weeks.  Read this post entitled "Too Many Cranberries" on how to store cranberries and some great recipes)

Eggs

Pasta

Enjoy!

Letter from John Krueger

Hello Folks, 

We had some rain this past Friday. It was once again less than I had hoped for at just under a half an inch. I guess we’ll have to keep running the sprinklers a bit longer! 

We were very busy over the weekend preparing for an extremely cold night-Sunday into Monday. Even though everything that remains in the fields is fairly hardy, temperature in the low 20’s can still do damage. We harvested as much of the cauliflower and broccoli that was large enough to cut. We cut many of the more tender lettuce varieties and covered others. We cultivated the turnips and radishes to throw soil over the root and protect them from freezing. We also harvested much of the daikon which pushes it’s root out of the soil and enough of the salad turnips to last for this week’s deliveries. We should have enough cauliflower for those groups who have not yet received any and Chinese (Napa) cabbage or broccoli for the rest. We have some radicchio and some fennel at present but not enough to go around, so we will offer these two items as a somewhat odd choice this week.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, salad turnips, daikon, lettuce, acorn squash, broccoli or cauliflower or Napa cabbage, celery root, white potatoes, choice of mustard (arugula, broccoli raab or tatsoi), scallions, choice of radicchio or fennel, spinach and choice of parsley or cilantro. 

Enjoy!    

Farmer John

Today's Shares -- Friday, November 1, 2013

Vegetables

Lettuce, carrots, broccoli or cauliflower or Napa cabbage,  parsnips , choice of escarole or endive, sweet potatoes, yellow onions, buttercup squash, choice of spinach or tatsoi, choice of cilantro or parsley and Kale. We will also be sending ornamental pumpkins and gourds as an extra.  

Fruit

TBD (Most likely Apples and Pears)

Pasta

Eggs

Weighing help would be greatly appreciated.  If you could help at all from 11:45 AM on please do!  Thanks.

Enjoy!

Letter from John Krueger

Hi Folks, 

It was a cold week here on the farm. We’ve had frost every morning and temperatures dropped into the mid-twenties on several nights. Even some of the more hardy crops have sustained a little damage, but nothing substantial. The principal effect of the low temperatures is slow growth and maturation. We have thousands of broccoli and cauliflower just beginning to head up but they take a bit longer than normal to reach harvestable size. Those who received broccoli or cauliflower last week will likely get Napa cabbage this time around. For those who got cabbage we will do our best to send broccoli or cauliflower. 

We are short on arugula and other mustards for now until the next planting grows a bit taller; hopefully by next week. We are still heavy on lettuce and since one of by coolers in on the fritz, we lack refrigerated storage space. We will again send 2 heads of lettuce this week.

I know that many of you have been anxiously awaiting news of the farm purchase and I apologize that I have been forgetting to keep you apprised of the progress. I have been waiting for the appraisal report for the last six weeks, so the truth is there was not much to report. I finally received it this past Wednesday and it was much lower than expected. The bank has agreed to finance at 80% and allow me to make up some of the difference in addition to my 20%. It was necessary to negotiate with the owner for a substantially lower selling price. On Sunday he informed me that he would accept the new lower amount, so we will be moving forward. I hope to be able to close by Mid-November. I am very happy and excited, but still a bit nervous. I will feel a lot better when the deal is sealed!  Thank you all so much for your confidence and support; I could not have done it without you.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, carrots, broccoli or cauliflower or Napa cabbage,  parsnips , choice of escarole or endive, sweet potatoes, yellow onions, buttercup squash, choice of spinach or tatsoi, choice of cilantro or parsley and Kale. We will also be sending ornamental pumpkins and gourds as an extra.  

Enjoy!   

Farmer John

Today's Shares -- October 25, 2013

Vegetables

Baking potatoes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli or cauliflower, sweet dumpling squash, choice of mustard (broccoli raab, mizuna, arugula or tatsoi), garlic, salad turnips, radishes, peppers, bok choy and choice of cilantro or parsley.   

Fruit

Apples and pears

Pasta

Eggs

Enjoy!          

Letter from John Krueger

Hello Everyone, 

We had our heaviest frost to date on Sunday night. It’s too early to know how much damage was done. Most of what remains in the fields is hardy, but I was hoping to get another week out of the beans, peppers, and summer squash. Cold nights were predicted for later this week and we were planning to cover these crops to protect them, but last night’s frost was unexpected and it may now be too late. We had a nice steady rain for about ten minutes on Saturday night, so we remain on the dry side.

We have an overabundance of lettuce at present so there will be 2 heads in this week’s share. There are a lot of beautiful yellow cauliflower sizing up. Some groups will receive cauliflower and others will get broccoli. I expect everyone to get cauliflower twice during the remainder of the season and broccoli two more times as well. We should have Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi in a couple more weeks.

We will have salad turnips and radishes in the root vegetable category for this week. The fall carrots are almost ready; we will have to get the sprinklers on them this week. We should have carrots in the shares several times through the end of the season. Parsnips and celery root will also be available a couple more times.

Don’t forget about the farm visit this Sunday!  11am- 4pm at 141 Brighton Rd., Andover. Come out and see the farm and pick up a pumpkin. Bring a dish to share and break bread with your fellow CSA members. It will likely be a brisk fall day, but there’s no rain in the forecast at present.

The share will be: Baking potatoes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli or cauliflower, sweet dumpling squash, choice of mustard (broccoli raab, mizuna, arugula or tatsoi), garlic, salad turnips, radishes, peppers, bok choy and choice of cilantro or parsley.             

Enjoy!   

Farmer John

This Week's Shares -- October 18, 2013

Vegetable

Sweet potatoes, lettuce, beets, celery root, broccoli, and choice of a mustard, Napa cabbage, acorn squash, red onions, string beans, and kale, choice of dill or cilantro, and decorative gourds.   

Fruit
TBD (Most likely Apples and Pears)

Pasta

Eggs

Enjoy!

Letter From John Krueger

Hi Folks, 

Unbelievably, we are still on the dry side here at the farm. Last Monday’s storms brought only a half an inch of precipitation and 3 days of predicted rainy weather at the end of the week left the rain gauge empty. We will need to continue moving the sprinklers around the fields to insure that broccoli and cauliflower produce large heads. We continue to enjoy mild temperatures with no frost in sight for at least another week. In spite of the balmy conditions the heat loving crops have slowed way down. 

We are done with tomatoes for the season and peppers and eggplant will be available only as “extras”.   Beans are still coming in but only in small quantities. We have begun digging and curing the sweet potatoes and the crop looks fabulous. 

We expect to have broccoli for most groups this week, although those who have received it twice already this fall may get something else in it’s place. We also have beautiful Napa or Chinese cabbage. In addition to edible commodities we will be sending a couple of ornamental gourds for your seasonal decorating. These are for your visual pleasure only- don’t try to eat them!  We are low on arugula for now until the next planting sizes up but we have abundant tatsoi and Yukima savoy mustards as well as broccoli raab and gailan or Chinese broccoli.

We have a fair number of decorative pumpkins but it has become logistically impossible to deliver these to all members.  Anyone who would like a pumpkin is welcome to come to one of our markets to receive one.  Montclair- Sat. 8-2; Denville –Sunday 9-1 and Hoboken –Tuesday 3-7.  We will also host a Fall Farm visit on October 27 from 11 to 4 when you will be welcome to come out and pick up a pumpkin. This will be similar to the spring event with farm tours and a potluck lunch. If there is interest we can also do some pumpkin carving. Hopefully the weather will be cooperative.

The share for this week will be: Sweet potatoes, lettuce, beets, celery root, broccoli, and choice of a mustard, Napa cabbage, acorn squash, red onions, string beans, and kale, choice of dill or cilantro, and decorative gourds.   

Enjoy!    

Farmer John

This Week's Shares -- Friday, October 11, 2013

Vegetable

Romaine lettuce, purple bok choi, choice of arugula or mizuna or broccoli raab, tomatoes, radishes, parsnips, choice of spinach or tatsoi, broccoli, garlic, choice of cilantro or dill, potatoes, butternut squash and either string beans or edamame soybeans.

Fruit
Apples
Pears

Pasta

Eggs

Enjoy!

Letter from John Krueger

Hi Folks, 

We received a small amount of rain over the weekend and are expecting more substantial precipitation on Monday. We are scrambling to get the harvesting done ahead of what may be strong storms and heavy downpours. We have also been very busy bringing in an abundant winter squash crop before the ground hogs and wet conditions begin to take their toll. 

My crew has also been working hard to finish harvesting the potato crop while the dry conditions permit the digging machine to function properly. Bean picking has also been occupying a lot of our time, with a crop of edamame soybeans now mature. All this busy talk leads up to me breaking the news that we have not been able to harvest the sweet potatoes yet. I know that I promised them for this week, but it will have to wait until the next delivery.

We have abundant greens at present and that should be the case for the remainder of the season. At this point the only limiting factors on how much greenery we can provide you are the time we have for harvesting and the member’s ability to consume so many greens in one week. 

The broccoli raab looks beautiful but, as always is being slow to form its flower buds. We also have some gailan, aka Chinese broccoli, which as with broccoli raab is mostly leave with small buds. There is also a beautiful purple Bok choi for you to enjoy. We will double up on the root vegetables this week with radishes and parsnips. There are still some tomatoes, but we will take a week off from the peppers. The members that received edamame last week will get greens beans and vice versa.

The share for this week will be: Romaine lettuce, purple bok choi, choice of arugula or mizuna or broccoli raab, tomatoes, radishes, parsnips, choice of spinach or tatsoi, broccoli, garlic, choice of cilantro or dill, potatoes, butternut squash and either string beans or edamame soybeans.

Enjoy!   

Farmer John

Today's Shares - Friday, October 4, 2013

Vegetables

Red Boston or romaine lettuce, salad turnips, peppers, tomatoes, choice of spinach or chard, kale, yellow potatoes, choice of arugula or tatsoi, leeks, choice of escarole or endive, spaghetti squash, and either red cabbage or broccoli. 

Various “extras” such as some small beets, basil, and possibly eggplant and squash. 

Fruit
TBD (Most likely Apples and Pears)

Pasta

Eggs

Enjoy!

Letter from John Krueger

Hi Everyone, 

Cool and dry about sums up the prevailing weather conditions here on the farm. We have already had 2 light frosts, but they were very light and spotty and haven’t done much damage. I am hopeful we will get a couple more weeks before a more damaging frost occurs. We are busy again moving the sprinklers around the fields; beginning with the final plantings of herbs and spinach so they will germinate. 

The broccoli and cauliflower crop looks fantastic but these plants require abundant moisture, so they will be the next to require the benefit of overhead irrigation. I expect heavy broccoli production to begin by the end of the week and then continue through most of the season. 

We have some red cabbage, but not enough for all members from this planting due to poor germination in the greenhouse. Tuesday and Wednesday groups will receive cabbage this week and those who get broccoli will receive their red cabbage in a few weeks when another planting matures. 

Bean harvest is light at the moment as we wait for the final planting to size up. There will be smaller quantities of string beans this week and some groups may get edamame soybeans in lieu of beans. 

We should be able to provide a few more tomatoes this week, although I don’t expect they will be as pretty or as flavorful as they were earlier in the season. 

We will begin harvesting the sweet potatoes this week but will wait until next week to include them in the shares. In this way we can put them through the curing process which improves both the flavor and the storage qualities. 

Greens will continue to be abundant; we still have a fair amount of spinach which we will offer as a choice with Swiss chard.

The share for this week will be: Red Boston or romaine lettuce, salad turnips, peppers, tomatoes, choice of spinach or chard, kale, yellow potatoes, choice of arugula or tatsoi, leeks, choice of escarole or endive, spaghetti squash, and either red cabbage or broccoli. There will be various “extras” such as some small beets, basil, and possibly eggplant. We continue to send small amount of summer squash in rotation among the various groups.    

Enjoy!      

Farmer John

This Week's Share -- Friday, September 27, 2013

Vegetable

Lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, choice of spinach or tatsoi, purple skinned potatoes, white or red onions, bok choy, choice of escarole or endive, Romanesco cauliflower, string beans, and choice of an herb (cilantro, parsley or dill). 

Romanesco Cauliflower

Fruit

Apples and Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Enjoy!

Letter from John Krueger

Hello Everyone, 

We received almost an inch of rain overnight on Saturday, this time without any damaging winds!  The fall crops are growing beautifully as the warm weather plants are slowing down their production. For now we still have a good supply of colored peppers, but eggplant will only be available as an extra going forward.  Regrettably this will likely be the last week for tomatoes.  

Greens, winter squash and brassica family crops will soon begin to dominate the shares. We have some very nice spinach, but lamentably, due to poor germination during a dry spell there will not be enough to go around. We will offer it as a choice with tatsoi. The second and third plantings of spinach have germinated much better. For brassica we have some lovely bok choy and an interesting type of cauliflower called Romanesco. It has a lime green color and an interesting shape that makes it look like coral. I like to call it “the cauliflower from another planet”.  We should begin having broccoli by next week. 

This week, in addition to lettuce we will also offer a choice of endive (frissee) or escarole. I had planned to send spaghetti squash this week, but they are repaving the road that leads to the field where all the winter squash is planted, making it almost impossible to get there. It will have to wait until next week.

I am still waiting on the appraisal of the property to be completed, so unfortunately there is nothing new to report on the purchase of the farm.

The share for this week will be: Lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, choice of spinach or tatsoi, purple skinned potatoes, white or red onions, bok choy, choice of escarole or endive, Romanesco cauliflower, string beans, and choice of an herb (cilantro, parsley or dill).   

Enjoy!    

Farmer John

Today's shares -- Friday, September 20, 2013

Vegetable

Garlic, lettuce, peppers, Yukima savoy mustard, tomatoes, string beans, red potatoes, salad turnips, kale, and choice of cilantro or dill.


Fruit

Apples and Pears

Eggs

Pasta

Enjoy!