What’s In The Box?
We believe in eating for both personal and ecological health.
And while “eat your veggies” can mean eating those easily recognizable carrots, cukes, and tomatoes, it should also include collards, chard, beets, and yes, kohlrabi! Eating from a wide palate helps maintain our culinary bio-diversity, reduces energy use (we don’t have to heat the greenhouse so long) and you get so many more different nutrients than you would otherwise get just eating your old favorites. With a little practice, you too will come to love kale and beets and yes, even kohlrabi!
So just what are these greens? And what’s this weird sputnik-looking veggie? Hopefully this page will help answer some of those recurring week-to-week questions. We’ll strive to post weekly what you’ll find in your box and check out the links for quick identification help and what to do with all of this amazing bounty. A general rule of thumb is most veggies can be eaten raw. Not sure, try a sauté. And a quick search on the web will yield more information about the veggie in-hand than you ever likely wanted to know!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess): November 6, 2023
Lettuce
Tatsoi
Beets
Potato (Goldrush Russet)
Carrots
Yellow & Red Onion
Cranberries
Red Cabbage
Winter Squash (Heart of Gold)
Leeks
Cranberries? The cranberries come from our friends at Ruesch Century Farm in Vesper Wisconsin. Brian and family do and incredible job growing excellent certified organic cranberries and we are proud to feature them in your CSA share.
Tatsoi is a versatile member of the mustard family. Use it anywhere you’d use spinach. Lightly steam or sauté, use raw in a salad, wilt the leaves with a warm dressing, or add them to a soup at the end of cooking.
It’s hard to believe this marks 23 straight weeks of fresh organic veggies! Thankyou to our faithful CSA members for helping make this year (our 29th CSA season) great. We still have winter deliveries ahead of us (once/month December - March) so stay tuned. Have a great Thanksgiving.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess): October 29, 2023
Lettuce
Napa Cabbage
Leeks
Potato (Goldrush Russet)
Carrots
Yellow Onion
Apples (Roxbury Russet)
Winter Squash (Butternut)
Brussel’s Sprouts
This week’s apple is from our lone Roxbury Russet. Russet’s are typically relegated to the world of cider, however, Roxbury is also an excellent fresh eating apple that we liken to an Asian pear. It is also known as the oldest American apple cultivar likely getting it’s start in 1635 near Roxbury, Massachusetts. A true heirloom if there ever was one!
When we harvest Brussel’s sprouts in the fall, I instantly think of Brussel’s sprouts with mushroom, horseradish, and cheese sauce served over pasta. I first learned this recipe from Molly Katzen, author of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. I think I know what I’ll make for dinner later this week!
And lastly, first snow of the year last night (Oct 30). 3 inches of fluff!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess): October 22, 2023
Collard Greens
Bok Choi
Red Cabbage
Bell Pepper
Potato (Gold)
Carrots
Yellow Onion
Apples (Mandan)
Winter Squash (Marmalade)
Red Radish
This weeks winter squash variety is a kabocha type named Marmalade. First bred in Japan, kabocha’s are perfect for roasting with their deep orange flesh and almost nutty flavor.
And a bit of sadness on the farm this week as we bid farewell to our stellar crew. Their agricultural work visas expire on Friday so they head home to Mexico on Thursday. They have been our farms backbone this season and in reality are the reason you have gotten a HCF CSA share this year. Simply put, without them, we had NO workforce and would have likely been forced to retire from farming.
And Hiring workers from Mexico wasn’t without some pain and a lot of thought. As a business we had to stick our necks out financially and buy a house for them to live in (there are few to no suitable rentals to be had). Just hiring them cost many $1000’s in paperwork, legal fees and travel. There was a language barrier as we do not speak Spanish and our crew of David and Davir do not speak English. And we were severely understaffed. We normally have a crew of 4 to 5 folks but this year we had 3 that quickly whittled down to 2 when our one Anglo employee crapped out on us months before her anticipated end date! But in the end, we as farmers are far richer for the experience. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, shared joys (and some despair when Davirs father-in-law had a stroke), and got to know two high quality people that we’ve come to love.
And this gets to a thought I think about near daily. We as Americans have no idea what it takes to put food in our mouths. Nearly our entire food system is utterly dependent on brown skinned people who speak Spanish. Some, like Davir and David, are here on legal work visas. Many others are not. They work in all weather, long hours and strenuous conditions. And they do so with skill and a willingness we’ve never found in 30 years of employees. So if you eat vegetables or fruit, beef, chicken, pork, drink milk or eat cheese, fish, you name it, you owe your very sustenance to these people who simply want to provide for their families and have a good life too. And luckily for us, both are planning to return in the spring, hopefully along with David’s brother.
Adios amigos, hasta la proxima primavera!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 15, 2023
Leaf Lettuce
Spinach
Green Cabbage
Bell Pepper
Potato (Russets)
Carrots
Peppers (Specialty frying types)
Onion
Apples (Freedom)
Winter Squash (Honeynut)
Red Radish
Honeynut is a new winter squash in our squash rotation this season and are we excited to have trialed it this year. Honeynut is a relatively new hybrid of butternut that is smaller and sweeter than it’s tried and true parentage. We really enjoyed it’s simple sweet-nutty taste when roasted.
Although we’ve had a few lightly frosted mornings we’ve yet to have a hard killing freeze on the farm this fall (knock on wood) which has meant a bountiful harvest of peppers. We grow a number of “specialty” type peppers, also known as Cubanelle’s, Italian frying peppers, etc.. Their thin walls and sweet taste make them great for roasting, sautés, and stir fry’s.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 8, 2023
Leaf Lettuce
Spinach
Green Cabbage
Bell Pepper
Potato (Gold)
Carrots
Bok choi
Onion
Apples (Spartan & Davey)
Winter Squash (Heart of Gold)
Red Radish
Falling leaves, chill temps, the call of geese overhead… Welcome to the first Fall Share! We truly revel in the abundance of our farm and it is in full display at this time of year. From fresh greens and peppers to root crops, apples to squash. Add a meat share and what more do you need?
This weeks apples include a mix of Spartan (deep burgundy color) and Davey (red with a blush of green). These are both among our favorite apples. In a non-drought year we have enough trees to have several weeks of these varieties but alas the lack of rain and heat this past growing season mean we have just enough for this week. One tenant of farming is there’s always next year!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 1, 2023
Napa Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Bell Pepper
Potato (Gold)
Carrots
Kale
Sweet Onion
Apple (Liberty)
Winter Squash
October means an end to the seemingly endless tomatoes and hello to winter squash! This weeks squash is an acorn type called Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash. Our favorite way to prepare is to cut in half and scoop out seeds. Then continue to cut into wedges using the squash’s ribs as a guide. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and into a 400 degree oven. Bake until done, usually when a fork easily pierces the skin. Finger food at its very best!
Please note this is our last of summer shares. Fall shares start next week.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 25, 2023
Napa Cabbage
Broccoli
Tomato
Specialty Frying Peppers
Bell Pepper
Potato
Carrots
Chard
Sweet Onion
Apple (Freedom)
Bok choi
We love Napa. Infinitely versatile, it finds it’s way into stir fries, green salads, coleslaw, sandwiches… This weeks apple variety is Freedom. Dark red skin, creamy white flesh and a crisp tangy flavor mark this great eating apple.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 18, 2023
Broccoli
Chard
Tomato
Green Beans
Poblano Pepper
Bell Pepper
Melon (mostly watermelons, some cantaloupe)
Radishes
Carrots
Green Cabbage
Sweet Onion
Apple
We don’t often self-congratulate but… that’s an awfully great looking CSA share line-up this week! Likely last of the green beans and finally broccoli (which has been a struggle).
Poblano peppers, among our favorites, are a mild chili-type with lots of flavor. These peppers are perfect for roasting and stuffing.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 11, 2023
Tomato
Green Beans
Cauliflower
Bell Pepper
Melon
Radishes
Carrots
Red Cabbage
Sweet Onion
Apples
First apples of the season in your box this week. We had high hopes for a great apple crop this year but the drought caused many to drop early and others to not size up. These are decidedly not “Barbie” apples but taste great.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 4, 2023
Tomato
Yellow Wax Beans
Leaf Lettuce
Bell Pepper (Purple & Yellow)
Muskmelon (mostly Korean melons)
Arugula
Eggplant
Green Cabbage
Red Potatoes
Sweet Onion
Cucumber
Melons, finally! This weeks melon for most of you is a type known as Asian or Korean melon. Oblong, yellow, with longitudinal white stripes. These melons are among our favorite. Crisp, juicy, and slightly sweet. I think the taste is something of a cross between a pear and a pineapple!
The past 4 days of temps in the 90’s (combined with no rain in weeks) really beat up the green bean crop we had planned for the next couple of weeks. Luckily there’s just enough yellow wax beans just coming ready to put some in CSA shares. On the flip side, we are in the middle of a record setting onion harvest! Many onions are grown in the arid west; they thrive in heat and dry but need regular water. We put just enough irrigated water into the onion field and are now reaping those rewards, about 20,000 lbs. worth!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 28, 2023
Tomato
Green Beans
Leaf lettuce
Bell Pepper
Sweet Corn
Eggplant
Fennel
Cauliflower
Sweet Onion
Cucumber
Wow, where has the summer gone? The subtle seasonal changes of early August are rapidly giving way to full out autumn right before our eyes. The barn swallows fledged their second brood and promptly headed south. Nighthawks swoop on their annual migration and nearby Bass Lake is suddenly covered in Canada geese. The luxurious green of our surrounding forest is taking on yellows and oranges and we even had a morning that dipped into the upper 30’s. And although seasonal change is inevitable, I’m not ready!
Here on the farm we move on from planting and weeding to full on harvest mode. A quick walk through our acre of onions portends a harvest of 16-20,000 lbs. We’ve done just a bit of potato digging and are confident there are spuds a plenty. And some much needed recent rain will hopefully result in a bountiful carrot crop.
This past week we not only grilled sweet corn nearly every night but we also grilled sweet onion. Quartered length-wise, brushed with a little olive oil, and grilled in a wire basket. Wowza! Have a great week.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 21, 2023
Tomatoes
Green Beans
Leaf lettuce
Green Bell Pepper
Sweet Corn
Fennel
Kohlrabi
Carrots
Sweet Onion
Cucumber
Basil
Fennel and sweet corn? Get your grill out! We love to throw veggies on the grill and fennel and sweet corn are two of our favorites.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 14, 2023
Tomatoes
Leaf lettuce
Bell Pepper
Red Cabbage
Cauliflower
Kohlrabi
Zucchini
Sweet Onion
Cucumber
Basil
Right now my go-to lunch is a sandwich comprised of bread slathered with mayo surrounding thick sliced tomato, thin sliced cucumber & sweet onion, and basil leaves. That’s it. Summer summed up with juice running down my chin!
Cabbage! You have gotten more than a few this summer (they seem drought resistant). We eat eat cabbage almost daily and never tire of it as it lends itself to almost every cuisine. With this weeks red cabbage, try this simple salad recipe.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 6, 2023
Tomatoes
Leaf lettuce
Green Cabbage
Cauliflower or Broccoli
Green Top Carrots
Radish or Kohlrabi
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Cucumber
Eggplant
Cilantro
Egad, I missed last weeks “What’s in the Box"?” Well, it was pretty similar to this week so…
You can tell it is truly summer when the boxes start to over flow with tomatoes, cukes, and eggplant all at once.
And it is dry! 2022 was the driest summer that we’ve recorded since starting HCF about 30 years ago. The summer of 2023 is dryer. May 1 - today this year is 3.1” behind last years dismal rainfall. One irrigation pond is dry. The other is getting there fast. And crops are withering on the vine so to speak. So two record drought years back to back makes for a couple of tired, worn out, grouchy farmers! Hope for rain please.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): July 17, 2023
Leaf lettuce
Green Cabbage
Cauliflower or Broccoli
Scallions
Kohlrabi
Zucchini or Summer Squash (really one in the same!)
Cucumber
Bok choi
Beets with their green tops
Starting to sound like a broken record (for several summers now) but we could really use some rain. Crops are growing slow without rain (irrigation only goes so far), especially when combined with the smoky haze from Canadian wildfires.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): July 10, 2023
Leaf lettuce
Green Cabbage
Spring turnips (also called salad turnips)
Collards
Scallions
Kohlrabi
Summer Squash/Zucchini (really one in the same!)
Cucumber
Bok choi
Basil
I ate my first vine ripened (well, almost) tomato yesterday so they are not too far off!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): July 3, 2023
Leaf lettuce
Spring turnips (also called salad turnips)
Chard
Scallions
Kohlrabi
Napa cabbage
Cucumber
Cauliflower or broccoli (not quite enough to get both this week)
Cilantro
Chard - a dramatic, graceful fountain of deep green. Chard, like spinach, freezes well. Simply blanch and chop. The stems however do not freeze well so should be used fresh. Sauté in butter and stir into a white wine risotto.
Kohlrabi - often the brunt of CSA farmer jokes (we know CSA’s that will not grow it), kohlrabi is a favorite here at HCF! Steven likes it sliced thin and added to his lunch sandwich for a bit of snappy crisp. And Nadia loves it chunked and used to dip in humus. But to get your family clamoring for more, julienne along with the turnips, sauté in butter, add a bit of salt and pepper and stand back!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 26, 2023
Leaf lettuce
Spring turnips
Kale
Napa cabbage
Radishes with their tops
Beets with their green tops
Cucumber
Cauliflower
Wow, first Napa of the season! I start thinking about all the possibilities; Kimchi, stir fry, braised… But my favorite is a light and tangy slaw with a lime-peanut oil (or sesame oil)-chili that includes cucumber.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 19, 2023
Leaf lettuce
Collards
Spinach
Scallions
Radishes with their tops
Beets with their green tops
Cucumber or Kohlrabi
One person’s weed is another’s dinner! The other day we were weeding pigweed from hoophouse G which is filled with tomatoes. David, who comes from Hildago, Mexico headed to the packhouse versus the compost pile with a huge bunch of “weeds” and a broad smile on his face. When he caught my eye he proclaimed “Cenizo, muy bien!” Turns out Cenizo, or pigweed, is a common salad and cooking green in Mexico! Conversely, neither David or Davir (from Senaloa, Mexico) have seen or eaten beets or kohlrabi. It has truly been a summer of learning here at HCF.
And speaking of beets… When I was a kid we ate a lot of beet greens. Usually simply steamed like spinach but oh are they so much tastier. Here’s a link to help unopen the door to a new world! And don’t toss those radish greens. Besides being a tasty addition to your salad, you can use much like any other cooking green. Plus they make a great pesto! So join us in our summer of learning. Adios!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 12, 2023
Leaf lettuce
Bok choi
Spinach
Scallions
Chard
Green top radishes
Beets
Oh for the love of high tunnels (aka hoop houses)! All of the produce coming from the farm these first few weeks of June is grown inside where we can control water and to some extant heat. Our chilly nights (a few have dipped into mid 30’s of late) and near complete lack of rain have meant slow growth in the fields but inside… it’s a different story. They are a major investment (the large 144’x30’ tunnels cost $25-30,000) but they are critical to our success.
Lastly, do a rain dance, pray, what ever your mojo may be but we need rain. We are now in year three of droughty summers (even after a record setting winters snow) and cause some regular aqua from the clouds (irrigation only gets you so far).
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 5, 2023
Leaf lettuce
Bok choi
Kale, green or red
Scallions
Chard
Pea shoots (micro greens)
Brassica mix (micro greens)
Oregano bunch
Potatoes (from the root cellar)
We are always excited to get a new CSA year underway! This is our 29th year packing CSA shares (and 31st year commercially growing veggies) and it never gets old. Every day seems to include a new challenge in the world of farming keeping us fresh and alert (the copious amount of coffee also helps).
These early season boxes are all about the greens so be thinking salads. And we always try to hold onto enough potatoes to add some substance to this first box. They’ll need peeling but are otherwise pretty darn tasty. We like to cube them into roughly 1” chunks, coat with cooking oil and season. Meanwhile, place an unoiled baking sheet into a 400 degree oven and allow it to get hot (about 5 minutes or so). try one potato cube on the baking sheet. If it sizzles, it’s ready. Spread the remainder on the sheet and bake until golden brown.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): March 6, 2023
Micro greens (grown in our greenhouse, the first new crop of the year!). Note some folks might get kale.
Carrots
Beets
Potatoes - Kennebec (white)
Winter Squash
Cabbage - Green
Onions
Our last CSA box of the 2022/23 season. I’m always amazed by our packing onions for delivery in March while our greenhouse is filled with newly sprouted onion seedlings, some of which are destined for packing next year March! Think Spring!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): February 6, 2023
Carrots
Beets
Potatoes - Russets
Winter Squash (an assortment)
Cabbage - Both Red & Green (or 2 green dependent on supply)
Onions - Yellow & Red
Black Turtle Dry Beans
Winter is moving right along and this week we finally have a few days back in the 30’s after a long cold stretch. We’re looking forward to getting the greenhouse fired up in a couple weeks and officially kicking off another season.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): January 2, 2023
Kale
Carrots
Beets
Potatoes - White
Winter Squash (Butterkin)
Winter Squash (Pepo type)
Cabbage - Green
Cabbage - Red
Onions - Yellow & Red
Black Turtle Dry Beans
Welcome to 2023. We celebrate with the kale crop that just keeps giving; tucked in a snow incased high tunnel, this kale crop (planted last May) has passed all realistic expectations and just keeps producing! Best used braised, as kale chips, is soup, or Colcannon (replace the scallions with sautéed onions and garlic).
We plan to open 2023 CSA sign-up in the coming week or two so be on the lookout for an invitation email or simply check back in on the website from time to time.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): December 5, 2022
Kale
Carrots
Beets
Potatoes - Red (A quick note on their quality. Not our best but we had limited help on the farm this fall during harvest and these came out of the ground later than we wanted. The roughness is called scurf. Just peel and they will be fine. The rest of the winters potatoes look amazing!)
Winter Squash (Butternut)
Winter Squash (Pepo type)
Cabbage - Green
Onions - Yellow & Red
Cranberries (certified organic from out friends at Ruesch Century Farm)
This first week of December marks the start of our Winter CSA Shares. It can be a struggle to supply in quantity, fresh veggies during the winter in our northern climate. After all, we’ve already dipped several times below the 0°F. mark and we’re just getting started with our winter chill! So how do we fill your CSA share with continued goodness into March?
First off, it takes a lot of planning. Take the kale. It was planted way back in early August with late fall and December harvest in mind. Plus it’s simply an amazing veggie. It’s still holding up well in unheated high tunnels and as long as we get a sunny day up near 32°, the tunnels warm enough to harvest. Besides planting planning, there is harvest and storage planning to keep in mind too. Carrots, beets, potatoes, and cabbage all like cold so are kept at as close to 36° as we can, both in large walk-in coolers and in our 100 year old root cellar. Onions and winter squash actually don’t fair well in that cold of storage so they’re stored in a separate spot maintained at about 50°. And we have to harvest each crop at the exact right time and make sure we have enough product in quantity to fulfill our commitment to our CSA (plus we still have wholesale product leaving the farm). So there’s a lot of counting (and double counting) involved, packing cold storage so we have access to each months veggies in the right sequence and amount, and lifting. We figure we lift about 16,000 pounds of veggies each winter delivery (each 50 lb. crate gets lifted an average of 4 times so the 800 pounds of potatoes headed out this week becomes in essence 3200 lbs.!).
So enjoy this weeks CSA delivery, savor the tastes, share food with family and friends, rejoice in the season.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): November 7, 2022
Lettuce
Arugula
Kale
Winter Squash (Sunshine Kabocha)
Winter Squash (Jester-Acorn)
Carrots
Rosemary
Potatoes (Kennebec)
Green Cabbage
Leeks
Onion (Yellow & Red)
Cranberries
Cranberries? Yes, cranberries! We have partnered with Reusch Century Farm to put certified organic cranberries in our CSA shares for the past decade or more. The Reusch’s farm down near Wisconsin Rapids and do an exemplary job at small scale cranberry production. And cranberries have indeed become one of our families favorite fruits! Cranberry pie, tarts, in breakfast oatmeal or yogurt… They last the whole winter in our root cellar making them a truly a great addition to our winter diet. We hope you enjoy them too.
And lettuce, arugula, and kale to start out a November CSA box in northern Wisconsin! We always marvel at our high tunnels and the ability to stretch out our summer just a bit more.
This week marks our last Fall Share. The next stop on our CSA season is the start of Winter Shares the first full week of December.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 31, 2022
Lettuce
Spinach
Radish
Winter Squash (Honeyboat Delicata)
Winter Squash (Butternut)
Carrots
Potatoes
Red Cabbage
Leeks
Onion (Yellow & Red)
Happy Halloween. Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) which marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. And like the Celt’s, we celebrate our harvest with a fire and good food!
And speaking of harvest, we are about finished for the season with perhaps a week or so left of carrot and potato harvest to go. The carrots this year despite a persistent drought are beautiful and plentiful. We attribute that to great soil well taken care of and no weed pressure thanks to our crews great efforts. Now we just gotta get them out of the ground, washed, and squirreled away for the coming winter!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 24, 2022
Lettuce
Spinach
Kohlrabi
Winter Squash (Acorn)
Carrots
Potatoes (Russets)
Napa Cabbage
Leeks
Onion (Yellow & Red)
Parsley
What are russet potatoes best used for? Russet’s are in many ways the consummate potato, a large all-rounder with mealy white flesh and dark brown skin. They're great for baking, mashing, roasting, and french-frying. And what about leeks? We love these mild, slightly sweet members of the onion family in many fall and early winter dishes including gratens and soups. And lastly, acorn squash. On the farm Steven grew up on, acorn squash were an autumn favorite. Although the traditional baked with butter and brown sugar is great, there are indeed many ways to prepare these tasty squash.
Enjoy these last beautiful days of autumn. Get outside, breath deep. Winter is not too far off!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 17, 2022
Lettuce
Arugula
Bok Choi
Winter Squash (Heart of Gold)
Carrots
Bell Peppers
Red Potatoes
Napa Cabbage
Tomato
Onion (Yellow)
Looking out at a white wintery world this morning, typical for “fall” in the northwoods! With the impending forecast of temps dipping into the lower 20’s for early this week, we spent the past couple days scrambling to harvest tender crops such as the last of high tunnel tomatoes. Alas, we had planned on russet potatoes for this weeks box but you get reds again. The russet crop is beautiful but still largely in the ground and protected from a few days of freeze. Not so the field of green cabbage, Napa, and bok choi so we harvested those crops versus digging potatoes that will be just fine. And by next weekend temps will be back in the 60’s and we can continue with securing the 1000’s of pounds of potatoes and carrots still waiting harvest. And with a little luck due to the protective blanket of snow, squeak out another delivery of cabbage, parsley, and other crops in the field.
This weeks winter squash variety is Heart of Gold, an early Pepo type with a mild buttery flavor and soft skin (once its cooked). We like to simply slice it following the ribs, place on an oiled sheet pan, and bake until a fork goes easily through the skin. Drizzle a little butter, salt and pepper. We eat skins and all, yum!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 10, 2022
Lettuce
Arugula
Bok Choi
Butternut Squash
Carrots
Bell Peppers
Red Potatoes
Kohlrabi
Tomato
Broccoli or Cauliflower
Sweet Onion
Sage
Welcome to the first Fall CSA share for 2022. Still a few summer treats finding their way into shares while fall favorites begin to muscle in as well. This is the time of the year we finally begin using our oven again (except for the late after harvest frozen pizzas we’ve been eating of late!). Roasted butternut squash (or any winter squash) is a favorite in our household and lends itself to so many great dishes. And finally carrots that taste like HCF carrots. Our summer carrots were not our best this year but these late planted carrots are super tasty.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 3, 2022
Lettuce
Radish
Eggplant
Acorn Squash
Mustard Greens
Bell Peppers
Red Potatoes
Carrots
Tomato
Napa Cabbage
Sweet Onion
The last Summer CSA box of 2022 (of course Fall and Winter boxes are still to come). Whew, it has been a long dry haul (less than 7.3 inches of rain over the past 4+ months)! But I look back at these posts and realize we didn’t miss a delivery and the boxes have been full and diverse of crop. That is a testament to our great soil and 30 years experience of growing veggies at scale. Now we just hope for a “normal” growing season in 2023!
This weeks box still has late summer favorites like eggplant, peppers, and tomato as well as the first hint of autumn with acorn squash. This is such an easy squash to love, although truth be told, we love them all. Here’s a good link… Savory or sweet, you get to make that choice!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 26, 2022
Lettuce
Radish
Broccoli
Sweet Onion
Mustard Greens
Green Beans
Specialty/Ethnic Peppers
Watermelon
Tomato
Napa Cabbage
I lied last week, one last blast of watermelon before an anticipated frost coming in the next few days! With that coming frost we spent the past few days harvesting, harvesting, harvesting; winter squash, peppers, watermelon, the last picking of green beans and other crops that might get damaged. Whew!
Specialty or ethnic peppers are a favorite of ours. They come in so many colors and shapes, are sweet, and are great for sautés, stews, and salads. Here’s a quick primer from The Spruce Eats to help you identify and learn a bit more about them.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 19, 2022
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Sweet Onion
Spinach
Green Beans
Sweet Corn
Watermelon
Tomato
Kohlrabi
Green Bell Pepper
Radishes
Several veggies make surprise late summer (or early autumn) returns to your box this week including spinach, green beans, sweet corn, kohlrabi and radish. And maybe the last of this years melons. Savor all of these as they won’t last long!
One of the paradox’s of modern American life is the ever-stocked produce aisle at your local grocery store, food coop, etc. You can get fresh strawberries, ripe bell peppers, and melons nearly 365 days a year! Here at HCF, we eat a seasonal diet so say goodbye to summer favorites as they succumb to lowering light levels or freezing temps. And at the same time, we welcome the long lost flavors of winter squash, wood-fire roasted potatoes and beets, and fall harvested carrots (sooo much better than our summer carrots).
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 12, 2022
Carrots
Broccoli
Sweet Onion
Cucumber
Melon (musk, aka cantaloupe type)
Watermelon
Tomato
Green Bell Pepper
Eggplant
Bok Choi
Cauliflower or Radishes
The melons continue to ripen, now if we can just keep ahead of the deer with harvest! And what to do with late season eggplant? Oh let me count the ways! Or maybe just check out this link to Bon appetit for 31 mouth watering ideas. Our favorite is to simply brush with olive oil, salt & pepper, and toss on the grill although the fried eggplant with crispy basil and tangy honey-feta sauce sounds pretty good too!
And for those folks wondering. Yes, we finally got rain. The .75” that fell last Friday was our single largest rainfall since mid-May. Not near as much as some folks (friends and family living 10-15 miles away got over 2.5”) and no-where near enough to break our stubborn two year drought but… it’s hopefully a start towards a wetter trend going into autumn.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 5, 2022
Bok Choi
Kale
Carrots
Cucumber
Melon (musk, aka cantaloupe type)
Broccoli
Tomato
New Red Potatoes
Green Bell Pepper
Sweet Onion
Finally, melons! Here in the northwoods our summers are almost too short and cool to grow melons at a scale large enough to satisfy a 250 member CSA. But we have learned a few tricks of the trade, coax them along, and what is typically a mid-summer staple is an early fall treat. This weeks box will include one of several musk melon types that we grow (musk types include the traditional cantaloupe as well as others). Enjoy!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 29, 2022
Lettuce or Kale
Carrots
Cucumbers
Zucchini or Summer Squash
Green Beans
Broccoli
Scallions
Tomato (Slicers or Cherry)
New Red Potatoes
Green Bell Pepper
Basil
and maybe Eggplant!
Here on the farm, we’ve been digging the new red potatoes, both figuratively and literally, for a couple of weeks now and figured it was time to share in the wealth. Simply boiled until a fork just sinks in (don’t over do it) and melted butter and I’m in heaven! And are you getting tired of summer squash/zucchini? It’s winding down for the season and if you haven’t tried grilling it yet, do not pass that by. Brush with olive oil and toss on a hot grill, flipping every now and then until charred. Great with lamb chops (we have plenty of chops in the freezer so give us a call and we’ll set you up for a Labor Day cookout).
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 22, 2022
Lettuce
Carrots
Cucumbers
Zucchini or Summer Squash
Yellow Wax Beans
Sweet Corn
Broccoli
Scallions
Tomato
Cauliflower
Green Bell Pepper
We’re backing up on beans with both green and yellow suddenly overflowing from their plantings! Have I ever said how much I like cauliflower? I mean, I really like cauliflower. Raw, grilled, baked… Here’s a few easy recipes to help you get started on your own cauliflower obsession! Have a great week, hope for rain.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 15, 2022
Lettuce
Carrots
Cucumbers
Zucchini or Summer Squash
Green Snap Beans
Sweet Corn
Broccoli
Sweet Onion
Kohlrabi
Cauliflower
Cilantro
Green Bell Pepper
Whew, now that’s a veggie list I can get my teeth into! And as hinted to last week, SWEET CORN! At this time of year we eat a lot of cucumber salads. We like to change them up too with a vinegar based salad one night, yogurt based the next.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): August 8, 2022
Green Bell Pepper
Lettuce
Carrots
Cucumber
Red Cabbage
Zucchini & Summer Squash
Beets
Broccoli
Kohlrabi
Parsley
The pepper crop looks pretty god this year and with some more timely rain (thank you for last nights .6”) we should begin having peppers on a weekly basis (finger crossed!). Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about the nutritional benefits of bell peppers as well as the culinary side of this great fruit. And with any luck, a sneak sweet peak for next week spies sweet corn on the near horizon. The ears are filling out nice on our first planting (and the second planting isn’t too far behind) so stock up on the butter!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): July 25, 2022
Lettuce
Blueberries
Kale
Carrots
Cabbage
Cukes
Summer Squash
Kohlrabi
Scallions
It’s hard to believe we are on the cusp of August. Even harder to believe how dry we’ve been on the farm. July has thus far dropped a measly 1.9” and June was worse with only 1.2”! One pond is functionally dry with out enough head left to get water to fields 1000’s of feet away. And the other pond is getting close. Oh well, we plug on. What else is a farmer to do? But it does demonstrate just how fragile our local food system is.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): July 18, 2022
Chard
Lettuce
Scallions
Cucumber
Zucchini
Kohlrabi
Green Cabbage
Spring Turnips
Blueberries
Green-top Carrots
Carrots make their first showing this week and not a day too soon! And BLUEBERRIES! In truth, we do not grow blueberries, but the folks at Bashaw Valley down near Shell Lake do and they’re certified Organic to boot (the only certified Organic Blueberries in the area). We’ve partnered with the Degner family to put blueberries in our CSA share for many years and are always excited to share their bounty with you. Unfortunately, a freak hail storm did significant damage to their crop this year and we might only squeak in one week of these precious beauties so enjoy. Weather is just one of the many perils of farming!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): July 11, 2022
Lettuce
Kohlrabi
Spring Turnips
Red Cabbage
Scallions
Cucumber
Collards
Fennel
Zucchini & Summer Squash
It’s easy to take the cabbage out of your CSA box, roll it to the back of your fridge, and forget it. DON’T! Here’s a great recipe for that mid-summer red cabbage that will leave you hoping for more. And here’s a quick and easy way to add collards to almost any summer meal without spending hours in the kitchen.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): July 4, 2022
Napa
Scallions
Spring turnips
Lettuce
Beets
Fennel
Bok choi
Kohlrabi
Either a cucumber, zucchini, or summer squash (just starting to come in, there will be plenty in the weeks to come!)
Happy Independence Day! Fennel is one of those veggies most Americans no nothing about but features prominently in Italian cuisine. With a slightly sweet, licorice-like taste, fennel provides a wonderful flavor to so many dishes. You can eat it raw, roasted, or cooked in salads, stews, soups, and pasta dishes. We really like it grilled and often pair it with lamb chops or lamb loin (also on the grill). And speaking of lamb, we have shares in stock for grill season so check out our Farm Store. Have a great 4th.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 27, 2022
Lettuce
Chard
Cauliflower
Strawberries
Basil
Napa (Chinese cabbage)
Radish (with their green tops) or spring turnips (with their green tops, use like a radish)
Broccoli (or a 2nd cauliflower if we run short)
Nothing says early summer better than fresh strawberries. Sure, you can get tasteless strawberries nearly year round in the super market but they do not compare to locally grown berries picked at their height of flavor. These berries come from our friends, the Lipka family at Basket Flats, just over the ridge north of Hermit Creek Farm. The Lipka’s do a great job at growing strawberries and we’re happy to put them in your CSA share.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 20, 2022
Lettuce
Spinach
Broccoli or cauliflower
Collards
Pea shoots
Green cabbage
Radish (with their green tops)
Scallions
Beets (with their green tops)
We often get asked “What’s your favorite veggie?” Asking a vegetable farmer that is a lot like asking a parent about their favorite child! But… we often answer “CABBAGE!” Yes, the oft over-looked cabbage. It is among the most versatile of veggies. I mean, just the variations on cole (which roughly translates to cabbage) slaw (again meaning cold salad) are staggering. Green cabbage, red, or Napa all work equally as well and can fit most any cuisine from Mexican to Thai to down home American. And coleslaw, especially vinegar-based, are great with barbeque so bring it on! Here’s a couple links to get your slaw journey started: Serious Eats and The Heritage Cook
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 13, 2022
Lettuce
Spinach
Bok choi
Pea shoots
Kale
Radish (with their green tops)
Scallions
Beets (with their green tops)
Pea shoots? These tender shoots remind us of spring and are great in both stir fries and salads. And don’t scrap those radish and beet greens, they’re great in their own right!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): June 6, 2022
Lettuce (two heads)
Chard
Bok choi
Scallions
Kale or Spinach
Potatoes
And so it begins, the HCF 2022 CSA season is underway! Early boxes are always green-centric with lots of vitamin packed leafy greens coming from our high tunnels. And this year we managed to hold over a few hundred pounds of potatoes in our root cellar to add to this first CSA box, a nod to last years bounty. Thank you for joining us this year on our seasonal adventure in local food. There is so much to look forward to!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): March 1, 2022
Micro-greens
Dried beans (Black Turtle)
Cabbage (green)
Carrots
Celeriac
Potatoes (russet)
Winter Squash
Onions (yellow)
Beets
The last CSA share of the 2021 growing season, 27 weekly deliveries of goodness from our farm to your table. Thank you for joining us in our seasonal adventure in local food. If you were satisfied with your experience, please consider joining us again in 2022. We truly value your support.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): February 1, 2022
Dried beans (Black Turtle)
Cabbage (green)
Carrots
Celeriac
Potatoes (red)
Winter Squash - two per box of our drier Moschata types
Onions (yellow)
Beets
Deep winter is a time to dig ever deeper into the root cellar. Crops grown to fruition last summer and stored carefully away in the fall now emerge from their dark and cold sleep to grace our dinner table as if by magic. Our root cellar was first dug by hand by the Poysa family in the early 1900’s, it’s walls built with dry-laid stone and it’s roof a crisscross of cedar logs topped with several feet of soil. About 28 years ago, we dug the old collapsed cellar out and with the help of Landis’ inexhaustible dad Stan, re-laid the walls with the original stone (only this time with cement and rebar), poured a new cement roof, added an entry way with two insulated doors, and covered the structure with about three feet of soil as a final topping. This simple structure, tempered by the earths ambient temperature, fluctuates between the upper 50’s in the summer to the low 30’s by mid-winter with no supplemental energy. With careful planning and packing, we stock away enough carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage, and other cold-loving storage crops to meet our winter CSA needs, feeding 100’s of families across the northland.
Even Kaleigh helped with the cellar stone work!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): January 3, 2022
Dried beans (Black Turtle)
Cabbage (red)
Carrots
Celeriac
Potatoes (gold)
Winter Squash - two per box of our drier Moschata types
Onions (yellow & red)
Beets
Happy New Year. We’re always excited to have dry beans in our winter CSA shares. Usually dry beans need soaking before cooking (and you can soak if you want) but seriously, these won’t need much. For a few cooking tips, try The Spruce Eats.
Not sure what that odd looking, celery smelling oddity is? It’s celeriac (aka celery root), an oft overlooked winter storage veggie that we love in stews, soups, and even grated raw in salads (along with those beets). Check this site out to learn more.
Finally for our 2021 members (and wait list folks), be on the look out for an email invite to join us for another year of CSA soon.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): December 6th, 2021
Cranberries
Apples
Cabbage (green or Napa)
Carrots
Kale
Potatoes (gold or red)
Winter Squash - Starry Night & Butternut (or Sunshine)
Onions
This the first of our monthly winter boxes (delivered the first full week of December, January, February, and March). We’re super excited to have apples from our trees, a mix including Northwest Greening, Prairie Spy, Roxbury and a few last Spartans. And organic cranberries from our friends at Ruesch Century Farm!
The kale is out of a high tunnel and may be the last of the season. And some folks will get gold potatoes. They’re a little rough looking but peeled are fine.
Have a great holiday season and a Merry Christmas from your farmers at Hermit Creek.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): November 8th, 2021
Brussels Sprouts
Cranberries
Napa Cabbage
Leeks
Carrots
Kale
Potatoes (white)
Winter Squash - Sunshine & Thelma Sanders (an acorn type)
Onions
This week marks our last Fall Share! If this is the end of your tenure with us for the year, THANK YOU for joining us and letting us farm for you. If you go on to Winter Shares, there’s more great veggies to come in December so stay tuned. Now on to this weeks box!
What can I say about Brussels sprouts. This years drought (which continues on into late autumn) led to lower than hoped for production in many crops. We typically plan on several CSA deliveries plus wholesale to the Co-op and a sizable order to Northland College. This will sadly be your first and only taste (wholesale was greatly diminished and Northland saw nary a sprout). In fact, your farmers have only eaten them once this year too! although we enjoy them many ways, I think roasting on a chill autumn evening is simply the best.
And cranberries! Truth be told, we do not have a hidden cranberry bog at Hermit Creek Farm. But we do have a friend, Brian Ruesch, who does. Ruesch Century Farm in central Wisconsin grows what we think are the tastiest fresh cranberries we’ve ever eaten, and they are certified Organic to boot! Unlike most cranberry farms, Brian dry harvests his fruit which makes them stay fresh longer (we’ve kept them in perfect condition in our root cellar for most of the winter). I can’t wait for Landis’ first cranberry pie of the season.
Be well and stay in touch.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): November 1st, 2021
Spinach
Cabbage, green
Peppers (Bell)
Leeks
Carrots
Potatoes (red, white or russet)
Winter Squash (Kabocha & Starry Night Acorn)
Onions
Here at Hermit Creek, we eat a seasonal diet meaning we seldom if ever eat veggies not grown here that are out of their normal northern Wisconsin season. So with that eating philosophy, that means no cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. for the next seven to eight months! This week marks the end of those beautiful bell peppers until next August. And although we lament that loss, we revel in what we do have for the coming months. Slow roasted potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions… Veggies that we can store through the winter that will sustain us until warm weather and sunshine return.
Onions. Scallions, sweet onions, yellow onions, and now leeks… If you think about it, you’ve gotten onions in some form in every CSA box. We find onions to be nearly indispensable in our cooking and a day without an onion is rare indeed here at HCF!
Starry Night Acorn Squash. We grow three types of acorn squash (the traditional dark green, a blond type, and Starry Night). Cook as you would any other acorn type. Our favorite way is to simply roast it.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 25th, 2021
Apples (Liberty)
Cabbage
Peppers (Bell)
Tatsoi (an Asian mustard green)
Carrots
Potatoes (red, white or russet)
Winter Squash (Starry Night & Butternut)
Broccoli
Onions
Freezing temps finally arrived marking the end of the 2021 growing season. Landis was out late that last evening before the temp hit 32 picking peppers and your CSA share is all the better for it! The rest of the boxes items were already in storage or can handle some freezing weather.
Tatsoi is an Asian green that can be used in so many different ways.
We are still very busy harvesting the remainder of our potatoes, carrots, and cabbage and hope to have all crops safely in cold storage by the end of this week. I can see some long days and evenings in our near term future! Keep your fingers crossed that we get it all in before the ground freezes for good.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 18, 2021
Apples (Liberty & Freedom)
Napa Cabbage
Peppers (Bell)
Lettuce
Spinach
Carrots
Potatoes (red, white or russet)
Winter Squash (Sunshine)
Onions
This weeks winter squash is a Kabocha type called Sunshine. Kabocha squash, also called Japanese pumpkin, are long keeping and come in a variety of colors from green and gray to bright orange. There are many ways to cook but we like this simple method best. Speaking of winter squash, we finished this seasons squash harvest this past Saturday with about 8000 pounds pulled out of the field!
No frost at Hermit Creek Farm as of yet this fall but we are getting close. Harvest is still in full swing with potatoes, carrots, leeks, cabbage, and peppers still streaming into storage. Will it all get in before winter? Only time will tell!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 11, 2021
Napa Cabbage
Apples (Freedom)
Peppers
Cauliflower or Broccoli
Eggplant
Arugula
Spinach
Carrots
Cucumber
Potatoes, red or white
Winter Squash (Acorn)
Onion
The start of our Fall Share means we are on that long slippery slide to, well yeah, winter! But there are still so many amazing veggies coming out of the fields and high tunnels that it seems like the growing season will never end.
Okay, I know I keep calling for the demise of our cucumber crop but here they are, again! But really, this will be their last week so please enjoy them.
The apple variety this week is Freedom. A fire engine red beauty that really produced this year (still have a lot to get picked in the coming few days).
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): October 4, 2021
Apples
Peppers
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Arugula
Spinach
Carrots
Cucumber
Potatoes, red or white
Winter Squash (Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash)
Onion
Ah, October and with that our first winter squash. We start the season with one of our personal favorites, Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash. Our favorite way to cook is to cut in half, scoop out seeds then cut into long wedges, lightly oil (spray oils work great for this), salt & pepper, and then into a 400 oven until done (test with a fork). You can also cook the same as a traditional acorn squash.
This weeks apples are from our Spartan trees. An old heirloom variety originally from eastern Canada, Spartan is a great fresh eating, sprightly juicy white-fleshed apple. As a kid, this was my favorite when we would go to Edwards Apple Orchard in Caledonia, Illinois for our fall apples.
And I lied last week, the cucumbers persist and find their way to you yet another week. Enjoy them while they last!
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 27, 2021
Apples
Green Cabbage
Broccoli
Tomatoes (paste)
Spinach
Carrots
Cucumber
Potatoes, white
Kohlrabi
Bell Pepper
Onion
This weeks apples come from our single Wealthy apple tree (an apt name). Wealthy was the first apple cultivar developed in Minnesota way back in 1868 and was at one time among the five most important commercial varieties grown nationally! It’s one of our favorites and I wish we had planted more 20 years ago.
And on a sad note, this marks our last week of cucumbers in your boxes. Oh it has been a good run this year but waning light levels, cool nights, and, well, age are catching up with them. Time to clear those high tunnels out and get them ready for spring planting. Enjoy your week.
What’s in the box for this week (our best guess!): September 13, 2021
Apples
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Spinach
Carrots
Cucumber
Potatoes, white or red nuggets
Tatsoi
Peppers
Fennel
Eggplant
Onion
Tatsoi - say what? Among our favorite Asian greens at this time of year. Tatsoi is a versatile member of the Brassica or mustard family. We enjoy it in salads, lightly steamed, or tossed into a stir fry (right at the end).
And apples. It’s been a good apple year. This week is a mix and may include Paula Red, Blue Pearmain, or Mandan. On a sad apple note, the wind the past few days (beyond causing a lot of windfalls!) toppled one of our favorite apple trees, a 30 year old honey-gold, which was loaded with ripening fruit. We’ll miss its shade and fruit in the years to come.