Appleton Farms Blog: Week 15: Shorter Days and a Focus on Soil Health

As the days get shorter, the crew has been enjoying cool mornings and more pleasant work weather. But recent cloudy days and persistent moisture has promoted the spread of unwanted plant disease that is very difficult to control. We do what we can to facilitate air flow in crops by planning field orientation with prevailing winds, using appropriate crop spacing, controlling weeds, and using mulches. Even more important, we devise our plans to rotate crops out of fields for at least four years so that disease in the soil disappears before we reintroduce a susceptible crop. However, our main fields have been intensively cropped for many years and proper rotation isn’t always possible on our current land base. This summer we have been working with others at the farm to repurpose a small field behind the dairy to help alleviate some of our crop rotation issues. We are thrilled to have a deal in place to grow on that parcel and excited to be able to put effort into soil-building in some of the depleted parts of our main field. There will be more to come about the new field as we proceed.

This week the share will feature:

Arugula
Collards
Curly kale
Head lettuce
Escarole
Carrots
Peppers
Leeks
Potatoes
Delicata squash
PYO herbs
PYO sunflowers

Despite our best efforts to keep a good stash of scissors for the pick your own field, every week many go missing. We encourage you to bring your own scissors if you plan on picking.
Our hours for pickup are on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12:30-6:30PM. We are also open for pick your own on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon. Shareholders are free to pick up their share any day that best suits their schedule, and do not need to commit to the same day each week. Additionally, shareholders do not need to tell us which day they will be picking up.

Vegetable of the week!

Delicata squash is a type of winter squash with very sweet taste and a delicate peel that many people eat with the flesh. Unlike most winter squash, this type of is easy to cut and prepare. These cream colored fruits are excellent roasted or stuffed and are a favorite to many. Like other winter squash, it’s a good source of fiber and potassium, vitamins B & C, and magnesium.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Garden Herbs

2 large delicata squash

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup sage and rosemary sprigs

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut delicata squash crosswise, remove seeds and slice into half inch rounds. Arrange squash in single layer on baking sheet and sprinkle with herbs. Brush both sides of squash and herbs with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until squash are golden brown on bottom, 15 minutes. Flip and roast until tender, about 5 minutes more.

Farm Store News

A message from Appleton Farms store manager, Staci Zarimba:

As we welcome Autumn, I wonder, "Where did the summer go?" I spent mine in the haze of newborn baby bliss. On July 2nd, we welcomed our baby girl, Luna Bella, to the world. Now 10 weeks later, I am pleased to return from my maternity leave to my Appleton family.

A big thank you to Kate Kennedy, our office manager, for keeping the store fully stocked & staffed during my leave & for providing our customers with their favorite cheeses each week. The last pick up for the summer cheese subscription is Friday, September 14th.

If you enjoyed your summer cheese subscription or are sad you missed out on the fun, please sign up for our fall subscription. It begins seamlessly in 2 weeks - first pick up on Friday, September 28th with a total of 6 cheese selections available every other week for only $100. Sign up in store or by e-mail at appletonfarms@thetrustees.org.