While spring cleaning is the norm in most households, at the farm our cleaning season comes in the fall. As the days shorten and the work load slows down we are starting to put the farm to bed. In the field we are plowing under each crop after its final harvest and planting oats or winter rye as a “green manure” cover crop to sop up any extra nutrients and prevent erosion over the winter. We’ve rolled up the electric chicken fence for the season and will soon do the same with the pig fence. (The pigs are “off to greener pastures” this week after a summer of making good use of our vegetable scraps and tilling up a new garden patch in our own green pasture.)
Fall cleanup also involves an overhaul of our tools and equipment, as we clean, grease and repair each implement before storing it in the barn for winter. It’s satisfying to take stock and put each farm tool in its place after a busy season of grab-and-go use. From hand tools to tractors, we want everything put away clean and functioning so that next spring we will be ready to start a fresh season with smooth fields, orderly tools and re-stocked supplies. I love that as we pressure wash the chaff off the haying equipment, repair frayed fencing, or sharpen the edge of a scuffle hoe, we are getting ready for a quiet winter while at the same time looking ahead to another busy spring! But we’re still harvesting as cleanup begins! Here’s what’s in store this week.
Cheers, Norah and the Sweetland Crew
Week 23 Harvest, Brimming Basket
- Sweet potatoes, 3 pounds
- Purple Carrots, 2 pounds
- Butternut squash, 1 large
- Kohl rabi, 2
- Asian greens, 2 bunches
- Rainbow chard, large bunch
- Onions, 2 pounds
- Watermelon radishes, large bunch
- Green tomatoes, 2 pounds
Week 23 Harvest, Half Pint
- Sweet potatoes, 2 pounds
- Purple Carrots, 1 pound
- Butternut squash, 1 small
- Kohl rabi, 1
- Asian greens, 1 bunch
- Rainbow chard, small bunch
- Onions, 1 pound
- Watermelon radishes, small bunch
- Green tomatoes, 1 pound
Recipes of the Week
- I’m planning on getting a bit creative and using my butternut squash and rainbow chard in this recipe for Stuffed Roasted Delicata Squash
- One last hurrah of tomato season: Green Tomato Mincemeat Pie or Fried Green Tomatoes
- Don’t toss those radish greens! Cheezy Greens & Artichoke Dip
- Perfect for fall: Sweet Potato Carrot Soup