We’re so excited about the CSA share this week.  We’ve never grown enough dry beans to be able to include them in the CSA, but finally this year we were able to save and plant enough seed to have a great harvest!  Dry beans have become my single favorite farm product.  They’re not only beautiful, but they’re so delicious (way better than older, more dried-out beans from the store) and allow us to have a home-grown source of vegetarian protein all winter long.  I absolutely love them.  They won’t require as long a soak as store-bought beans since they are so fresh, but if you overcook them by mistake, just turn them into bean soup!  You can’t go wrong, no matter how you prepare them.  We’ve winnowed them many times (see the pictures) but keep your eyes open for any split, moldy, or sprouting beans.  It’s inevitable that some make their way in to the bags.

In addition, we’re really excited to be able to put enough storage crops into each share this week to hopefully contribute to everyone’s Thanksgiving meal.  If you’re wondering how to store these larger quantities, remember that potatoes like a cool, dark and humid environment (a cellar works well), carrots like cold and humid (keep them inside their plastic bag and squeeze them into a corner of your fridge), and onions and garlic like cold, dark and dry (a cold cupboard or cold room that doesn’t freeze).

Finally, the last surprise is the kale.  The warm temperatures last week allowed our field greens to rebound, and we are so pleased to have enough to put together a small bunch for everyone.  Enjoy what is likely to be your last fresh local green until next spring!

Thank you, every one of you, for being part of the community experiment which is the CSA.  We feel so lucky to be able to grow the food that feeds our remarkably diverse CSA families.  Your support, trust and encouragement inspires us and is truly central to our ability to succeed as an organic farm in the Midcoast.  So thank you not only from our family, but from the apprentices who learn how to farm with us, from our animals who live a good life at HCF, and from your neighbors and friends who appreciate open space and non-polluted waterways and soil.  We hope that the CSA gives you a connection to and satisfaction from your food that otherwise might be hard to come by.  It certainly makes our work satisfying in a way that I never could have dreamed.

Have a wonderful winter, please stay in touch, and you’ll hear from us in February when we start sign-ups for the 2012 season.  It’ll be here before we know it!

Reba, Bill, Eli, Cecilia and the HCF crew!

Week 4 (of 4):  Dry Beans (1 lb), Carrots (7 lbs), Onions (2 lbs), Potatoes (5 lbs), Garlic, Kale, baby Red or Savoy Cabbage

This week’s recipes:  Bean Soup with Cumin and Cilantro, Beans, Sausage and Rice