CSA Week 11

For many people, September feels like a major shift from the summer months. Time for cooler weather, pumpkin spice everything, and a back-to-school shift. For a market gardener, September still feels much like summer. There are plenty (if not more) harvesting tasks, the weeds are still present, and the last field plantings are happening. For the past 5 years I have homeschooled our two boys and 'school' doesn't look like much until well into October which contributes to September feeling a part of summer. This year, however, our oldest son Terran is heading off to Grade 8 at the elementary school in Mount Forest! And our youngest, Rowan is going to be attending a 1 day per week homeschool program at the Guelph Outdoor School. This past week has been filled with more back-to-school preparations that we've seen in many years! Thankfully, the heat has meant that I haven't felt compelled to break out the pumpkin spice.

We are currently offering a promotion on our 2017 honey: Buy 2, Get One Free! We still have a bit of stock from last summer that we need to move since storage space is limited. Honey has no expiration date and ours is still delicious and spreadable. We offer two sizes: 500g ($8) and 1kg ($15). Stock up for all your winter honey needs! Honey also makes great housewarming, Christmas, and teacher gifts.

You will notice that your carrots come topped this week. This current planting of carrots has been in the ground for a while and the leaves are becoming brittle and don't bunch well. Once this planting is harvested we will be back to carrots with tops. On the tomato front, we are still getting lots of ripe, beautiful tomatoes. The plants are showing signs of decline and more tomatoes are rotting on the vines. This is a sure sign that tomatoes will be slowing down shortly. I imagine we will have two more weeks of tomatoes before we say goodbye to these summer beauties. 

---

The first of the winter squash are being previewed in your shares this week: Spaghetti Squash. It will be a few weeks until the rest of the squash appear but Spaghetti Squash are a fun early treat. I am pleased with the new variety I have tried this year. This particular variety is sweet and flavourful with a beautiful deep orange colour. At its simplest, spaghetti squash can be cut in half, roasted, the strands of flesh separated with a fork, and toss with sauce of your choosing. For more ideas, try these recipes:

Spaghetti Squash Boats [YouTube link]
Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole
​Spaghetti Squash Lasagna