Full Shares:  Sungold Tomatoes, Salad Mix, Spinach, Onions, Shishito Peppers, Acorn Squash, Poblano Peppers, and Garlic

Partial Shares:  Sungold Tomatoes, Spinach, Shishito Peppers, Onions, Garlic, and Acorn Squash

Hello CSA members!

I just closed up the greenhouse and high tunnels for the night at 7:20pm, and the sun has already set.  It’s amazing how the shortening of the days just sort of sneaks up on you.  While summer seems to be persisting for another day, it sure looks like fall is on the horizon for the end of the week.  Tuesday’s high is predicted to be 85, and Thursday’s high is 57.  Boom, flip the switch.  But that’s how it seems to be here in Montana.  For what started out as the wettest year for us yet, it has also turned out to be the longest growing season yet (and certainly the smokiest).  We never had our late spring frost this year, which means our last frost was around May 15th.  And we have yet to have our first frost of the fall, which means we are looking at roughly 115 frost-free days this season.  To put that in perspective, last year was also a good year for us on the farm, but we had our last frost on June 17th and our first frost around August 28th, which put us only at 71 days frost-free. Quite the difference!

As we head into the last few weeks of the CSA, the shares are split between the last of the summer crops, some fall storage crops, and some brand new greens that were just seeded a few weeks ago.  In fact, now that the days are shorter, our old friend spinach is back on the menu.  I’m guessing we’ll see some significant frost, if not a hard freeze by the end of the weekend, so we’re giving out what may be the last of the Sungolds, Poblano’s, and Shishito peppers.  This week’s winter squash is Acorn.  The old standard is roasted with brown sugar, but Martha Stewart has 17 other recipes for you if you’re interested.  Personally, I think the lasagna one looks pretty good!  When it’s 57 and rainy on Thursday, you may finally be in the mood for some comfort food.

As you can see, my photographer is back in action.  I always laugh at the CSA photo process.  While it looks all small and tidy in the photo, the process is actually much larger and complex, calling into use past yoga teachings and body control.  See for yourself.

Don’t try this at home, kids.

I’m sure there is a much easier way, but I think Rebecca really enjoys the physical challenge.  Looking forward to some rain, and seeing you all at CSA Distribution!

Todd and the Two Bear Farm Team