Week 2, Summer Intersession 2023
Hi y’all, Nadav here this week to share how we’ve been holding down the farm! 👋
Claire & I have been playing host for many friends who found time to help the farm during intersession. New-timer farmers & old ZA apprentices alike helped us harvest our abundance (see list below). Thanks to everyone who came from Chicago, Wisconsin, Michigan, Boston, Vermont and farther for making this week possible! 🥰
On Monday we placed (what I believe was) our largest order to DAF, our Chicago restaurant distribution line. It took us so long to pack up & say goodbye to our produce — we’re so proud of where it’s going! If you’re looking for a list of restaurants in Chicago to eat from this weekend or next week with regeneratively-grown produce, reach out & we’ll let you know where our produce has gone! 🍽️
We blistered shishitos for the first time & are finding ways to make our produce last. We taught ourselves to can squash and tomatoes (along with delicious tomato jam 🤩). We’ve baked so many zucchini breads (but they never last more than a few hours in the house) along with an impressive upside down banana bread with caramelized bananas. For the things we couldn’t sell and didn’t have the energy to can or make, we donated to a food pantry in Watseka (15mi away).
Did anyone seen the Blue Supermoon on Wednesday? We setup a biochar burn with JR (who missed a jamming session to watch the moon — a pretty big deal for him!), eating outside and appreciating the bit of cold we’re starting to get in waves. It feels like the summer is finally giving way to our fall cohort coming to town! 🌝
Farm work has been taking up the majority of each day, but we’ve been finding ways to keep ourselves excited outside of the work. The tandem bike found itself on the road again this week, we’ve had (unofficial) book club meetings, and are planning a murder mystery as we speak (vengeance has been topic #1 in the house, with “preservation” being a close #2). Claire & I drove to the Iroquois Fried Green Tomato Festival, but arrived too late to actually get a fried tomato (we’ll update you if we decide to fry any here). We excitedly harvesting a watermelon too early (I still enjoyed it, to everyone’s concern). It’s been an interesting week, but beyond glad to internalize the peace of the weekend.
Shabbat shalom to all — wishing everyone lots of gratitude for the small moments & appreciation for the fruits & veggies that nourish them! 🍈
Harvest list this week (new items italicized): Heirloom & cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, shishito, kusa squash, kohlrabi, beets, radishes, turnips, carrots, mushrooms, crookneck squash, patty pans, kale, green beans (slender, broad & all in-between), cabbage, fennel, mixed greens, eggplant, mint, nasturtium, oregano, watermelon, strawberries.
We donated produce to the Bread Basket food pantry in Watseka — our abundance paying off!
