Hi Reader,

A Few Dates to Keep in Mind!

Fall is moving quickly, so here are a few important dates to keep handy...

For Summer CSA

October 7–10 - Final week of Summer CSA for Schedule B folks

October 14–17 - Final week of Summer CSA for Every Week and Schedule A folks

Winter CSA

October 1 - Winter CSA sign-up should open (if not, we'll have it open by next Sunday)

October 31 - Winter CSA closes for registration
​November 4–7 - First Winter CSA pickup week

• Winter CSA continues on alternating weeks from November through April or can be picked up once a month.

Spring and Summer CSA 2027

February 2027 - CSA registration opens!

May 2027 - Spring CSA begins

July 2027 - Summer CSA begins

Not sure about Winter CSA? No problem! You can catch fabulous farms and food producers and us at these markets:

Meridian Township Farmers Market

After Summer CSA ends, we’ll continue attending Saturdays only at Meridian. We will no longer attend Wednesdays.

October 24 & 31: 8:00 AM–2:00 PM (outside)

November 7, 14 & 21: 10:00 AM–2:00 PM (outside)

December 5: we move inside the Meridian Mall for the winter season!

January-April: 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 10:00 AM- 2:00 pm inside the Meridian Mall

Allen Farmers Market

November-April: alternating weeks, starting on Nov. 4, 2026

Inside from 3:00-6:30 pm

Around the Farm

We made it past the Harvest Moon without a frost!

Growing up, we always paid attention to the Harvest Moon. My mom, who is 81 now, has said for as long as I can remember that you watch the full moons this time of year for frost. It was one of those bits of old-farmer wisdom I heard over and over growing up. Since we were always up early anyway, Mom and I would usually notice and mark the Harvest Moon together.

So far, no frost.

Which feels about right, because honestly, it still looks and feels a whole lot like summer around here. The trees are only barely starting to change, our overnight temperatures are actually supposed to warm back up a little this week, and the peppers apparently have no intention of acknowledging that September is ending.

Meanwhile, though, the work on the farm is very definitely shifting toward fall.

All the winter squash has finally been picked up from the field and is curing now, and it looks fabulous. Huge thanks to Jose, Rodrigo, and Alfredo for logging lots of hours to harvest these with the help of Papa Paul!

Sorting squash has been slightly less fabulous thanks to the yellow jackets, which have apparently decided that I am particularly stingable. One sting last week, one the week before... woo hoo. I finally made some traps in hopes that the rest of squash-sorting season can be a little less eventful. We're guessing the squash is extra sweet this year, though, since we've never had so many flying friends decide it's a great place to nest!

We’re also slowly working our way through the long list of jobs that mean winter is coming whether it looks like it or not. We’re harvesting the last little bit of potatoes, picking up around the farm, and beginning the extremely tedious process of pulling plastic mulch from the fields.

And then there are the peppers.

It is officially Pepper Palooza around here.

This has probably been the best pepper season we’ve ever had, and while the plants aren’t really producing much new fruit anymore, there is still an enormous amount hanging on them. At this point, we need to harvest heavily so we can start cutting the plants down and eventually pull the plastic underneath them before the end of October.

So depending on how many people order this week, some shares may be especially generous in the pepper department. If you’ve ever considered freezing peppers, roasting peppers, making hot sauce, or trying your hand at pepper jelly, this may be your moment.

It’s a funny point in the season: summer is still hanging on above ground, but underneath it all, we’re steadily dismantling the farm and getting ready for what comes next.

That includes finalizing our Winter CSA plans, too. If you'd like to learn more about what is in season, see the bottom of this email (in lieu of recipes).

This Week's Harvest

If you do not customize, you will receive the Farmer’s Choice Share this week, which includes the items marked with asterisks (**).

Standard/Alternating/Monthly Shares: select up to 30 credits

Large Shares: select up to 60 credits

For this week:

• Cabbage- green only for a little bit as we transition into the fall planting.
• Carrots**- w/o tops. A rainbow blend of white, yellow, orange, and occasional purple. We should have carrots until the end of CSA.
• Garlic
• Hot Peppers -
  • Mild to Medium: May include jalapeño, Anaheim, serrano, Golden Dagger, and chilaca/pasilla.
  • Medium to Hot**: All the above plus red habaneros and cayenne.
• Kale- you'll find both are sweeter as the temps cool.
  • Dinosaur
  • Green Curly**
• 'Kossak' Kohlrabi: this is not like the spring kohlrabi. These are huge, sweet, tender, and lovely. Just starting.
• Leeks**- sooooo many leeks.
• Napa Cabbage: it has a little damage at the top, but tasty inside.
• Onions:
  • Red: a sweet and simple onion.
  • Yellow (storage): a more pungent onion
• Pawpaws**
  • These will not be listed in the store until Monday afternoon, since our supplier (Dick Von Tersch Farms in Williamston) has to harvest. Look for an email when they are added.
  • We hope to offer these for the next 3 weeks.
  • If for some reason we don't get these in, we will likely sub peppers or cabbage into the farmer's choice.
• Potatoes, Farmer's Choice
• Rutabaga
• Shishito Peppers: the red ones are definitely spicier!
• Sweet Peppers -
  • Lunchbox/Snackers: super sweet!
  • Bell Mix**: a mix of ripe and ripening bells. Not many green still exist!
  • Carmen/Escamillo: a red, sweet Italian frying pepper that is one of our favorites!
• Winter Squash:
  • Acorn
  • Carnival**: a sweet and colorful version of acorn. Perhaps a little more nutty.
  • Delicata
  • Spaghetti

CSA Store Extras

• Fresh Eggs- limited! Plan to purchase them via Farmigo if you need extra, as they will likely NOT be for sale at our stand.
• Homemade Jam
  • Blueberry
  • Raspberry
  • Strawberry

Switching it up!

Let's talk about Winter...

Eating With the Seasons

Winter CSA isn’t for everyone.

I know that’s probably a funny thing to say while we’re getting ready to open Winter CSA registration, but it’s true. Committing to vegetables from November through April isn’t going to fit every household, every cooking style, or every season of life.

But we do think eating with the seasons is for everyone.

Being your local farmers means learning together what food really looks like throughout the year. January in Michigan doesn’t look like August, and we don’t really want it to. There is something grounding about knowing where your food came from, who grew it, and why certain things are abundant at one time of year and scarce at another.

Winter eating is less about recreating a summer farmers market and more about combining vegetables we’ve carefully stored with the crops that continue to grow in cold weather and in protected spaces.

In storage this winter, we expect to have:

• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celeriac
• Daikon radishes
• Garlic
• Gilfeather turnips
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Napa cabbage
• Onions
• Potatoes - ours and from farmer friends
• Rutabagas
• Shallots - from farmer friends
• Sweet potatoes - harvest still to come, but looking promising!
• Turnips
• Winter squash

Fresh through the colder months:

Between our farm and Green Wagon Farm, we also expect a rotating supply of fresh produce through the colder months. Roughly in order of how often we expect to have them available:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Lettuce mix
• Lettuce heads
• Herbs
• Arugula
• Bok choy
• Green onions
• Microgreens

Exactly what’s available will change with the weather, the month, and how crops perform, because that’s part of eating seasonally, too.

January into February is slightly heavier on roots and squash. November and April are slightly heavier on green things. By late winter, we’re eating from storage while simultaneously filling the greenhouse with the plants that will become next summer’s food.

That’s really what Winter CSA is about. Not having every vegetable all the time, but continuing to eat from local farms through the quietest part of the growing season.

We’d love to keep farming for you this winter, whether it’s through CSA or at the farmers market.

Pic of the Week