One question we’ve been getting a lot lately is: Will we have Squashapalooza this year?
The answer is probably not, although we haven’t made a final decision yet.
We grew fewer pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash this year because we had less space available for them.
We rotate crops across the farm to support soil and plant health, generally aiming to leave about 3 years before planting the same crop family in a field again. That means the amount of ground available for squash can vary quite a bit from year to year.
Last year we invited members out to the farm, and about 70 of roughly 250 members came. It was fun for the people who made it, but we’re not sure that kind of turnout makes the amount of work involved worthwhile every year. We also realize the day and the distance aren't feasible for everyone.
So for now, we’re going to see what the harvest leaves us with before making any decisions. If we do end up with enough extra squash and pumpkins to do something, it would probably need to be smaller and closer to you.
Again... A Few Dates to Keep in Mind!
October 14–17 - Final week of Summer CSA for Every Week and Schedule A folks
October 31 - Winter CSA closes for registration November4–7 - 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 our farm and lots of other fabulous farms and food producers 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
Around the farm this week, we’re pretty much playing an enormous game of farm Tetris.
The sweet potatoes still need to be harvested, and they look great. But once they come out of the field, they’ll need somewhere warm and dry to cure, so the onions are getting kicked out of their current home in the break room/shop.
The onions are headed to the “underground” (actually, the underground II), one of our buried shipping containers used for winter storage. Once the onions are moved, the sweet potatoes can slide directly into the space they leave behind without us having to move them around a gazillion times... we hope.
The winter squash is also being washed, sorted, and moved around as we get it ready for CSA and storage. "Carl" (our wonderful cold storage container) is currently empty, which gives us a chance to clean him before we start filling him again with cabbage, kohlrabi, rutabagas, daikon, leeks, and all manner of other fall vegetables that still need to come inside before our crew is off for the season.
Beautiful 'Red King 2' daikon radishes all washed up and ready for their debut at market. There's a roughly 300' row of these to harvest and store for the winter.
Meanwhile, outside, we’re clearing away the pieces of summer: plastic mulch, header lines, irrigation pumps, tomato stakes, and all the other things that helped us obtain such a bountiful summer.
That’s a lot of what October looks like here. One thing moves out, another moves in, and somehow every space on the farm gets repurposed for whatever comes next.
This Week's Harvest
If you do not customize, you will receive the Farmer’s Choice Share this week, which includes theitems marked with asterisks (**).
Standard/Alternating/Monthly Shares: select up to 30 credits
Large Shares: select up to 60 credits
For this week:
Arugula: likely just for the Wednesday folks, from Monroe Family Organics.
Cabbage: green** and a red, pointy variety that is gorgeous!
Carrots**: w/o tops. Likely only orange this week.
Celeriac: aka celery root. This lovely root is our replacement for celery as the weather turns. Peel it and eat it.
Daikon Radishes** (Korean-Style): a mildly spicy radish that can be 2-6" long and, while traditionally white, also comes in red, purple, and green variations.
We also have the longer Mooli, or Japanese-style daikon, that only comes in white, but these are not ready yet.
Fall Salad Mix: again, likely only for Wednesday folks, a mix of lettuce, spinach, mustards and more! Tangy!
Garlic
Hot Peppers:
Jalapeños: by request, we're featuring these lovelies. There are many, many red ones too!
Poblanos: a smoky and fairly hot pepper that is great for stuffing.
Kale: you'll find both are sweeter as the temps cool.
Green Curly
Red Curly**
'Kossak' Kohlrabi: huge! But sweet, tender, and reminiscent of broccoli stems.
Leeks**- perhaps getting a little smaller, so you may see 2 per share.
Onions:
Red: a sweet and simple onion.
Yellow (storage): a more pungent onion
Parsley: from Monroe Family Organics
Pawpaws**
Our supplier Dick Von Tersch in Williamston is harvesting more and more of these beauties every day.
Eat them when they are SUPER soft. Ripen them on the counter.
Potatoes, Farmer's Choice: Likely red skins.
Rutabaga: new! from this year's harvest!
Sweet Peppers: Lunchbox** only for the week while we evaluate the harvest.
Sweet Potatoes: Orange only this week, but purple, 'Murasaki' and a new white variety are coming!
Winter Squash:
Carnival/Dumpling: a sweet acorn alternative.
Honey Bun**: a smaller version of the acorn with fantastic flavor.
Honeynut: the cult classic. It may need some additional curing (let it turn a little browner if you can!)
CSA Store Extras
Fresh Eggs- still 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
Veggie of the Week:
Daikon Radishes!
Daikon radishes are one of our favorite fall and winter storage vegetables. They’re crisp, juicy, and much milder than a typical red radish, and they can be eaten raw, cooked, roasted, or pickled.
For storage, keep daikon in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or mostly sealed container to prevent it from drying out. If your radish still has greens attached, remove them before storing, just like a carrot. The greens of root veggies continue to draw moisture from the root, causing it to soften much faster.
Stored well, daikon keeps for quite a long time, which is one reason we love growing it for the Winter CSA. We expect to have daikon available through about March 2027.
Japanese Pickled Daikon
Probably one of the easiest things to do with extra daikon. This is a simple refrigerator pickle with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, and it only needs a couple of hours before you can start eating it. Great with rice bowls, rich meats, sandwiches, or just straight out of the fridge.
A really simple way to actually cook daikon instead of just eating it raw. Ginger, garlic, carrots, scallions, and sesame oil make this a great little side dish, and the daikon stays pleasantly crisp instead of disappearing into the dish.
One of the fun things about daikon is that it can stand in for potatoes in some dishes. This recipe turns thinly sliced daikon into a creamy, cheesy gratin — a nice lower-carb option if you’re looking for something warm and potato-ish without the potatoes.
