Moving Greenhouses

On Monday, we moved our greenhouses. This event, which we do every fall, is at the center of our winter crop production. The spinach we will harvest for the next CSA box was planted during the heat of mid-September, when tomatoes were still growing in the greenhouses. As the length of the days decreases, crop growth slows to a crawl. The tomatoes still produce using energy stored in the plant, but tender greens can only grow with the light of the sun. To counteract the slowing growth, we have to plant early and follow a precise schedule to insure a good supply of greens throughout the winter.

We don’t heat our winter greenhouses (except for one, that we keep at 32 degrees, to keep our rosemary alive). Instead, we rely on the sun’s warmth during the winter days and a selection of hardy crops to survive the winter’s cold. By early December, the temperature falls below freezing every night in the greenhouses, but we have selected crops that can handle the harsher weather with a little bit of protection.

By having the crops out of doors throughout the fall, they have a chance to harden off to the cold days to come. Inside of the greenhouse, sunny days turn quite warm, and would produce lush, tender growth. The first cold snap of early fall would turn them to mush inside the greenhouse. By hardening the crops out of doors, we prepare them for the harsh reality of winter.

So every fall, we pull the greenhouses over the growing crops. Don, from Don’s Towing in Decorah, drives out with his very shiny dual winch tow truck (I want one!) and parks at the far end of the salad beds from the greenhouse. We undo the anchors that hold the greenhouse in place, hook up the winch cables, and slowly and carefully reel it in. Two people with heavy pry bars steer the greenhouse, which is mounted on skis. It takes about a twenty minutes to move 100 feet—but you have to be careful with a 3,000 square foot building!

Tucking in the winter salad begins the process of putting the farm to bed for the winter. Due to the sketchy October weather, we moved the greenhouses late this year. Over the next few weeks we will mulch the garlic and herbs, clean up the tools and tractor implements, and batten down the hatches for the long night of winter.

Farm Happenings

Weather: By the end of this year’s gray and rainy October, I had just about given up on the idea that we would get all of our roots out of the ground down at our rental property. We could run the root digger in the mud, and we could certainly pick by hand in the mud (not fun, but I’ve done it before), but we couldn’t get our wagons up the grass-and-mud road that ran through the forest and up the hill from that spot. And then, it dried out! Almost two full weeks without any significant rainfall have let us get caught up on our harvesting, and by the end of this week we should be fully caught up on our fall field work. What a blessing.

What We Did: Everything focused round roots harvest for the last two weeks. We lent the root digger to our friends at Featherstone Farm in exchange for them sending a large crew of workers our way to get the roots out that we couldn’t harvest with the machine. We moved greenhouses on Monday of this week to cover the outdoor greens.

Comings and Goings: My dad, Bob, came to stay for the month of October. He just graduated from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, so we’ve got an official staff photographer for the month! His fellow student, Sarah, joined us over the weekend for photo shoots and some graphic design work.

In the Kitchen

When you get your box home this week almost everything goes in the crisper drawer in a plastic bag. The acorn squash and the yellow onions will prefer a cool and dry location, with low humidity being the most important factor. I find that the cabbage stores well for up to two weeks in the crisper drawer without a bag; if you cut it to use part and store the rest, you’ll want to wrap the cut end tightly.

The rutabaga’s reputation is a mystery to us. With a texture as smooth as a new potato and a delightfully earthy flavor and golden color, why are rutabagas so unloved? The smooth-skinned, purple-topped rutabaga was developed from crossbreeding a cabbage and a turnip; its original improvement and promotion was the work of Swiss botanist Caspar Bauhin in the early 1600’s—hence the rutabaga’s frequent appellation as a “Swede” or “Swedish turnip.” Delicious mashed with potatoes, but this recipe won the family favorite award at our house.

Rutabaga Rosemary Fries

2 Rutabagas
olive oil
minced fresh rosemary
salt

Peel the rutabaga and cut into a ½-inch “fries.” Steam in a steamer basket over boiling water until just tender. Drain and toss with a generous amount of olive oil and the rosemary. Lay the fries in a single layer on a cookie sheet, with none of the fries touching each other, and bake in a 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes, turning them once in the middle. Place under the broiler for about two minutes to brown them, salt to taste, and serve.

With this week’s mild weather, we have had the good fortune to be able to continue to harvest spinach from outdoors. Our fall crop of Italian Parsley put on some regrowth, as well, although it’s pretty short. I’ve heard that the sign of a good chef is Italian parsley in the crisper drawer, so this week, everybody’s a good cook.

Kale continues to improve week by week with every frost, and we are still seeing fantastic quality coming out of the field. I most often prepare this by sautéing stemmed and chopped kale in a covered skillet for a few minutes, then sprinkling on tamari soy sauce and covering again to let it stem for a few minutes longer. But the kids love it when I take a few extra minutes to make the following delicious kale treat.

Crispy Kale

1 bunch kale
salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Stem and chop a bunch of kale. Put the kale on an oiled cookie tray, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, tossing once or twice during that time. If you wish, top with parmesan, then bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, tossing occasionally, until it is crisp. The kale will shrink and soften then it will begin to turn crisp. Remove from oven and let cool on the tray.

I admit that I used to sneer at Acorn Squash as the Iceberg lettuce of the squash world, but I have come to favor it somewhat over the years as a solid fall squash, storing well and tasting pretty darned good.

Gold Beets have a slightly sweeter flavor than red beets, and less of the deep earthy flavor. They also don’t stain. I especially enjoy them baked and served with a pat of butter.

Basic Baked Beets

Some beets
Some olive oil
Some water

Simply rub trimmed (not peeled) beets with olive or vegetable oil and place them in a casserole dish with 1/2 inch of water. Cover and bake in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. The beets are ready when they can easily be penetrated with a paring knife. Cool slightly and slip the peel off. We slip the peel off under running water; it saves on burning the fingers. Eat and enjoy.

Light and Lively Slaw

The Dressing

2 Tablespoons rice wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
salt to taste

The Slaw

3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh onion
1 small beet, grated (raw beet)
1 large carrot, grated
1Tablespoon sesame seeds

In a bowl combine all the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Combine the cabbage, onion, carrot, beet, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Toss the dressing with the slaw ingredients. Wait 10 minutes for flavors to blend and serve.

Beauty Heart Radishes, with green shoulders and white bottoms, have been a favorite this fall on the farm, with slices appearing at almost every meal. Almost all of the heat occurs in the peel, so removing it can make these beautiful garnishes even more appealing to young kids.