This Week's Produce Harvest: Winter Spinach Celery Root Carnival Acorn Squash Salad Mix Carrots Baby Bok Choy Garlic Yellow Onions Ida Apples - from Mick Klug Farm, St. Joseph, MI Japanese Salad Turnips Beautyheart/Watermelon Radishes

Farm Journal

Good evening from the farm!

We're thrilled to be writing you again after some time off in late November and early December. We've missed you! We hope you and your family are well, and perhaps still enjoying some stored farm goodies in your kitchen.

After enjoying a quiet Thanksgiving, we've enjoyed plenty of time at home with our boys. We've recharged together with a new family tradition: weekend hiking adventures exploring the various Lake County Forest Preserves and our own farm fields.

During one of our recent walks, we noticed the late season hazelnut trees flowering and our 2021 garlic crop peeking through! The farm coyote packs (we believe there are two) and owls are now ever present with plenty of yelps, hoots and activity to keep the farm lively.

We've also had a chance to do more to help our boys with their remote learning and take care of things left undone during the farming season (in addition to lingering housework!).

Jeff spent several unseasonably warm, sunny December days spreading additional compost in our fields and preparing them for spring planting. We even pulled a surprise December broccoli harvest for the farm stand!

Farming conferences are virtual this year, so we've also had the pleasure to attend four midwest and east coast conferences. They've covering topics like, "Mutual Aid in Times of Crisis: Farmers and Cooks Working Together", "Seed Companies, COVID-19 and Our Fragile Foodshed", "The Future of Beginning Farmer Training", "Elderberry Growing" and many more.

We will be presenting a few times this winter and will continue to attend conferences through February. We strive to learn and share as much as possible during the winter, and then, put some of what we learn directly into action in the upcoming season.

This week, we welcomed back Abbey, Arlet and Kim to the farm this week to help us bring in the winter harvest. We are so grateful for their experienced help and their attention towards details. They will be back again in early 2021 to help us with the ongoing winter harvest, no matter the weather. We appreciate their can-do attitudes!

Finally, we wish you a peaceful and healthy holiday season. Thank you for your continued support and we wish you a happy new year! Warmly, The Miller Family (Jeff, Jen, Owen & Gavin) and our farm crew

Storage Tips from the Farm Kitchen

As we mentioned in the fall time, many of the root crops store nicely for months. While winter greens (e.g. spinach, salad mix, bok choy) should be used within a week or two, our root crops (e.g., salad turnips, beautyheart radishes, carrots, celery root) can be stored within plastic in your refrigerator for weeks. Squash, onions and garlic are best stored within a cool, 50 degree dark space.

Seasonal Recipes in the Farm Kitchen Celery Root Salad with Lemon & Capers - Pictured above. I added 3 carrots for additional sweetness. Apple Gingerbread Cake with Cream - Try this with your Ida Reds, which are wonderful baking apples (and great for eating, too). Baby Bok Choy with Warm Miso Dressing Pork Chops and Squash with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette - The carnival squash are known for their delicate skin which is ideal for this recipe.

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