Rising River Farm
13208 201st Ave SW
Rochester, WA 98579 360-273-5368
contact@risingriverfarm.com
www.risingriverfarm.com

Sept 26th ***** Box 15
Hello All,

The well is fixed! It turns out the screen was clogged with small gravel and the pipe was sitting a little too low in the water vein. The well guys fixed both problems and irrigation is back on schedule. Like I said last week, we would have been in a major panic if that had happened in July. Without water, we cannot farm!
Our crew is shrinking now. Rigo and Rita worked their last day yesterday. Brad and Christine have one more week. Felipe and Teresa are also done after this week. That will leave Jim, Jonathon, Isaac, Greg, and me. It should be manageable though since we have cranked out some major projects this week. The garlic is planted, popcorn harvested, winter squash hauled in, and a lot of ground worked up. From here on out we only need to harvest and plant cover crop. We also have the end-of-the-season clean-up and organizing, but there is time for that yet. No more weeding (yeah!) and no more planting.
We had a pretty good harvest of winter squash this year, despite the mice having feasted on the seed before they germinated. We ended up replanting about 1/5th of the patch due to the hearty appetites of spring mice. But in the end we’ve got tons (literally). Due to our limited covered space and to keep the last few boxes from being ridiculously heavy, we are going to start handing the squash out this week. Today you will get delicata-our favorite. The flesh is sweet and creamy. Taste it on its own before you add butter or brown sugar (as many people do with winter squash) to truly appreciate its flavor. I use it in sweet breads, in lieu of pumpkin in pie, or just as a side dish with dinner. As with all the squash you’ll get, wait about two weeks before you eat them so they sweeten up a bit. They are fine out in your kitchen. They make lovely fall decoration! The easiest way to cook them is to cut them in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, lay cut side down in an inch of water in a baking dish and cook at 375-ish until the skin is fork-tender. Throw a few whole potatoes on the oven rack and you have an easy dinner that’ll warm up your house on these brisk fall evenings.
There is some new fall veggies on the scene this week: cabbage, kohlrabi, and fennel. Despite the cold nights and dew-laden mornings, the tomatoes are cranking (for how much longer I won’t even dare to guess.) Enjoy every last juicy bite.
The basil is done for all intents and purposes, but if anyone wants to come out and glean what they can for free, be our guest. We plan on tilling it in by late next week. Please call first to make sure it hasn’t been tilled in or frost damaged. I’d hate for you to make the drive for nothing. Also, we’ll need to be around to show you where to pick.
Yes, I have been a slacker about recipes lately. I’ll try to find some good ones to help you transition into the fall veggies. You can also check out www.epecurious.com for lots of great ideas.

Happy eating!!!!!!!