Last Tuesday, as we went to drive away from the last CSA box drop in Northeast Minneapolis, our weekly cycle’s opening moments began with the van’s abrupt inability to be shifted out of park. That sounds like the week started off terribly, but no!

We have AAA thanks to a Christmas gift from Grandma & Grandpa, and while we waited for the tow truck, we walked to a nearby pizza place for an ice cream cone in the urban afternoon sunshine. (thanks for the tip, kindly CSA member!)

We happened to be without either dog or our children for the breakdown, we had some time to spare … and it turned out that being forced by the dissolution of a linkage bushing to take an ice cream stroll through Minneapolis was really downright pleasant. We even held hands while walking down the sidewalk; surprise date!

After we got home, the week went on, even more quickly than those before.

The chilly mornings returned, and so dd Squirrelly & Dragon, the two orphan squirrels we’d befriended this spring, whom we had not seen up close in months. Dragon’s dragging hind leg looked even worse, but she has gotten much more adept at going up and down trees without its use. They are much larger now, but we know them from the unnamed woodland masses when they come up close and watch expectantly for us to fetch them sunflower seeds.

The squirrels don’t climb into our hands anymore,but one of the two surviving chicks from August’s predation spree has turned out to be quite the friendly foul – Robin seems likely to be a rooster, but if he continues to outwit death, we will keep him on the team as a father for the next generation of chicks.

Oh and this week we finally got some September rain! First some tiny intense thunderstorms that hit us directly in spite of all odds, and then a long wall of rain, for a total of 1.3″ of much-appreciated moisture over the course of the week.

The acorns continue their noisy bombardment of our structures, the leaves slowly lose their vibrant greens, and thoughts return to snow removal, firewood, frozen water lines, rodent prevention, snowload supports, winter travels to warmer climes, and the Farm Party that qwe hope to see you at on October 13th!

Find Inside Box 16:

• Tomatoes – the cool nights has really slowed them down at last! Good time to transition to:
• Winter squash Jester or Delicata or Acorn
• Broccoli – unless you’re Bree in which case you get an Eggplant.
• Potatoes
• Fennel – roasted or raw, delicious and crunchy when roasted with potatoes onions and sausage. Fronds are also edible. I think people do something with them and fish?
• Carrots – We don’t know why they turned out rather poorly this year, in spite of being weeded and pampered.
• Zucchini 
• Cherry tomatoes
• Onions
• assorted Sweet Peppers – did you know that Green Peppers are just unripened peppers? When ripe they have more flavor and nutrients!
• Thyme – would pair nicely with your potatoes, roasted or mashed.
• Daikon radish -we left the greens on because they’re edible and tasty when cooked! The root is beloved by kimchi people, but alas for you if you’re among them, because our fall Napa Cabbage crop failed (abundant rain and improved soil = slugs for us it seems)
  
  (PS: spoiler: our whole Leeks crop failed too, alas, but that seems to have been the fault of a lousy batch of starts)

Only ONE more 2024 box to go …. how on earth can this so quickly be?!

This week was weirdly hot, and yet the sumac started turning blaze red, acorns fell like carpet bombs, and mice tried moving into everything. One such rodent tried tunneling through a plastic table, while another built a nest within the propane shower heating element, resulting in a shower surprise of smoke, fire, and a mouse that flew away like a misfired rocket.

We are back into drought talk time; We haven’t had rain since August. We are running the drip irrigation again, perhaps a bit reluctantly. Seems impossible that I just dumped a small pond of trapped tarp-water ontp myself a few weeks ago, but it seems to be so.

With help from our neighbor, or WWOOFers, and Deb and Jim, we finally managed to get up to Lake Superior with The Boys. It’s magic there, to us – and now perhaps to another generation.

inside Box 15

• Ground Cherries – at last! This year’s ground cherries are the tastiest ever in my opinion. Peel the husk and snack, one at a time.
• Broccoli – the first of the fall broccoli crop has entered the chat
• Turnips – great variety for fresh eating; sweet and not all that turnipy
• Radishes
• Zucchini
• Tomatoes – they are slowing down, now.
• Cherry Tomato Medley
• Peppers – a mix of bell and sweet peppers (no hots)

“No time for words, dude.”

inside box 14

• Brussels sprouts & tops – could cook them at the end of your Brussels sprout’s heat
• Kohlrabi – edible greens, but the bulb is the star. Peel the tough outer skin first.
• Shallots
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Peppers (no hots)
• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes 
• Spaghetti squash – that’s not a melon! Halve, scoop, roast in the oven till tender, scrap out with fork

In this week’s Installment of Rain News, it rained a couple of times earlier in the week, and then rained again a whole lot yesterday and we don’t even know what to think anymore about anything. It seems like it must be a good thing though, so we are not lodging any protests. Have I mentioned we find ourselves grateful for our sandy soil this moisture-laden season? We do.

A woodchuck has been taking nibbles and leaves from the high tunnel and is marked for capture or worse. An unknown beast devoured an entire pile of chicken eggs being sat upon in the woods, as well as the hen who sat upon them; a bear or fox or coyote has a plump belly and a sanguine expression, unwitnessed by us humans. The wasping continued; Kristin was stung twice, I was stung once, several wasp and hornet nests were taken down in defensive retaliation. Hopefully with the cooler temperatures, cooler heads will prevail and we can resume our truce with the stingy stripeys.

Jasper, trying to help with the fieldwork, climbed up on the tiller after it had just shut off, and burned himself on the exhaust – it seems that most of us have a story of the time we burned ourselves on a hot exhaust, and now he’s joined our club. I’d rather he had hadn’t but he did and so now he is learning about the joys of having bandages changed and keeping them clean and all the rigamarole that comes with burns, and we are learning about the joys of being the ones in charge of it all. He’s doing good though, complaining only when we do mandatory maintenance.

It was chilly this morning. I am rolling over in bed, pulling up the covers, and avoiding eye contact with thoughts about winter. But I know they’re out there now.

And, it was my birthday again this week, which seems to happen with increasing rapidity as the numbers get larger.

The brakes on this ride don’t seem to work, but the views are beautiful.

I’m into it.

inside box 9

• Bell Peppers – purple Islanders and green
• Eggplant – eggplants don’t really change color as they ripen; they stay the color they are, whether green, purple, variegated, or white (the O.G. eggplant color, which makes sense of their name).
  The secret to eggplant is not being stingy with oil when cooking. They like oil and you will like them better when they’re happy.

• Tomatoes – damn I love tomato season. They love the high tunnel and they are making that abundantly clear. Most of them are ready to eat now, or after they sit on the counter for a bit. Let us know if you find a type you especially enjoy!
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Zucchini – we don’t give out giant war clubs anymore.
• Onions
• Broccoli – side shoots from the early-season plants. They heat earlier this week made them a little different,
• Purple Opal Basil – we grow our basil amidst our tomatoes in the high tunnel; they do great together as plants and as flavors. These could be used like Thai basil or Italian basil in a dish. Might look weird as pesto?
• Thai Basil – spicier/different from the Italian basil you got last week; best used in Asian dishes
• Italian Basil Microgreens – caprese skewers, tomato salads … Shareholder Melissa has plans for basil I hear.
• Maybe Melon (Sun Jewel or Green Muskmelon)– this week, the folks in Saint Paul and near the Farm are getting a melon, If the fates feel cooperative, Minneapolis and Vadnais will get one next week.