Begin Again

Happy Autumn Equinox!

As usual, Portland summer extended straight through September and right up to the 22nd when it promptly turned to Fall.  Now there are little flurries of crackly leaves in the streets as I bike from one end of town to the other.  It is an interesting time of year in the farm world.  We're busily trying to finish our harvests while making sure everything is prepared for the winter and spring: getting cover crop in, planting garlic, and essentially tucking our rows and beds in for the night.  We're also TIRED after busting ass all season.  I always liken the feeling to the push the marathoner gives at the end.  She's been giving it her all for those 25 miles and has to give it her all and more for that last 26th mile.  Yet with the end in sight, I have found myself reviving a bit and that last push doesn't seem so hard.

After taking a break from Thistle Top Farm for the 2012 season to work on a fully functioning, rural, organic farm (Simington Gardens), I'm happy to announce that I'll be gearing up again for another TTF season in 2013!  I'll be extending the season by a few weeks (I wasn't ready to be done last year!), and, because of that, raising the price of one share to $300.  Still the best deal in town though, so don't be shy and hit me up if you want fresh, friend-grown produce all season.

There are a few folks to thank so far for sharing their space with me:  Vanessa Renwick, Allan Wilson, and The Appendix Space (my favorite spot from last year!).  I would like one more big spot, so if you have some ideas, please share!

Thanks for all the support!
Love, Clea

Family

This year has brought a lot of changes to my life.  I have really learned a lesson about fomenting change and manifesting your reality.  I have seen how an intentional, active clearing of one's mental space creates room for something else to move in.  The amazing part is that we have the power to control what moves in.  

With that in mind, I look forward to 2012.  Thistle Top Farm will be taking a break from this season as I'll be work full time (50 hrs/week!) at Simington Gardens.  I'm extremely excited to be working for a fully functioning farm with about 6 acres in production.  They have a full CSA and they sell to New Seasons and several different restaurants including The Firehouse in Portland.  I'm most excited about camping out there a few nights a week to really integrate myself into farm life.  I'm second most excited about having tan, rippling muscles.

Despite backing away from Thistle Top Farm, there is still much to focus on!  My partner Niles is expanding the creative output of his beautiful, outdoors-oriented jewelry.  Visit worn-path.com to see necklaces, earrings, and some locally screen-printed shirts!  In accordance with this, I'll be making salves, lip balms, tinctures, and other herb products to sell at his online store and at a hopeful physical location in Portland.   I'm using herbs that I've personally collected either in the wild or growing abundantly on one of the many farms I've acquainted myself with over the years.  Look for poplar buds, nettles, comfry, calendula, feverfew, oregon grape, and more in the coming year.  You can check out more info at goldenboughherbs.blogspot.com.

Thanks for the support.
Biggest love/////////////////

Wolf Honey

Big, big thank you to Wolf Honey for providing the Thistle Top Farm CSA with some beautiful honey!  Wolf Carr currently keeps his bees in St. John's in Portland.  They feed off of a radiant array of blackberry and wild flowers in a field overlooking the Willamette River.  You can also find his honey at Palace (34th and Belmont), in Portland.

Harvest #15 (LAST ONE!)

Here's your box:
Carrots
Beets (red and golden)
Onions (red and yellow)
Potatoes (red and gold)
Zucchini
Yellow crook-neck
Tomatoes
Lemon cucumber
Slicing cucumber
and........the long awaited HONEY!!

Harvest #14

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this one:
Lemon cucumber
Slicing cucumber
Basil
Tomato
Yellow crook-neck squash
Zucchini
Red onion
Garlic
Hot and sweet peppers
Carrots
Kale
Potatoes

HARVEST #13

Yellow crook-neck
lemon cucumber
slicer cucumber
basil
beets
hot pepper
broccoli or green beans
Sweet suggestion from Shaun:  Juice the cucumbers!

onion

HARVEST #12

No zucchini this time!  There are some lovely yellow crook-neck though- and I highly suggest this recipe.  My lovely friend Sarah Broderick conjured it up.  She's a fabulous cook and she knows her vegetables as she's market manager at the Hollywood Farmer's Market.

Squash Fritters- Grate the squash and squeeze the water out of it using a paper towel, or cheesecloth, or your hand.  Mix it up with salt, pepper and any other spices you might want.  (Ideas: chives, cumin, lemon or lime juice, basil, etc.)  Add an egg and some flour and fry on high heat in a nice oil like canola or safflower.  So easy.  So good.

In addition to the crook neck, you've also got:
hot peppers
lemon cucumber
slicing cucumber
kale
carrots
green beans

 Here's a little preview for next week's box.  Hope you'll like it: