FIELD NOTES:

There’s something so special about planting garlic in the fall. The fields are winding down, the days are getting shorter, and we’re tucking tiny cloves into the soil with the faith that they’ll be waiting for us come summer. It’s a small act of optimism, a promise to the land that we’ll be back, that the cycle will continue, and that there’s always something worth planting for.

Garlic needs the cold of winter to do its thing. We plant individual cloves in the fall, tuck them in, and let winter work its magic. While the rest of the farm rests, the garlic settles in underground, ready to send up green shoots when spring returns. Months later, those little cloves will become the plump bulbs we’ll harvest, cure, and offer to ya’ll once again.

There’s an old saying that garlic is “as good as ten mothers.” It speaks to garlic’s reputation as a powerful healer, protector, and all-around kitchen workhorse. It’s the kind of ingredient that can turn a handful of humble vegetables into a meal worth gathering around. Ten mothers’ worth of wisdom and resourcefulness, packed into one little bulb.

But around here, garlic has a few more lessons to teach us.

Lesson one: Save some for tomorrow.

When we harvest our garlic, not every bulb is destined for the farm store or your CSA box. We set aside a portion of the crop specifically for planting next fall. That means resisting the temptation to sell every last bulb, even when there’s demand and every one of them could bring in a little more income. Today’s harvest has to feed tomorrow’s planting, too.

It’s a small but important exercise in thinking beyond the immediate reward. What we save this season becomes the foundation for next season’s crop. Without those saved bulbs, we’d have to start over, and the cycle we’re working so hard to build would be interrupted.

Lesson two: Small things can carry a lot of power.

One garlic bulb contains multiple cloves, each with the potential to become an entirely new plant. A little goes a long way. And isn’t that true of so much in life? A few minutes spent checking in on a friend, a meal made with care, a bit of knowledge passed along, or a small act of generosity can have a much bigger impact than we might ever see. We don’t always need grand gestures to make something meaningful.

Lesson three: Leave room for what comes next.

Farming asks us to live in two seasons at once. We’re harvesting what’s ready now while making decisions for a crop that won’t be harvested for months. We have to trust that the work we do today will matter later, even when we can’t see the results yet.

That mentality can be hard to practice in a world that encourages us to use everything, do everything, and get everything out of the present moment. But what if we saved a little energy for tomorrow? Made time to rest instead of running ourselves into the ground? Invested in relationships, skills, or projects that might not pay off right away? What if we thought of our time and resources the way we think of our seed garlic: valuable not only for what they can give us today, but for what they can make possible down the road?

Fall garlic planting is a promise to the land, but it’s also a promise to ourselves. We’re choosing not to use everything up. We’re making room for renewal, trusting the slow process, and believing that the small things we nurture now will become something worth harvesting later.

So this fall, we’re planting garlic and taking a few lessons with us. After all, garlic is as good as ten mothers, and sometimes a little garlic wisdom is just what we need.

See you in July, garlic!

FARM HAPPENINGS: Winter CSA Launch

We’re excited to announce the launch of our winter CSA this week - enrollment open this THURSDAY! It will run December 1 through February 28, with 10 weekly shares featuring fresh, Titusville-grown greens, our favorite storage crops, and a few goodies from our partner farms. We’ll take a little holiday breather from December 21 through January 5, but the market will still be open for regular shopping.

Each week, we’ll email you a list of what’s included in your share. Your items are preselected, but you’ll pick them up market-style, gathering your share directly from the market during designated open hours.

Most of all, we can’t wait to welcome you into the indoor space of our new farm store, keep you stocked with local goodness through the cold months, and see where this winter experiment leads us for future CSA seasons.

Cold or Hot…Drop the Beets - on to your plate!

There is nuance in prepping you veggies and we are gonna dive into it here. Beets can be daunting and messy so I often see folks avoiding them or finding ways to use them raw. But it’s easier than you might pink! ;) 

BEETS

Roast

• Heat oven to 400°F.

• Trim the beet tops, leaving the skin on.

• Wrap beets loosely in foil (or put them in a covered baking dish) with a little olive oil and a splash of water.

• Roast for 45–60 minutes, depending on size, until a knife slides in easily.

Peel

• Let them cool just enough to handle.

• Rub the skins off with your hands or a paper towel. They should slip right off.

• Trim the ends, slice, and eat!

Pro tip: Wear gloves—or embrace the beet-red hands. It washes off eventually.

Once you’re here you can go a number of ways. I’m particularly interested to try out this chilled beet and potato salad from NYT (a take on the Russian ‘Salad Russe’). You can find most of the ingredients for it under the farm tent.

Or  take it the warm and creamy route. 

After roasting, dice and mix with an array of other roasted veg: peppers, squash, zucchini - go heavy on the thyme and cumin, serve atop some rice, bulgur or quinoa and drizzle in a hefty helping of tahini sauce &  yogurt. Smear some hummus on a pita and top abundantly with the spread. 

If you’re fully embracing soup season but haven’t made a borscht yet..now is the time!!