September 2023
Fall Equinox beckons the leaves to fall.
Farmer’s Market Updates
September - back to school, back to cooler temps (well, sorta, maybe after this week), and back to cool weather crops at the market. This month you’ll see the return of radishes, arugula, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli raab, snap peas as they co-exist with the remaining summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and flowers.
Our farmer’s market schedule in September:
Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market - every Saturday, 9:00am-1:00pm in Academy Park on Center Street (EXCEPT September 9 due to Peach Fest)
Pendleton Station Farmers Market - Sunday August 24, 9:00am-1:00pm at 6596 Campbell Blvd in the Town Hall parking lot
We’ve been busy making artisan jams with fruits from Senek Farms. Our latest flavors of apricot butter (plain and vanilla cardamom) and spiced peach butter feature fruit from this 4th generation family farm in Ransomville. Our jams and jellies always feature local fruit from partner farms (or friends!) or from our own. They’re homemade by my mom and I and processed in a water bath - so if unopened, they will last at least 12 months. Stock up for gifts for the upcoming holidays with local, artisan, farm-to-table sweetness.
Fall Festival @ Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market
Join us and about 50 other vendors for your weekly farmers market jaunt on October 7 from 9am-1pm in Academy Park. In addition to the vendors (like us!) that a market staple, there will be many other artisan and food vendors sharing their crafts and a multitude of children’s activities (pony rides, pumpkin painting, face painting, etc.) All of the details can be found on the Facebook event page, (including a listing of vendors) but if you have questions, please let me know and I will relay the message/answer from the market manager.
Winter Market in Lewiston
We are SO EXCITED to share that there will be a winter market in Lewiston this season and that we will be there! This is the first time this has happened and we are thrilled to be able to extend the season with you. In addition to our lettuce, greens, and other cold-hardy veggies, we’ll have microgreens, jams and jellies, breads, granola, evergreen holiday arrangements, and dried flower wreaths and arrangements available.
Save the image below for the dates and details!
News from the Farm
September and October are my favorite months on the farm. I love growing cool weather brassicas, like kale, arugula, tatsoi, and mustard greens. Their bright green and purple shades pop against the shades of orange from our sprawling marigolds and the backdrop of the hay field beside our growing area. Brassicas are my favorite crop family to grow because there are so many varieties (the family spans from kale to radishes) and they thrive in the cooler temperatures of the fall and spring. Fall brassicas takes the lead over spring brassicas though, mainly because the flea beetle doesn’t snack on the plants as fiercely!
Last month I had multiple custom floral orders to celebrate those held dear. This was the first time in my 3-year business that I was able to do this and I was honored to be able to grow pesticide-free flowers that could mark life’s occasions. A bride-to-be ordered dried flowers for her bouquet; a mother ordered a centerpiece and bud vases to decorate tables at her daughter’s baptism; a family ordered funeral flowers to honor the passing of a grandfather; and two bakers ordered edible flowers to adorn shortbread tea cookies and a wedding cake.
If you’d like flowers to mark an occasion or celebration in 2024, please send me an email (schulfarmstead@gmail.com) and we can discuss. I’ll be updating my website over the winter with a custom order form, but in the meantime I’d love to get your date and floral needs on the calendar.
Recipe Share
A digital index card with in-season, too-good-not-to-pass-along recipes.
Black Bean and Roasted Tomatillo Soup (35 minutes)
12 small tomatillos (we will have more tomatillos at the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market on September 16!)
2 red onions
2 jalapeno peppers
3 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Kosher salt
15-ounce can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
15-ounce can hominy (optional)
8 radishes (optional)
3 green onions
¼ cup cilantro, chopped + 3 sprigs (optional)
1 quart vegetable broth
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 lime
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse them, then roughly chop them. Chop the red onions, and jalapeno peppers (remove the seeds). Cut the garlic cloves into quarters.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chopped veggies on the sheet, drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast until soft and slightly browned, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse the hominy and black beans. Also, prepare the garnishes: thinly slice the radishes and green onions, and chop the cilantro.
Add the roasted vegetables to a large pot. Add the vegetable broth, and use an immersion blender to puree until fully blended (alternatively, transfer the hot soup to a blender, then blend and return it to the pot).
Add 3 sprigs of cilantro and the hominy and black beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Remove the cilantro sprigs. Pour into bowls, and garnish with green onions, radishes, cilantro, and fresh-squeezed lime juice.