Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Lovely Land School Days with Class F (and this Week's Harvest List)

Class F had the opportunity this week to spend three beautiful days at the Land School. After coming this past May to plant this year's potato rows, they were now able to harvest the fruits of their labor! As is the yearly Class F tradition, the work in the field was followed by the crispy snack of french fries, made by the 3rd years.

Harvesting potatoes!
The potato washing team
Following the potato harvester
Earthworms! 


Much time was spent playing games at the Athletic Field and on the sidewalk, visiting the sheep, llamas, and new chicks, and playing at the Tree House. 

Playing games on the front sidewalk 
Meeting at the Homestead Fire Circle 


While Monday afternoon's activities revolved around potatoes, Tuesday's variety of activities included work with the bees, study at the pond, and book binding in the classroom. Having just returned from the Junior High Odyssey, we were happy that Doug was able to come out for the day, suiting everyone up in bee suits to extract honey from the hives! It has been an abundant year inside the honeycombs.

On the way to the bee hives!
Preparing to extract honey

And lastly, a harvest list for the week!

Broccoli
Cabbage (Napa, Savoy, Green)
Carrots!
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Flowers
Garlic
Green Beans (actually, Purple Beans!)  
Japanese Turnips
Kale (Dino, Curly, Red Russian, Siberian)
Kohlrabi
Lettuce Mix 
Melons (cantaloupe and watermelon)
Onions (bunching, red and yellow)
Parsley
Peppers (sweet and hot)
Potatoes
Shallots
Shiso
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

September 10 Market

This Thursday will be our fourth produce market of the season. Class G will spend the day at the Land School, helping with the big harvest. It looks like we will have a sunny and crisp day! Our projected harvest for the week includes:

Broccoli
Cabbage (Napa, Savoy, Green)
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
This year's shallots and onions

Eggplant
Flowers
Garlic
Green Beans 
Japanese Turnips
Kale (Dino, Curly, Red Russian, Siberian)
Kohlrabi
Lettuce Mix
Melons (cantaloupe and watermelon)
Onions (bunching, red and yellow)
Parsley
Peppers (sweet and hot)
Potatoes
Shallots
Shiso
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Zucchini

I hope we will also have carrots, but they may be asking for another week to size up. If you don't see them tomorrow, be sure that they are coming soon! We began harvesting the squash with our E1 visit today, and will let it cure for a few weeks before bringing it in to market (a process which toughens the peel, making the fruit less prone to bruising, and which also improves the flavor, as starches are converted to sugars). We sadly will soon see the end of the basil this year, as it has almost all succumbed to what seems to be downy mildew. I do not see any frost projected in the forecast, so let's hope that the tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and other frost sensitive crops will continue to be with us for several more weeks!


Shiso

In the past, we have grown a Vietnamese variety of shiso, which is green on the top and a deep burgundy on the undersides of the leaves. This year, at the request of one of our weekly market shoppers, we are growing Japanese shiso, which is bright green all around. Just as tasting the earthy, pungent flavor of epazote (a Mexican herb) brings me right back to the kitchen that was home to me during a semester spent in the Costa Rican cloud forests, I have had market shoppers tell me of their own experiences with shiso and the love they developed for it during time spent in Japan. It is a new herb to me and I am eager to experiment with it yet this season, and encourage you to do the same! Let this also be an invitation for you to request certain plants that you would like to see grown at the Land School and to appear at the market (with no promises, but with the best of intentions to fulfill any wishes!).

Japanese Shiso

Market Credits

For those of you interested in buying market credits, you are welcome to do so at any time. Market credits are a way to ease your experience of shopping at the weekly produce market by eliminating the need to bring cash. You may simply drop a check off in the office (for an amount of your choosing, depending on how much you anticipate spending this season) and then fill out a form in the binder that will be at the market each week. While market credits are non-refundable, they can be used for other things throughout the school-year, such as harvest baskets, winter produce markets, and Land School syrup. 

Our Beloved Oak Tree


Those making a visit to the Land School this fall will surely notice the fall of the great white oak tree that for many years graced the front yard of the farmhouse. Because of a significant split running down the length of the trunk, the decision was made that it needed to be taken down. While this news is shared with sadness, it also comes with the exciting prospect of a sunny yard full of flowers, herbs, and fruit trees. If you have any perennials that could be divided sometime this fall that you would like to have find a home at the Land School, please contact me (Laura) at lkosowski@lakecountryschool.org.