Farm Happenings

Happy Week 6! We had our first farm snowfall this week and the cold has made harvesting a bit challenging. Our students joined us on the warmest day of this week to help harvest before the freeze.

For the rest of the year, our Farm Stand will be partnering with the University of Kentucky Winery. If you would like some wine made right here on our farm, please pre-order by midnight the night prior. There will be a limited number bottles available for walk-up sales as well.

Note from an Apprentice:

Hello, my name is Sophia Snyder, and I am a senior here at the University of Kentucky. I am majoring in Agricultural Economics, minoring in Sustainable Agriculture, and completing a Certificate in Distillation, Wine, and Brewing Studies. I grew up in Big Island, Virginia, right in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I came to Kentucky for the agricultural economics program, and my entire world was opened up to new paths, including sustainable agriculture. My time here at the UK-CSA has allowed me to get back to my farming background and also allowed me to see and apply what I have learned throughout classes.  

My mother is the one who nurtured my foundation knowledge for sustainable agriculture. My family owns a small family farm where we raise Highland Cattle, Suffolk Sheep, Flemish Giant Rabbits, ducks, turkeys, and we have a small vegetable garden and orchard. Both my parents encouraged me to learn more about agriculture and grow my career in it. I love that during my time at UK-CSA I have been able to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and grounding nature that a farm brings to me. It has also taught me how sustainable agriculture would scale up in size and what is needed for that. Learning more in-depth about disease management, pest management, crop rotation, and crop planning has been incredibly valuable. Recently, we planted broccoli in the high tunnels to grow over the fall season and into winter, which shows just how forward-thinking and how much planning goes into any farm.

As I find myself nearing December graduation, my hopes are to find a distillery where I can utilize my agricultural economics and sustainable agriculture, and work in supply chain or procurement. Eventually, I would love the space to begin my backyard garden too!

Farm Stand this week:

• Brussels sprouts – $6/quart
• Cabbage, Savoy – $4/each
• Carrots – $5 (2lbs)
• Celery – $3/bunch
• Fennel – $4/bunch or $3/bulb
• Herbs – $2/bunch
• Honey – $14/jar
• Kale – $4/bunch
• Kohlrabi – $1-2/each depending on size
• Pea Shoots – $2/bag
• Potatoes – $2/lb
• Potatoes, sweet – $3/lb
• Powders (Garlic, Onion, or Hot Pepper) – $6/each
• Radishes, watermelon – $4/lb
• Spinach – $5/bag
• Turmeric – $5/pint
• Turnips – $2/lb

CSA Share this week:

• Carrots
• Potatoes (red or buff skin)
• Romanesco Cauliflower OR Brussels Sprouts
• Arugula

Tips & Recipes:

• Arugula pairs nicely with lemon flavors. Try in a pasta with lemon, olive oil, and parmesan or mix into a winter salad with greens and a lemon-based vinaigrette.
• Arugula is also always a go to pizza topping around here at the farm; works great with proscuitto and egg! Be sure to add on top after cooking your pizza and let the heat from the surface naturally wilt the arugula leaves. This will keep the leaves from being overcooked or burned.
• Speaking of pizza… potatoes are a great pizza topper too! We recommend pre-cooking in a skillet, sliced thin, then add along with your other toppings prior to the oven bake.