Bundles of Scallions, another flourish of lush Broccoli, a late planting of field-grown Lettuces and some big spears of mild White Daikon Radishes—they’re rounding out the better part of our harvest list, and they’re going to make great Fall Stir Fries, brothy soups, fridge pickles and more. Not for nothing, we’re pulling Red Kuri (a softer skinned Red Hubbard) and Green Kabocha (a Japanese Pumpkin) from the cellar this week, which are beloved by many and quite versatile. Mark and the crew have a lot to pick, wash and prep and plenty to be proud of this week, and I’m keeping that at the forefront of my mind as we get ready to share some big news. So without further delay from me, here’s….

AN IMPORTANT CHICKEN UPDATE FROM FARMER MARK:

When I was young, I kept homing pigeons as pets.  They were sweet birds, they had individual characters, really ugly babies, and you could release them out in the middle of nowhere and they would fly home.  The coop I made for them had one-way doors, and every morning I would let them out and they would fly for several hours and come back through those doors when they were ready.  After a couple years, a falcon figured out the routine and would wait each morning in the trees for me to open the big door and then swoop down and catch a bird right in front of me.  Needless to say, this arrangement didn’t really feel like some natural, circle-of-life situation, and I felt compelled to say goodbye to my sweet birds and let them live with someone else’s flock.  I am having a similar experience with our laying hens this year.

Over the Summer, a coyote decided that getting shocked by a double-strung electrified fence was a fair trade for tasty chickens, and it has been picking off our birds with regularity ever since. I have come to accept occasional losses as part of what it means to raise animals as a farmer, but the uptick in losses is wearing on us—on me—as I find more telltale trails of feathers each week.  We are not alone in experiencing coyote pressure and attacks among our neighboring farm businesses.  Over our ten years raising laying hens here, we had a few equipment malfunctions that resulted in isolated incidents and losses, but we have responded by stepping up protections and investing in improvements.  Those protections gave us several years of fairly complete coyote protection and have allowed us to move flocks around and raise birds on pasture, but that has changed this Fall—at this time, we are unable to keep our birds consistently safe.  And the reality is that further “steps up” in protection come at a real cost in dollars, complexity, portability and labor, and the financial risk involved for us prohibits making a rushed decision.  In the meantime, we have postponed ordering new chicks until we settle on a new strategy for keeping the adults safe in the field. 

What does this mean for now?  

Firstly, we will likely begin running short on eggs for the CSA as early as this week.  The prepaid egg shares only run for three more scheduled weeks in Fall, so we will be asking for volunteers who don’t need their eggs on a given week to postpone; everyone who ordered eggs for the fall will get them, but they might land a week or two later into November depending on supply.  Just let Katie or Emilie know if you’re willing to postpone.  Store credit is also an option.

Secondly, and this is the one keeping Katie and I up at night, since we are not bringing any new birds onto the farm for now, we are holding off on selling/renewing any Egg Shares for 2025.  We’re effectively pausing, even though there’s no elegant way to do it when you run a year-round CSA.  That being said, if you have signed up for a Full Year CSA Share and are prepaid through Spring or Summer of 2025, we are going to do all that we can to provide you with the eggs that you have paid for, but we cannot accept any new orders or renewals in good conscience. 

Every Spring, we lose one young hen in the new flock to a bald eagle before they all learn to look up.  After this one collective failure, any large bird (especially herons) sends them running to safety.  At our farm, this trade always felt fair; one eagle can catch one hen one time and then they all know to find shelter.  (I tell myself that this is at least circle-of-life adjacent).  Our current problem doesn’t feel close enough to that ecology.  This emboldened coyote makes eye contact with me in the middle of the day, whether I’m on foot or rolling up on our largest tractor.  It seems unfazed by my presence, and overall, undeterred. When aphids destroy a crop, we are bummed by the bad news, but it doesn’t stir up an ethical dilemma.  Failing to protect the hens is altogether different.  We are really sorry to interrupt the egg production in this way, because we know how much our members love our fresh organic eggs and the role that they play in our farm as a whole.  But, we are unwilling to bring new hens onto the farm until we can reasonably assume to keep them safe. Thanks for taking the time to read this note, for your support and your understanding in the months to come.

- Mark

IN THE FARMSHARES THIS WEEK:

Red Kuri or Green Kabocha Squash
Scallions
White Daikon Radish
Carrots
Lettuce
D’Anjou Pears

RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS

STEAMED KABOCHA WITH GINGER SOY DRESSING
Sohla El-Waylly

• 3 scallions, white and dark green parts separated, thinly sliced

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 2 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

• 2 tsp. honey

• 1 tsp. finely chopped peeled ginger

• 1 small kabocha or 2 acorn squash (about 2 lb.)

• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

  CONTINUE TO RECIPE
  
  

RED CURRY KURI SQUASH SOUP
Love & Lemons

• 1 medium red kuri (or butternut) squash, about 3 pounds

• 2 shallots, sliced in half

• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk, reserve ¼ cup for garnish

• 1 stalk lemongrass (or 1 tablespoon lime zest)

• 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

• 1 tablespoon red curry paste*

• 1 cup water or vegetable broth, more as needed for consistency

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  CONTINUE TO RECIPE

SHREDDED CHICKEN & BROCCOLI WITH DAIKON FRIED RICE
Martha Rose Shulman

• 2 scallions diced, white and green parts divided

• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon honey

• For the chicken and broccoli:

• 1.5 cups broccoli florets

• 3/4 cup shredded chicken breast

  For the rice:

• 1 large daikon radish peeled

• 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger

• 1 small garlic clove minced

• 1 large whole egg

• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

• pepper to taste

  CONTINUE TO RECIPE

RED KURI SQUASH WITH PISTACHIOS, BROWN BUTTER & LIME
From Market to Table

• 1/2 Red Kuri squash

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

• Kosher salt

  For the brown butter pistachios:

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 cup (38g) raw pistachios, finely chopped

• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, about 1/2 of a lime

  CONTINUE TO RECIPE

CARAMELIZED PEAR STEEL-CUT OATS
Minimalist Baker

• 3/4 cup steel-cut oats (dry // GF for gluten-free eaters)

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter or olive oil (non-dairy butter for vegan)

• 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

• 2 Bosc pears (peeled, cored, and chopped*)

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

  CONTINUE TO RECIPE
  
  

BEEF & RADISH SOUP
Maangchi

• ½ pound beef brisket, cut into small pieces

• ½ pound Korean radish or daikon, washed and peeled

• 2 green onions, sliced thinly diagonally

• 4  garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or soup soy sauce)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 7 cups water

  CONTINUE TO RECIPE
  

VEGAN KOREAN RADISH SOUP
Remy Park

• 4 cups korean radish daikon

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 6 cups water or vegetable broth

• 1 post-it note sized piece of kelp/dashi kombu

• 1 dried shiitake mushroom

• 3 green onions sliced diagonally

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 1-2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos

• 1 tsp salt more to taste

• 1/4 tsp white pepper

  CONTINUE TO RECIPE
  

SHORTCUT BANH MI WITH PICKLED CARROTS & DAIKON
Melissa Clark

• ¾ cup shredded carrots

• ¾ cup thinly sliced Persian, Kirby or European cucumbers

• ½ cup shredded daikon radish

• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  FOR THE PORK:

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 4 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

• 2 to 3 tablespoons sriracha or other chili sauce, to taste

• 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 pound ground pork

• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• ½ cup chopped fresh basil

• Finely grated zest of 1 lime

• Juice of ½ lime
  FOR THE SANDWICHES:

• 6 small hero rolls or 2 baguettes cut into thirds, split

• Fresh jalapeño, thinly sliced and seeded, for serving

• Mint sprigs, for serving

• Cilantro sprigs, for serving

  CONTINUE TO RECIPE