End-of-season thank you!

Winter Squash harvest

Winter Squash harvest

It doesn’t feel like another farm season is coming to a close! It always goes by so fast! Yesterday I was at our CSA pickup in North Boulder. I saw many people that have been CSA members for 15+ years. I also met a brand new CSA member who just joined a few days ago and wanted to try our CSA for the very last pickup of the season. We have so much gratitude for all of these CSA members and everyone in between!

Farming is very hard. Growing vegetables is always challenging–weather, water, pests, and diseases, but it is so much more than that and it feels like it has gotten a lot harder in the last handful of years. The economics of farming, the chronic labor shortages and high turn-over rates, the rising cost of expenses, the time it takes to comply with an increasing number of  regulations. Wyatt and I have had to work more and more each year and are stretched pretty thin.

Onion harvest

Onion harvest

The thing that keeps us going is you! Our CSA members! We count on the consistency and stability of our CSA. Our members show up week after week and year after year. We’ve distributed our vegetables many different ways over the years: farmers’ markets, our farm store, to local restaurants, and more. While we value these opportunities and connections, they also have a lot of challenges. Our CSA is by far the thing that works best for us at Red Wagon.

We’ve also been working hard on building a great team at the farm. It’s still not easy but it feels like we’re finally getting somewhere this year. Many of you have seen Mo, Kai, and Brie at our CSA pickups. Javier has been with us in the field for many years and even brought a handful of his family members from Mexico this year to help with our labor shortage. We are really hoping they will return to work with us again next year! It has been a huge relief to know they will show up to work every day and do a great job. We also started our Working CSA Member program in 2021. It started as a desperate attempt to fill holes in our staff. We now have about 20 workshare members and half of them have been with us for multiple years. They are such a valuable part of our team!

I feel like I can never adequately express why our CSA members are so valuable to us–you might just have to take my word for it. But you really are the thing that keeps our farm going. We hope to keep feeding you for many years to come!

With gratitude,
Amy

Posted in 2024, Farm, Newsletter | 2 Comments

CSA Week 22

Hello CSA Members!

The last week of Summer/Fall CSA is here. It’s been a great season, thank you for all of your support!

If you’re interested in signing up for our Winter CSA, we have information on our website. We also have keeper boxes of storage crops available for purchase to pick up next week.

Here is what we hope to bring you during Week 22:

Regular Share:
1 – Shallots or Radishes or Parsley
2 – Carrots
3 – Cabbage or Cauliflower or Turnips
4 – Harvesters’ Choice
5 – New Potatoes
6 – Arugula or Lettuce
7 – Winter Squash

Large Share Additions:
Choose 2 in Zones 1 and 6
Butternut squash

Posted in 2024, Farm, Newsletter | Comments Off on CSA Week 22

Roasted Green Chile Meatloaf

This is a fast, fun and delicious take on a traditional dish. You can use any ground meat or ground meat substitute to make this.

I got the original recipe here, my changes are in parentheses.

-1 ½ pound ground meat or meat substitute (I used ground turkey and turkey sausage)
– 1 whole finely chopped onion
– 1 cup finely roasted chopped green chile (I used 1 pound of roasted chopped poblanos)
– 2 eggs (I used one egg)
– ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
– 2 tablespoons of Filtered Honey (I used agave)
– 1 can Rotel with green chile (I didn’t use this)
– 1 finely chopped bell pepper (I didn’t use this)
– 1-8 oz. can of tomato sauce (I used salsa)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until well incorporated.
3. Place mixed ingredients into a glass baking dish 9×13 (I used a loaf pan)
4. Bake for 45 minutes.
5. Top with ketchup to taste (optional) and bake for 15 more minutes. (I mixed salsa and brown sugar! Yum!)
6. Serve hot or cold!

 

Posted in 2024, Peppers Roasted, Recipes | Comments Off on Roasted Green Chile Meatloaf

Roasted Green Chile Tomatillo Pozole

This is a great meal using either roasted poblano or Anaheim chiles. Pozole is a traditional Mexican stew made with homily, red or green chiles, some sort of protein-traditionally pork but chicken or beans are easily substituted. Topping pozole with fresh ingredients like cabbage and radishes make this a festive meal great for holidays but easy enough for weeknight meals.

Homily is an ingredient you might not be familiar with. You can find dried or canned homily in the Mexican food section of any grocery store. I used dried homily (follow cooking directions on the package) canned is fine to use too.

I based this dish using this recipe, the original recipe is VERY detailed. I’ll post my modified/simplified version but do check out the original recipe if you want to take a deep dive into pozole.

Green Chile Tomatillo Pozole you can double or triple this. Leftovers are great.

  • 4-5 cups stock, I used chicken but vegetable is fine
  • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, pork or 2 cans drained beans
  • 1 pound tomatillos husks removed and washed (if you can’t find fresh tomatillos canned are fine, they are in the same isle as refried beans and enchilada sauce.)
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 pound of roasted green chiles skins and seeds removed chopped
  • 2 or three cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon each of cumin and oregano-salt and pepper!
  • 2 or 3 cups of cooked homily, drained
  • garnishes like cabbage, avocado, radishes, lime, cilantro, onion slices

Cook the chicken, if using, in a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring the stock and spices to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, cover and simmer gently over low heat until  tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred and return the chicken back to the stock.

Make the green chile sauce. In a blender add tomatillos, onion, garlic, roasted chiles and garlic. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary.

Pour the green chile sauce into the chicken soup pot. Add the the hominy and bring to a gentle simmer over moderate heat. It will turn dark green and thicken up add water or more broth if it is too thick. Taste the soup.  Season with salt, pepper and maybe a squeeze of lime.

Serve with whatever garnishes you like.

Posted in 2024, Peppers Roasted, Recipes, Tomatoes-Tomatillos | Comments Off on Roasted Green Chile Tomatillo Pozole

CSA Week 21

Hello CSA Members!

Can you believe we are in the last two weeks of the regular CSA? It’s been a long stretch but there is still more to come. Sign-ups for our Winter CSA are open now! We will have two locations: our farm in Lafayette and our farm off of 63rd St in Niwot.

Here is what we hope to bring you during Week 21:

Regular Share:
1 – Onions or Leeks
2 – Radishes
3 – Cabbage or Cauliflower or Celery
4 – Roasted Peppers or Hot Peppers or Tomatillos
5 – Potatoes
6 – Arugula or Greens Choice
7 – Winter Squash

Large Share Additions:
Choose 2 in Zones 3 and 6
Carrots

Posted in 2024, Farm, Newsletter | Comments Off on CSA Week 21

CSA Week 20

Hello CSA Members!

We will have radishes this week! They add such a nice crunch and color to any dish. Just a reminder, we are having our CSA Harvest Celebration this Sunday, October 6th, from 3pm to sundown. We would love to see you there!

Here is what we hope to bring you during Week 20:

Regular Share:
1 – Onions
2 – French Breakfast Radishes
3 – Harvesters’ Choice
4 – Cabbage or Cauliflower or Potatoes
5 – Roasted Chilies or Tomatoes or Hot Peppers
6 – Arugula or Greens Choice
7 – Winter Squash

Large Share Additions:
Choose 2 in Zones 3 and 6
Beets

Posted in 2024, Farm, Newsletter | Comments Off on CSA Week 20

CSA Week 19

Hello CSA Members!

October 6th- save the date! We are having our CSA Harvest Celebration from 3pm until sundown at our farm off of 63rd St. It will be a time to gather, share food, reflect on the season, and enjoy each other’s company.

Here is what we hope to bring you during Week 19:

Regular Share:
1 – Basil or Hot Peppers or Garlic
2 – Onions
3 – Sweet Peppers or Eggplant or Tomatillos
4 – Cabbage or Cauliflower or Zucchini
5 – Tomatoes or Roasted Chilies
6 – Arugula
7 – Winter Squash

Large Share Additions:
Choose 2 in Zones 4 and 5
Carrots

Fruit Share:
Apples

Posted in 2024, Farm, Newsletter | Comments Off on CSA Week 19

CSA Week 18

Hello CSA Members!

It is Week 18, which means we have 5 weeks of Summer CSA left- 3 for Biweekly B and 2 for Biweekly A members. I can’t believe we are already in the last few weeks. After the rush of summer, fall is a nice time to slow down and reflect on the season a bit.

Winter squash is coming in now! I’m excited for soups and sauces and roasted veggies.

Here is what we hope to bring you during Week 18:

Regular Share:
1 – Onions or Pesto Basil bunches or Roasted Chilies
2 – Cauliflower or Cabbage or Celery
3 – Harvester’s Choice
4 – Sweet Peppers or Hot Peppers or Tomatoes
5 – Carrots or Potatoes
6 – Greens Choice or Lettuce
7 – Winter Squash

Large Share Additions:
Choose 2 in Zones 5, 6, and 7

Fruit Share:
Apples and Pears

Posted in 2024, Farm, Newsletter | Comments Off on CSA Week 18

Winter CSA 2024/2025

We are excited to announce our 2024/2025 Winter CSA! Click here to join.

Details:

  • Two Pickup Locations:
    • Wednesdays at Red Wagon Farm at 7694 N 63rd St, Longmont (near Niwot).
    • Thursdays at Red Wagon at Thomas Open Space at 1640 W Baseline Rd, Lafayette.
  • Pickup times: 3 to 6 pm.
  • Pickups are from 10/30/24 – 1/30/25
  • Weekly Veggie Share $611 (13 pickups)
  • Biweekly Veggie Share $329 (7 pickups)
  • Mushroom and Coffee Shares also available.
  • Prices are prorated if you join after Oct 30.

Possible crops we will have (depending on weather and availability):

Tucking chard into the caterpillar tunnel.

Tucking chard into the caterpillar tunnel for winter harvest.

  • Greens: lettuce, spinach, arugula, bok choi, kale, chard
  • Onions, garlic, leeks, shallots
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Cabbage
  • Roasted chiles
  • Winter squash
  • Pie pumpkins
  • Herbs
  • Kohlrabi
  • Fennel
  • Rutabagas
  • Celeriac
  • Winter radishes
  • Turnips
  • Apples, Pears

2024 Biweekly Dates Winter CSA

Click here to join now!
Email csa@redwagonorganicfarm.com with questions.

Posted in 2024 | Comments Off on Winter CSA 2024/2025

CSA Week 17

Hello CSA Members!

The mornings and nights have been cooler but the days are still warm. I’m looking forward to fall soon and our transition from summer to fall/winter crops.

Here is what we hope to bring you during Week 17:

Regular Share:
1 – Onions, Garlic, or Hot Peppers
2 – Roasted Chilies
3 – Cauliflower or Cabbage or Celery
4 – Harvester’s Choice
5 – Carrots or Beets or Spaghetti Squash
6 – Tomatoes or Sweet Peppers
7 – Greens Choice or Lettuce

Large Share Additions:
Choose 2 in Zones 5 and 7
Tomatoes and Sweet Peppers

Fruit Share:
Apples, Pears, and Plums

Posted in 2024, Farm, Newsletter | 2 Comments