Fall Colors

As the first few cool mornings have welcomed us to fall, we are grateful, especially after such a long, hot, wet summer growing season. Now it is time to think about all the fun foods that coincide with the fabulous fall foliage. Some of the crops were planted long ago, others more recently, and some are still in the seed packets. Lest we not forget, Old Man Winter lays in wait, so now is the time to secure your share of the fantastic flavors, colors and nutrient-dense foods still to come this year.

Most commonly, people think of pumpkins, gourds and dry corn fodder shocks for decorations when thinking of fall. We think about butternut and spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, great greens, and the return of the lettuces. Garlic is hanging in the barn to be taken down and cleaned, as needed. The various varieties of winter squash, with their kaleidoscope of colors, were planted back in July with the intent for them to mature during the cooler weather of September and October. The late fall harvest is beneficial in two ways. The fruits tend to have more flavor when they ripen in cool, dry weather, and their hard shells allow them to be stored well into winter, providing excellent nutrition for several months after harvest.

Many colors of fall exist underground, as well. Purple, red, gold and white potatoes are yet to be dug. We began their harvest a few weeks back, so we have some idea of what to expect with each digging. The purple, red and orange sweet potatoes lay in wait. The sweet-potato slips were planted in June, the vines covered the field by August, and then the rains helped the little weeds we missed with the cultivators turn into monstrosities scattered throughout the field. But we have no idea what we will find to harvest until we hand-dig a few test plants. Most crops, we can kind of tell how they are performing, but sweet potatoes is more like fishing: You are not sure what you will find until they come to the surface.

Many other underground treasures await us, as well. Late-planted beets of many colors prefer the cool weather, and with less weed pressure, the tops will be lush and scrumptious. We also intend to harvest many types of winter radishes, be they Spanish black, white daikons or—everyone’s favorite—the watermelon radish. These, too, are long keepers, like the winter squash, although the radishes need to be kept under refrigeration. Once they have sized up, we will begin to harvest them and then bring them all into the packing shed coolers before the ground freezes.

But the most beautiful color of all for fall is green. Kales, lettuces, broccoli, cabbages. As we said in the opening of the season newsletter back in May, we make no apologies for providing lots of greens. They are arguably the most powerful food you can consume. The cooler weather is more to their liking and actually improves not only their taste but their nutrient density, as well.

Our Year-Round Food Supply

As we think about growing and harvesting a significant quantity of produce to stock up for winter, we should take a moment to consider the stability of the current food-supply system. Some large, regional produce grower-shippers, as they are known, have thousands of acres of cabbages scattered from Florida to Michigan to have a year-round supply. They explained to me that our nation basically has a three-day food supply in reserve, and most of that is on a truck.

Because just-in-time delivery is the norm—be it for freshness or, as the grower-shippers said, “We are not in the warehouse business,”—most food processors do not build inventory on speculation of demand. When the restaurant orders more cole slaw, the distributor tells the processor to send them more, so the processor tells the farmer to send more ingredients. Because of history-of-use patterns, there is a three-day supply at some stage along this process. So, even though this company has 10 to 12 semi-loads of cabbage on the road at any one time, it is still picked to order. This holds true for meats and shelf-stable products as well, in varying degrees. One must marvel at the efficiency, yet shudder at the instability.

We all know what grocery store shelves look like after a 2-inch snowfall. It begs the question, “How secure is your food supply?” We are securing wholesome, organic produce, grown right here in the Central Bluegrass for our customers to count on until the warm days of spring bring new foods to our kitchens. Deep freezers and root cellars were commonplace just a generation or two ago. So was growing food without synthetic chemicals. Take a few minutes to consider what will you do if the trucks stop rolling for some reason. What’s in your larder?

Putting It All Together

Come join us on one of our farm tours, so you can get a better feel for how all this comes together for us to provide for you and your families. The colors of fall will soon be all around us, as well as in your kitchen. Next week’s tour features our fall vegetables in production and an organic, farm-fresh meal!

Chef Ranada West-Riley, owner of the award-winning Lexington Diner and Creative Table Kitchen and Catering, is preparing dinner at Elmwood on Tuesday, September 20. From 6 to 8 pm, I’m giving a walking tour of the farm, and Ranada is cooking a farm-food meal with our vibrant, organic fall crops. During dinner, she’ll talk about the process that takes place in her kitchen and how you can find fall-flavor inspiration in your own kitchen. Ranada wasn’t classically trained in a cooking school, rather she’s built her career on what she learned from her mom’s passion for cooking and unique foods.

Elmwood Stock Farm CSA members and children younger than 12 receive a discount ticket to this farm tour and dinner. Visit fallflavorsinthebluegrass.eventbrite.com for details and to preregister. Ticket sales end on September 19! —Mac Stone