By Kelsey
Last week, Alexis and I organized and inventoried our 2025 herb harvest. This yearly ritual occurs once we're done with our last big push to harvest the marshmallow and ashwagandha roots, before things fully slow down and we shift into winter tea blending mode. It involves taking all the jars of herbs off the shelves, organizing them by type and by harvest date, recording all the weights and number of jars for each herb, and putting them all back in alphabetical order. Then I compare the numbers with those of the previous years. This year, we had an especially good chamomile harvest! Others, such as hibiscus, were less abundant, I think due to the very mild summer we had. We also harvested some new herbs this year, namely mugwort, motherwort, and strawberry leaf. I am excited to formulate some new blends with these herbs!
Open Field Farm 2025 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members
CSA Barn Hours:
Winter hours: 2:30-6:00 pm
Pick List:
Eggs
Nicola Yellow, Harvest Moon Purple, Red, and Fingerling potatoes
Merlin Beets
Yaya Carrots
Hablange Parsnips
Fehmel Steig Yellow, Cipollini Sweet, and Red Onions
Shallots
Verdonnet Leeks
Hakurei Turnips
Purple Daikon Radish
Rutabaga
Mars Celeriac
Passat Green and Kilmaro Red Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Song Cauliflower
Rasmus Broccoli
Sweet Peppers (Probably the last week)
Lettuce
Champion Collards
Rainbow Lacinato and Dazzling Blue Kale
Rhubarb Chard
Regiment Spinach
Parsley and Dill
Hot Peppers (We still have lots! Make hot sauce!)
Frisee, Radicchio, Sugarloaf, and Escarole
Delicata, Acorn, Blue Kuri, Butternut, and Spaghetti Winter Squash
Winter Luxury Pumpkins
Whole Dried Hot Peppers
Herbal Tea Blends
Pick your own flowers and herbs
Beef Bone Broth (Made by Olla Products)
Saltonstahl Olive Oil
Revolution Bread for sale on Tuesday and Friday
Open Field Farm Swag!
Side note: Its fall, so you gotta eat your bitter greens! Chicories are my second favorite vegetable (after winter squash) and I know that if you give them an honest try, you'll learn to love them too!
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/radicchio-salad/
Radicchio Salad
1 head radicchio
1 pear, halved and thinly sliced
1 navel orange, peeled and segmented
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon sumac
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Prepare the radicchio: Core the radicchio and separate the leaves. If you want to make them slightly less bitter you can soak the leaves in cold water for 30 minutes, before drying and assembling the salad.
Assemble the salad: Arrange the radicchio leaves on a large platter, then top with orange segments and pear slices. Add the shallots, walnuts, and feta.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, add the garlic and lemon juice. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and sumac. Add the honey and whisk. While whisking, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil and continue to whisk until the dressing is well combined.
Finish the salad: Pour the dressing over the radicchio salad and serve.