Week Seven | Fighting food waste
Week 7: October 22nd - October 25th
Every Monday for the last five months or so, a pickup truck has rolled up to the farm, driven by one of our friends over at Cimarron Community Farm. If you’re not familiar with Cimarron, it’s a small, half-acre farm just a few minutes down the road in Lake Elmo. Elise and Madeline, who manage the farm, run a free farm stand there every week, providing fresh veggies to their neighbors in the Cimarron mobile home community. And we have been thrilled to share our extra vegetables with them this summer, augmenting the amazing produce they grow themselves. It has been a convenient dovetailing of our market and theirs, and it has meant very little edible food from 10th Street goes to waste.
Food waste is a huge issue in this country, as you probably know. Depending on which estimates you look at, around 30-40% of the food supply in the US goes uneaten, equating to somewhere between 65 and 130 billion pounds of food wasted each year. It’s an inconceivable number, really, and it comes along with undue burden on the environment, wasted labor and effort, and the frustrating juxtaposition of food spoiling in landfills while people go hungry nearby.
On the farm, food waste feels especially frustrating. We spend our days working to grow healthy, delicious vegetables for people to eat, and there’s really nothing worse than harvesting washing, and packing a crop only to compost it a few days later. Post-market cleanout can be laced with heartache, especially on a slow market week, so we’ve gotten good at developing strategies to minimize food waste:
We have a fairly solid understanding of how much of a given crop people will want in a week, so we aim to plan, grow, and harvest accordingly.
Our CSA customers provide us with a steady commitment throughout a season, minimizing the ups and downs of unpredictable markets.
Hallie and the commercial kitchen can turn imperfect veggies into incredible ready-to-eat food.
The farm team often heads home with bags of extra veggies, destined for cooking and preserving.
Best of all, we’ve identified channels like Cimarron Community Farm, where we can quickly route perfectly good produce, to ensure great veggies don’t end up in the compost pile. Cimarron recently wrapped up their season, so this week we took four boxes of extra veggies to Open Cupboard in Oakdale (and dropped another box off for the hardworking teachers at our kiddos’ school). We’ve built routines and practices to make donating extra veggies an every week occurrence year-round. And we recently got word that we’ve received a grant from Washington County to acquire some shelves and totes that will help us keep our donations organized better throughout the year. Best of all, that grant covers some of the time that the farm team spends packing those extra veggies.
The choice model we’ve introduced to the CSA this year is another way we’re working to reduce good food going to waste. We know not everyone loves beets or wants Brussels sprouts, and we hope that by providing more options we’re sending people home with a bag full of veggies that will be fully enjoyed, rather than ignored in the crisper. Last week, inspired by an idea from a Summer CSA member, we added a swap bin to the bag pack line in the cooler, to further reduce the likelihood of people being stuck with a vegetable they won’t eat.
All in all, we’ve steadily decreased the amount of good food that goes to waste here on the farm, to the point that we’ve nearly eliminated it. We’re proud of the fact that almost every edible veggie we grow becomes food for our community through one path or another!
Have a week that doesn’t go to waste,
Chris, Ashley, and the 10th Street Farmers
Reminder: Winter CSA shares are on-sale now! They're going fast, so please sign up if you would like a share. You can sign up for a winter share here!
In Your Share This Week
Choice:
Sweet Potatoes: One of our seasonal favorites - creamy and sweet and just tastes like fall. Store in a cool, dark place.
Potatoes - Russet: These potatoes are famous for a reason - great baked, fried, steamed, or mashed. Store in a dark, dry place.
Choice:
Leeks: Buttery and delicious leeks are a fall staple for soups and baked dishes! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Tropea Onions: Our favorite fresh red onions - mild and versatile. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Baby Kale: This hearty greens mix is the perfect base for a fall salad. Or try it braised or baked in your dish of choice. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Arugula: Peppery greens that add zip to a salad. We love arugula dressed simply with oil and salt. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Persephone Mix salad greens: Our fresh-cut winter blend of lettuce and cold-hardy greens. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Spinach: Our overwintered spinach is the sweet gift that keeps giving! Use as a salad base, sautéed as a side dish or bake into a casserole. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Carrots: These carrots are sweet, crunchy, and oh so addicting! Remove tops and store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Cabbage (red or green): A staple across cultures, cabbage is equally tasty in a fresh cole slaw and roasted in the oven. Versatile, storable, and beautiful. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Bok Choy: So versatile! Use in Asian-inspired dishes like soups and stir fries, or just chop and add to anything for a bit more flavor and nutrition. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Radishes: Beautiful radishes have a mild heat and a great crunch. Add to salads or sandwiches for a little extra flavor. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Salad Turnips: Also called Hakurei Turnips, these fresh-eating turnips are tasty and versatile. Slice them up with hummus, sauté them, roast them in the oven, or even try them on the grill. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Herbs: Your choice of a “Scarborough Fair” herb bunch: parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme.
Ginger: This beautiful fresh ginger has been thriving in our greenhouse all summer. Use it just like you would the ginger you buy in the store, but without the peeling! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge. It also freezes exceptionally well - just grate it into any dish you want to use it in.
Green/Purple Bell Pepper: Peppers are amazing raw, with dips, or added to a skillet or grill. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Arugula microgreens: Peppery micros add a little punch to pizza, salads, pestos, sandwiches, eggs, and more. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Pea Shoots: Sweet and crisp, these make a great addition to sandwiches, wraps, salads or can be lightly sautéed as a side dish. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Sunflower Shoots: Crunchy and nutty flavor, these are a great substitute for lettuce on sandwiches or wraps. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Full Share Choice (Take 2):
Power Greens Micro Mix: Our newest micro mix! A nutrient-dense blend of broccoli, kale, daikon, and bekana sure to power up any dish!
Broccolini: Tasty tender broccoli shoots - eat them leaves and all. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Beets: These earthy beauties are good in sweet and savory roles alike. Boil, roast, or grate into baked goods! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Kale: Hearty yet still tender, the kale is tasting great this summer. Maybe time for some kale chips? Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Kitchen Inspiration
Potatoes and leeks are options in the share this week, so potato leek soup is an obvious addition to the potential menu. Or if instead you choose to go in the sweet potato direction, there are lots of tasty options! Maybe loaded sweet potatoes with kimchi and bacon or some tasty sweet potato fries? Or go crazy and whip up this sweet potato layer cake!
For the past two nights we’ve been eating this sheet pan bibimbap - one of our fall standbys. And if you’re looking for a simple side dish, these carrots and chermoula get our hearty recommendation!
Happy eating!
Please remember to check your name off on the list!
And please bring back your Purple or Blue bag each week!
Thank you.
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