As we witness the annual transition of the seasons we never cease to feel the excitement of what change can bring. The coming winter months are, of course, associated with changes that bring challenges, but with these also come opportunity. The wonderful colors of Autumn have already befallen our lovely Eight Mile Creek Farm and just as swiftly dropped to the ground to give way to frost and freeze. What that means for us is not only colder and shorter days, but the start of our CSA four week season extension! This is the exciting opportunity of winter; that is, to see what Eight Mile Creek Farm can bring to the Fall/Winter table.
We encourage everyone interested or curious about our four week season extension to visit the official farm website, eightmilecreekfarm.com, and download a copy of the new Fall contract and see for yourself what a great opportunity this is! Winter may be settling in, but that does not mean you have to stop eating farm fresh foods!
Through the use of our High Tunnel which provides protection against cold weather, or row covers in the garden which also provide cold protection to our crops, Eight Mile Creek Farm is able to continue producing cold tolerant varieties of produce. Many of these vegetables also keep extremely well in cool storage, making it possible to have fresh organic produce throughout the bitter winter months. Our four week season extension is one way to continue to take advantage of all we have to offer, and at the end of the extension Eight Mile Creek Farm provides monthly boxes of fresh foods! But there is one final option, and perhaps the best option! Visit us in person at Eight Mile Creek Farm and purchase our produce, meats, eggs, and other value added products directly from our farm. We truly and whole heartedly encourage everyone to come see where their food is coming from first hand. Our mission, aside from providing quality, healthy foods, is to inform and share the experience of our farm with anyone who wishes to take interest. We simply ask that you call ahead to confirm that someone will be around the farm to be your guide and assist you in purchasing our products! (The farm's number can also be found at our official website). Whether you wish to buy or simply take a look around, come over and see it all for yourself! 
One of the small blessings of joining a CSA, such as ours, is the opportunity to experience food according to the seasons again. Instead of eating foods all year long with no regard to their seasonality, (because the globalization of our world has made seasonality virtually obsolete) a share in our CSA (especially our fall/winter shares) gives you a chance to eat fresh foods that abide by the seasons. After all, it is a relatively recent phenomena that one can eat any other way than with what the seasons bring at any given time. And indeed many cultures still value the use of the seasons for defining their cuisine.
There is no doubt an experimental component to eating with the seasons if you have become accustomed to yearlong availability of most things, however it can offer a chance to get creative in the kitchen! Weekly newsletters also give great recipes for that week's items, so there is no need to fret if you haven't a clue how to cook something!
Unfortunately Westerlo has already experienced a hard freeze as well as a frost or two. As you may expect there is a noticeable change in the landscape of the farm for this reason. The frost has taken our tomatoes and they no longer hold a rainbow of beautiful heirlooms. Our Korean Perilla Leaves
pictured to the left have wilted into an unrecognizable form. The shining stars are now rows and rows of cold hardy greens, heads of cabbage, root crops, and winter squashes. It weighs heavy on the heart to say goodbye to the summer vegetables, but we take comfort in the abundance of winter crops and the promise of a renewal of growth come Spring!
On that note, what you can expect to find from us through this winter are turnips, rainbow carrots, Red Leaf Lettuce, Acorn and Butternut Squash, Korean Cabbage, Cabbage Rod, Baby Bok Choy, Daikon Radishes, Baby Red Onions, and other vegetables are expected to be ready! And as always Eight Mile Creek continues to have our certified organic meats and eggs available. We hope to see you all on the farm very soon!
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