Sweet Potatoes are not as sweet as you

Dear Shareholders,

This week marks the end of our 20 week season.  You guys have been our first ever shareholders here at Wooden Hill Farms.  What you helped us do here this season fulfilled a dream that the three of us had.  So, thank you for you made it possible.  Feeding you guys and building a community around the farm has been so very rewarding.  We look forward to hearing your comments in the shareholder survey so that we can continue to grow and improve and make your CSA what you want it to be.  Let the hibernation begin.

Sincerely,

Spotty Pumpkin Face Cutey

Okay okay okay, all sappiness aside, we have lots of feelings going into this last week.  First of all, it's quite a share.  You will be receiving the largest sweet potato you've ever seen.  If you've ever seen one bigger, please lie to us and tell us you haven't.  The large sweet potato you'll get is from the very base of the plant.  The normal sweet potatoes actually grow further out along the vines.  You also will be receiving an apple gourd which is ornamental and awesome.  Another feeling we've got going on is SO MUCH EXCITEMENT that we have finally earned our vacation!  You guys know what vacation feels like.  It feels like warm sun on a cool, crisp October day.  The other feeling, of course, is anticipation for the kickin' shareholder picnic/HAYRIDE that will be going on here Saturday starting at 2PM.  Hayride is at 4PM.  Please remember to bring your covered dish to share because we don't want to cook and we've given all our food to you guys.  JK. JK.

This week has been ridiculously good.  We got a lot of end of season stuff accomplished.  We cover cropped lots of fields with winter rye which comes in 56 lb bags that are fun to sit on and make handprints in.  We then disked  that in.  We put the 20 lbs of German Red garlic in the ground today.  The front herb garden has been laid to rest.  We even made an appointment to speak with the accountant and more importantly, take Pico to the vet.  When she sneaks in the house at night, her purr is so loud we think she'll knock down the house.

It brings us great sadness that no one will be reading our ramblings next week.  Clearly, we love to ramble.  Ever played the card game PIT?  Do you like red candles?  Do you think only non scented candles should be burned while one eats?  Did you find the CHILE MINE RESCUE AMAZING?  Have you ever had Halvah?  Do you like Charlton's beard?  Would you be interested in a winter share?  Do you have a heated greenhouse to give us?

THE LAST CROP OF THE WEEK

SWEEEEEET POTATOES

Surprisingly, the sweet potato is only a distant relative to the potato.  The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens.  The softer, orange variety is often called a yam in parts of North America, a practice intended to differentiate it from the firmer, white variety. The sweet potato is botanically very distinct from the other vegetable called a yam, which is native to Africa and Asia and belongs to the monocot family Dioscoreaceae. To prevent confusion, the United States Department of Agriculture requires that sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" also be labeled as "sweet potatoes".  Ah ha, so there it is.  That answers the old yam/sweet potato question.  Our sweet potatoes were dug up on Monday.  As sweet potatoes sit out and cure, especially in warmer temperatures, the starches turn to sugars.  So if you wait a little bit, you'll eat a sweeter sweet potato.  If you get a sweet potato that is blemished, we recommend you eat it ASAP because it will go bad quicker.  Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A and C, beta carotene and fiber.  They are also a good source of copper and potassium.  They are high in antioxidants, they contain anticancer stuff, and will protect your heart, but not from being broken so be careful in love, guys.  Sweet potatoes are an edible tuberous root.  They are native to the tropical parts of South America.  (lots of this we learned from wikipedia:SweetPotatoes)

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Sweet Potato Pudding

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

1-2 TBSP brown sugar

1 egg well beaten

1 TBSP melted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients and blend well.  Pour into a buttered bakeware of your choice.  Bake for 30 minutes or until done.  This can be served as a vegetable side or dessert.