The Wood Prairie Seed Piece
            e-Newsletter
            Organic News and Commentary
               Friday, September 22nd 2017
                     Volume 25 Issue 14


                                                   
 In This Issue of The Wood Prairie Seed Piece:
 
  Maine Potato Harvest.

     Harvesting Potatoes This Week on Wood Prairie Family Farm.  It takes a team of six of us to harvest potatoes with our Juko Potato Harvester.   One to drive the Oliver 1850 tractor (In this case Jim who trades with Caleb).  Four on the Juko itself – Megan & Amy and Scott & Nate.  Nate's brother, Seth, is barely in view on the trailer picking up smalls which evade the Juko.
     Other harvest-time jobs are logging in and putting away pallet boxes of potatoes, repairing equipment and pallet boxes, answering the phone, downloading, keeping up with and shipping out orders.  September Potato-Samplers-of-the-Month go out next week.  Rain is now in the forecast for the middle of next week – we'll push hard until then.  In order to dig potatoes, farmers need dry weather and soil that is not too wet.  We've had great conditions so far. Katie took most of the harvest photos you see in this issue.
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 Caleb, Jim & Megan Gerritsen & Family
 Wood Prairie Family Farm
 Bridgewater, Maine
Harvesting This Year's Wood Prairie Potato Crop.

     One recent sunny day this week, our neighbor Katie took a break from working on the Juko Potato Harvester, took off her work gloves and brought her camera into our potato field. Her photos reveal the process of how we harvest our organic potatoes. The red potatoes are Reddale.

Caleb.


Finnish Juko Potato Harvester.  Our Potatoes going up the "Primary" Lagbed.


Juko Harvester From Behind.  Neighbor Seth is lying on the "Ironing Board" trailer picking up small potatoes which drop through the cracks.
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Heads Down Sorting Reddale.  Megan working the "Hedgehog," Amy beside her and Scott and Nate across from them working on the "Secondary" lagbed.


Separation Engineering.  Mechanical Rubber Fingers working in unison with the Hedgehog Belt separate potatoes from rocks. Mostly. The crew perfects the machine's effort.


Katie and Amy on Juko.  A rare stand-still-moment while harvesting potatoes.


A Pallet Box of Field Run Reddale Potatoes.  A four foot box holds 2000 lbs of potatoes.


Megan Gives the OK Sign.  Mid-field after removing a pallet box full of Potatoes, Jim loads another empty hardwood pallet box.


Giant Prairie Blush Tuber.  Sarah (left) & Amy check out this year's biggest spud so far - a 2-pounder Prairie Blush which measures 6" x 5" x 4".


Caleb Picking Rocks Left By Potato Harvester.  Creating a dust storm during our dry Fall conditions, Caleb follows the harvester with a Lockwood Rockpicker removing from the field the work left by twenty glaciers..
OFFER EXTENDED!: FREE Organic Red Russian Garlic Seed.

     We have some of the best ever Organic Red Russian Garlic and it's now ready-to-ship!  Our Rocambole garlic is top quality seed designed to plant in the Fall – even here in Maine with our brutal winters – or it can be used to cook with right away in your own kitchen.  Please place your orders now before it is all gone!
   
     Here's our savory deal.  Get some FREE Organic Red Russian Garlic Seed (Value $24.95) when your next order totals $99 or more. FREE Organic Red Russian Garlic Seed Offer ends 11:59 PM on Monday, September 25, 2017, so please act right away!  Offer good while supplies last.

     Please use Promo Code WPFF413. Your order and FREE Organic Red Russian Garlic Seed must ship by December 5, 2017. Offer may not be combined with other offers. Please call or click today!

Click Here for for Wood Prairie Certifed Organic Vegetable Seed
Hard Neck Rocambole Garlic. Ours is phenominal for planting or eating.
Notable Quotes: Groucho Marx on Time.
Recipe: Potato Apple Cranberry Drop Cookies.

1 cup grated raw potato (use fine blade on grater)
1 cup chopped dried cranberries
1 cup apple, peeled and chopped or grated finely
1 ½ tsp grated orange rind
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
¼ cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare first 4 ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugars; beat in egg and milk. Sift flour and dry ingredients, stir into butter mixture until well-blended. Stir in potato and fruit mixture. Drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Megan


A Tasty Treat for Harvest Time.
Photo by Angela Wotton.
 Caleb & Jim & Megan Gerritsen
 Wood Prairie Family Farm
 49 Kinney Road
 Bridgewater, Maine 04735
 (207) 429 - 9765 Certified Organic, From Farm to Mailbox
 www.woodprairie.com