We had a great first week with our delivery/pickup service, and are grateful for the local patronage we receive. The order form for the second week of service, scheduled for this Saturday, December 9, is now available online.

Remember to order early as some items are sure to sell out. And please remember the deadline for ordering is Wednesday at noon.

As I look through the order form, I see so many great items from our vendors that I don’t want you to miss!

Hattie’s Garden will have plenty of high tunnel grown hakurei turnips with delicate roots and gorgeous tops. We also have triple-washed loose leaf lettuce for at least another week, some pak choi and some Asian greens. We’re harvesting some fresh thyme: English and Lemon. A few bunches of French Breakfast radishes will also be ready, and although our carrots are nearly gone, we have just a few bunches available for pickup at the garden next Saturday … first come, first served! And don’t forget our own Suzanne Squires’ whimsical Stella the Cat blank greeting cards.

This week, Colchchester Farm will have fennel roots and fresh ginger. This is likely to be available for another week or so. We are running a sale on the ginger, $6 for a 1/2 lb and it is easy to freeze.

Colchester also brings to us FOUR different types of Sweet Potatoes — two are orange, and two are white. Both are delicious, and if you have never tried a white sweet potato, you are in for a pleasant surprise.

We are also thrilled to offer garlic this year and Colchester has supplied us with three wonderful varieties. They are all hardneck garlics and will last a long time, but last longest if stored in the refrigerator.

Chesapeake Organic has an amazing list of really high quality produce. They are bringing us lots of head lettuce this week, as well as all of their other wonderful items, including leeks, rutabagas, kohlrabi, kale, chard, radishes, and more. There are four different kinds of cabbage to choose from which can last at least a couple months in the refrigerator in plastic. I am always impressed by the consistent quality we get from Chesapeake.

And we are so happy to have all of Bohemia Lea meat products this winter, even though they were unable to make the weekly trip to HLFM this past season. For truly grass-fed and pastured meats — beef, pork, chicken — look no further. For those of you who know a bit about the sustainable food movement, Bohemia Lea follows holistic management methods of animal husbandry pioneered by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm.

For flash frozen fish from the Pacific coast off of Alaska, we are honored to work with Alaskawild Seafoods. Many of you may have already found this fish at some of our local farmer’s markets and for those of you who have not, know that Alaskawild fish are caught only in tightly regulated and monitored areas within the state waters of Alaska. Their fish are free from antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial coloring and preservatives. It is the best in Alaskan wild caught salmon, cod and rockfish.

Chapel’s Country Creamery supplies us with delicious artisan cheese. Their herd of Jersey and Holstein cows give rich milk and are grazed on clover and rye. Chapels milk is free of hormones and antibiotics.

Of course Baues’ Bees local honey is a must have.

We are grateful to be able to include Twin Post eggs and duck eggs, Black Hog microgreens and duck eggs, Fresh Harvest Hydroponic salad ingredients and microgreens.

If you like mushrooms, they don’t get any fresher than the ones from Davidson’s who brings their wonderful assortment of Portobella, Crimini, Shiitake mushrooms.

We round out our our list with wonderful gourmet treats from Patty’s Gourmet (soup of the week is Minestrone, with a little spice) and Backyard’s plethora of jams, jellies, chutney’s and mustards. Krista is adding strawberry jelly, apple butter and pumpkin butter this week.

Remember the deadline for ordering is Wednesday at noon. Unfortunately, we won’t normally be able to take late requests, as we must place vendor orders quickly.

You will receive an updated reminder on Tuesday, but please order early to be sure you get everything you would like. Supplies are sometimes limited.

If you have any questions at all, please email Hattie directly for a prompt answer.

Yours in the garden throughout the winter,