Frost-Kissed

It finally happened — the frost arrived in the pre-dawn hours of October 23, a couple of weeks later than our usual Oct. 10. It wasn’t even a hard frost, just enough to make the edges of things sparkle until the first rays of sun melted it away. We didn’t lose much — just a few cold-sensitive flowers (mostly finished anyway). Even the peppers shrugged it off and kept right on producing. The first frost always feels a bit magical, both in its beauty and in the way it flips the seasonal calendar.

Everything slows down — just a bit. The last butterflies move through the cool air like they’re swimming, searching for what few blooms remain. The bees linger on those same blossoms until the later sunrise finally warms them. The wind sounds different now, whispering through baring branches as leaves drift softly to the ground.

But the most magical change this time of year is the sweet glory of frost-kissed vegetables. As temperatures drop, plants convert starches to sugars to protect themselves from the cold — which also gives them amazing sweetness and crispness. Frost turns kale, carrots, and other hardy crops into entirely new versions of themselves. If you’ve never tasted cold-grown produce, find some and treat yourself. You’ll understand why vegetables farmers and adventurous home gardeners talk about it with such reverence.

Things did slow a bit mid-month as we wrapped up our Bounty Box (CSA/membership) season. It’s always amazing how fast 20 weeks fly by! Huge thanks to our members for joining us on that veggie adventure. Our younger crew members headed back to school right after the last delivery, which worked out well timing-wise, though we miss them terribly.

Clearing spent crops is always a big fall task, and this year’s tomato plot was the biggest hurdle — over 600 plants, all hand-pulled and hauled away. Each one felt like wrestling a muddy, uncooperative 50-pound dog into a bath. Messy, exhausting, and endless… until it’s not. Once the plants were cleared, we picked up dropped fruit and cleaned up the fabric mulch. Thankfully, our crew came back for a half day to help us slog through the mess — and we couldn’t have done it without them.

We also had a big assist from the folks at Mint ‘n More Foundation, who spent an afternoon helping us pull tomato posts and clean up the remaining beds. What a team! With their help, the task is nearly complete, we just have to pull and store all the fabric . It would be much easier to use disposable plastic, but I just can’t stomach that kind of waste — so we stick with reusable materials, even if it takes extra effort.

With the tomatoes out, farm manager Danielle and I returned to harvesting, cultivating, and clearing other spent crops — basil, peppers, and flowers from the high tunnels. Once cleaned, the beds were amended and replanted with winter crops. As of this week, all high tunnel beds are done. Whew! Now we wait as the new plantings of chard, kale, lettuce, Napa, misome, tatsoi, and salad mix settle in for their cool-season growth

Next up: row cover installation on field crops we want to protect for late harvests — greens, radishes, cabbages, and turnips. We finally caught a calm weather window to get the supports and fabric installed. Each piece of row cover stretches about 100 feet long, and a stray gust can easily turn a farm manager into a kite! Big thanks to our farm-friend Megan (the leader of the Mint ‘n More gang), who helps us out on Thursdays. An extra set of hands on tasks like this is a huge boon.

It’s also garlic-planting season. Every year we plant around 150 pounds of seed garlic, saved from our own harvests. But after 18 seasons, our seed stock started showing signs of viral weakness, so this year we replaced it entirely — a big investment, but a necessary one. We sourced some beautiful fresh seed stock from trusted growers, including our friends at Coyote Run Farm, who provided our original stock years ago.

Each head is broken into individual cloves, sorted for size, and planted accordingly — the biggest cloves for next year’s crop, smaller ones closer together for early green garlic. We spent a rainy day prepping all the seed, so now it’s ready for planting and mulching. Hopefully, we’ll get it in next week.

November brings a change in rhythm as we shift to bi-weekly VegEmail deliveries. Starting November 4, we’ll be at SingleSpeed Brewing Co. in Des Moines and the Grand Theater in Knoxville from 4–6 p.m. every other Tuesday.

The new order form is live now and closes Sunday, November 2 at 10 p.m. So go vote — and then pick up your farm-fresh goods! Here’s the link to the order form if you’re local.

It’s hard to believe we roll into November this week. The month always brings reflection — on the season behind us and the holidays ahead. We are so thankful for the privilege to care for this land and feed the incredible people who support its beauty and bounty.

We’ve got some fun plans brewing for this next VegEmail cycle, including our first foray into Black Friday offerings — though in true Blue Gate fashion, we’re calling it Blue Friday. Stay tuned!

Did you have a 2025 Bounty Box membership? If so, this is an exclusive offer for you!

In celebration of you—and your commitment to local food—we’re doing something new this year!

Current Bounty Box members get early access to 2026 membership: your chance to secure your spot and lock in 2025 pricing before rates increase.

And because we love a good thank-you, renew by midnight, November 9, and you’ll receive this exclusive early renewal package:

🦃 Entry into a drawing for a free Thanksgiving Bounty Box (pick up on 11/18)
📘 A digital copy of our 20th Anniversary Herb Book

This one-time reward package is only available during early renewal—don’t miss out!

Renew my Bounty Box Membership

If you weren’t a Bounty Box member in 2025 but you want to join us for 2026 contact us now to get on our waiting list. Your time is coming soon!

Here are a few upcoming events and milestones to keep on your radar:

• Nov. 4 – Fall VegEmail schedule begins (delivery every other Tuesday, 4–6pm)

• Nov. 18 - VegEmail delivery 4-6pm

• Dec. 2 - VegEmail delivery 4-6pm

• Dec. 16 - VegEmail delivery 4-6pm

• Jan. 27 - Bi-weekly VegEmail deliveries resume

🥕 Love the farmers market food, hate the fuss?
If you’re a Central Iowan looking for year-round, farm-fresh, chemical-free food without the crowds, guesswork, or farmers market chaos, our VegEmail program is for you.

Every week, we send you an order form with what’s fresh, and you pick exactly what you want.
✅ No subscriptions
✅ No commitment
✅ Just good food, from people you trust

Pick-up is easy—Tuesday evenings in downtown Des Moines, Knoxville, or right here on the farm. Plus, Des Moines customers can also grab Ebersole Cattle Co meats and eggs, Lost Lake Farm LLC cheeses, and CottageScapes Bakery goodies—all from one pick-up point.

Sign up at www.bluegatefarmfresh.com and let the good food find you.

Thank you for being a valued member of the Blue Gate Farm community. Your support and participation sustains our commitment to providing fresh, local, chemical-free products and our passion for stewardship of the land.

Is a monthly newsletter not enough for you? Follow us:

Website: www.bluegatefarmfresh.com

Facebook: Blue Gate Farm

Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh

Bounty Box members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.

That’s about it for now. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)