The end of October layers the seasons beautifully; the last cherry tomatoes of summer, the golden hues of fall, and the quiet promise of winter just ahead. At Quarter Acre Farm, we’re embracing that blend with food, ceremony, and hope.
This week, we’re honoring flavor and memory with a lineup filled with tradition: Chicken Mole Enchiladas, Pesto con Papas Quesadillas, and Roasted Pumpkin Soup; all rooted in the spirit of Día de los Muertos.
Food & Memory: The Heart of Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), celebrated on November 1–2, invites us to remember loved ones with joy and flavor rather than sorrow.
In Mexican culture, food is a bridge, the dishes we cook and share help welcome ancestors back to the table, if only for a moment.
Traditionally, families build ofrendas (altars) adorned with favorite foods of those who have passed like fruits, tamales, breads, or sugar skulls known as calaveras. Each dish carries meaning: mole, richly layered and complex, is often prepared for celebrations and family gatherings; sweet pumpkins and pan de muerto (bread of the dead) represent life’s cycle, sweetness even in remembrance.
This Saturday, November 1, we’ll bring those flavors to the Easton farmers’ market:
- Take-Home Meal: Chicken Mole Enchiladas — tender chicken wrapped in smoky, spiced mole; a dish that honors tradition and brings deep comfort.
- Market Special: Pesto con Papas Quesadilla — our garlic scape pesto with roasted potatoes, melted cheese, and pico de gallo, a blend of earthy and festive.
- Soup of the Day: Roasted Pumpkin Soup — made from our heirloom pumpkins, roasted to deepen their natural sweetness, pureed into a silky, vegan, and gluten-free soup.
- Marigolds: Bright orange, red, and yellow blooms grown in our fields — we’ll bring bunches to the market in case anyone would like to adorn their own ofrenda or table.
Beyond food, Día de los Muertos is celebrated with music, candlelight, and remembrance. For some it is a time when families visit cemeteries, decorate graves with marigolds (cempasúchil). And others who just take the time to share stories of those who are no longer with us to keep memories alive. It’s a celebration of love that endures.
Planting Garlic: Getting Ready for Next Spring
While flavors and scents remind us of our ancestors, planting garlic reminds us of the future we’ll harvest next year. November is the ideal time to plant garlic in Maryland, cool soil helps cloves form roots before winter, setting the stage for strong spring growth.
Here’s a simple guide for first-time growers:
- Select your cloves: Use healthy cloves from your heirloom garlic, avoid any damaged ones, it is okay if they have started to sprout.
- Prepare well-drained soil: Choose a sunny spot, loosen the soil, and mix in compost and/or a granulated natural fertilizer (formulated for vegetables) into the top few inches of soil.
- Break the bulbs: Just before planting, separate the cloves from the bulb, don’t worry about the papery skins they can stay on.
- Plant depth & spacing: Plant each clove pointed end up, about 2″ deep and 6″ apart.
- Mulch heavily: Cover with 6″ of straw, dried leaves, or pine needles to insulate through winter and suppress weeds.
- Minimal winter care: Garlic will lie dormant through the cold months; then sprout green shoots in early spring, garlic scapes should be ready to be picked in May. Weeds may appear in the spring so make sure to remove those when they are still small
By next June or July, you’ll harvest bulbs that reflect your care, the same garlic varieties we grow at Quarter Acre Farm, are available for you to pre-order or find at market.
From the Field & Market Reminder
Last Friday morning, a light frost reminded us that autumn’s pace is quickening. We paused our usual prep work to harvest all our pumpkins and winter squash still in the field, just in time.
Now, our first butternut squash of the season is ready and available by the pound. Perfect for roasting, soups, or any recipe calling for pumpkin or winter squash. The vines may be dead, but the flavor lives on, and our cherry tomatoes are still hanging on, so we’ll have fresh pints again this Saturday.
Sunny supervised the harvest, making sure every squash and pumpkin made it safely out of the field, the true boss of fall. 🐶🎃
We’re deep in that beautiful seasonal rhythm: pumpkins, soups, tacos, garlic planting, and remembrance. The Easton farmers’ market this Saturday will feel like a gathering of stories, flavors, and community; a celebration of both past and future. We hope to see you there!
👉 Pre-order your mole enchiladas, soup, squash, and heirloom garlic through our online shop by Thursday at 8pm so your Saturday is stress-free and full of flavor.