Pick List:
POTATOES - WINTER SQUASH - BEETS - BEST SPICY GREENS MIX - PLUM TOMATOES - CHERRY TOMATOES - SWEET PEPPERS -CAYENNE PEPPERS - SPANISH ONION
KITCHEN SHARE:
Raspberry Sauce
Holy hell, it is week 17 of our 17 week CSA harvest season. That went too quick. That said, i can’t get too sentimental as our FALL CSA begins next Wednesday, so while it may seem like we are saying goodbye to an old friend, our more attractive friend that comes with eggs, fresh bread and ready made foods is about to come in town and we will call this friend FALL-TANYA. (can you tell i am writing this at 5am?).
FALL-TANYA aside, let me tell you about this past week: This week we began the shift into colder weather farming- making space in the pack shed for potatoes, chipping onions, picking up the rest of the winter squash, picking and washing an amazing amount of carrots, eating soups, and wearing so many layers that get strewn across the yard come 11am when the fog lifts. Also noteworthy, we had a frost scare two nights in a row. Thankfully (or not so thankfully depending on who you ask, ahem Pooh who is always ready for an early frost so he can go fishing) we were protected by the fog and nothing got hit. To prepare for the frost, Mike was out the night prior picking literal bins upon bins of peppers- as peppers fare terribly when the weather dips too low. Ray and the rest of field crew were picking up the rest of the pumpkins and winter squash, and i was putting a tired toddler to bed.
Also this week, Willing Hands came by and picked what looked like 100’s of pounds of cherry tomatoes to be distributed to local food pantries. As I’ve mentioned earlier, the good folks at Willing Hands come out to glean once a week- sometimes carrots, onions, green beans, etc… but this week seeing all of those cherry tomatoes go out was something special. I am so pumped and proud to be apart of a farm that provides food throughout the ENTIRE growing season to less fortunate people and families.
One more aside- the FARMSTAND CLOSES FOR THE SEASON on OCTOBER 9th (Indigenous Peoples Day).
To ensure quality sustenance for you and your loved ones through the cold months consider the following:
Join the FALL CSA and hang out with me or Allie Wednesday Nights from 5-6pm (have i mentioned this enough? I’m just super excited)
Load up on pre-packaged frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc..) and roasted vegetables and PESTO from our Farmstand FREEZER
Buy and store unwashed potatoes and beets in bulk as well as washed and bagged carrots (they last longer this way).
Take home so many plum tomatoes for your own roasting and storing.
Shop at the Coop!! We will continue to sell beets, potatoes, onions, carrots, winter squash, etc until we run out usually around the first of the year.
The list could go on but I will stop there because i need coffee asap. Bottomline, I love being apart of this food-based-good-grown community. I am so grateful to all the CSAers that came out this season and bought a share in our farm- I hope you enjoyed it- feel free to email me with any gripes that can be improved upon next year. Lastly, Thank you for making our farm, your farm- see you in 2018!!
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES
serves: 4-5
notes: I steam the squash so that I can retain the clean shape of it, but you could make this with some leftover roasted squash if you have it on hand.
dressing:
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup) 2 tbsp agave nectar salt and pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salad:
1 small butternut squash, peeled 1 cup green lentils, picked through and rinsed
5-6 handfuls greens mix 1/4-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper
Cook the lentils: combine the rinsed lentils with 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils are just tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir here and there while they’re cooking. Set aside when done.
Steam the squash: fill a large pot with an inch or two of water and bring to a boil. Cut the peeled squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and slice both halves into 1/2 inch slices crosswise. Place slices on a steamer basket and drop into the pot of boiling water. Cover and steam for about 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender, but still has a little toothsome quality.
Make the dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend on high until combined. Set aside. You could whisk them all together too.
Assemble: toss the lentils and greens mix with 3/4 of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Place this mixture onto your serving plate. Top with the cooked squash slices. Pour remaining dressing over top. Sprinkle the top with feta and serve.
Baked beetroot with goat's cheese and caraway seeds
(nigel slater- everything this guy makes is simple and perfect)
Winter salads seem to work best when they have a sweet earthiness to them. Beetroot provides the sweetness here, the goat's cheese introducing a certain piquancy - it's a refreshing marriage of flavours. Serves 4 as a light salad or as an accompaniment.
6 medium-sized raw red or golden beetroot 250g goat's cheese
for the dressing:
2 tbsp white wine vinegar half a tsp of Dijon mustard
5 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp of caraway seeds
slices of dark rye bread to serve
Put the oven on at 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the leaves and stalks from the beetroots then wrap each one loosely in foil or baking parchment. Roast the beetroot for about an hour till tender right through. The only way to test is with a skewer - it should slide through without much pressure. Remove and unwrap the vegetables, peeling off their skins as soon as they are just cool enough to handle.
While the beets are cooling, pour the white wine vinegar into a mixing bowl, add the Dijon mustard, a grinding of salt and black pepper, then beat in the olive oil. Toast the caraway seeds lightly in a dry, non-stick frying pan then add them to the dressing.
Cut each warm, peeled beetroot into thick slices or segments, dropping them into the dressing as you go. Slice the goat's cheese thickly and toss it gently with the beetroots and their dressing.
Serve with dark rye bread.