September 25 CSA

We welcome a new member to the family!  Aaron's sister Jeanine had a baby girl this week named Cana Joy.
 Fall has officially arrived.  The crickets are singing during the day.  A few of our cows have had late calves and its really nice to see the little ones in their red fur coats navigating the pastures in between the purple iron weed and thistle flowers.  We will plant next years' strawberries tomorrow and then begin the sweet potato harvest.  We are busily working to stay ahead of the newest flush of weeds after Saturdays' rain. 

Addiebelle testing the beets for sweetness.

small boxes this week:  1 lb. patty pan squash, 1/2 lb. yellow wax beans, 1/2 lb. spinach, 1 head of romaine, 1 daikon radish, 1 head of garlic, 1 red onion, 1 lb. potatoes.
regular boxes this week:  1 lb. patty pan squash, 1 lb. yellow wax beans, 1 lb. spinach, 1 head romaine, 1 daikon radish, 2 heads of garlic, 2 red onions, 1 lb. potatoes, 1 bunch of beets, 1 head of curly endive, 2 bok choy.

In the small boxes the beans and spinach are in a bag together.  In the regular boxes the endive and bok choy are together.  Daikon radish is a strong flavored radish.  I like to shred it and toss it with rice vinegar and salt and let it pickle for an hour or so and eat it as a side or add it to cabbage and or carrot slaw.  There is a Chinese proverb that says: "Eating pungent radish and drinking hot tea, let the starved doctors beg on their knees."  They do have anti-oxidants in them and are low in calories.

I made a good soup this weekend of:

4 patty pan squash, cut in chunks
3 potatoes, cut in chunks
3 stalks of celery
2 onions, quartered
salt and pepper and a pinch of mace or nutmeg
fresh thyme sprig
1. combine all ingredients in a pot and cover with water or stock
2. bring to a boil and let simmer until everything is soft enough to puree
3. let cool a little and puree; adding a little cream if you like
4. return to the pot and re-heat
5. serve as is or add some sour cream and cayenne powder to each bowl

This is probably the last summer squash of the year and definately the last beans.  Everyone will get carrots  and bok choy next week.

September 18 CSA

small boxes this week have:  2 small heads bibb lettuce, 1 small bunch cilantro, 1 yellow onion, 2 garlic, 1 lb yellow wax beans, 1 lb. green beans, 1 1/3 lb patty pan squash, 1 mix bunch carrot -beet -celeriac.
regular boxes have:  2 small heads bibb lettuce, 1 regular bunch cilantro, 2 yellow onions, 2 garlic, 1 1/2 lb. each of yellow wax and green snap beans, 2 1/2 lb. patty pan squash, 1 bunch beets, 1 bunch carrots, 1 celeriac, 1 mix bunch kale and collards.

Onions and garlic do not need to be refrigerated.  All else needs to be. 

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Try roasting the root vegetables. If you have potatoes to throw in with them that's good. The celeriac is the strange gnarly looking vegetable. It needs to be peeled and then cut into long strips about 1/4 inch around. I cut the beets into quarters and the carrots in half and toss it all with olive oil and salt and pepper. You can add whole beans to this too. If you have pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts add those too! Roast in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes or so and enjoy plain or with hot sauce or ketchup.

Catherine and a bean

Aaron washing beets

 

 

This morning harvesting, we could feel fall in the air. The breeze was cool and the shadows longer. We were in the field before light and got to watch the sunrise as we picked cilantro, lettuce, and greens. Beautiful. It made me think about what a strange summer it has been with very few HOT days. I thought I'd be so happy to see fall come and I am but with a tinge of sadness as I know the shorter days brings a different pace. And a need to find the warm clothes that have been forgotten for months.

sept 11 cut and paste from email

 For some reason, I cannot open our blog this morning to update it so I'll do it in this email.
Small boxes this week have: 1 lb. yellow wax beans, 1 lb. green beans, 1 lb. red onions, 1 garlic, 1 1/3 lb. patty pan squash, 1 zucchini, 1 bunch of dill, 1 small head of romaine.
Regular boxes have: 1 1/2 lbs. of each bean, 1 1/2 lbs red onions, 2 garlic, 1 1/3 lb. patty pan squash, 1 zucchini, 1 bunch of dill, 1 head of romaine and 1 head of buttercrunch, 1 bunch of baby beets, 1 bunch of baby japanese turnips.

Almost all the boxes got costata romanesca zucchini. It is light green with dark green stripes and is typically harvested and eaten at a bigger size. It keeps its shape well when cooked (doesn't get mushy).
This is a favorite squash dish for us. Those of you who have been in the CSA before have seen this one. It is easy to make.
ITALIAN SQUASH SICILIAN STYLE
1 lb. squash or zucchini, sliced thin
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 T wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp chopped mint leaves
Place squash in skillet with olive oil and garlic and cook gently until squash is tender. Add vinegar, salt, sugar and mint and cook 2 minutes longer. serves 4.

There are alot of beans in your box. If it is more than you think you will eat this week, blanch some and freeze for later. Our favorite way to prepare beans, both wax and green, is to take off the stem end and steam whole with a thinly sliced onion. When they have reached desired tenderness, remove from the steamer and toss with chopped dill, butter and salt.

This is the last box for peak share holders. There are 6 more regular season boxes to come.
I hope you all have a great week!

Mountain Xpress article featuring GGF

Mountain Xpress article

Sept 4 CSA

Small shares:  1 bunch mustard and tatsoi greens, 1 head of lettuce, 1 bunch radishes, 1 garlic, 2-3 yellow onions, 1 pint tomatoes, 1/2 lb. okra, 1 lb. summer squash, 2 peppers.
Regular shares:  all the above plus 1/2 lb. more okra, another garlic, another pepper, 1 lb. pickling cucumbers.

The mustard greens are the green curly leaves and the red tinted leaves and the tatsoi is the smooth leaf green.  The mustards are spicy and the tatsoi sweet and mild.  They are delicious lightly sauteed together.  They also make a good pesto by themselves or in combination with basil or parsley (and the garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon etc.).
This is THE END of the tomatoes.
There is a bell pepper and an antohi romania pepper in your box.  They are both sweet; the antohi very sweet.  The regular boxes also have a yellow bell that will ripen all the way yellow if left out on the counter for a few days.

Check this link for a vegetarian gumbo recipe.  I made some a few nights ago using yellow squash instead of zucchini and I added some oyster mushrooms I bought at market last weekend.
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/veggumbo.htm