October 9th CSA

ROOT BUNCH DIAGRAM

Small boxes this week have:  1 mixed root bunch, 1 bunch of Danver's half long (variety name) carrots, 1 head of escarole, 1 head of romaine and some smaller heads of lettuce mix, either 1 zucchini or 2 patty pans, 1 eggplant, 1 head of garlic and 1-2 red onions, 1 small fennel bulb, a few german butterball potatoes.
Regular boxes have:  all of the above though larger quantities of onion, garlic, potatoes, and fennel as well as 1 lb. of october beans, 1/3 lb. shallots.

There is a bag in your box containing from top down: 1 head of escarole, various varieties of small lettuces, and 1 head of romaine.  The escarole is a bitter green that can be used in salad if you like bitterness or can be added to soup or braised to mellow the bitter flavor.  If you are unable to tell the difference between the romaine and escarole by sight, pinch off a piece of leaf and taste it.
I know I said the summer squash was thru but we were surprised to see a good harvest yesterday so I thought we would give it to you one more time.  Also, we were surprised by an abundance of eggplant here at the end of the season so there is 1 more for you!
The diagram of the root bunch is hopefully helpful.  Not everyone got a white beet but all bunches got atleast 1 of everything else.  Some of the watermelon radishes are pink on the outside and some are all white; they are all pink inside hence the name.  The radish can be eaten raw or roasted with other roots.  The scarlet turnips add a nice color and zing to soup broth.  I like quartering all the roots along with carrots and potatoes, tossing with olive oil and s & p and roasting at 425 for 30 mintues or so and eating them.  You can also do the roasting and then puree and use as a soup base.
 Escarole Soup Recipe

The October beans need to be shelled and are a nice addition to soup or cooked alone.  They have a creamy, pinto like texture and a unique flavor.  I like all beans and these are one of my favorites!  I hope you enjoy them.

Justin picking and bunching Danver's half long carrots

We hope to finish the sweet potato harvest this week and get them curing so that we can put them in your box atleast once.  Otherwise, we are weeding and maintaining.  The fruit trees we planted in spring need weeded and to have gravel put around their bases to keep the mice and voles from girdling their bases this winter.  We are starting construction of a potting shed / intern housing.  And we are watching the leaves change, keeping out from under the walnut trees so as to not get knocked out by falling walnuts, and eating well.  Hope you all are too!