August 31 or September 3

Share this week includes:  1 pint of roma tomatoes, 1/2 pound okra, 1 pound yellow onions, 1 butternut squash, 2 pounds Nicola potatoes, 2 small fennel bulbs, 1 pound red beets, 1 pound of october beans.

Storage:  Beans, if you're not going to eat them today or tomorrow, should be transferred to a paper bag so they don't get moldy.  Everything needs to be refrigerated except butternut squash and onions.

For Wednesday RAD market pick-ups, Amy will now be the one at our stand.  She asked that you peek around and tell her who you are and she'll check your name off for the week.

Hot peppers are still coming in so if you'd like some, please help yourself!

The october beans are typically a dry bean similar to a pinto.  When fresh, the green ones can be strung (like last weeks' beans) and snapped.  The ones with the yellowish pods and pink stripes need to be shelled ( don't eat the pods on these as they are rather tough).  I love these beans cooked with onion, salt and pepper.  I also love them stewed with okra and tomatoes.  Following is a link to a recipe.  I would substitute fresh october beans for the kidney beans and fresh romas for the canned tomatoes and sauce.  Also, I prefer just oregano to the italian blend of herbs and fresh hot chilis to chili powder.
A recipe for Okra -Bean Stew

The fennel and beets are good together in a salad.  Grate the beets, thinly slice the fennel bulbs up to where the leaves start, combine with some thinly sliced red onion, 1 T lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and fresh parsley.  Let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before eating.

The butternut squash is ready to eat but also will keep a few weeks on your counter.  We are having some difficulty with rot in the stored winter squash.  This is because of all the rain a couple weeks ago keeping the plants and fruits wet for days on end.  Keep an eye on your squash and if you see any signs that it is starting to rot, cut that spot out and cook it immediately.  If you don't feel like eating it now, you can freeze the cooked squash to use later.