October 23, last regular season box

Small shares:  1 carrot bunch, 2 fennel bulbs, 1 radish bunch, 2 lbs. beets, 2 lbs each of japanese and all purple sweet potatoes, 1 garlic, 2 onions, 1/2 lb baby swiss chard, a handful of sugar snap peas.
Regular shares:  all the above plus 1/2 lb more swiss chard, 1 lb. more beets and more onion and garlic.  Also,1 lb. of broccoli, 1 pint of sugar snap peas, 3 eggplants.

sunrise October 23, Catherine and Cate picking sugar snap peas

This morning at 7 am it was lightly raining as we headed to the field to pick the peas in your boxes.  As the sun started rising, the sky turned this gorgeous pink and there was a rainbow behind us.  It is worth the cold hands and feet to see beautiful mornings like this.
Your last box of the season has lots of roots in it.  The sweet potatoes are dirty because they keep better that way.  These are ready to eat but will get sweeter if you wait a couple more weeks and keep them in a dry, warmish place.  Both the Japanese and all purple varieties are not as sweet as the orange.  The Japanese ones have a chestnut like flavor and both are more starchy in texture.
One of the plastic bag has swiss chard and the peas in it.  The other has beets in it and these will keep for weeks in your refrigerator.

Great Radish Salad
-1 bunch of radishes,washed and thinly sliced
-with the tops, cut the section off that is just stem and discard then chop the leaves and wash.
-1 small red onion, thinly sliced
-1 or 2 raw gold and chiogga beets, shredded (no need to peel)
-a small handful of sugar snap peas (optional)
-a few sprigs of fresh cilantro or parsley
- 1 tsp ume plum vinegar and 2 tsp. olive oil
- juice from 1/2 a fresh lemon
- freshly ground black pepper to taste

 combine all ingredients, tossing lightly.  let sit 15 minutes before eating

Thank you for being part of our CSA this year.  In 16 years of farming, this has been by far the most challenging.  The weather has presented us with one challenge after another and though I feel a little beaten down, I know we have made it thru and learned a great deal too.  Thank you for sticking with us and we hope you have a healthy, happy fall and winter!

October 16th CSA

small shares this week:  3/4lb. lettuce mix, 1-2 heads tatsoi, 1 bunch of carrots, 1 bunch of beets, 1 kohlrabi, 1 bunch of french breakfast radishes, 2 lbs. orange "covington" sweet potatoes.
regular shares this week:  all the above plus 1/4lb more lettuce, 1 head red radicchio, 1 small head of broccoli, 2 more pounds sweet potatoes.

Beet in the field

The sweet potatoes will be sweeter if you wait a few weeks to eat them.  They keep best at 50 - 60 degrees and dry (not in the refrigerator).  The longer they sit, the sweeter they get.  Next week we'll put some japanese and all purple ones in the boxes so you have a sample of all the varieties we grow.

The tatsoi is best stir-fried with some onion, salt and pepper.  Add a little lemon juice or vinegar before eating so that the iron becomes available to you rbody.

The radicchio, in my opinion, is best enjoyed raw.  We make a salad of 1 head of chopped radicchio, 1 to 2 pears or apples cut into chunks, 1 cup of toasted walnuts, 1 T. balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and if you like, crumble blue cheese on top.

The kohlrabi is small and so tender it doesn't need to be peeled if you eat it within 2 days.  It is a nice addition to salad raw or lightly pickled.  It is good in tuna or chicken salad.  It is good roasted with potatoes.

MARINATED CARROTS from the Talisman cookbook
1 bunch carrots
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano

Wash carrots and cut into thick slices.  Boil in water for 10minutes or until tender but not overcooked.  Drain well and place in bowl with all other ingredients, stirring and mixing well.  Let stand in marinade for 12 hours before serving.

I hope you have a good week and we'll see you next week for the last regular season box!

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!

October! 2 CSA

DIRTY

CLEAN

Small boxes this week:  1 bok choy (some have 2 small), 1 bunch carrots, 1 bunch baby beets, 1 head of romaine or butterhead lettuce, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 head of garlic, 2 red onions, 1 pint of hot peppers.
Regular boxes have: all the above and 1 bunch of japanese white turnips, 1 costata romanesca zucchini, 1/2 lb. spinach.

My thought was that you could make a small batch of hot sauce for your winter.  If you totally will not use the hot peppers, you can exchange them for something else at the stand today.  Here is a recipe for hot sauce:
Peel the cloves of 1 head of garlic.
Peel and quarter 2 red onions.
Wash and cut the ends off  1 bunch of carrots.
Wash and de-stem 1 pint of hot peppers. (the box has red serranos, orange habaneros, green and red jalapenos)
Put all the veggies on sheet pans 1 layer thick and toss with a little olive oil and salt.
Roast at 400 degrees until sizzling and starting to brown.
Let cool.
Squeeze the juice out of 4 limes.
Combine all ingredients with 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped cilantro leaves.
Grind in a food processor, adding apple cider vinegar to get desired consistency.
Add salt to taste and 1/4tsp of mace or nutmeg.
Let simmer on stovetop for an hour or so to blend the flavors.
Let cool and store in your refrigerator in a mason jar.  It will keep for several months.

We are transplanting next springs' onions today and beginning the large task of digging all the sweet potatoes tomorrow.  If anyone wants to get your hands dirty and earn extra sweet potatoes, we can use your help tomorrow cutting vines!  Let me know if you're interested.

Hope you have a great week!

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. 

.

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!