Down on the Farm

CSA Week Fifteen

News from the field:

The home stretch! This is week 15, which means we have 3 weeks to go after this one. This fall we are feeling the effects of 6-8 weeks of rain earlier in the season. We have a lot less onions, winter squash and carrots than we normally do heading into fall. But each year presents its new challenges and quirks. Even though some field crops did not do well, we have a banner year in the greenhouses. So it all evens out in the end, I suppose.

Now is the time that we are beginning our fall tasks -- plowing down crops killed by the frost, planting cover crops to hold the soil over the winter, cleaning the tomato plants out of the greenhouses, taking plans for next year. We still have our weekly harvests to do, but more and more the days are filled with winding-down-jobs and planning-for-next-year-jobs. And we have been blessed with wonderful weather while working on these tasks.

In the Basket:

Potatoes – A big five pound bag this week, to last you into the fall. Keep them in a cool, dry, dark place (so they don’t turn green)

Carrots – Try Carolynne’s soup recipe on the back. Thank you Carolynne!

Broccoli raab or bok choy – Broccoli raab is an Italian green that we love. The classic way to make it is to warm olive oil with garlic and pepper then add roughly chopped raab and cook gently. Drain and toss with more olive oil and capers then serve topped with grated cheese and with lemon on the side. If you go looking for other recipe ideas, know that this green is also called rapini and broccoli rabe. For the bok choy, check out the great recipe from Tracy Zschau back in week one – I’ll put a link on the blog.

Kale – There are a lot of greens this week!! If it’s too much for you to eat in one week, consider freezing the kale. This is how I do it: lop off the stems, put the leaves, whole, into boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove, swish in cold water till cool, drain, then dry (in salad spinner). Roughly chop, put in a small Ziploc freezer bag, get all the air out, lay flat till frozen solid (easier to store). I like to add to spaghetti sauce in the winter! I’ll also link to recipes on the blog.

Spinach, beets with greens and tomatoes – Consider boiling the beets, then dicing them adding them to your spinach salad. With a little salty cheese. Maybe apples? So fall!!!

Carolynne Achilles’ Carrot Soup

1 small onion finely chopped

3 C. carrots peeled and coarsely chopped

4-6 T. butter

3 C. chicken stock

1 1/2 C. heavy cream or milk

2 t. curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large saucepan. Saute onions 5 minutes until transparent, then add the carrots. Cook for 5 more minutes and add stock. Cook another 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Puree in the blender or if you want a very velvety texture, put through a strainer. Return the soup to the pan and whisk in milk or cream. Add seasonings and taste.

Garnish with creme fraiche and chopped parsley.

CSA Week Fourteen

News from the field:

Well, I suppose we are at the end of summer the beginning of fall. We have lost cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and melons, and we will lose the last of the eggplant and basil this week. From here on out, the frosts will start to pile up and anything that can’t take the cold will be gone.

On the other hand, we are starting to have our winter squashes, and starting to dry the few onions we harvested this year. We will also pull our fall potatoes next week, and there may be some brussel sprouts down the line. Before you know it, the leaves will be turning and we will be seeing a lot more out of state license plates!

In the Basket:

Delicata squash - These are pretty enough to use for decorations until you are ready to eat them. They’ll store at room temperature for about 4 to 6 weeks. I prefer delicata steamed, but baked is a close second.

String beans – Try tossing them with olive oil, salt and pepper and either grilling or spreading them in a big pan and roasting them.

Summer things: Tomatoes, corn, red peppers

Fall things: Arugula, radishes or salad turnip

Delicata Squash Rings

Adapted from Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone”

Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Slice of the ends, scoop out the seeds. Slice into rings about 1/3 inch thick. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive or other oil in a wide skillet. Fry the squash until richly colored on the bottom, about 6 minutes. Turn and cook until tender. Season with salt, pepper, parsley.

Lily helps out

Lily helped Wavy measure out half pound bags of spinach for the St. J CSA pickup Wednesday night. They were extremely good at it!!

CSA Week Thirteen

News from the field:

The forward edge of fall is here. We are bracing for our first frost this week. Some stuff we can cover, but some stuff we can’t, and we will probably lose some crops. But such is the turning of the season.

September is funny because the baskets have some summer stuff still and now some fall stuff too. September is also funny for us because on the one hand there is a sense of melancholy about the season starting to wind down a bit, but on the other hand, we are all pretty tired and a bit burnt out by now, so we look forward to scaling back some. The real busy time for us lasts in earnest for a few more weeks, but by the time October rolls around, things start to wind down.

In the Basket:

Crenshaw melon – Crenshaws are a cross between the Persian and Casaba melons. I like their mild color and flavor, and I like that they’re a little firmer and easier to eat (than the charentais), especially for kids. I think they’re ripe now, but some CSAers say they leave these on their counter for a few days, until they a really fragrant, because they have more flavor that way.

Tomatoes and sun gold cherry tomatoes – Still awesome after all these weeks.

Sweet red peppers or basil – The pointed red peppers are a variety called lipstick. They’re awesome. A lot of customers see the point and think hot pepper. But it isn’t. Try it.

Spinach and lettuce – Mix together for a salad or cook the spinach gently.

Kale – Try Nichole’s For the Love of Kale recipe (on the website).

Turnips – These are NOT salad turnips. They’re the more common purple top turnips. This is something new we’re trying this year. Let us know what you think! Recipes on the back!

Coming up – Winter squash probably for next week. Does anyone have a good winter squash recipe to share?

Turnip recipes

Sautéed Grated White Turnips
Adapted from the New York Times who adapted it from "The Union Square Cafe Cookbook"

1 1/2 pounds turnips
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots or scallions, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1. Peel and grate the turnips (this can be done with a food processor or vegetable mill).
2. Melt the butter over moderate heat and sauté the shallots until soft.
3. Add the turnips, salt and pepper and about one-fourth inch of water. Cover and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the turnips are tender. Correct seasoning, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Caramelized Turnips
Adapted from “Chez Panisse Vegetables”

Preheat the oven to 425.

Peel the turnips, cut them in half lengthwise, then cut them into wedges. Toss them with a generous splash of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes, then toss them once (if tossed or turned more frequently, they tend to break apart as they become tender). Roast for 5 minutes more and then check for doneness. They can take 15-30 minutes. The turnips are done when they are fork tender and nicely caramelized.

CSA Week Twelve

News from the field:

Well, it has been far too dry. No, no, I am just kidding. After all the rain this summer I won’t be complaining about dry sunny days anytime soon. But it was a strange feeling to move our irrigation pipes around today.

Otherwise, we are entering that summer/fall twilight zone where we have both summer stuff and fall stuff, and sometimes the days feel like summer, and sometimes like fall. The winter squash is almost ready but we still have tomatoes and melons. The kale and collards are ready, but so are the red peppers. It is fun time of year. But believe it or not, it will soon be time to keep an eye out for frost! So we’ll enjoy these warm days while we can.

In the Basket:

Summer things: Melons or red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and 2 pints of cherry tomatoes

Fall things: Broccoli, radishes or salad turnips. Check out the broccoli recipes on the back!

Garlic – The garlic we have now has all been cured – which basically means it hung in our barn till dried then were trimmed and cleaned. You should store these heads in a cool dry place, like a cool cupboard, but not the fridge.

Lettuce – Getting the right amount of salad in the basket has been one of the challenges for us in the CSA. Part of it is production -- having the right amount of salad ready each week has been a challenge this summer with all the rain. But part of it too is figuring out how much CSAers want. Obviously, every CSAer’s situation and taste buds are a bit different, but still, we’re interested in your feedback about how much salad you want. Is about a head of lettuce a week the right amount to shoot for? With occasional bags of mesclun or arugula on top of that?