2018 CSA Newsletter: September 5, Week 14
Farm News
We had an exciting week, as I’m sure many of you can relate to. The first day of school is always a big wakeup call that summer isn’t going to last forever. Leona is now in full day kindergarten and gets to ride the bus and everything! She was so excited.
We have continued to harvest squash and do general farm clean up projects. We have beds prepared for our garlic planting that will happen in October and beds for spring. This year we are trying something new and putting a big silage tarp over the spring beds to smother out weeds and try to make the “dry out” season quicker. Hopefully, this will make it easier to get into the field in the spring if it happens to be an overly wet year.
We are also preparing the hoophouses for their winter crops. We have kale and spinach planted already and lettuce, more spinach, and other salad mixes will be planted shortly.
September 5th, Week 14
From the top: Beets, Acorn squash, tomato, celery, onions, cherry tomatoes, sage, sweet peppers. Wine cap mushrooms, salad mix, edamame. Enjoy!
Announcements:
-Winter shares are now available- 8 extra weeks for $200. Same drop sites. If you talked to me at the farmers market please check in to reserve your spot!
~Tenzin forgot to put spaghetti squash in the newsletter last week. I hope you all figured it out!
In your box this week…
Wine Cap Mushrooms
Edamame
Celery
Sweet Peppers-
Onions
Sage
Beets
Salad Mix
Slicing Tomatoes (full shares only)
Cherry tomatoes
Acorn Squash
Coffee- (optional)
Weekly Serving Suggestions:
Edamame- These fuzzy little pods are actually just a variety of soy bean grown for fresh eating. Often served as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants, the simplest preparation is probably the best. Simply remove the fuzzy bean pods from the stalks and set aside. Bring a quart of well-salted water to a full rolling boil (approx. 1.5- 2 Tbsp salt). Add the bean pods and stir occasionally (over high heat) for about 3 min. Color should be bright and pods should still be floating. Remove from water and serve immediately with a separate bowl for discarded pods. Then everyone can shuck their own beans. The flavor is mild, but pleasant. And it’s great fun to sit around shucking little beans as you go!
Onions– Onions are now cured, so they will keep in the pantry, but these are not a storage variety, so don’t plan to keep them there too long. Onions can be diced and frozen for later use. But they go so well with the squash, sage and mushrooms, that we think you’ll enjoy them right away.
Sage- Sage is perhaps the most quintessential of fall herbs. I love it with sautéed mushrooms and onions. I also love it with butter and squash! Sage dries well, it is especially good fresh. Fried sage leaves are quite the rage, and it holds up well to heat when cooking. Stores well in a bag in the fridge.
Celery- I love celery, especially for fall soups. It adds a little bit of a bright parsley flavor with some crunch, if you add it just at the end of cooking. Celery also freezes easily for use in later soups and stews. Just chop and freeze in a bag, then grab some out whenever you like!
Beets- Bold, beautiful, and oh so good for you! Beets are easy to use, younger, tender-skinned beets don’t even need to be peeled (depending on what you’re doing with them).Stores well in the crisper drawer or a bag in your fridge, with the tops removed and stored in a separate bag. Beet greens are hearty and healthy, try them in scrambled eggs with goat cheese, or in the recipe of the week!
Sweet Peppers- These thick-walled, sweet peppers are great for slicing and snacking, or for roasting. Be careful not to overcook or you will lose the bright crunch that makes them so great. Good for salsa and dips, also great in pasta sauce or the recipe of the week! All peppers store well in the crisper drawer or in a bag/container if more than a few days. Great addition to salsas, eggs, or tomato sauces.
Salad Mix- It’s back, hooray! It is difficult to grow good salad mix in the heat of summer, but (somewhat sadly) those days appear to be behind us. Fresh and ready, just rinse and serve. We eat it by the handful, but classier people use cutlery and dressings. Great with oil and vinegar and some shredded beets, and sliced tomatoes. Stores well in a bag in the fridge. Rinse and spin it dry for best storage. Fresh is best though, great way to make a sandwich feel like a meal!
Slicing tomatoes– Also best stored out of the fridge. Use on sandwiches, salads or wraps. These big slicers are good for enjoying a nice thick slice alongside a meal. Serve plain, with salt, brown sugar, or pesto on top. Store on the countertop out of direct light. Many heirloom varieties ripen from bottom to top. Slice them vertically to fully appreciate the flavor profile of these exquisite fruits. A slice on a sandwich, cold or grilled, sure goes a long way too.
Cherry Tomatoes– So easy, just pop the top and eat them. Also great sliced in half to top salads or set off a main dish Keeps best out of the fridge.
Acorn Squash- One of the easiest squash to use, because it’s size and ribs make it easy cook, and plate. Simply chop in half, and scoop the seeds/pith out. Lay cut-side down on a roasting pan and roast at 350-400 for about 30-45 mins, or until skin punctures easily with a knife. From here they can be halved again and served with a dollop of butter and some maple syrup, or sage, and salt. Stores well anywhere out of direct light. Try the recipe of the week!
Wine Cap Mushrooms!– These are a great treat anytime we can get them. Wine caps grow in the ground outside, and as such, their timing and cleanliness are subject to the weather. The easiest way to clean them is to brush them off gently with a dry brush. But you can wash them with water just before use, if that’s easier. Brushing and washing will both reduce their storage life, so plan to do it when you’re ready to cook them. Mushrooms store best in a paper bag in the crisper drawer. Caps and stems are both delicious, simply chop them and sautee with onion/garlic and a generous amount of oil or butter until golden brown and thoroughly reduced in volume. Delicious with a little fresh chopped sage, too!
**Spaghetti Squash– (I forgot to add this last week, but if it’s still around…!) The original veggie noodle! Split Squash in half carefully, with a long knife and scoop the seeds/pulp with a spoon. Roast or steam until the rind punctures easily. The longer you cook it, the sweeter and drier it will be. Roasting it will help it absorb whatever sauce you use. Allow to cool enough to handle, before scooping the stringy “noodles” with a fork or spoon. Scoop/scrape them such that they separate from each other. Serve with butter, salt and either parsley or maple syrup. Also great with your favorite spaghetti sauce. Stores well in the pantry or on the counter.
Coffee Nicaraguan Coffee
. (Taken from Condor’s website.)
Recipe of the week…
Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash
(adapted from Thedailymeal.com)
Ingredients
- 1/2 rice, uncooked
- 2 acorn squash
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small zucchini, small chop
- 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup mushrooms, chopped
- 2 Cups chopped beet greens
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/4 Cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt
- Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cook the rice according to directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Gently scrub skins of the squash and cut off any long stems. Slice the acorn squash in ½, from end to end, and scoop out seeds and loose membranes.
To prepare the stuffing, sauté the red onion in olive oil for 2 minutes over medium heat or until onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute until it just begins to turn a very light golden brown. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the beet greens, paprika, cumin, yeast, salt, and pepper.
Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and remove from heat.
Turn the squash cut-side up and scoop stuffing mixture into each squash ½, packing it well and mounding the mixture high. Wrap each squash ½ in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 1 hour until the squash is thoroughly tender and easy to pierce with a fork.
* could substitute shelled edamame for the zucchini in this recipe.
-Enjoy!
Best guess for next week:
Carrots
Potatoes
Honey Boat Delicata squash
Lunch box peppers
Salad Turnips
Tomatoes
Basil