We are getting into late October here this week, and it is beginning to look like it. I was taking baby Nico for a walk this morning and we went through a tornado of leaves coming down in front of Bayview School. Still surprisingly warm, though..it was up in the mid 60s this afternoon, despite the blustery wind. Seems like before too long we're bound to get into some cooler nights. Here's what's in this week's share...
Potatoes- More of our German Butterball potatoes. We have been really sorting through these hard to try to give you potatoes with the minimum of pest damage...unfortunately a lot of our potatoes got ruined. Jack and Whitney are trying to hatch a plan to make vodka from all the cull potatoes we are pulling out. Enjoy the creme de la creme! If you find a small amount of damage, hopefully it can easily be sliced off and composted.
Arugula- After many weeks of lettuce, time to mix it up with some arugula. I'm hoping we can get some spinach in the share one more time this Fall, too, but we cut it a little too hard, so we're now waiting to see if it will grow back. The arugula has grown back really well though, and should be great for a spicy salad, pasta, or arugula pesto....here's a recipe from Martha, and you could definitely use the chicory bunch (see below), as it's very similar in taste to the radicchio called for in this recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/319360/arugula-salad-with-figs-pine-nuts-and-ra
and here's more recipes from the same site:
http://www.marthastewart.com/274753/arugula-recipes#235667
Chicory bunch- This crop is basically a cultivated form of dandelion greens, with a pleasant, slightly bitter flavor similar to escarole, endive, or radicchio (see recipe above). It can be chopped and eaten raw, if you don't mind a little bit of chew and the slightly bitter taste...or lightly sauteeing or steaming it makes it both milder flavored and more tender.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sauteed-dandelion-greens-242014
Cauliflower- We should be picking some very nice cauliflower heads for you this week. Exciting, to have cauliflower again for the first time in months! Our Fall brassica patch has done very well, with beautiful heads of broccoli, cabbage, and now cauliflower.....hopefully if the weather stays relatively mild, we should have more cauliflower over the next few weeks!
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/06/10-best-cauliflower-recipes
Collard greens- More delicious collard greens...hearty, healthy and satisfying on cooler evenings! Collards are more tolerant of hot weather than other cabbage family crops, which is why they're popular in Africa, India, the South, and other warm places...but they're also tougher in cold weather, so I will hopefully still be eating collards in February. Last time I posted a recipe for Southern style collards, so this time I'll just point out that there are lots of other great ways to use collards....pretty much any way you're accustomed to cooking kale, try subbing in collards and the results are usually great.
Carrots- A big bunch of carrots in your share this week! The carrots continue to be awesome. Hope you're finding good ways to enjoy them. Baby Nico loves to gnaw on raw carrots as a teething toy, so we are probably using more carrots for that right now than any other way.
Rutabega- Here is a nice web link with some great rutabega info and recipes:
http://www.thekitchn.com/why-you-should-give-rutabaga-a-chance-183530
Give rutabega a chance! In spite of their somewhat homely looks, they are actually very delicious, and if you are of European descent they probably helped keep your ancestors alive through the winter.
Garlic- More garlic from our friends at Deep Harvest Farm....we are just about to begin planting our garlic for next year....maybe as soon as tomorrow. We are planting 5 or 6 beds, which is twice as much as last year, and I am expecting it will take a couple of days to get it all in the ground. I have "popped" or broken apart all the heads of seed garlic, and they are in bags at my house, ready to go in the ground. Jack plowed up the garlic field, so now we just need to find the time to stick it in the ground. Hopefully you will all be enjoying the fruits of our labors next year!
Have a great week!
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