What's in the shares this week.....
Escarole- This will be mostly frisee, a nice mild flavored escarole. This is in the lettuce family, but with thicker leaves and a slightly more bitter flavor, it holds up to cooking unlike lettuce. Here is a nice recipe Bobbi found that will also use up some of the beets and potatoes in your share:
http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/two-potato-beet-hash-with-poached-eggs-greens
Broccoli- Our Fall brassicas are all coming on a bit later than I wanted....I was hoping we would have cauliflower for the shares this week, but I don't think enough of it is ready quite yet. We have quite a bit of broccoli still coming on, though, and I bought a bit of extra from Georgie at Willowood Farm just in case we were short....
Carrots- As you probably noticed last week, we are into a new bed of carrots where the roots are not as big, so we are back to the more modest sized carrots which are nice. Still the delicious Hilmar variety that we've been picking all season though.
http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/balsamic-onion-thyme-carrots
http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/vegan-carrot-cake-truffles
Beets- A big bunch of mixed beets with red and chioggia and maybe some gold beets. See the recipe above for the hash!
Kale- Our fall kale is really kicking butt. It rebounded from some dry late Summer struggles to be truly abundant, and delicious.
Copra onions- These are our yellow storage onions, which are a bit less sweet and a bit more pungent, and store much better that the sweet yellow onions. We had all our onions drying in the greenhouse through September, but then we moved them out to make room for all the winter squash, so now they are in storage in our shed and should hopefully be good for many more weeks or months.
Potatoes- The last of our potatoes! I decided to plant fewer potatoes this year, thinking that it would be an easy way to downsize the planted space on the farm a bit, and an easy crop to buy from other farmers. I planted as many as I thought we would need in the Summer. But thanks to good yields and not starting to dig them too early this year, they lasted much further into the season than I expected! I have bought some from Georgie for the stand already, and will mix in a bit of hers to make sure we have enough for all the shares. Again, see the hash recipe above!
And in large shares only....
Kabocha buttercup squash- These green kabocha squash have always done amazing on the farm in past years, but for some mysterious reason they really underperformed this year with lower yields, so we don't have a ton of them. They are a really nice winter squash, with dry almost crumbly orange flesh that is really flavorful....a Japanese squash closely related to the Red Kuri, even though they look nothing alike.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11783-winter-squash-and-pork-stir-fry
Peppers- Maybe the last of the peppers! I love it when the peppers go til Halloween and beyond!
Tomato- And the final tomatoes too. We haven't had tomatoes til this late in the Season for many years on the farm, if we ever have. In a greenhouse it is easy to have tomatoes til late in the Fall, because they stay dry, but our outside tomatoes are usually too susceptible to disease to make it this late. Hurray! I am trying to enjoy them while they last, because it will be many months before we have nice home grown tomatoes again.
Parsley/herbs- A nice bunch of fresh parsley or another herb to add to your fall recipes...
I am trying to keep up, but feeling very out of touch with what's going on at the farm these days. I've been working Monday through Friday and stopping by the farm on the evenings on the way home....I had planned to spend some time on the farm on Saturday, but then the weather was so gross I lost all motivation, sadly. It is so nice to now have an extended dry period in the forecast though! When it got so wintery I was sure that our dry season was long gone, but there may be a little bit left in the tank.
Bobbi and I are excited going into the holidays this year that Nico will be old enough to understand and be interested and excited about stuff like Halloween, Santa Claus and all that stuff for the first time. It should be sweet to see her learning about Thanksgiving and Christmas and seeing how it all works now that she's really interested in trying to figure things out.
Fall farm blog
Things are definitely winding down on the farm, as you can see if you take a look at the fields from up at the farm stand or the road. But there is still plenty of food to be had....
In the shares this week:
Arugula- https://www.thespruce.com/persimmon-arugula-salad-2217111
https://minimalistbaker.com/apple-pecan-arugula-salad/
Brussels sprouts- https://www.marthastewart.com/316075/sauteed-brussels-sprouts
Leek- https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/23-favorite-leek-recipes-like-onions
Red kuri squash- http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/red-kuri-squash-soup
Radish- https://naturallyella.com/buttered-radishes-with-a-poached-egg/
Carrots- http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/devour/recipes/2014/11/fall-fest-carrot-recipes-to-covet
Tomato/eggplant/peppers- https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/ratatouille
And in large shares only:
Green tomatoes- http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fried-green-tomatoes-1
Collard greens/kale- http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/southern-style-collard-greens
Garlic- http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_garlic/
I'm not feeling very verbal today after a day of fighting a stomach bug...so I will let the recipes do the talkin' this week. Hope everyone's cooking and eating their veggies and not getting blown away in this crazy wind!
In the shares this week:
Arugula- https://www.thespruce.com/persimmon-arugula-salad-2217111
https://minimalistbaker.com/apple-pecan-arugula-salad/
Brussels sprouts- https://www.marthastewart.com/316075/sauteed-brussels-sprouts
Leek- https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/23-favorite-leek-recipes-like-onions
Red kuri squash- http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/red-kuri-squash-soup
Radish- https://naturallyella.com/buttered-radishes-with-a-poached-egg/
Carrots- http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/devour/recipes/2014/11/fall-fest-carrot-recipes-to-covet
Tomato/eggplant/peppers- https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/ratatouille
And in large shares only:
Green tomatoes- http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fried-green-tomatoes-1
Collard greens/kale- http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/southern-style-collard-greens
Garlic- http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_garlic/
I'm not feeling very verbal today after a day of fighting a stomach bug...so I will let the recipes do the talkin' this week. Hope everyone's cooking and eating their veggies and not getting blown away in this crazy wind!
Pumpkin season....
In all shares this week:
Lettuce- Yes, lettuce is back for one last time! It hasn't gotten too cold yet to bother the lettuce, and since we covered the last beds up with floating row cover the deer stopped bothering it. So we can get a nice mix of different types of head lettuce into the shares this week. A few more lettuce salads before winter...
Pumpkin- These "Winter luxury" pumpkins are the best. Great flavored flesh, and beautiful netted skin. http://www.delish.com/cooking/g1770/best-pumpkin-recipes/
I love pumpkin curry: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7732/pumpkin-curry-with-chickpeas
Carrots- No surprise, more carrots in the share this week.
Yellow onions- We may be starting to dip into our yellow "Copra" storage onions if we run out of walla wallas. They can be used interchangeably as yellow onions though, the wallas are just a bit more sweet.
Swiss chard- A nice bunch of beautiful, colorful Swiss chard. Our summer chard went down hard, but is actually springing back to life now....but our Fall chard is in midseason form.
Tomatoes and peppers- Hopefully one or two of each, the plants are still producing, but probably not for too much longer! There were a few patches of frost in the field last week, but not enough to bother the crops...the forecast continues to say lows in the 40s, but all it takes is one cooler night now to really stop these crops in their tracks!!
Large Shares only! Fall root crop bonanza...
Hakurei turnips- Nice little mild and juicy salad turnips, and don't forget the greens are great too!
Black spanish radishes- These are a more unusual vegetable, nothing like your normal radish. Try slicing them very thin or grating them and serving raw, or otherwise roast them like a turnip! They have a bit of spice and a firm crispy texture. Another farm share's blog did a better job than I could at writing them up (with recipes): https://ukcsa.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/black-spanish-radishes-a-primer/
Parsnips- Some beautiful parsnips from our friends at Kettle's Edge Farm up in Coupeville! I decided not to grow parsnips this year after having germination struggles over the last several years...
This recipe is a great description of how I like to use winter squash, potatoes, carrots, and other roots like black radishes, parsnips, beets....all in one dish.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/roasted-root-vegetables-recipe-1927925
Last week was spent bringing all of our winter squash in from the field, a very fun once-a-year project that involves lots of throwing and catching to get the squashes in and out of the truck. One of my favorite times on the farm, and we had gorgeous weather for it.
With most work on the farm done for the season, I have already launched into my winter career of carpentry beginning this week, so Jess and Brian will be in charge of packing farm shares! I will be at the farm for part of pickup, though, after about 4:30, so maybe I will still see you. I'm very happy with all the crops we still have on the farm right now.
Lettuce- Yes, lettuce is back for one last time! It hasn't gotten too cold yet to bother the lettuce, and since we covered the last beds up with floating row cover the deer stopped bothering it. So we can get a nice mix of different types of head lettuce into the shares this week. A few more lettuce salads before winter...
Pumpkin- These "Winter luxury" pumpkins are the best. Great flavored flesh, and beautiful netted skin. http://www.delish.com/cooking/g1770/best-pumpkin-recipes/
I love pumpkin curry: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7732/pumpkin-curry-with-chickpeas
Carrots- No surprise, more carrots in the share this week.
Yellow onions- We may be starting to dip into our yellow "Copra" storage onions if we run out of walla wallas. They can be used interchangeably as yellow onions though, the wallas are just a bit more sweet.
Swiss chard- A nice bunch of beautiful, colorful Swiss chard. Our summer chard went down hard, but is actually springing back to life now....but our Fall chard is in midseason form.
Tomatoes and peppers- Hopefully one or two of each, the plants are still producing, but probably not for too much longer! There were a few patches of frost in the field last week, but not enough to bother the crops...the forecast continues to say lows in the 40s, but all it takes is one cooler night now to really stop these crops in their tracks!!
Large Shares only! Fall root crop bonanza...
Hakurei turnips- Nice little mild and juicy salad turnips, and don't forget the greens are great too!
Black spanish radishes- These are a more unusual vegetable, nothing like your normal radish. Try slicing them very thin or grating them and serving raw, or otherwise roast them like a turnip! They have a bit of spice and a firm crispy texture. Another farm share's blog did a better job than I could at writing them up (with recipes): https://ukcsa.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/black-spanish-radishes-a-primer/
Parsnips- Some beautiful parsnips from our friends at Kettle's Edge Farm up in Coupeville! I decided not to grow parsnips this year after having germination struggles over the last several years...
This recipe is a great description of how I like to use winter squash, potatoes, carrots, and other roots like black radishes, parsnips, beets....all in one dish.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/roasted-root-vegetables-recipe-1927925
Last week was spent bringing all of our winter squash in from the field, a very fun once-a-year project that involves lots of throwing and catching to get the squashes in and out of the truck. One of my favorite times on the farm, and we had gorgeous weather for it.
With most work on the farm done for the season, I have already launched into my winter career of carpentry beginning this week, so Jess and Brian will be in charge of packing farm shares! I will be at the farm for part of pickup, though, after about 4:30, so maybe I will still see you. I'm very happy with all the crops we still have on the farm right now.
It's October!
It's October....but no pumpkins in the share until next week!
Here's what is in your share this week....
Apples! I picked these apples from some apple trees on the property Bobbie and I used to live at in Greenbank. They are mixed varieties, all very tasty! Some may be a bit underripe and could benefit from being kept at room temperature for few more days.
Broccoli- Broccoli is back on, at long last! We've got some beautiful heads forming, in spite of the fact that the pesky deer nibbled on some of the leaves a few weeks ago. Fall broccoli is the best!
Spinach- Some nice sweet spinach....another crop that I think is best this time of year. We haven't had spinach in the share since back in June, I think, so enjoy.
Garlic- We've now sorted all of our garlic to make sure we keep enough for seed, so we have lots of nice food garlic to give out in farm shares!
Blue potatoes- These blue spuds have been in your shares a few times now as a mix with yellow and reds, but this week if we have enough we'll give you just straight blues. Potatoes instead of winter squash this week, to give you a little squash hiatus.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/blue-potatoes-mashed-with-roasted-garlic-recipe-1911752
Beets- More sweet red, gold, and chioggia beets. We have lots and lots of beets left in the field still, so they will make a few more appearances in the farm shares.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nancy-fuller/roasted-beet-salad-with-walnuts-and-goat-cheese-2383008
Solana- This is a term for the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. The plants keep chugging along in spite of some cooler nights, but they are slowing down a bit, so i'm not certain we'll have enough of any one to put in all shares. Let me know if you have a strong preference for tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants....no guarantee, but I can try to get you your preferred one if you let me know!
And also in large shares:
Leeks- Lots of beautiful leeks still out in the field.
Scarlet Runner beans- These are fresh shelling beans, in the pod, so I hope you're up for a small project! The beans are large and pretty easy to shell, but it takes a bit of time to pop them out of the pods. Then you can cook them similar to a dry bean, but as they are not fully dried, they don't need to be presoaked, and only need to boil in water for a half hour or so. They are beautiful and delicious!
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/scarlet-runner-beans-bacon-52837131
Carrots- No surprise here...these are coming from a new bed of carrots, but they are the same variety, Hilmar.
Cabbage- I hope we have enough of these beautiful green smooth leaf cabbages to put one in each of the large shares this week.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cabbage-stir-fry-with-coconut-and-lemon
As summer turns to Fall on the farm, we begin the field cleanup....bringing in the hoses, drip tape and sprinklers now that irrigation season is over, taking down the t posts and twine of trellis and row cover and mulch that has served as crop protection....and begin mowing things down, tilling them in, and planting cover crop to grow through the winter months.
The remaining potatoes and winter squash come into the barn for Fall storage, and the tractors and implements get stored out in the field until the farm reawakens in the Spring.
It has been a great Season! Some strange weather at times, and a bit of confusing crop behavior, but on the whole I am really happy with how things have turned out this year. Last week I went through my annual process of stressing out about not having planted enough food -for no particular reason- but then after we put together what I thought was a great farm share, packed a nice order for the Orchard Kitchen, and packed the farm stand to the gills with produce, I realized I was being insane.
It is always a challenge for me to stay busy and earn income in the Winter months, and this year I have gotten a great opportunity to do carpentry with Heggenes Construction. I'll be beginning that gig soon, so Brian and Jess will be doing extra work around the farm to keep the farm share going. I will still be around and seeing many of you at farm share pickup on Thursday evenings. And I haven't forgotten about getting a light in the farm stand!
Here's what is in your share this week....
Apples! I picked these apples from some apple trees on the property Bobbie and I used to live at in Greenbank. They are mixed varieties, all very tasty! Some may be a bit underripe and could benefit from being kept at room temperature for few more days.
Broccoli- Broccoli is back on, at long last! We've got some beautiful heads forming, in spite of the fact that the pesky deer nibbled on some of the leaves a few weeks ago. Fall broccoli is the best!
Spinach- Some nice sweet spinach....another crop that I think is best this time of year. We haven't had spinach in the share since back in June, I think, so enjoy.
Garlic- We've now sorted all of our garlic to make sure we keep enough for seed, so we have lots of nice food garlic to give out in farm shares!
Blue potatoes- These blue spuds have been in your shares a few times now as a mix with yellow and reds, but this week if we have enough we'll give you just straight blues. Potatoes instead of winter squash this week, to give you a little squash hiatus.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/blue-potatoes-mashed-with-roasted-garlic-recipe-1911752
Beets- More sweet red, gold, and chioggia beets. We have lots and lots of beets left in the field still, so they will make a few more appearances in the farm shares.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nancy-fuller/roasted-beet-salad-with-walnuts-and-goat-cheese-2383008
Solana- This is a term for the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. The plants keep chugging along in spite of some cooler nights, but they are slowing down a bit, so i'm not certain we'll have enough of any one to put in all shares. Let me know if you have a strong preference for tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants....no guarantee, but I can try to get you your preferred one if you let me know!
And also in large shares:
Leeks- Lots of beautiful leeks still out in the field.
Scarlet Runner beans- These are fresh shelling beans, in the pod, so I hope you're up for a small project! The beans are large and pretty easy to shell, but it takes a bit of time to pop them out of the pods. Then you can cook them similar to a dry bean, but as they are not fully dried, they don't need to be presoaked, and only need to boil in water for a half hour or so. They are beautiful and delicious!
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/scarlet-runner-beans-bacon-52837131
Carrots- No surprise here...these are coming from a new bed of carrots, but they are the same variety, Hilmar.
Cabbage- I hope we have enough of these beautiful green smooth leaf cabbages to put one in each of the large shares this week.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cabbage-stir-fry-with-coconut-and-lemon
As summer turns to Fall on the farm, we begin the field cleanup....bringing in the hoses, drip tape and sprinklers now that irrigation season is over, taking down the t posts and twine of trellis and row cover and mulch that has served as crop protection....and begin mowing things down, tilling them in, and planting cover crop to grow through the winter months.
The remaining potatoes and winter squash come into the barn for Fall storage, and the tractors and implements get stored out in the field until the farm reawakens in the Spring.
It has been a great Season! Some strange weather at times, and a bit of confusing crop behavior, but on the whole I am really happy with how things have turned out this year. Last week I went through my annual process of stressing out about not having planted enough food -for no particular reason- but then after we put together what I thought was a great farm share, packed a nice order for the Orchard Kitchen, and packed the farm stand to the gills with produce, I realized I was being insane.
It is always a challenge for me to stay busy and earn income in the Winter months, and this year I have gotten a great opportunity to do carpentry with Heggenes Construction. I'll be beginning that gig soon, so Brian and Jess will be doing extra work around the farm to keep the farm share going. I will still be around and seeing many of you at farm share pickup on Thursday evenings. And I haven't forgotten about getting a light in the farm stand!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)