Week 1: Fall Veggie & Egg Shares

This week is the first week for fall CSA share and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind -- and it’s not just the windy weather!


Fall on the Farm

It has been a rough week to work out side, I find being out in the strong wind as exhausting as the long hot days of summer(plus I had to run around and make sure everything was buttoned down so it wouldn't blow away). Luckily we didn't have any serious damage and it seems like most of the wind has past.

Fall is definitely a time of adjustment. We’ve just completed our summer CSA (thank you to member who have stayed with us this fall!), completed our summer markets (thank you to those joining us from the markets!) and we’re starting a new adventure (thank you to YOU for joining us for our inaugural fall share!).

The fall veggie share came to us last fall when we had a lot food left in the field in late October/November. Many of our crops enjoy the cooler weather and actually, taste much better because of those deep frosts. We wanted to offer these veggies to our customers and continue to farm as long as we could.

It’s our goal to eventually farm year-round. Unlike farms in warmer climates, this takes a good deal of planning and creative thinking. One way we’re doing this is that we’ve built a hoop house structure this year to extend our egg season. The chickens don't mind the cold, but aren't wild about the snow and will produce more eggs if they don't need to put all their energy doesn't go towards keeping them warm….so they’ll be spending their fall/winter months in a hoop house, which is essentially a green-house built on soil (rather than a gravel/fabric flooring). The chickens tend to slow in their egg production with less sunlight, but we’re still expecting an egg every other day from our 150 chickens. We’re also increasing the size of our flock by 175 next week. They’ll be kept in a separate structure and you’ll likely see eggs from them next year.

We’ll continue to share more about the happenings during the fall at the farm in weeks to come…until then, enjoy your fall-sweetened veggies and eggs this week!

In your veggie CSA box, you’ll find:

• Baby Salad Mix - Sweet and tender
• Mesclun Mix - A mix with some spicy mustards and sweet asian greens
• Parsnips - While parsnips can be eaten raw, they are more commonly served cooked. Parsnips can be boiled, roasted or used in stews, soups and casseroles. Larger parsnips may have a tough core which should be removed.
• Turnips - Cook like a potato, roasted boiled, mashed etc. Smaller one don't need to be peeled whereas you will probably want to peel the larger ones.
• Rutabaga - Sometimes called swedes or yellow turnips. Rutabagas can be cooked just like a turnip or potato.
• Russet Potatoes - These are little guys but are delicious roasted.
• Butternut Squash
• Broccoli (see photo above) - I love broccoli this time of year, it is a joy to grow and has the best flavor. As I harvested broccoli this morning I was amazed at how big and beautiful it had gotten in this cool weather.
• French Breakfast Radishes - French Breakfast radishes have a more mild flavor than regular radishes and after a couple frosts their sweetness really comes through.
• Mustard Greens - With a distinct horseradish-mustard flavor mustards are delicious sauteed, in stir fries and in soups.
• Cipolini Onions - A rich flavored onion of Italian origin, cipolinis are perfect for roasting which really brings out their sweetness and flavor.
• Garlic

Recipes
Cider-Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables This would be delicious with the parsnips, cipolinis, turnips, rutabagas and potatoes. Regular apple cider would be fine. Also, keep an eye on them the cooking time in the recipe might be a little long.

Mustard Greens with Chipotle and Bacon

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens

Silky Butternut Squash Soup

If you don’t own a folding steamer basket, a pasta pot with a removable pasta insert works well. Some nice garnishes for the soup are freshly grated nutmeg, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of paprika, or Buttered Cinnamon-Sugar Croutons (see related recipe).

INGREDIENTS

Silky Butternut Squash Soup
4	tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2	medium shallots , minced (about 4 tablespoons)
3	pounds butternut squash (about 1 large), unpeeled, squash halved lengthwise, seeds and stringy fibers scraped with spoon and reserved (about 1/4 cup), and each half cut into quarters
6	cups water 6
	Salt
1/2	cup heavy cream
1	teaspoon dark brown sugar
Cinnamon-Sugar Croutons
4	slices white sandwich bread , cut into 1/2-inch cubes with crusts removed
2	tablespoons melted butter
4	teaspoons sugar
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the Soup
   1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat until foaming; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add squash scrapings and seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and butter turns saffron color, about 4 minutes. Add 6 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, place squash cut-side down in steamer basket, and lower basket into pot. Cover and steam until squash is completely tender, about 30 minutes. Off heat, use tongs to transfer squash to rimmed baking sheet; reserve steaming liquid. When cool enough to handle, use large spoon to scrape flesh from skin into medium bowl; discard skin.

2. 2. Pour reserved steaming liquid through mesh strainer into second bowl; discard solids in strainer. Rinse and dry Dutch oven.

3. 3. In blender, puree squash and reserved liquid in batches, pulsing on low until smooth. Transfer puree to Dutch oven; stir in cream and brown sugar and heat over medium-low heat until hot. Add salt to taste; serve immediately.

4. For the Croutons
   1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the bread cubes with melted butter in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the bread cubes and toss to combine.

5. 2. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes (The croutons can be stored in an airtight container for several days.) Sprinkle over soup just before serving.

Let us know if you have any questions,
Jeff, Jen, Owen & Gavin