Welcome to CSA Week 17!
Fewer crickets are serenading us in the evening and lightening bugs have disappeared. The honeybees seem busier then normal while the cool winds give them less to pollinate in the fields. Walking down the hill to our lower fields the trees are starting to drape an array of bright fall colors against the growing greens that we planted this season. This view point of the farm is a special one that encompasses our season's progress. It's not just the fact we can admire our work here that our farm crew passionately devoted their time and physical strength to. It's the fact that we have this area of farmland that seems so far and few in between. The opportunity that we have here to be able to grow vegetables, fruit, raise honeybees, poultry, eggs and hogs to share with you is what makes this open space a thankful welcome everyday we come to work here.
Your vegetable bounty this week:
Arugula Salad Mix
Sweet Potatoes
Spinach
Golden Turnips
Red Cabbage
Beauty Heart Radishes
French Fingerling Potatoes
Red Storage Onions
Gold Romano Beans
Sweet Potatoes are a challenge to grow these days because of a simple disease they often develop called Scurf. There is not much that can be done about this disease and often farmers opt out of growing these wonderful potatoes. As we harvested our crop we noticed that some of these potatoes have Scurf. Scurf is not harmful, not at all, it's simply brown spots on the skin that make them look truly ugly and most people would never buy them looking like that at the grocery store. At one point we thought not to share this bounty with our members because we didn't want to scare you off but then we thought that there is no way that our members would be fearful of blemish marks on the skin of the potato! Once the skin is removed there is no Scurf on the flesh. It's simply a wonderful tasting, beautifuly roasted or boiled and mashed Sweet Potato! Enjoy!
Tuesday morning was busy with harvesting our first Fall Golden Turnips!
Golden Turnips, the gold ball, is a light "fall" turnip flavor and has a stronger flavor compared to the other turnips (such as Hakuries) that we've shared with you earlier this season. This Golden Turnip will not overwhelm your dish but will great compliment it. Try these roasted with apples and a sprinkle of brown sugar or use it like you would with any potato, mashed, gratin, french fried or roasted with other root veggies.
These bright, shiny red onions can be used now or stored in a cool dry area of your kitchen counter for later use. These red onions are mostly use in salads and salsas to show off their rich red color. I find with their sweetness it makes a great pair sauteed with swiss chard or kale and adds a nice touch to roasted chicken!
Kids as well as adults will be asking for seconds with these potatoes! This thin, rose colored skin potato has a great earthy and buttery flavor that is wonderul roasted. Simply cut lengthwise in quarters and toss in olive oil and a bit of salt and roast these up served with any meal. They also hold up well in your soup and of course we're in the season for stew! Enjoy!
That's right! We are harvesting Gold Romano Beans in October!
Last week when cold nights were in forecast we ran to our bean plantings and covered them with a cotton cloth, Agribon, which gave a nice blanket for these plants. It's unusual for a midwestern farm to harveset beans like these in the chill of fall weather, enjoy!
These Beauty Heart Radish may look dull on the outside but once these are sliced you'll really admire them. They have a nice crisp to them that would make a great addition to any salad or slaw and have a mildly sweet/peppery flavor that are great in soups or stews.
Four things you'll need: Spinach, garlic, olive oil and a friend to share the meal with.
Other happenings on the farm.........
Last week time was spent taking off tomato twine and pulling tomato plants from the ground. Next: popping out 1000 steel posts from the ground!
Lettuce heads growing under protective cloth.
Brussels Sprouts love this cool weather! We should see these by the end of the season!
News!
Our Fall Extended CSA has only a few spots left! If you'd like to sign up please see me on Thursday between 4 and 7pm or send me an email with your request. We look forward to our Fall Harvest!
Our farm stand will have a few varieties of apples for sale along with a varieties of vegetables and decorative bundled broom corn, honey and maple syrup available for sale.
We hope you enjoy your bounty this week!
Your farmers,
Tania and Chris Cubberly along with our crew, Michael, Charlie, Armando, Francisco and Joe!
