This is the last week for the Main Season CSA, and it is always a little bittersweet for us. We feel a sense of relief that we made it through the busiest part of the season and soon have two-day weekends to look forward to, but we are also sad that we won't see as much of all our wonderful members until next June! This year in particular we feel so much gratitude to our CSA and Barrett's Bucks members for their early commitment to the farm. We can't emphasize enough how you all made it possible for us to weather a challenging season. As farmers we are at the mercy of nature, and that means there is an element of unpredictability to every season. Farm memberships bring stability and a little more predictability to our business. They are essential to our ability to increase our growing acreage, expand the amount of hours we are open, hire more people and invest in the infrastructure needed to make this farm resilient and financially viable in the long term. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this farm's growth!
I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, though - after the Main Season CSA ends on October 22nd, we still have another week of the store being open, and we also have our new November CSA to look forward to! In addition, we will once again be offering everyone the option to pre-order certain crops for pick-up on Saturday, October 29th or Thursday, November 17th (crops available for pre-order will be a more limited selection than what is available in the November CSA). The last store day will be Saturday, October 29th, which is also the last day to use up any remaining Barrett's Bucks (Barrett's Bucks members may use remaining Bucks balances toward the bulk order as long as the order is placed by the 29th).
In the CSA:
- Purple and green storage cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Shallots or onions
- Daikon radish - This radish is spicy - great for kimchi or for pickling with carrots!
- Watermelon radish- Great grated or thinly sliced in salads.
- Tomatoes- these were picked before a recent frost. Some are still green, but those are perfect for making fried green tomatoes!
- Potatoes
- Pie pumpkins, buttercup or acorn squash
- Butternut squash
- Fennel
- Leeks
- Garlic
- Celery
- Celeriac
- Turnips
- Beets
- Carrots
- Kale
- Arugula or Red russian Kale
- Lettuce
CSA PYO:
Most of our warmer weather crops succumbed to our fourth frost last Friday night. We still have some herbs avilable for picking, though: parsley, cilantro and dill!
In the store: Everything available in the CSA will also be available in the store. In addition, we will have scallions, collards, spinach, escarole, romanesco cauliflower, eggplant, eggs from Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds, and mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm. We also have jack-o-lanterns from Kenney Farm right here here in Concord!
Farm store hours:
- Tuesdays & Thursdays 11am - 6pm*
- Wednesdays and Fridays 2pm - 6pm
- Saturdays 10am - 3pm*
*Hours in bold with an asterix are also CSA pick-up hours. The last day for CSA pick-ups will be October 22nd.
Vietnamese Pickled Daikon Radish and Carrots
- 1/2 lb. carrots- julienned or cut into thin match-like strips
- 1/2 lb. daikon radish, cut same as carrots
- 4 cups water, slightly warm enough to dissolve the salt and sugar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 6 tablespoons distilled or rice vinegar
In large pitcher or large bowl, mix water, vinegar, sugar and salt till everything is dissolved and combined well. Place carrots and daikon in a clean, sterile jar and fill vinegar till jar is full. Cover jars and set in the refrigerator to pickle for about 3 days. Pickles can last for about 3 weeks in the fridge.
Red Cabbage Glazed With Maple Syrup
by Marialisa Calta from NY Times Cooking
- 5 strips bacon, minced
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 medium firm, tart apple, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 pound red cabbage (about 1/2 head), cored, outer leaves removed and remainder shredded
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup maple syrup
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In an oven-proof saucepan or a flame-proof casserole large enough to hold all the ingredients, saute the bacon until crisp. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and bake in the oven for 1/2 hour.
Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Winter Squash Hash
By Martha Rose Shulman at cooking.nytimes.com
- 1 ½ pounds winter squash, halved, seeds and membranes scraped away
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, preferably small ones
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup cooked black rice
- Poached eggs for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, and lightly oil the foil. Brush the cut sides of the squash with olive oil, and set on the baking sheet with the cut sides down. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until easily pierced with a paring knife. Remove from the heat, allow to cool until it can be handled, and peel and dice.
While the squash is in the oven, trim away the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts and cut into quarters. Heat the oil over medium-high in a large, heavy skillet. Add the Brussels sprouts. Cook, stirring often or tossing in the pan, until just tender and the edges are seared light brown, about five minutes. Add salt to taste, and stir in the scallions and garlic. Stir together for a few minutes until the scallions and garlic are fragrant. Stir in the squash. Cook, stirring often, until the squash has caramelized lightly, about 10 minutes. It’s fine if the squash falls apart in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the dissolved tomato paste. Continue to cook, stirring, until the tomato paste has caramelized, about five minutes. The tomato paste mixture will no longer be visible, but there should be rusty-colored traces on the bottom of your skillet. Stir in the black rice. Heat through, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve, topped with a poached egg if desired.