One of our favorite parts of fall is getting to plant a few things for the upcoming season. Last week we planted daffodils and tulips for harvest in May 2020! It was fun for us to plant for the coming spring during a week otherwise marked by endings. Last week was the final week of the Main Season CSA as well as our farm store for the 2019 season. We enjoy completing the season knowing we accomplished what we set out to do, however it will be sad not to have the energy of 235 CSA members and many farm store customers on the farm weekly and of course we join you in missing all the fresh veggies!

It’s not winter yet though! We have many Flex and Extended Season CSA members joining us for 4 more weeks of pick-ups. We will now be open only for these CSA pick-ups on Thursdays 11am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm (there are no longer Tuesday CSA pick-ups). This Thursday happens to be Halloween so any young CSA members who would like to come by for their CSA pick-up in a costume will get a honey stick treat!

This week in the CSA:

Spinach
Scallions
Lemongrass - We have been growing this in our high tunnel but soon it will be too cold for this heat loving plant, even under protection. See the Sweet Winter Slaw recipe below for one idea of how to use it!
Green Tomatoes - Fried green tomato time!
Romanesco cauliflower
Sweet Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash
Shallots
Garlic
Carrots
Cabbage - It’s cabbage slaw time! We will have purple cabbage which makes for a particularly colorful salad. See below for recipe ideas.
Radishes - Watermelon, white mini mak and purple K-N bravo varieties
Turnips - these purple topped turnips are an excellent addition to roasted vegetable medleys.
Hakurei salad turnips
Escarole - Sautee with garlic for a great side dish!
Salanova - yes, we still have salad greens!

CSA Pick-your-own:

Frosts finished off most of the PYO field, but we still have some herbs for picking, including the following: parsley (it has made a resurgence), cilantro, chives, peppermint and spearmint.

CSA Hours:

Thursday 11am-6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Fried Green Tomatoes

from pinchandswirl.com

3 medium green tomatoes about 12 ounces
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour divided
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch ground cayenne pepper
avocado oil or other high heat oil, for frying
flaky sea salt such as Maldon, for finishing

Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Whisk egg and buttermilk together in a shallow bowl. Scoop 1/4 cup flour onto a medium plate. To a second medium plate add remaining flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and cayenne; combine thoroughly with fork or small whisk.

Dredge a tomato slice in plain flour, shaking off any excess; dip in egg mixture; dredge in cornmeal until evenly coated and transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining tomato slices.

Line a plate with paper towels; set aside. In a heavy skillet (ideally cast iron) heat 1/4-inch of high heat oil to 375°. (It's important for the oil to be very hot to keep tomatoes from absorbing it. Be sure to reheat between batches!) Carefully place tomatoes into hot oil and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plate (keeping tomatoes in a single layer so they don't get soggy) and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. Serve hot.

Sweet “Winter” Slaw

Adapted from Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi

For the dressing

6 ½ tbsp lime juice
1 lemon grass stalk, chopped into small pieces
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp chilli flakes
4 tbsp light olive oil

For the salad

1 ¼ cups macadamia nuts
2 tsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp chilli flakes
6 oz shredded savoy cabbage
10 oz shredded red cabbage
1 mango cut into thin strips
1 papaya, peeled, deseeded and cut into strips
1 red chilli, deseeded and cut into thin slices
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

To make the dressing, put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a small saucepan, and reduce for five to 10 minutes, until thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat. Once it has cooled down, strain into a bowl, stir in the oil and set aside.

Put the macadamias in a hot frying pan and dry-roast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly coloured on all sides. Add the butter and, once it has melted, the sugar, salt and chilli. Use a wooden spoon to stir constantly, to keep the nuts coated in the sugar as it caramelises. Be careful because this will take only a minute or two and the nuts can burn very quickly. Turn out the nuts on to a sheet of greaseproof paper and, once cool, roughly chop them.

Put the shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl, along with the rest of the salad ingredients. Add the cool dressing, toss and taste. Add salt if you need to, and serve immediately.

Sweet potato cakes

Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

2 ¼ lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tsp soy sauce
¾ cup flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
3 tbsp scallion, chopped
½ tsp fresh chilli, finely chopped
Lots of butter, for frying

For the sauce:

3 tbsp Greek yogurt
3 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Steam the sweet potato until soft, then drain in a colander for up to an hour. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside. In a mixing bowl, work all the fritter ingredients by hand - it should be sticky, so if it's a little runny, add some flour. Melt some butter in a nonstick pan. Use a tablespoon to put mix in the frying pan and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. and fry on moderate heat until you get a nice, brown crust, turning as necessary - about six minutes. Place between two sheets of paper towels to soak up the excess butter. Serve hot or warm, with the sauce on the side.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Spinach Quiche

adapted from King Arthur Flour recipe

1 pie crust
1 medium-large yellow onion or 3 shallots
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 ½ cups butternut squash, cut into small cubes
1 cup whole milk
5 large eggs
1 tsp dried rosemary
¼ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 packed cup fresh spinach, chopped or about ¼ cup frozen spinach thawed, drained and chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Quarter the onion, and slice thinly. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and deep golden brown. This will take about 20 minutes. Right before the onion finishes cooking, add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.

While the onion is caramelizing, spread the cubed butternut squash and toss it with the remaining olive oil. Roast the squash until it starts to brown and soften. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Add the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the caramelized onions, roasted squash, grated cheese, and baby spinach. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake the quiche for about 40 to 45 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and the center should feel just set. Let it cool on a rack. Serve warm, or at room temperature.