Extended/Flex CSA Week 23 (of 24)

What a change in weather! We went from snow and sub-freezing temps to unseasonably warm days. Unfortunately, crops that normally easily survive into late November (like kale, cauliflower, rutabaga, celeriac and Brussels sprouts) were irreparably damaged by the hard freeze on October 31st. By the end of last week, the brassica field looked like it normally looks in mid December! The last CSA pick up is next week so we will get the last surviving crops out of the field soon and start taking down fences (and putting up others - we use smaller fences to protect some overwintered crops from coyotes over the winter). We are continuing to prepare for winter weather to settle in for good by pulling the last landscape fabric and plastic out of the fields, rolling up all the irrigation, and making space to put away the tractors and equipment. No sooner do we start tucking things away for the winter then we start planning and purchasing supplies for next year. Four 2-yard sling bags of potting soil already arrived last week for the 2021 greenhouse season! CSA renewals continue to arrive in the mail and we anticipate selling out earlier than ever this year, so be sure to get in touch if you are planning on returning. CSA memberships will open to new members December 1st. PYO Flower CSA memberships are also available now; Barrett’s Bucks sign-ups will begin after the new year.

In the CSA this week (Thursday and Saturday):

• Popcorn- Take the kernels off the cob by hand and pop in oil on the stovetop or place the whole cob in a paper bag in the microwave! See recipe below for stovetop popping suggestions.

• Potatoes - Due to our poor crop yields resulting from the drought, we purchased these organic potatoes from Atlas Farm in Western, MA.

• Butternut squash

• Leeks

• Watermelon radishes

• Carrots

• Beets

• Green peppers - the last of the high tunnel pepper crop (cleared out just before the snow).

• Purple top turnips

• Cabbage

• Spinach

• Lettuce

• Kale- A more limited quantity than usual this time of year because our field crop was severely damaged by the extremely cold temperatures at the end of October.

• Yellow onions - These have been cured and so should ideally be kept in a cool, dry and dark place (not for fridge storage).

• Garlic

  Coming up next week: The last CSA pick up of the year is next week and will include many of the items listed as well as shallots and Salanova from our high tunnel.

PYO: We plan to continue picking parsley, thyme and sage as long as we don’t have another hard freeze in these last two weeks of the CSA.

Farm Store: The farm store is closed for the 2020 season. We will have Silferleaf Farm raspberry jam and Double B honey (from hives on the property) for sale during CSA pick-ups this week. It is possible we will open for pre-orders via our online store for a day or two in the coming weeks. If that’s the case we will send out an email in advance to announce it.

Kale plants killed by the sudden cold temperatures at the end of October.

Perfect Stovetop Popcorn

By Cookies and Kate: https://cookieandkate.com/perfect-stovetop-popcorn-recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil

• ½ cup popcorn kernels, divided

• Salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil and 2 popcorn kernels. Cover the pot and wait for the kernels to pop, which might take a few minutes. In the meantime, place a large serving bowl near the stove so it’s ready when you need it.

2. Once the kernels pop, turn off the burner, remove the pot from the heat and pour in the remaining popcorn kernels. Cover the pot again, and give the pot a little shimmy to distribute the kernels evenly. Let the pot rest for 60 seconds to make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot before the kernels are ready to pop.

3. Turn the heat back up to medium, put the pot back onto the burner and continue cooking the popcorn, carefully shimmying the pot occasionally to cook the kernels evenly. Once the kernels start popping, tip the lid just a touch to allow steam to escape (see photo).

4. Continue cooking until the popping sound slows to about one pop per every few seconds. (If the popcorn tries to overflow the pot, just tip the upper portion of popcorn into your bowl and return it to the heat.)

5. Remove the lid and dump the popcorn into your serving bowl. Sprinkle the popcorn with a couple pinches of salt, to taste, and any other topping you would like. Toss the popcorn and serve immediately, for best flavor and texture. The popcorn will taste good for several hours, though.

Roasted Vegetables

By Melissa Clark

2 to 3 pounds root or dense vegetable, peeled if you like and cut into 1-inch chunks or wedges (carrots, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, radishes, rutabaga, winter squashes)

INGREDIENTS

• Oil (olive, coconut or grapeseed)

• Salt and pepper

• Fried eggs and/or plain yogurt

• Fresh herbs, torn or chopped

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast, 30 minutes to an hour, stirring at least once or twice during roasting for even cooking and browning.

2. Serve with fried eggs and/or yogurt, ground black pepper and plenty of torn herbs on top.

Cabbage-Radish Slaw With Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Recipe from Tara DugganAdapted by Kim Severson

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SLAW

• ½ small head green cabbage

• ½ small head savoy cabbage (or red cabbage)

• 1 medium watermelon radish

• 2 poblano chilies

FOR THE CILANTRO-LIME VINAIGRETTE

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, more to taste

• ½ cup minced fresh cilantro

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• Pinch cayenne pepper

• ¼ teaspoon sugar

• 3 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

PREPARATION

1. Make slaw: Remove tough outer leaves of cabbage halves and core halves. Using a food processor, a mandoline or a knife, shred cabbage as finely as possible.

2. Peel watermelon radish and cut into matchsticks, then cut matchsticks in half. Alternatively, trim radishes and roughly chop. Stem chilies and deseed them, then chop in pieces smaller than a dime. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Set aside.

3. Make vinaigrette: In small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except oil. Let cilantro steep in mixture for a few minutes, then whisk in the oil in a steady stream to emulsify.

4. Taste and add more lime juice, salt or pepper if needed. Pour over slaw and blend well. Serve.