It is the last week for the Extended/Flex CSA! Pick-ups are Wednesday 11am-6:30pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We will also have a pre-Thanksgiving Holiday Pop-up Store this Saturday, November 18th from 9am - 3pm which will be open to the public for walk-up sales. We will also have a more limited offering of items available during the Wednesday CSA pick-up. We accept cash, check, credit card and EBT (please note that Barrett’s Bucks expired October 28th).
We continue to chip away at all of our season ending tasks. The unusually mild fall meant that many crops survived in both the field and high tunnel longer, so we got a later start on some clean-up tasks than is typical! So far we’ve removed all the landscape fabric, plastic mulch and irrigation from our fields; we finished spreading straw mulch on our garlic and strawberries; we cleared out all of the tomato plants from the high tunnel and we took down one of our deer fences. This week we are working on clearing out the pepper high tunnel and taking down the remaining deer fences. After this week we’ll still likely have some field and high tunnel projects to work on, but after Thanksgiving we’ll be shifting towards more indoor tasks like planning for next season!
In the CSA this week:
Popcorn - These are distributed on the ear. Shelling popcorn kernels by hand is fairly straightforward - start at the wider end of the cob and use your thumbs to dislodge the first row. Once you have gotten through the first row or two the kernels usually start to come off pretty easily!
Autumn Frost squash - A specialty butternut variety that tastes very similar to butternut (but better!). The skin is edible so no need to peel.
Carrots - We will have some of our own as well as some from Picadilly Farm in Winchester, NH (Certified Organic).
Beets - From Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.
Potatoes - Russet potatoes from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.
Leeks
Onions
Garlic
Rutabaga or Radishes
Cabbage
Green peppers
Salanova Lettuce Mix or Spinach
Cold overnight temperatures over the weekend did take a toll, but we may also have parsley or sage available for PYO.
Farm Store:
Our pre-Thanksgiving Holiday Pop-up is this Saturday 9am - 3pm! We will have our own Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, garlic, cilantro, onions, leeks and popcorn. There will be a more limited veggie selection available on Wednesday for CSA members who can’t come back on Saturday. On both days we will also have cranberries from Fresh Meadows, mushrooms from Fat Moon, honey from Double B (from hives on the property), jam and raspberry vinegar from Silferleaf and yellow potatoes from Atlas Farm.
Perfect Stovetop Popcorn
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
½ cup popcorn kernels, divided
Salt, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
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.
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.
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).
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.)
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.