CSA Renewals, CSA Week 16 and Farm store updates

Tomorrow is the first day of fall, many of our fields are planted in cover crop for the winter, and frost covered the farm the past two mornings (and likely will for a third day in a row tomorrow!), so it feels especially fitting to begin sign ups for the the 2021 season! We will open CSA renewals to current members this week and we will begin accepting new CSA members December 1st , 2020. Barrett’s Bucks sign-ups for 2021 will be available starting December 1st as well.

Current CSA members will be receiving an email on Wednesday with renewal details for 2021, including a few changes that we’ve made to sign-ups. We don’t know what June 2021 will look like in terms of the pandemic, but for now we will have members select specific pick up days to space out traffic. We are going back to having just three pick-up day options (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday), and the first hour of each CSA day will still be reserved for seniors and the immunocompromised. We do plan to increase flexibility in pick-up timing if conditions permit.

Another change that we have made is that we have moved up the sign-up deadlines to try to concentrate our administrative workload in the winter. The deadline for Early Bird pricing is now January 21st, 2021. Additionally, there is a needed price increase for next season. While sales in 2020 have so far increased beyond expectations, our expenses increased by more than our income due to the additional supply and labor costs needed to safely distribute our produce while also paying our workers a fair wage. Early Bird prices for 2021 will be as follows (with renewals costing $10 less): Main Season: $765, Extended Season: $900, Flex Season: $805. As always, a deposit made by the Early Bird deadline will secure the early price. Finally, in order to further address our budget shortfalls this season, as well as cut down on our administrative work, we will not be offering CSA members any Barrett’s Bucks included with their membership for the 2021 season (CSA members will still be able to set up a Barrett’s Bucks account for a lower minimum than standalone Bucks memberships). We think that the CSA is still a really great value and that the changes we’ve made will make a huge difference for us in terms of financial solvency and quality of life. As always, please let us know if you need to work out an alternative payment plan as we know that it is a difficult time in other industries as well. We hope that returning and new members will join us for all the bounty, fun in the fields, and hopefully some more relaxed time on the farm in 2021!

We are in week 16 of 20 for the 2020 Main Season CSA, so the last Main Season CSA pick-up day for 2020 will be Saturday, October 24th and the last Extended Season and Flex CSA pick-up will be Saturday November 21st . The farm store is open until October 31st . If you are a Flex member and would like to know how many pick ups you have left, feel free to ask when you check in this week (records are currently updated) or email Melissa.

In the CSA this week:

• Delicata Squash - These sweet winter squash are great as is, cut in half, seeds scooped out and then cut into “smiles” or half moons (about 1/4- 1/2” thick) to roast and enjoy! The skins are edible so no need to peel.

• Red onions - we hadn’t grown red storage onions in several years as we tried to focus on improving our yellow onion yields. Now that we’ve dialed in our onion growing strategy a bit better, we’ve gone back to growing some red storage onions, because, well, they’re delicious! These are milder than yellow storage onions, but with a bit more of a kick than the fresh onions from earlier in the season. They should be stored outside the refrigerator.

• Spinach - Our fall spinach is ready and it looks gorgeous!

• Mustard greens - a beautiful red spicy green that can be eaten cooked (it gets milder when cooked) or mixed in raw with a salad.

• Fennel - our fall planting is looking nice! We also planted some more in our high tunnel as an experiment, so we’ll see if it sizes up in time for a late fall round of baby fennel.

• Peppers or Eggplant- We had a frost, but so far the pepper and eggplant plants are still alive (though we’ll see what happens after another cold night tonight!). They have definitely slowed production, but we’re hoping to eke out one more week of one or the other in the CSA. We also still have peppers growing under the protection of our high tunnel, so even if we lose the field plants we should be safe for the rest of the week!

• Savoy Cabbage

• Curly Kale

• Carrots

• Beets

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Lettuce- red leaf and oakleaf (panisse)

• Garlic

CSA PYO:

We have had a a couple of frosts, so tender green beans and basil are done for the season.

• Herbs: cilantro, parsley, sage, thyme, oregano or mint

• The frost nipped the PYO tomatoes, hot peppers and husk cherries, but we are hoping the plants will hold on through the end of the week so that you can have one last taste of one of these three PYO favorites.

PYO Flower CSA:

The flower field was mostly knocked down by Sunday night’s frost, so it will now only be open to current Flower CSA members who still have some bouquets left to pick. The plants that survived are light on flowers, but you still might be able to scavenge some cosmos, amaranth, gomphrena, rudbeckia or salvia. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar.

In the Farm Store:

The farm store is open until October 31st, 2020. That is the last day to use 2020 Barrett’s Bucks, as balances do not carry over to the following year. In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have some tomatoes from our high tunnel, as well as scallions, broccoli, spaghetti squash, sunflowers and baby bok choy. We will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Orecchiette With Mustard Greens and Sausage

by Anna Painter from Real Simple

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (also very good with vegetarian sausage substitute)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 bunches mustard greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 pound cooked orecchiette

• Toasted bread crumbs and grated Parmesan

Cook the sausage in olive oil in a large skillet over medium until browned. Add garlic, mustard greens, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add orecchiette and toss to combine. Serve topped with bread crumbs and Parmesan.

Delicata Squash and Spinach Salad

from Green Valley Kitchen, November 30, 2014

Ingredients

• 1 delicata squash

• 1/2 bag of baby spinach – about 5 oz

• 1/3 cup of dried cranberries

• 1/3 cup of walnut pieces

• 2 tbs red onion

• 2 oz feta cheese

• 4 tbs olive oil

• 1 tbs red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 8 twists of black pepper

• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse delicata squash well. Chop off ends of squash then split squash down the middle. Scoop out seeds and slice squash into 1/2 inch slices.

3. Toss delicata squash with 1 tbs olive oil and a few twists of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Place on a baking sheet and even spread out the squash so it does not overlap.

4. Bake the squash for 20 minutes in the oven. After 10 minutes – take the squash out and flip the slices so they will be evenly browned on each side – but the pan back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

5. While the squash is cooking, wash spinach and add to a bowl.

6. Add cranberries and walnuts to the bowl of spinach.

7. Mince red onion and dice feta cheese. Add red onion to the bowl of spinach.

8. Whisk together the remaining 3 tbs of olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and a few twists of black pepper. Pour 3/4 over spinach salad and toss to combine. Add diced feta cheese and toss gently to combine.

9. Drizzle remaining dressing over squash slices (once they are out of the oven). Add squash to salad and toss very gently. I kept a couple of slices aside and then added to the top of the salad for presentation.

CSA Week 15 and Farm Store Updates

It feels like we have pretty abruptly transitioned from summer crops to fall crops in the past week. While we are still harvesting some tomatoes, peppers and eggplant from the high tunnels and fields, the shorter days have contributed to dramatically slower fruit growth. Though it is warmer in the high tunnels and the plants look very healthy, you can’t make up for shorter day length (unless you want to use a lot of electricity and invest heavily in supplemental lighting!). Once we hit late August and day lengths started to be closer to 13 hours per day, the plants just stopped churning out new ripe fruit every day. With the cooler weather, though, it is a nice time for cooking some of the gorgeous fall crops we have coming on. We’ve been enjoying a lovely beet crop for a few weeks now, and the first succession of fall carrots finally sized up for harvest last week. Brassicas also thrive in this weather - broccoli, Tendersweet cabbage and dinosaur kale are welcome additions to the mix this week.

The cooler weather and shorter days are also ushering in a later start time for our crew a few days per week. Melissa and I have been starting administrative, cleaning, organizing and sanitizing work long before the crew arrives at 7am in order to prep for the day (we always started earlier in normal years, but the pandemic has really increased the morning work load!). Even with help from Sarah before the rest of the crew arrives it has been hard to keep up, and it’s starting to get a little dreary working in the dark, so now that we’ve completed our fall crew hiring we’ve pushed the crew back to starting at 8am a few days per week to give ourselves a little breathing room after a tough summer!

In the CSA this week:

• Broccoli! - we do not spray our broccoli at all, so there is some “wildlife” in the broccoli heads. Soak the heads in warm water with a little salt to entice out cabbage worms before prepping for cooking.

• Tendersweet cabbage - the name says it all. Perfect for coleslaw or as a shredded addition to tacos!

• Dinosaur kale - also known as toscano or lacinato, these flat leaves cook evenly and are great for making kale chips.

• Scallions - after a summer hiatus, they’re back!

• Acorn squash - unlike the red kuri and buttercup squash, these squash skins are thicker (and less tasty), so they are well-suited for stuffing.

• Carrots

• Beets

• Buttercup or Red Kuri Squash or Spaghetti Squash - you’ll have a choice of one of these.

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Arugula

• Garlic

• Curly Green Kale

• Lettuce

• Green peppers

• Colored Peppers or Eggplant - we don’t have enough for unlimited supplies of both all week, so you’ll see one of these as an option.

CSA PYO:

Please bring scissors from home for your herb picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Green Beans

• Cherry tomatoes - we’re still seeing a bit of splitting from another rain last week, but all varieties are in pretty similar shape this week. It takes a little longer to fill a pint container than it used to. Definitely past peak flavor, but they’ll likely hang on until our first frost.

• Hot peppers or husk cherries - you’ll have a choice between the two.

• Herbs: sage, cilantro, basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley are available this week.

• Sunflowers

PYO Flower CSA:

The flower field is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase PYO flowers by the jar. Picking is open anytime the Farm Store is open: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Zinnias are the highlight right now! Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar. We are short on jars so if you have a quart mason jar at home bring in along! Check in at the farm stand before picking.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have some tomatoes and radishes. We will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Roasted Veggies

by Lauren Kenson, freeyourfork.com

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash

• 4 c broccoli florets

• 2 c shiitake mushrooms, chopped into ½” pieces

• 4 tbs avocado oil

• ½ tbs dried thyme

• salt

• ½ c tomato sauce*

OPTIONAL

• shredded cheese*

• red pepper flakes

1. PREHEAT OVEN: to 375 F and prepare a baking sheet with foil (can also use bare sheet tray if preferred).

2. CUT + SEED SQUASH: Cut the acorn squash down the middle (from the top stem to the pointy end). Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and set these aside (either discard them or roast them another time as a snack). Rub ½ tbs avocado oil onto just the cut-side of each half (don’t rub it onto the green skin) and place them cut side up on the sheet tray. Sprinkle with salt and the dried thyme and roast for 35 min.

3. ADD VEGETABLES: Take out the sheet tray with the acorn squash. Then add the broccoli and mushrooms to it. Toss them in avocado oil and salt them before returning entire sheet tray to oven and roast for another 40 min (taking the tray out once halfway through to flip the veggies around). You want to roast the vegetables until browned on the ends and roast the squash until it has softened.

4. STUFF THE SQUASH: Remove the tray from the oven and set your temperature to broil on high. Using a fork, lightly smash the squash flesh (leaving the skin intact) so it resembles mashed potato texture. Press the mixture to the sides to make room for the roasted veggies and sauce. Spoon half the tomato sauce into each squash half. Then add half the roasted veggies to each half. Top with a sprinkle of cheese (if using) and return to the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese has just melted on top. Remove and enjoy immediately. The skin is edible if you wish to eat it, but it also comes off quite easily if you don’t.

Notes

TO KEEP DISH VEGAN FRIENDLY: Omit the cheese or use a vegan-friendly cheese option.

Ag Week, CSA Week 14 and Farm Store Updates

Happy September! Many of you might remember we typically participate in the Concord Ag Day Farmers’ Market this time of year. This year, the Concord Ag Committee still wanted to celebrate but felt that due to COVID-19 a socially distanced week-long celebration would be a better alternative to the usual crowded one-day market event. So, the 15th Annual Concord Ag Day is Concord Ag Week this year! All week, September 8-12th, different events and promotions are happening around town at Concord farm stands. Details and event sign-ups are available at www.concordagday.com. In addition, you can participate just by shopping at a Concord farm this week! Take a photo of yourself at a farm and/or your veggies and tag @farmsofconcord (or email Melissa if you don’t have Instagram) and you will be entered in a raffle to win a Farm Bounty Basket full of Concord farm goodies!

In the CSA this week:

• Carrots - The first of our fall plantings!

• Red Radishes - It’s finally cool enough to grow radishes, which we haven’t seen since spring!

• Buttercup or Red Kuri Squash - Both these winter squash varieties have edible skin which makes them easy to cook! It does mean that their skins are not as tough and therefore don’t store as long so we will be distributing them first, and will follow up later with our longer term storage winter squash varieties.

• Baby Bok Choy

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Arugula

• Beets- red ace or golden

• Garlic

• Curly Green Kale

• Lettuce

• Spaghetti Squash

• Slicing Tomatoes - With the shorter days the tomatoes are slowing down.

• Peppers

• Eggplant

• Swiss chard

CSA PYO:

Please bring scissors from home for your herb picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Sunflowers

• Green Beans

• Cherry tomatoes - The rain last week caused a lot of splitting, so picking has become a little more time consuming. Sungolds are sparse this week, but the grape varieties (including Red Grape, Galaxy, Moonbeam and Midnight Pear) tend to hold up better in these conditions.

• Hot peppers - jalapeño, Fresno, Aji Rico, Hungarian hot wax, shishito

• Herbs: sage, cilantro, basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley are available this week.

PYO Flower CSA:

The flower field is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase PYO flowers by the jar. Picking is open anytime the Farm Store is open: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Zinnias are the highlight right now! The branching sunflowers in the flower field have also made a comeback. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar. We are short on jars so if you have a quart mason jar at home bring in along! Check in at the farm stand before picking.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property) and sweet corn from Verrill Farm. Fat Moon mushrooms have returned, in limited quantities right now. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Red Kuri Squash Curry with Chard

By Erin Alderson: https://naturallyella.com/kuri-squash-curry

• 1 small onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 bunch of Swiss chard (about 6 ounces)

• 1 red kuri squash (about 2 pounds)

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder

• 2 teaspoon fresh ginger

• Salt and pepper (to taste)

• 1 can coconut milk (13.5 fl oz)

• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

• Cilantro (for topping)

• Brown rice (for serving)

1. Dice onion and mince garlic cloves. Remove stems from Swiss chard and slice greens into 1/2 inch wide ribbons. Remove stem of squash. Cut in half and scoop out seeds. Cube squash into 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes.

2. Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder, ginger, and salt and pepper. Let cook about 1 minute.

3. Add cubed squash and stir until squash is well coated. Pour in coconut milk followed by the broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and let cook 30 to 40 minutes, until squash is very tender.

4. Stir in Swiss chard and let cook until wilted, about 5 more minutes.

5. Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro over brown rice.

CSA Week 13 and Farm Store Updates

It rained! While it made CSA pick-your-own an adventure for some last week, we are celebrating the win of this nicely time rain for recently seeded cover crop! We now have oats and peas coming up where spring greens and early squash plantings used to be, and clover and rye has been seeded in some fall brassica pathways, an attempt to provide cover to an area that won’t be cleared in time to germinate seed before winter. Cover cropping is an important way we take care of the fields for the following year so we can sleep a little better now knowing that many of our fields have their winter cover started!

While we are preparing for winter there is still plenty of time left in the farm season! We are in week 13 of 20 for the Main Season CSA, and then the Extended Season CSA will continue for 4 more weeks after that for a total of 24 weeks. The farm store will be open until October 31st! We are welcoming many new crew members on the farm this week who we have hired to help us finish up the season now that much of our summer crew is back at college or their school year jobs. One new face you all will see when arriving on the farm is Megan, our new shopkeeper this fall! Jennifer and Evita will also be new helpers around the CSA and farm stand, and Maria, Jeffrey and Marni will be out in the fields helping us bring it all in!

In the CSA this week:

• Baby Bok Choy - This crowd favorite is back for at least a couple of weeks. It is great raw, sauteed, and even grilled!

• Salanova Lettuce Mix - Needs no introduction! We should have salanova available in the CSA and farm store for most remaining weeks now that the weather has cooled down.

• Beets- red ace or golden. The greens are still nice enough to cook! Later in the fall we will start topping them and giving them out without the greens.

• Leeks - This variety is our favorite called megaton and lives up to it’s name with it’s larger size even this time of year.

• Garlic

• Curly Green Kale

• Lettuce

• Spaghetti Squash

• Slicing Tomatoes

• Colored sweet peppers

• Green peppers

• Eggplant

• Cucumbers

• Summer Squash

CSA PYO:

Please bring scissors from home for your herb picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Green Beans - Beans are back! We have 2 plantings for the early fall.

• Cherry tomatoes - Sungold (orange), Cherry bomb (red), Jasper (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Mountain Magic (red), Yellow mini (yellow), Sunpeach (pink), Black cherry (deep brownish purple), Supernova (red with yellow flecks), Moonbeam (pale yellow), Midnight pear (brownish purple).

• Hot peppers - jalapeño, Fresno, Aji Rico, Hungarian hot wax, shishito

• Herbs: sage, thyme, oregano, cilantro, basil, and parsley are available this week.

PYO Flower CSA:

The flower field is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase PYO flowers by the jar. Picking is open anytime the Farm Store is open: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Zinnas are the highlight right now! The branching sunflowers in the flower field have also made a comeback. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar! Check in at the farm stand before picking.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property) and sweet corn from Verrill Farm. Fat Moon is taking a break from mushrooms right now, but will be back soon. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Leek, Cherry Tomato and Pecorino Pizza

Adapted from Food & Wine, October 2009

·   All-purpose flour, for dusting

·   1 1/2 pounds pizza dough, cut into 8 pieces

·   1/4 cup plus olive oil, plus more for brushing

·   2 large leeks, sliced 1/4 inch thick

·   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·   32 cherry tomatoes, halved

·   1/4 pound truffled pecorino cheese, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 500°. Heat a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes. (Alternatively, heat a large inverted baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven for 5 minutes.) On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough to a 7-inch round. Oil 3 large baking sheets and place the dough rounds on the sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 8 minutes; transfer to a plate. Generously flour a pizza peel. Place a dough round on the peel and brush with olive oil. Top with some of the leeks, tomatoes and pecorino cheese. Slide the dough round onto the hot stone or baking sheet and bake for about 4 minutes, until bubbling and crisp. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve.

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad

from Frankies Spuntino

We worked with someone who had worked for years at the restaurant Frankies 457 in Brooklyn, NY before transitioning to farming and this was the crew’s favorite dish!

•  4 medium beets (about 1/2 pound each), scrubbed

•  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

•  1/2 cup water

•  Salt and freshly ground white pepper

•  1 cipollini onion, finely chopped, or 1/3 cup finely chopped sweet Spanish or white onion

•  2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

•  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

•  1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

•  1 teaspoon honey

•  1/2 cup grapeseed oil or other mild vegetable oil

•  2 Hass avocados, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small baking dish, rub the beets with olive oil. Add the water and season with salt and white pepper. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool, then peel the beets and cut them into 3/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the chopped onion with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and honey. Season with salt and white pepper and blend until smooth. With the machine on, add the grapeseed oil and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a steady stream. Add the avocado to the roasted beets. Pour the onion dressing on top and toss gently to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve.

Blistered Beans With Tomato-Almond Pesto

By Chris Morocco, Bon Appétit November 2015

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes

• 1/4 cup unsalted, roasted almonds

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• 3 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 2 pounds green beans, trimmed

Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, turning once, until blistered and lightly charred, 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Finely chop almonds in a food processor. Add garlic, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and half of tomatoes; pulse to a coarse pesto consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add half of beans; cook, undisturbed, until beginning to blister, about 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 7–9 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Spread beans out on a platter; let cool. Repeat with remaining vegetable oil and beans. Toss beans with pesto; season with salt and pepper if needed. Add remaining tomatoes and transfer to a platter.

CSA Week 12, Time slot selection and Farm Store Updates

CSA members should look out for an email this week asking them to sign up for a pick-up time slot for September and October. Check your “spam” or “promotions” folder if you don’t see it by tomorrow night. This will be the last time slot sign-up for Main Season members (Flex and Extended members, there will be one more sign-up for November pick-ups). Please note that you still will need to select a time slot even if you want to keep the same time. Sign ups will open Thursday, August 27th at 6pm and close Sunday August 30th at 11:59pm.

In the fields we are busy harvesting! Storage onions are curing in the greenhouse, we are working to bring in our acre of winter squash, and of course we have our daily harvests of greens, squash, tomatoes and more to get ready for the CSA and farm store each day! With all that harvesting it can be tricky to fit in any other field work but we continue to plant lettuce in the field weekly, and Lise managed to time field prep just right to get cover crop in before the rain this weekend! We are also working with the Concord Ag Committee on a plan for Ag Week September 8th-12th (in place of the annual Ag Day farmers market due to COVID-19). There will be promotions and activities on farms all around town that week to celebrate local agriculture while staying safe and distanced! Stay tuned for details on Concord farmers’ Instagram @farmsofconcord.

In the CSA this week:

• Golden beets - We grow just two plantings a year as golden beets are tough to germinate so we need to start them in the greenhouse before planting into the fields. They are just as sweet as red beets but without the mess!

• Leeks - The first of the season! We will have leeks available on and off throughout the fall.

• Garlic

• Swiss chard

• Curly Green Kale

• Spaghetti Squash

• Heirloom Tomatoes

• Slicing Tomatoes

• Colored sweet peppers

• Green peppers

• Eggplant

• Cucumbers

• Summer Squash and zucchini

• Arugula

• Lettuce

• Celery - This planting didn’t get enough water so it’s small but packed with flavor.

CSA PYO:

Please bring scissors from home for your herb picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Herbs: basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, sage and thyme

• Cherry tomatoes - All varieties are now available: Sungold (orange), Cherry bomb (red), Jasper (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Mountain Magic (red), Yellow mini (yellow), Sunpeach (pink), Black cherry (deep brownish purple), Supernova (red with yellow flecks), Moonbeam (pale yellow), Midnight pear (brownish purple).

• Husk Cherries - A relative of the tomato. Pick the fruit that have brown husks and have fallen off the plant. Remove the husk before eating (the ripe berry will be yellow inside).

• Hot peppers - jalapeño, Fresno, Aji Rico, Hungarian hot wax, shishito

  Coming up next week in the pyo field: Green beans! We have a couple plantings on their way for late August/early September. We also have three more plantings of sunflowers this season, the first is likely to bloom in the next week or two.

Pick-your-own Flower CSA

The flower field is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase PYO flowers by the jar. Picking is open anytime the Farm Store is open: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, bachelor’s buttons, bells of Ireland, scabiosa, didiscus, cosmos, snapdragons, rudbeckia, dill flowers, decorative basil, strawflower, gomphrena, sweet Annie, amaranth, and verbena. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar! Check in at the farm stand before picking.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property) and sweet corn from Verrill Farm. Fat Moon is taking a break from mushrooms right now, but will be back in early September. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Leeks

·       1 cooked spaghetti squash

·       1 medium leek, sliced thinly (white and pale green part)

·       1 large garlic clove, chopped

·       2 tablespoons olive oil

·       4 tomatoes, chopped (4 cups)

·       1/4 cup basil

·       salt and pepper

·       2 tablespoons butter

·       1/4 cup grated parmesan

·       2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the ends from the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard. Use a deep baking pan and fill with about an inch of water. Place the squash cut side down in the water. Bake for about 30 mins or until the squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a knife. Let cool. Sauté leek and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper, and basil. Simmer together about 5 minutes more. Shred the spaghetti squash flesh with a fork, keeping it inside the shell. Toss with butter. Spoon mixture on top of shredded squash, top with parmesan and bacon.

Leek and Swiss Chard Tart
Original recipe from Bon Appetit, October 1999 as posted on Smitten Kitchen: https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/leek-and-swiss-chard-tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed (I used a basic tartdough instead)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream (I used whole milk)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Roll out pastry on floured work surface to 12-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold under; crimp edges. Cover; chill.

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in cooled leek mixture. Pour filling into crust.

Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 15 minutes longer (this took my oven about 10 minutes longer). Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.