CSA Newsletter - Sept. 19, 2020 - Week 15

 

Winter Squash harvest almost complete - photo by Ashleh, who also helped pick them!

WHAT'S IN YOUR SHARE:

WINTER SQUASH! (see above :-) You'll be getting Butternut, the elongated, beige variety mostly in the upper right corner in the photo

BEETS:

Inimitable flavor - sweet and earthy

KOHLRABI

A versatile veggie - raw, stir-fried, or roasted

BEANS - are back! You'll find Romanos and green beans too!

Romano Beans are big, flat, meaty and delicious

ONION

What to say about this humble but essential vegetable?

GARLIC

Another essential!

EGGPLANT

Asian elongated variety - tender and easy to slice

KALE - CURLY

High in Vitamins A, C, and K - along with Folate and Alpha-linolenic acid

 

CILANTRO

I'm an acquired and then addictive taste! Salsa anyone?

TOMATOES

Harvest is slowing - enjoy them while you can!

STORAGE TIPS: Tomatoes, onions, garlic and winter squash: out of the fridge. Greens off beets if you won't get to the beets right away.  Then rinse, drain and store beet greens in plastic or veggie keeper bag in fridge. Same with everything else!

RECIPE IDEAS: In a completely scientific farm taste comparison (test sample of three), roasted beet flavor far surpassed the flavor of boiled beets. This analysis has been corroborated throughout the food blogs of the internet and this one from Tori Avey: Every Day Inspired by the Past for Roasted Beets seemed especially good. Most recipes call for wrapping the beets in aluminum foil, which works fine, but Ms. Avey is removing foil from her cooking and shows how you can achieve the same results with a Dutch oven or oven-proof pan with a cover. We applaud less use of aluminum foil in cooking as well as the appreciation of this delicious and nutritious vegetable! Ms. Avey includes a number of links to roasted beet recipes in this blog post as well - many many uses!

And here's another idea for roasting and using beets: Simple Roasted Beet Relish. And you can garnish with your cilantro!

Kohlrabi also benefits from roasting, although its mild flavor behaves very well in stir-fries as well as, sliced thinly, a raw vehicle for transporting hummus and other tasty dips! Peel first! And according to the link, it's easier to peel kohlrabi if first quartered or halved. The kohlrabis in your shares are from a new patch and very fresh; they still need peeling but the skins won't be very hard to handle.

Butternut Squash is traditionally halved, baked and then used for pie or soup. Another way to prepare it, which we often do on the farm, is to sauté onions and garlic and then add cubes of peeled butternut. But we only make this when we have cooked or roasted beets on hand, for the next step is to slice the cooked beets and add to the softened squash. (If the beets are uncooked they will take too long to soften.) A little apple cider or orange juice can be added to braise the mixture; salt and pepper to taste. A vibrant deep red, sweet and fall-flavored dish!

NOTES FROM THE FARM:

This week we started to dig sweet potatoes and there will be more on that next week when they appear in your share.

Ashleh hauls in a nice "catch"!

Sweet potatoes - washed and curing a bit before heading out in share boxes

We also planted 875 lettuce seedlings this week. Will they make it before freezing temps? Well, we really don't know. Gardening in general is part faith and part folly - the weather will decide which prevails. But if they make it, what a glorious colorful frilly celebration of salad!

They don't look like much now! Lettuce can take light frost so they have some time.

NOTES FROM PASADENA: Okay, what you really want to know is how did our adventurers do on their road trip to Hollywood? 

Camping on the way to Pasadena

The screening of Nomadland went very well, and here's a little clip from the event to give you the flavor of a drive-in premiere. Although Nomadland is based on a work of non-fiction, Ms. McDormand's character was created for the film. Many of the real life nomads were featured in the film and invited to the premiere. In the clip, you will see how van-dwellers applaud!

Nomadland was also awarded the top prize (the Golden Lion) at the Venice Film Festival the same weekend it aired in Pasadena. The incomparable skill of actor Ms. McDormand, the unique talent of rising star director Chloe Zhao, the creative and dedicated team shepherding this project along, and the Frog Holler veggies that cast and crew consumed 😉 all contributed to this project that we will surely be hearing more about as award season nears.

The beginning of the film on the drive-in screen

Freya the farm pup was able to attend the premiere since it was at a drive-in. She did get out of the car to schmooze a little and was a big hit. Maybe she'll be in the next film!

Freya at the "selfie wall" at the hotel

Freya will be at the market truck between 1-2 pm to hand out paw prints.

 Lol - actually she took the whole 5500 mile trip in stride and seems happy to be back at the farm.

Taking the ride in stride!

Thanks for your comments and interest in this project. Ms. McDormand has earned wide respect over the years through her choice of roles and impeccable execution thereof. For Nomadland she has also relied on an accomplished team to bring the project to fruition. Case in point: our own Emily Foley!

Edwin and Emily

Have a great week everyone!