Hi Friends,
Welcome to our new members starting this week! We’re so happy to have you join our wonderful CSA community. No where else can you find food grown just for you, harvested fresh from our fields and delivered straight to your neighborhood. We are grateful to all of you for choosing us to be your farmer this season!
Our fields are full of late-summer and early-fall crops, and we are still in the midst of the annual winter squash harvest. Most varieties are best stored for a few weeks to build their sugars before we include them in the CSA shares. This week’s delicata is my hands-down favorite: it bakes quickly and is wonderfully sweet. Collards have also returned now that the weather has cooled, and they are another favorite of mine. Try them sautéed with garlic along with your breakfast eggs!
Bon appetit!
Maggie & Matt
P.S. We’ve quietly opened enrollment for our Thanksgiving CSA. (Separate from the regular season.) More details to share soon, but spots are limited and you’re welcome to sign up now if you’d like to plan ahead!
What’s in season this week?
Green Romaine
Crisp and dependable, romaine remains one of the best salad bases. Build a hearty fall salad with roasted carrots and radicchio. Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container in the crisper drawer, where it will keep for up to a week.
Delicata Squash
The sweetest and my personal favorite! It’s also one of the easiest winter squashes there is — the skin is entirely edible, so no peeling required. Halve, scoop out the seeds, and roast halves, cut side down at 350°F until soft and caramelized at the edges, about 25 minutes. Storage: keeps well at room temperature in a cool, dry spot for a few weeks.
Yellow/Red Peppers
Sweet and glossy, this planting looks so beautiful! Roasted peppers are so delicious and it brings out the sweetness. An excellent source of vitamin C. Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container and use within a week.
Salad Turnips
Don’t let the name fool you — these are nothing like the turnips of winter stews. Salad turnips are mild, sweet, and delicate enough to eat raw: slice thin and eat with a little salt and butter, French-style, or toss into a salad for a peppery crunch. They’re also lovely quick-roasted whole until just tender. Don’t discard the greens — sauté them like a mild mustard green. A good source of vitamin C. Storage: remove the greens and refrigerate the turnips in an airtight container for up to a week.
Collards
Sturdy, deep-green collards are super versatile. Slice into ribbons and braise with garlic and a splash of umeboshi vinegar for a quick side. Chop and add to vegetable soups for a bright green color and fresh flavor. The leaves also make excellent low-carb wraps. Rich in vitamins A, C, and K. Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container and use within a week.
Carrots (Bagged)
Sweet and crisp! They’re bagged this week instead of bunched, as the greens look less than beautiful. This time of year I love to roast them! Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Eggplant
What a season for our eggplants! The plants are double their usual size and they’ve been producing amazing yields. Slice into rounds, brush with olive oil, and roast or grill until soft and lightly charred — finish with the last of the basil and a squeeze of lemon. It’s also wonderful roasted whole and mashed with tahini and garlic for a quick baba ganoush. Storage: keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within about five days; eggplant is sensitive to cold, so avoid the coldest part of the fridge.
Radicchio
A gorgeous burst of burgundy looks beautiful in a salad. Its pleasant bitterness pairs beautifully with sweeter fall vegetables like carrots and peppers — tear it into a salad with a honeyed vinaigrette, or halve and roast until the edges char and the bitterness mellows into something nutty. Rich in vitamin K and antioxidants. Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container and use within a week.
Basil (The Last of the Season)
A bittersweet goodbye to the herb that defined the summer! One last meal of pesto and pasta is on our menu this week. Rich in vitamin K and antioxidants. Storage: treat it like a bouquet — stems in a glass of water on the counter, out of direct sun for a day or two.
FRUIT SHARE
Gala Apples
For PAID fruit share members only.
Storage: In the fridge!
Recipes from our Farmhouse Kitchen
Quick Collards
Simple Roasted Colored Peppers
Radicchio Salad with Pecorino & Hazlenuts
Fresh Pesto – One last batch this season! Freezes like a dream.
Lentil & Eggplant Stew
