Veggie Times Week 13
On the farm
We will be taking orders for bulk tomatoes until they slow down. They are $25/half bushel of mixed varieties. We have 2-3 1/2 bushels available each week and will be available on a first come basis while we have tomatoes. So, if you’d like to reserve a box please let me know your name and pickup location and I will email you to confirm your order and then again when I will be bringing your tomatoes to your pickup location. Thank you!
Greetings! Well it's been another very very rainy week. I think we had almost 5 inches. The fields are saturated and there is not much we can do on the farm other than harvest because we would damage the fields if we tried to do anything else! Good thing harvesting takes up all our time anyway! Crops are holding up ok. We had to harvest the remainder of our third planting of carrots because they were rotting (we were able to salvage enough for full shares this week). A lot of our other long term crops are showing signs of nutrient deficiency because it all is being washed away. But we have plenty of veggies to finish off the season. Our last few plantings of baby greens are looking amazing and we have some great Brussels sprouts, winter squash, parsnips, and hopefully one more carrot planting out there. We are going to wait a week on giving everyone spinach in the hopes it grows just a little bit more. We expect to have a frost in the next week or so (it usually happens around the 15th). This will mark the end of our cucumbers, zucchini, and basil (but tomatoes are under hoop houses so we usually have those until the end of the season!) I don't know about you all, but I'm ready for a change in seasons and more hearty fall recipes and veggies! Plus a frost makes all the veggies so much sweeter!
Finally, my social media plug...If you are into facebook, and want to hear more regularly about farm happenings, please join our private CSA members group. We post pictures almost daily of farm happenings and recipes, and we are loving some of the pictures other folks are posting too. Keep it coming!
Recipes
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
3 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves (or remove your sprouts from their stalks and clean them up as needed.) Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35-40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more sea salt if desired and serve immediately.
Parsnip Soup
1 pound parsnips
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups chopped leeks-white and light green parts only (or onion)
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1” pieces
1 medium baking potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper
Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks (reserving 1/2 cup for garnish). Cook stirring, 5 minutes. Add parsnips, apples, potato, broth, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce head and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 20-25 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return it to pot; stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with leek garnish. To make leek garnish, in a large skillet, heat 1 Tbs butter over medium-high. Add reserved 1/2 cup leeks; cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Quick Marinated Tomatoes
Marinated Tomatoes are such a nice way to keep chopped tomatoes fresh for longer. Simply chop your tomatoes up into desired size (bite size chunks, or halved cherry tomatoes is what we usually do). Make a simple balsamic dressing: In a mason jar combine 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper plus any extra seasonings (italian herbs, basil, minced shallots or onions, garlic etc.) Pour enough of the dressing over the tomatoes so they are just coated (use any extra for salads, marinades etc). Let them marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes or so then enjoy. We love these in pasta, as a side dish, on a salad, or mixed with fresh mozzarella.
Braising Mix Ideas: Our braising mix this fall is really good and tender and getting sweeter with every cool night. It does not have mustard greens in the mix so it’s very mild. I basically eat baby greens in a salad, but you can cook or eat raw. We really love it with a light vinaigrette (like apple cider vinaigrette), some veggies, and a little bit of parmesan cheese. Brendan loves to just barely “wilt” them in a burrito. They are also great after a very quick stir fry over high heat, and they can also be wilted under a hot sauce. Enjoy!
*This looks like a good way to use spaghetti squash. Spaghetti Squash Cakes.
*How to dry thyme-thyme is one of those herbs that I use often in its dried form. The bunch full shares is getting can be dried very easily if you don’t think you’ll use it all. Simply hang it up in a fairly dry location (I usually just use my kitchen). Once it’s fully dry store it (with leaves still on the stalk) in glass or spice jars.
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