How is October already almost behind us?
I don't know if October is busy for everyone, but it certainly is for us. We had two birthdays back to back on the first weekend of the month and then my mom arrived from TN on the 9th. We had OctoberFeast the following weekend, sans power. The next weekend we went to NYC for our friends celebration - lots of fun and quite the whirlwind trip. The kids and I went to Lake City, SC for a Parker family reunion yesterday and then headed to a friend's Halloween party when we got back. We haven't decided whether we're going to attend a potluck, go to a corn maze, or just lay low today.
I also interviewed for a job with RAFI last week. Keep your fingers crossed for me - this job was made for me, which is the only reason I applied. Other than this position, I have zero desire to get a job. The farm life is for me. RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International) is an amazing nonprofit that helps farmers in times of need as with hurricane relief or suicide prevention or even getting out of or negotiating contract farming. In fact, if you're interested, check out this film RAFI produced on the contract chicken farming industry. It's called Under Contract and it's free to watch. I should find out by the end of this week whether I'm making it to the next round of interviews, which are slated to happen sometime in late November.
Week 6 CSA Share Contents
Okie dokie. Guess I'd better cut to the chase and let you know what to expect in your shares this week, week 6 of 14. Here's the spread:
- winter squash
- sweet potatoes
- leeks
- garlic
- pick one: turnips or arugula
- pick one: cilantro, dill, parsley, chive, or celery
- pick one: escarole, endive, or kale
Large shares will also receive ginger, peppers, and broccoli. Extra large shares will receive an additional 3-4 items.
Do you know the difference between agroecology and industrial agriculture? Check out this quick (less than 5 minutes), cute, and informative video.
What can I make with my winter squash besides pumpkin pie or butternut squash soup?
If you're like me, you don't really like sweet pumpkin dishes. And, like me, maybe you didn't know you can make some really delicious savory winter squash dishes. Check this site for 12 Savory Pumpkin dishes, that include things like Thai pumpkin soup, beef and pumpkin stew, and roasted pumpkin feta risotto.
What about sweet potatoes?
My favorite way to eat sweet potatoes is to simply roast them. The smaller, fingerling sizes really lend themselves to this type of preparation. Since the taters are relatively new, the skins are tender and equally delicious. Why peel potatoes when you don't have to? You can also just hold on to your squash and potatoes and use them at your leisure. That's the nice thing about storage veggies. Simply keep them in a cool, dark, and dry location. You can cover them with a kitchen towel to keep light away too.
If you would like to do more than roast your sweet taters, check these 10 suggestions from Cookie and Kate. If I've roasted some sweet potatoes and don't know what to do with some of them, I keep them in the fridge for a quick meal later in the week, like sweet potato and black bean quesadillas or a delicious salad with roasted root veggies added to the mix for a healthy, beautiful, and delicious flavor explosion. There are so many things to do with these veggies. Please give some of them a try.
I don't know what to do with all of the garlic.
I've heard some of you say you've had enough garlic (scandalous!). So, some of you are opting to switch out your garlic for something else in the swap box. And that's obviously your prerogative. That's why we have the swap box. But I did want to let you know that there is one quick and easy way to use up all of the garlic in your life. Can you guess what I'm going to suggest? Yep, it's cold out there and roasting is the way to go! You can roast whole bulbs and then simply squeeze the garlic out onto a piece of crisp bread. Or, if you're like me, right into your mouth (it's the cook's payment). It's better than butter! Really, anytime you turn on your over for roasting any veggie, go ahead and roast at least one head of garlic. You can use it in any dish or simply as a spread. It mellows and sweetens the garlic flavor. It's the key to my beet hummus. Here are the instructions for roasting garlic bulbs.
Important Resources
There are a number of resources available to you as a benefit of being part of our CSA. We have a CSA member account where you signed in to join theCSA. In this account, you may place orders, make payments, adjust your pick up schedule/location, and more (we will begin using more features in the new year). We also have a subscription to the Cook with What you Have recipe resource sight. These recipes are organized by vegetable, but also includes categories like "Quick Dishes; Meals that Make Good Leftovers, Kid-Friendly Meals, Prepared Pantry Tips, and Quick Salads." Finally, we post on social media a lot. You can get a better idea of what's going on with us if you follow us on Facebook and Instagram. You can also ask to join the private Facebook group where you can shamelessly share food pictures and recipes ;).
Our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ingoodheartfarm
Our Instagram page: www.instagram.com/ingoodheartfarm
Tentative 2018 Fall CSA Calendar
| |
Small Shares ONLY |
Sunday, start of the week |
Tuesday, 5 Points |
Thursday, Farm & PFM |
Saturday, WWFM |
| WeekNumber |
|
N/A |
4:30-6:30pm |
Farm: 4-7pm
PFM: 3-6pm |
8am-noon
Winter hours: 9:30am-noon |
| Week 1 |
Odd |
9/23 |
9/25 |
9/27 |
9/29 |
| Week 2 |
Even |
9/30 |
10/2 |
10/4 |
10/6 |
| Week 3 |
Odd |
10/7 |
10/9 |
10/11 |
10/13 |
| Week 4 |
Even |
10/14 |
10/16 |
10/18 |
10/20 |
| Week 5 |
Odd |
10/21 |
10/24* |
10/25 |
10/27 |
| Week 6 |
Even |
10/28 |
10/30 |
11/1 |
11/3 |
| Week 7 |
Odd |
11/4 |
11/6 |
11/8 |
11/10 |
| Week 8 |
Even |
11/11 |
11/13 |
11/15 |
11/17 |
| CSA BREAK |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| Week 9 |
Odd |
11/25 |
11/27 |
11/29 |
12/1 |
| Week 10 |
Even |
12/2 |
12/4 |
12/6 |
12/8 |
| Week 11 |
Odd |
12/9 |
12/11 |
12/13 |
12/15 |
| Week 12 |
Even |
12/16 |
12/18 |
12/20 |
12/22 |
| CSA BREAK |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| Week 13 |
Odd |
12/30 |
1/1 |
1/3 |
1/5 |
| Week 14 |
Even |
1/6 |
1/8 |
1/10 |
1/12 |
| MAKE UPWEEK** |
N/A |
1/13 |
N/A*** |
1/17 |
1/19 |
* We will have the Raleigh pick upon on WEDNESDAY, 10/24 this week, as Ben and I will be getting back to town on Tuesday.
** You may skip a week if needed, so long as you give us three days’ notice prior to your regularly scheduled pick up date. You can either reschedule for a double share for another week OR you can let us know that you’d like to pick up on the make-up week in January.
*** We will offer make up pickups at the farm, PFM, and WWFM locations, but not the Raleigh location (though you may pick up at the other three locations for your makeup, just let us know which you prefer).
We arrived in NYC at 8:30 in the morning and decided to head straight to Ellis Island, as planned, and then stopped in Chinatown for what wound up being a very late lunch. Ben and I found the small dumpling place we visited a decade ago. 5 dumplings for $1.50. That was our appetizer before we went for more apps at a dim sum place, lol. Farmers eat like hobbits.
This is the view from our Air BnB in Brooklyn. Ben was trying to nap, but I had to go hang on the roof for a NYC sunset view. It was gorgeous! I couldn't capture what I saw with my camera phone. This was the best I could do with what I had.
Our Ellis Island ferry stopped at the Statue of Liberty. We didn't get off there, because we had limited time, but we were sure to take the obligatory selfie with Lady Liberty in view.
This is the dim sum place we went to. Apparently it was the first one in NYC, in the 20s, I believe. There was a 45 minute wait and it was well worth it.
As you know, when we got back from NYC, we hit the ground running. Here's a super cute pic of our farm kids and 2 of 4 of the Lilly Den farm kids at market last Thursday.
Here's another market picture of friends wearing our farm pins. If you don't have a pin or sticker yet, tell Ben you want one.
This picture was taken about 8 years ago, I believe. CSA member and super talented photographer, Raymond Goodman, took this one. It's definitely a favorite. Actually, I need to talk to Raymond about getting a print of this! We don't have one for some insane reason!
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