Farm news: Fall is here - and a big thank you to our employees. This week's produce. And a Roasted Tomato Soup recipe.
Fox Creek Farm CSA Newsletter, week of September 14, 2020
In this newsletter:
Farm News: Fall is here - and a big thank you to our employees
About this week's harvest
Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup
Fall crops at Fox Creek Farm
Farm News
Our favorite season is roaring in: Fall. Moderate temperatures, beautiful foliage. Birds starting to congregate for their upcoming southward migration. Long season crops that are coming ready for harvest: soon we will be hauling in the winter squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.
The last few weeks, the tomato harvests were overly spectacular – we have never seen this many tomatoes coming from the fields, through the packing shed, and into your shares. We were picked close to 10,000 tomatoes last week alone. And that is a pretty amazing number (we think), and a lot of work!
Talking about work, we (as ‘your farmers’) would not be able to do all this without the commitment and diligence of our work force. Richard Brandford and Barryton Henry (both from Jamaica) make up our field crew. Karin Kuck and Johanna Luhrman do most of the share packing work in the barn – toting around lots of produce every week. And of course, there are our delivery drivers, Eric Kuck and Mike Warner. In the reality of COVID-19, they are the faces of our farm this season. And all of our workers made the giant transition from produce pick-up sites to home deliveries so much more doable!
This is going to be an interesting week, as our local school district is reopening – we are curious to see how the mix of in-person and remote learning is going to work out and are probably not the only ones. We wish everyone with school-aged children the best of luck in this stressful time!
Well, off to another week of harvesting & delivering exceptional produce,
Your farmers,
Raymond and Sara
Mr. Richard Brandford and Raymond washing potatoes in our root washer (photo by Mike Warner)
About the produce in this week's share
Expect at your doorstep this week: Lettuce, Keuka gold potatoes, storage onions, garlic, tomatoes, and greens (either kale, collards, spinach, or chard).
We are rotating the last of the sweet corn, bell and sweet peppers, eggplant, cauliflower, and cilantro.
Mr. Eric Kuck
Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup
While the tomatoes are still going strong, one of our CSA members suggested a recipe for roasted tomato soup. This recipe uses chicken stock, but vegetarian or vegan recipes will suggest substitutions. Roasting the tomatoes makes for a different tomato soup experience!
Ingredients:
About 2 pounds of fresh tomatoes (red slicers or heirlooms, or a mix)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 yellow onion, sliced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1 quart of chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional
¾ cup heavy cream, optional
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves, and spread with the garlic and onion on a baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and transfer to a stock pot. Add the stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by a third.
Wash and dry the basil leaves and add to the pot (optional). Remove the bay leaves before using a immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to low heat, add cream, and adjust consistency with some water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.
Mr. Michael 'Mike' Warner
We love to hear from you!
We always welcome your feedback - and our farm crew loves to hear from you, too! Email is best, but if you would like to leave us a message on the phone we will return your call at our earliest convenience (518-872-2375).
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