CSA Share Notes:

The first frost hit us pretty solidly last weekend, which means we lost quite a few of the summer crops. But don’t worry! This happens every fall. This year it’s just a couple of weeks earlier than usual. The cucumbers, basil, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers are all toast, so you won’t be seeing those again this season except for a few stragglers this week that we were able to save for you.

We spent part of the week harvesting all the winter squash and pumpkins, and we have a small crop of those to send out to you over the next few weeks, which we’re very excited about. The harvest is not as plentiful as years past, but you’ll still get to enjoy a few varieties of winter squash later this season.

We’ve also got some other big and exciting news we wanted to share with our members.  Read about how our farm family is growing.

• Turnips—Our favorite turnip variety is ready first: Hakurei Japanese turnips. These are a fresh-eating salad turnip that is so delicious. Even if you think you’re not a turnip fan, give it a try! I can chow down on one of these like an apple, but it’s even better sliced with salt and lemon. Feel free to prepare with onion, garlic, and butter, like more traditional turnips, or use them raw for salads and snacking.
• Radish—Easter Egg. This radish type is actually a mixture of 4 varieties that mature in a pretty array of reds, pinks, and purples. These are crisp, and juicy. Remember that the greens are edible, too!
• Arugula—this bag of very flavorful, spicy greens is our favorite salad staple this time of year. This cutting is from our older stand, so the leaves are really huge, and some of the stems a little bit woody. Just rim up the tastiest parts. We’ve got a younger, more tender planting growing for you.
• Bell Peppers—The last of them! Just a small handful of fresh, colorful bells for each share.
• Eggplant—The last of them! Small shares received Listada Di Gandia as well as the long Japanese variety. Large shares received Italian eggplant, Black Beauty.  Did I share my favorite North Indian eggplant (brinjal in Urdu) dish with you yet? It’s really a good one if you’re feeling ambitious enough to tackle Indian cuisine. I make a few substitutions (coconut oil in place of mustard oil, cumin powder instead of whole seed, omit asafetida because I can’t find that stuff anywhere,  etc). Served with dal (lentils) and rice or naan, it’s such a warming meal on a cold day.
• Tender Kale—everyone received another bunch of our kale. We’ve got a great recipe for rainbow kale salad that would be great with roasted sweet potatoes.
• Onion—We’ve given out all the decent sized onions, soon all we’ll be left with is tiny pearl onions! While we don’t have any cauliflower to offer you, we do suggest this fantastic onion and cauliflower tart recipe we made for a farm dinner a few years back. It’s was such a hit.
• Sweet potatoes—Our fall staple. Fries, mashed, roasted, soup, the options are endless.

Veggie Storage tips:

Onions and sweet potatoes will prefer to stay at room temp. Eggplant will keep longest stored in the fridge sealed up in a bag. The Japanese variety of eggplant doesn’t last long, so plan to use it up soon. All the leafy greens will want cold storage. Make sure they’re sealed up so they don’t get witty.  All root crops should be severed from their tops to keep the roots from getting rubbery, then sealed up in the fridge to stay crisp.   Everything will need a gentle washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent spoilage.

We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Send us a note or post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share.

Your farmers,

Jess & Justin

Large Share

Large Share:  (top left to right) Kale, bell peppers, Black Beauty eggplant, sweet potatoes, Easter Egg radishes, (bottom) turnips, arugula, sweet potatoes, and mixed small onions.

Small Share

Small share: (top left to right) Easter Egg radishes, sweet potatoes, turnips, Japanese eggplant, Listada di Gandia eggplant, Kale, (bottom row) arugula, mixed small onions, and bell peppers.