CSA Share Notes:

We’re back! After temps dipped down 19 degrees last week, we had another 4 nights in the low 20s. The whole family of brassica crops (broccoli, kale, collard, turnips, arugula, cabbage, brussel sprouts, spring mix) are really not happy. This family of crops appreciates occasional light frosts, but 19 degrees was too much for them. Nearly everything was pretty badly damaged, but much to our relief very little was killed.  The crops will take a while to recover and could really benefit from loads of sunshine and as many nights out of the 30s as we can get. Thankfully we take off from harvesting the week of Thanksgiving so the crops will have next week to continue to recover and we should have a great harvest for you the first week of December. Hopefully the broccoli and cabbages will produce before Christmas, but with how damaged they were, we aren’t sure that’s likely. Time will tell!

Now on to this week’s vegetable line up:

• Acorn Squash—excellent roasted in rings, or stuffed with wild rice, sausage, celery, apple, parmesan, pumpkin seeds, etc. I LOVE Acorn squash!
• Spaghetti Squash—We had to harvest these a little early from the field in order to save them from the frost; therefore they’re a little underripe, so they will not be as hard and dry inside, and a) won’t store as long, and b) won’t require as long a cooking time. Cook JUST until the flesh separates into “spaghetti” strands, not until it’s mush. Adjust your recipe time, accordingly.
• Sweet Potatoes—A whole heap! We wanted to make sure you had enough for your thanksgiving sweet potato dish, whether you like to do a sweet puree, a savory roast, or stunning hasselback potatoes, you’ve got lots to work with.
• Spinach—The very first small harvest, just enough for each large share.  The spinach is looking great and just needs time to grow. We should have more in weeks to come.
• Spring Mix/Arugula—A good sized initial harvest filled out each Regular share nicely with a 5-6oz bag. Plenty for a full dinner salad for 2 or a few nights of side salads.  I like this flavorful mix with fresh fruit like apples or pears and toasted nuts or seeds and a good creamy dressing to balance out the spice of the leaves.
• Garlic—a bit more of our Heirloom Red Hardneck garlic. We’ll be planting the seed stock over the next two weeks! Whatever we have left after planting, we will load you down with it.
• Radishes—Regular shares received French Breakfast radishes this week which are a super wonderful heirloom. They’re crisp and not too spicy.  Large shares received easter egg radishes, a nice mix of pink, purple, and red. The greens on the radishes took a big hit in the frost, so you’ll probably want to discard rather than eat them.
• Pak Choi—This great Chinese cabbage makes a fantastic slaw or kimchee, but is also wonderful in stir fry and coconut milk curry.

Veggie Storage tips:

The leafy greens and pak choi will want to be kept really cold. Make sure they’re sealed up so they don’t get wilty. Garlic, sweet potatoes, and winter squash prefer to stay at room temp.  Radishes will want to be cold, but sever the roots from the tops, and store separately to prevent the roots from becoming rubbery. Everything will need a significant washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent faster 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:  (left to right)  Acorn squash, spinach, garlic, spaghetti squash, bottom row: Easter egg radishes, sweet potatoes, and pak choi.

Regular Share

Regular share: (left to right) Acorn squash, spring mix/arugula, garlic, spaghetti squash, bottom row: French Breakfast radishes, sweet potatoes, and pac choi.