Share Notes:

The past few weeks have been cold, cold, cold, it’s like winter is giving us a little taste of what’s to come!  Everything is still growing quite nicely and we’ve got another harvest or two getting ready for you out in the field, but Justin and I are considering taking a one week break to let the plants get a little more mature before we harvest again. The cold didn’t damage anything but it has slowed a few crops and as the fall CSA season is beginning to wind down, we want to make sure that your final one or two weeks of harvest are beautifully abundant. (We are crossing our fingers for broccoli and cabbages for the next harvest!)

We are beginning our preparations for the spring season, placing seed orders, planning our field maps, and arranging all our delivery locations for next year. The spring season will open for registration right around the start of the new year, and if you remember seasons past, we always fill up rather quickly, so be sure to jump in! Did you hear the news? We’ll be including eggs, pastured meat, goats milk soaps in addition to the amazing Porch Culture Coffee and more in next year’s offerings from Red Moon Farm, so spread the word and get excited! More healthy local farm goodness is a-comin’ your way.

Those of you who have been ordering Porch Culture Coffee: isn’t it amazing?!  Remember to place your order for the next delivery and stock up for the holidays!

Now on to this week’s vegetable line-up:

• Winter Squash—Farmer’s Choice! This week we are giving you a taste of many unusual varieties we tried this year. You may have received a French heirloom, an Amish heirloom pie squash, a butternut, acorn, or buttercup squash, or any number of other cool and delicious heritage varieties.   Use the identifying photo at the end of the blog to help you decipher which squash you received.  It’s like a scavenger hunt! Try any variety roasted until golden in a hot oven or on the grill. Roasted Squash and Kale Salad is wonderful with your Asian greens
• Turnip—Purple Top. These turnips are so tender and delicious and the greens are simply monstrous! Cook it all together or separate. Try our fresh and bright Winter Root Salad.
• Radish—Daikon. These interesting radishes are sometimes mild and sometimes super spicy. Give yours a little taste before chomping in.  These are wonderful grated into a slaw or raw in a salad, or just sliced with lemon and salt.
• Kale or Collards—The large shares received Kale, the small shares received Collards. Try my massaged greens recipe here.
• Sweet potatoes—This may be the end of the sweet potatoes. If you haven’t roasted or grilled them yet, that is our favorite way to enjoy them.
• Fall Greens Mix—This beautiful bag of goodness is our own custom mix of frost tolerant and tender greens. The mix includes 6 gorgeous varieties including green frills and scarlet frills mustard, Asian mustard varieties Mizuna, and minutina, and two mild Asian greens, Hon Tsai tai and Komatsuna, which are a bit like broccoli raab or boc choi. These combine into an eye catching and delicious mix of different flavors and textures on the plate and are suitable for using in salads or for braising or roasting. Enjoy!

Storage tips:

This week, all your greens should be stored in the refrigerator, sealed up to retain their moisture. Your roots should be separated from their tops so that the roots stay crisp and firm, and also sealed up in a container in the fridge.  The tops are edible, too and would go nicely in a big batch of braised greens. The winter squash and sweet potatoes should stay at room temperature. As a general rule, wait to wash any of these veggies until you’re ready to use them.

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

Your farmers,

Jess & Justin

Large Share

fall large share week 7

 Large share (Left to right): Farmer’s Choice winter squash (Pennsylvania Dutch Crook Neck pictured here), mixed Asian greens, sweet potatoes, purple top turnips, daikon radishes, and Lacinato kale.

Small Share

fall small share week 7

Small share (left to right): purple top turnips, mixed Asian greens, Farmer’s Choice Winter Squash (Potimarron pictured here, this is a delicious French heirloom) sweet potatoes, daikon radishes, and red Russian kale.

The Farmer’s Choice Winter Squash Bin

Mixed Winter Squash

From top left:  Acorn Squash, Buttercup Squash- deep green and round with a pale green button on the bottom, Potimarron- orange French heirloom, Delicata- striped and cylindrical with amazing flavor, highly prized by chefs, heirloom pie pumpkin, Butternut Squash. Not pictured but also given out in some boxes are Tan Cheese Pumpkin, Chersonskaya Squash, and Jarrahdale Pumpkin,Which you can view at the links provided. Let us know how you liked your winter squash variety!