2016 CSA Share 19
In other news on the farm, the lambs went to the processor or were processed on farm this week. Farmer Figgins kept two of the sheepskins and will be attempting tanning them for throws/rugs soon. Next up the piglets are due for castration!
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| Large Share pictured: 4 carving pumpkins, 2 pie pumpkins, 2 luffa, 6 okra, 4 jalapeno, 4 ancho, 4 cubanelle, 2 anaheim, 4 bell peppers, 8 ripe tomatoes, 10 green tomatoes, 2 summer squash, 2 bags ground cherries, 2 bunches kale, 2 butternut squash, 2 acorn squash, 2 bunches herbs |
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| Small Share pictured: 2 carving pumpkins, 2 pie pumpkins, 1 luffa, 1 summer squash, 3 okra, 2 jalapeño, 2 cubanelle, 2 bell peppers, 1 anaheim, 4 ripe tomatoes, 5 green tomatoes, 1 bag ground cherries, ` bunch kale, 1 butternut squash, 1 acorn squash, 1 bunch herbs. |
Jack O'Lantern Pumpkins
New this week, Jack O'Lantern pumpkins just in time for Halloween carving!
It's that time of year, time for pumpkin pie! Make your pies from scratch this year by following this recipe.
Pumpkin Pie from scratch
Pumpkin Pie Pumpkins
It's that time of year, time for pumpkin pie! Make your pies from scratch this year by following this recipe.
Pumpkin Pie from scratch
Butternut Squash
The Butternut Squash has a sweet, nutty taste similar to a pumpkin. It can be roasted, toasted, grilled, pureed for soups, or mashed and used in casseroles, breads and muffins. Seasonings recommended are nutmeg and cinnamon. The seeds can be eaten raw or roasted.
The Butternut Squash has a sweet, nutty taste similar to a pumpkin. It can be roasted, toasted, grilled, pureed for soups, or mashed and used in casseroles, breads and muffins. Seasonings recommended are nutmeg and cinnamon. The seeds can be eaten raw or roasted.
Luffa
New this week are luffa fruit. We grew these from saved seed and had fairly good success in the greenhouse. These are the same luffa that you use in the bath as a body scrub, I bet you didn't realize it's a vegetable though! Loofahs or luffas are made from the dried fruit from the plant, it is also eaten around the world when its green and mature, often fried or in curry. They may require a little more drying time so leave in a well ventilated sunny area that will allow them to dry all the way out before taking it in for bath time.
How to dry and make your own luffa sponge
Luffa Curry Recipe
New this week are luffa fruit. We grew these from saved seed and had fairly good success in the greenhouse. These are the same luffa that you use in the bath as a body scrub, I bet you didn't realize it's a vegetable though! Loofahs or luffas are made from the dried fruit from the plant, it is also eaten around the world when its green and mature, often fried or in curry. They may require a little more drying time so leave in a well ventilated sunny area that will allow them to dry all the way out before taking it in for bath time.
Luffa Curry Recipe
Acorn Squash
Acorn Squash
Eggplant (optional)
Not everyone's favorite, we don't have quite enough for everyone this week, so please only take one if you want one! Also known as aubergine, brinjal or garden egg, the fruit is widely used in cooking and is related to both the tomato and potato. The raw fruit can have a somewhat bitter taste, but become tender when cooked and develops a rich, complex flavor. The great is capable of absorbing large amounts of cooking fats and sauces, making for very rich dishes. Try is roasted, skinned, mashed, mixed with onions, tomatoes and spices and then slow cooked. It is often stewed, as in the French ratatouille or deep fried for eggplant parmesan. A simple way to try it is sliced and grilled with cumin, salt and pepper seasoning.
Easy Eggplant recipes
Easy Eggplant recipes
Ground CherriesThis strange golden berry is related to the tomato plant, and is indigenous to the new world. It has a similar texture to the tomato, but in flavor is more like strawberry or pineapple. The fruit are rich in cryptoxanthin, and contain pectin and can be used in pie filling. They can be eaten raw and used in salads, you can add them to dessert, use as flavoring, make into fruit preserves, or dry and use like raisins.
Ground Cherry Jam
Ground Cherry Pie
Kale
This week we have the last kale of the season, enjoy these as kale chips or sautéed in olive oil, garlic and a little cayenne, or add them to a soup, or a frittata, quiche, or omelet. You can't go wrong with kale.
Kale Chips
Okra
Also known as ladies' fingers or gumbo, Okra is in the mallow family and related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. It is a perennial but treated as an annual in temperate climates and is one of the most heat and drought tolerant vegetable species in the world. The fruit are mucilaginous, sliming when cooked. The slime contains soluble fiver, you can minimize the sliminess by keeping the pods intact and cooking briefly. Cooking with a few drops of lemon juice, tomatoes, or vinegar may also help. Or, as in gumbo, you can slice the pods and cook for a long time so the mucilage dissolved. We like to use our Okra by slicing it and dicing a jalapeno and adding them to a cornbread recipe. Okra can also be grilled, sauteed, fried, stir-fried, or added to soup. Pods can be pickled, eaten raw, used in soup, or included in salads.
Also known as ladies' fingers or gumbo, Okra is in the mallow family and related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. It is a perennial but treated as an annual in temperate climates and is one of the most heat and drought tolerant vegetable species in the world. The fruit are mucilaginous, sliming when cooked. The slime contains soluble fiver, you can minimize the sliminess by keeping the pods intact and cooking briefly. Cooking with a few drops of lemon juice, tomatoes, or vinegar may also help. Or, as in gumbo, you can slice the pods and cook for a long time so the mucilage dissolved. We like to use our Okra by slicing it and dicing a jalapeno and adding them to a cornbread recipe. Okra can also be grilled, sauteed, fried, stir-fried, or added to soup. Pods can be pickled, eaten raw, used in soup, or included in salads.
Tomatoes
The tomatoes are succumbing to late blight, but we salvaged one last harvest for our shareholders. We have heirloom slicers, snacking tomatoes, and red paste tomatoes this week. We also have green tomatoes this week that won't get a chance to ripen, try pickling these or having fried green tomatoes!
Peppers
The very last of the peppers this week. Jalapeños cubanelle, bell pepper and ancho this week. Enjoy some fresh salsa with this mix of hot and sweet peppers. Cubanelle peppers have sweet, mild flesh with rich flavor great for cooking and frying. It is thinner-walled, best suited for quick cooking. Popular in spanish, italian and slavic dishes, many cooks prefer it to bell types.
Summer Squash
Our summer squash are slowing down. Try these sautéed or grilled with our carbonara recipe or in a cooling summer pasta salad. The larger zucchini are great shredded and then made into muffins or bread. Summer squash are starting to slow down, so enjoy them while we still have them.
Green Beans
The last of the green beans this week! The yellow beans are yellow throughout, and will keep their color when cooked, the purple beans however are only purple on the exterior and will change to green when cooked.
Herbs
To preserve your herbs you can hang them to dry out of the sun and rain where there is good air flow until dry, then crumble into a paper bag and transfer to a storage container. Tarragon leaves can be frozen or dried. If left to dry for too long though, the leaves lose their flavor, so make sure to store them in airtight containers as soon as the leaves are dry.
