CSA Share #16
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| Full Share pictured: 2 Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins, 2 pumpkin pie pumpkins, and 2 Musque de Provence pumpkins. 4 watermelons (2 red fleshed, 2 white), 4 Melons (not pictured, oops), 2 heirloom slicing tomatoes, 3 lbs Rutgers tomatoes, 4 lbs assorted Roma type tomatoes, 3 lbs assorted snacking tomatoes (cherry, pear, and peach), large bunch beets, 2 bunches swiss chard and kale, 2 lbs bell peppers, 18 habanero peppers, 10 thai peppers, 10 jalapeno peppers, 2 bunches green onions, 4 kohlrabi, 1/2 lb arugula, 8 apples (4 Macintosh, 4 Golden Delicious), and 1 bunch of Parsley Full Share Only: large bunch of radishes, 3 eggplant, and 1 cabbage |
Pumpkins
Fall is upon us and this week our CSA members get the first of the pumpkins! Full Shares get 2 Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins for carving, 2 Pumpkin Pie pumpkins (the small round ones) and 2 Musque de Provence (the lobed, cinderella-like pumpkin). Both the pumpkin pie and musque de provence pumpkins can be used for making pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie made from scratch! Now say pumpkin 10 times in a row.
From Scratch Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Watermelons
Many more watermelons this week! We've got two heirloom varieties for everyone this week, the Moon and Stars, named after the yellow spots that develop on the outside like, well, moon and stars. The other variety is a smaller, round watermelon called Cream Saskatchewan which has sweet white flesh but a very thin rind. So handle with care, we had a few pop and break on us! Did you know, A USDA study found that the tart white rind of watermelons offers a high dose of citrulline, an amino acid that helps dilate blood vessels to improve circulation. You can make a yummy drink out of the rind, check here for some ideas.
Watermelon Rind Drink
Melons
This week every full share will get 4 of our heirloom melons. These make great snacks and are some of the sweetest melons you will ever eat. Eat these fast because they don't have a long shelf life!
Apples
More apples for everyone this week! We recently met the farm's previous owners and learned which varieties we have. This week we have 4 MacIntosh and 4 Golden Delicious for our Full Shares.
Tomatoes
Our tomato plants are heavy with ripening fruit for everyone to enjoy this week! We've had two light frosts already however, and the plants are feeling it, this may be our last week for tomatoes! We recommend whipping up some salsa since we have lots of jalapenos and other peppers to go with these tomatoes.
Full Shares:
-3 lbs of mixed snacking tomatoes (cherry, pear, and peach tomatoes)
-4 lbs of roma and sheboygan tomatoes (great for salsa, pasta sauce or bruschetta)
-2 lbs of Rutgers slicer tomatoes (for hamburgers, sauce, salsa or sandwiches)
-2 Heirloom Slicers (either Kellogg's Breakfast or Aunt Ruby's German Green both great for BLT sandwiches!)
Half shares:
-1.5 lb of mixed snacking tomatoes (cherry, pear, and peach tomatoes)
-2 lbs of roma and sheboygan tomatoes (great for salsa, marinara sauce or bruschetta)
-1 lb Rutgers slicer tomatoes (for hamburgers, sauce, or sandwiches)
-1 Heirloom Slicer (either Kellogg's Breakfast or Aunt Ruby's German Green)
Check our 2013 Tomato Varieties blogpost to see which ones you get and match the tomato to it's name! For using all these tomatoes, we recommend making lots of salsa, tomato salad and bruschetta. We've been glad to hear that many of your have been doing so! Now is the time to start preserving the harvest folks! Freeze some bruschetta, can some salsa or marinara sauce! To use up those bell peppers and jalapenos, try canning some delicious zesty salsa!
Zesty Salsa Canning Recipe
Peppers
Full Shares:
-10 Jalapenos
-10 Thai Peppers
-2 lbs of Bell Peppers
-18 Habanero Peppers
Half Shares:
-5 Jalapenos
-10 Thai Peppers
-1 lbs of Bell Peppers
-9 Habanero Peppers
You can use the bell peppers, habaneros, and Jalapenos in the zesty salsa recipe. We have lots of bell peppers for you this week, we recommend them for the salsa, or try some stuffed bell peppers! If you don't end up using them all, preserve the harvest! Here's a handy site with all sorts of ideas for preserving your bell peppers. Habaneros are new for us this year, try some Jerk Chicken with a Mango-Habanero Sauce, or Habanero-Lime Cheesecake! We've also got Thai Peppers for everyone this week, small green peppers that are very hot! Try some Pad Thai or Thai Pumpkin Soup with these.
Kohlrabi
More Kohlrabi this week! Just peel the skin and bite into it like an apple, or slice it and enjoy with your favorite salad dressing.
Green Onions
A little more green onions for everyone this week. With a milder taste than onion, you can use both the small bulbs and the green stem. We love to use green onions on salad, in soups, as a pizza topping, in salsa, or in stir-frys.
Tip: You can also make your green onions last longer by putting the exposed roots in an inch of water in a container in the fridge.
A little more green onions for everyone this week. With a milder taste than onion, you can use both the small bulbs and the green stem. We love to use green onions on salad, in soups, as a pizza topping, in salsa, or in stir-frys.
Beets
We have some beets finally this week as well. This root crop is one we are still learning to love ourselves. The most common use we know of is Borscht a eastern european soup. Many people like to shred them to add to a salad. And our friend Roger Kammers of Hamblin Auto Body likes to pickle them as a special snack!
Borscht
We have some beets finally this week as well. This root crop is one we are still learning to love ourselves. The most common use we know of is Borscht a eastern european soup. Many people like to shred them to add to a salad. And our friend Roger Kammers of Hamblin Auto Body likes to pickle them as a special snack!
Borscht
Swiss Chard and Kale
This week our shares get to enjoy kale and more Swiss Chard. Swiss chard is another extremely healthy green that helps regulate blood sugar and a great source of anti-oxidants. Try the swiss chard as a side dish, with this easy Savory Swiss Chard recipe. Our favorite way to enjoy these greens is by tearing the leaves into strips and sauteing them in olive oil and garlic with some salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Arugula
This week we have more Arugula for you! Add these to your lettuce heads or make them a meal in themselves. Want to splurge on a delicious salad? Add pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese with sunflower oil as your dressing, you won't regret it!
We also like making sandwiches with the mix. We had some great bread from the farmer's market, smeared some goat cheese on the bread and stuffed it with arugula and it was excellent!
We also like making sandwiches with the mix. We had some great bread from the farmer's market, smeared some goat cheese on the bread and stuffed it with arugula and it was excellent!
Radishes (full shares only)
The heat has plumped up this fall planting of radishes! This week we have 2 varieties for you, the white Ping Pong radish and the longer red French Breakfast variety. We really like the French Breakfast, its a little sweeter and milder in taste, great for getting your kids to try out radishes. Our favorite snack is lightly toasted bread with butter and sliced radishes, give it a try!
Don't forget, you can use those greens! Sautee them for 2-3 minutes in garlic and butter, or make one of our favorite soups Radish Leaf Soup, we like to substitute homemade stock for the water to give it extra flavor!
Eggplant (full shares only)
This week we have 3 Eggplant for full shares only, they've been slowing down with the cold and not producing enough for everyone. Next year we'll have more eggplant for longer, we'll be starting them inside our new greenhouse and growing some inside as well for an extended harvest! Eggplant is in the same family as tomatoes and potatoes and was first domesticated in India. We have the large black Italian variety, perfect for ratatouille or eggplant parmesan. Raw eggplant can have a somewhat bitter taste, but becomes tender when cooked and develops a rich, complex flavor. The flesh is smooth and meaty, capable of absorbing large amounts of cooking fats and sauces, making for very rich dishes and making it a great meat substitute for vegan and vegetarian dishes!
Cabbage (full shares only)
This week we have cabbage heads for our full shares. These store well, and we've been enjoying them in eggrolls. We shred up 2 cups cabbage, 1/2 c carrots, 1/2 c radish, and 1/4 c sprouts, some green onions, then adding 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce and rolling 2 tbsp of the mixture in egg roll wraps. Fry it in peanut or canola oil and enjoy!
Looks like a farm party, an industrial technician is really excited right now:)
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