2014 CSA Share 15

2014 CSA Share 15

So far we've dodged getting hit by a frost, so the garden still has plenty of produce for our shareholders! New this week is butternut squash and a return of some cold season crops like lettuce and green onions. Enjoy the last of our summer crops, this is the last week for garden huckleberries, butternut squash, and watermelon! 

Large Share: Butternut Squash, spaghetti squash, bell peppers, jalapenos, watermelon, eggplant, cayenne, ground cherries, garden huckleberries, kale, green's mix, green onions, parsley and lemon basil

Butternut Squash

NEW THIS WEEK! 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.

Butternut Squash French Fries

Butternut Squash and Kale Stir Fry

 

Green Onions

We also have more Green Onions this week.  This is a great addition to many dishes.  Raw it can be added to a salad or salsa.  Also add it at the end of any stir fry for a great infusion of flavor.  You can also add it to any soup, baked pasta, or any other dish.  

Green's Mix

This week we have a mix of greens from the farm, including baby kale, mizuna, spinach, arugula, romaine, and bibb lettuce. 

Watermelon

This is the last of the watermelon for this year, so enjoy it while you can! This week we have a mix of varieties for you to choose from--Moon and Stars, Crimson Sweet, and the white-fleshed Cream Saskachewan. 

Spaghetti Squash

 The Spaghetti Squash is a very unique vegetable, a cross between string cheese and pasta, with a mild flavor.  When you roast the squash in the oven, cut it in half and roast flesh side down for 30-40 minutes at 450 degrees, you can then scrape the squash flesh with a fork and it separates into spaghetti like strands of squash.  These can be then eaten with pasta sauce as a delicious meal!

Peppers-Bell, Jalapeno, Cayenne

Lots of Jalapenos this week! This is a great week to try out some appetizers like stuffed jalapenos or jalapeno poppers.  We have more bell peppers this week and cayenne peppers for you all to try. These are hotter peppers, though not the hottest out there by far, try adding it to some curry or a stir fry for some extra heat, or dry it for some seasoning!  

Jalapeno Poppers

Black Bean and Rice Stuffed Jalapenos

Eggplant

 We have a dark purple variety and a white 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!

Ratatouille

Eggplant Parmesan

Ground Cherries

This has been a surprisingly popular crop.  This interesting garden specialty is from the tomato family, and luckily has so far been unaffected by the blight.  These small paper covered fruits have a super sweetened tomato flavor, which is closer to a strawberry and has the smell of cantaloupe.  They are fantastic added to vanilla ice cream.  

Ground Cherry Pie

Ground Cherry Jam

Garden Huckleberries

Like the Ground Cherry, this unique annual fruit it is related to the tomato plant.  This fruit is not very tasty raw and requires a little work to make this the delicious specialty it is meant to be.  It is great to use for Jams, on Ice Cream, or in a pie. It has a slightly spicy flavor to it, a bit like a huckleberry meets blueberry. 

Mother Earth News Pie

Garden Huckleberry Jam

Kale

This green became a favorite for us at the farm Farmer Don certainly came to love it.  There are many great ways to enjoy this super food, which is loaded with vitamins.  You can of course eat it raw, or throw it in a juicer.  We really enjoy throwing it in the cast iron with  butter, salt, pepper, and some red pepper flakes and sauteing for a few minutes for a great side to any meal.  It is also a great healthy snack when you bake them into Kale Chips.  

Kale Chips

Fresh Herb Bundle

We've got  bunches of parsley and Lemon Basil this week, enjoy!  

Can't use it all? Here's a simple How-To on drying your own herbs. 

2014 Share 13

2014 CSA Share 13

This week on The Shire fall is truly here.  The air has taken a chill and in the course of a week Farmer Figgins has gone from shorts and tee shirts, to jackets and Carhartts.  To match this we have more fall crops coming your direction this week.  Many which with a little effort can be preserved for months to come.  New we will have the first wave of winter squash, some sunflowers ready to be hung and dried.  We also are including a bulk of garden huckleberries, which are an easily preserved crop, so take advantage this week.  

Acorn Squash

NEW THIS WEEK! These beautiful squashes are as good to eat as they are to use as a fall decoration.  The acorn is a rich squash that is ideal as a side dish along a nice roast chicken as part of a fantastic family dinner.  It can also be used to make a delicious soup.  Or by roasting with maple syrup can be a dessert like dish, which in Farmer Don's book means you get 2 desserts because a vegetable can't count as a dessert.

Acorn Squash Soup

 

Delicata Squash

NEW THIS WEEK! The Delicata Squash is a variety of butternut squash.  It is an easily prepared vegetable, no need to peel this squash, with a rich taste that is ideal for Roasting or being caramelized.

Roasted Squash Recipe

 

Sunflowers

NEW THIS WEEK! These once beautiful giants, are ripe with seeds.  Save yourself from the expensive and less healthy snack and make your own roasted sunflower seeds.  The First step is hanging your sunflower upside down and tieing a plastic bag over the head allowing the dried seeds to collect.  At which point you boil the seeds with salt and then roast in the oven for a favorite snack.  

Sunflower Seed Recipe

 

Garden Huckleberries

This is the other unique fruit we are growing this year.  Like the Ground Cherry it is related to the tomato plant.  This fruit is not very tasty raw and requires a little work to make this the delicious specialty it is meant to be.  It is great to use for Jams, on Ice Cream or can be added to the Ground Cherries to make a unique mixed berry pie.  Again from our favorite source of information 

Mother Earth News Pie

Garden Huckleberry Jam

Ground Cherries

This has been a surprisingly popular crop.  This interesting garden specialty is from the tomato family, and luckily has so far been unaffected by the blight.  These small paper covered fruits have a super sweetened tomato flavor, which is closer to a strawberry and has the smell of cantaloupe.  They are fantastic added to vanilla ice cream.  They also can be the basis for a great pie or jam which can be found on Mother Earth News.

Turnips

These Small white turnips are great for use raw in salads, or can be roasted, boiled and mashed, or diced and added to a soup.  This vegetable is a staple food that can be used in every meal and many ways let us know what your favorite way to eat them are!  

Okra

Okra was a new vegetable to us last year that we brought back again this year.  We like to use our Okra by dicing it with a jalapeno and add it to a cornbread mix.  Okra can also be grilled, sauteed, fried, stir-fried, or added to soup.  

Grilled Okra

Spicy Sauteed Okra

Chicken and Okra Gumbo  

   

Peppers- Jalapeno, Ancho, or Anaheim

We have a mix of peppers this week either a Jalapeno, Ancho, or a Anaheim pepper.  Each has a little different use.  Jalapenos, are typically added for spice to a dish, especially salsas, sauces, and stir-fry. Ancho peppers are pretty diverse and can be used diced, or stuffed and roasted.  

Zesty Salsa Canning Recipe

Guacamole

Stuffed Peppers

Chile Rellano

 

Eggplant

 We have a dark purple variety and a white 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!

Ratatouille

Eggplant Parmesan

Tomatillos

We have changed up the salsa verde recipe this week, it is a fresh recipe that requires no cooking.  This salsa is great on pork chops!  This interesting vegetable is related to the tomato and must be removed from it's papery husk before use.  It can be used in many of the same ways as a tomato either in sauces or green salsas.  

Salsa Verde

Kale

This green became a favorite for us at the farm Farmer Don certainly came to love it.  There are many great ways to enjoy this super food, which is loaded with vitamins.  You can of course eat it raw, or throw it in a juicer.  We really enjoy throwing it in the cast iron with  butter, salt, pepper, and some red pepper flakes and sauteing for a few minutes for a great side to any meal.  It is also a great healthy snack when you bake them into Kale Chips.  

Kale Chips

Swiss Chard

Enjoy these multicolored Swiss Chard leaves this week! Swiss Chard is high in minerals and fiber, and looks a bit like a giant beet leaf.  Swiss chard with red ribs is often a little sweeter, with less bitter undertone than Swiss chard with white ribs. All the varieties of chard can be prepared the same way, but they can have a different flavor. Some people prefer the ribs, some prefer the leaves, so experiment and enjoy this summer! Try some of these easy recipes to start out.

5 Ways to Prepare and Cook Swiss Chard

Fresh Herb Bundle

We've got  bunches of Terragon, Dill, Italian Basil and Lemon Basil this week, enjoy!  

Can't use it all? Here's a simple How-To on drying your own herbs. 

2014 CSA Share 12

2014 CSA Share 12

This week on The Shire has been a busy one.  We put up our second cutting of hay and the barn is full and we're ready to feed two cows for the winter.  Again we have something new for everyone,  this week we have our late summer specialty Melons!  We also have the last of the Summer Squash.  Many of the fall planting vegetables are beginning to be ready so we also have many of our spring crops cycling back into production like Lettuces and Arugula.   Unfortunately our Tomatoes in the Greenhouse have succumb to the blight, and this will be the last week we have tomatoes, which has been a heartbreak for Sara as I am sure it has been for all of you.

Arugula, eggplant, garden huckleberry, kale, melon, onions, peppers, summer squash, tomatillos, and tomatoes.

WE WILL HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF EXTRA PRODUCE FOR SALE AT DROP OFF, THE FARM STAND AND CARSON CITY FARMERS MARKET!

 

 

  Melon

NEW THIS WEEK! These are a mix of Cantaloupe, and the small melon with big flavor, the Charentais Melon!  We will have watermelons in the next few weeks so keep looking forward to that! 

 

Arugula

Arugula is a pungent, peppery flavored green originating from the Mediterranean. Spice up any salad, sandwich, or pizza with some Arugula! For a pizza topping you can add it just before baking or immediately after. Also eaten raw, coarsely chopped in pasta in Italy. With salad--try it with some mozzarella cheese, pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes!

 

Garden Huckleberries

This is the other unique fruit we are growing this year.  Like the Ground Cherry it is related to the tomato plant.  This fruit is not very tasty raw and requires a little work to make this the delicious specialty it is meant to be.  It is great to use for Jams, on Ice Cream or can be added to the Ground Cherries to make a unique mixed berry pie.  Again from our favorite source of information Mother Earth News:

To prepare the fruits for use in most recipes, it's necessary to subject them to heat (to soften them) and to add about 1 1/4 cups of sugar for every four cups of raw berries. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Sweetness is, of course, a matter of personal taste. We also suspect it would be quite easy to substitute a less processed product for the white sugar called for in Ms. Farris's recipes.] If I'm making a pie, for instance, I first simmer four cups of berries, with just enough water to prevent scorching, for 20 minutes. Then I add the sugar and four tablespoons of cornstarch or tapioca, stir the filling till it thickens, remove it from the heat to cool, pour it into a shell, and cover it with a top crust. I put the pie in a 425°F oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is browned. The cooked and sweetened fruit is also delicious in pancakes, muffins, and such.

Okra

Okra was a new vegetable to us last year that we brought back again this year.  We like to use our Okra by dicing it with a jalapeno and add it to a cornbread mix.  Okra can also be grilled, sauteed, fried, stir-fried, or added to soup.  

Grilled Okra

Spicy Sauteed Okra

Chicken and Okra Gumbo  

 

Tomatoes 

This will be the last of the tomatoes to have survived the Late Blight, so enjoy these quickly!   Below is a link to Farmer Figgins' post about all the varieties you will be seeing this season.   Fortunately we do still have slicers and romas growing in the greenhouse which can be used very universally. 

2014 Tomato Varieties

 

Onions

We are growing a mix of White, Yellow, and Red onions, and everyone should see a mix throughout the season.  Use the onions as you would any onion, we find the Red onions are best for strong flavors, and we like them especially for raw sandwich onions, yellows are very universal useable in any way, and whites are good for cooking with.   

Peppers- Jalapeno, Ancho, or Bell

These spicy summer favorites are coming free choice this week.  We have a mix of peppers this week either a Jalapeno, Ancho, or a Bell pepper.  Each has a little different use.  Jalapenos, are typically added for spice to a dish, especially salsas, sauces, and stir-fry. Ancho peppers are pretty diverse and can be used diced, or stuffed and roasted.  Bell peppers are probably the most universally liked pepper.  These peppers are not typically spicy and even can be sweet.  There is no wrong way to eat bell peppers in our opinion, diced it can be added to a salsa raw, or sauteed and added to eggs!  

Zesty Salsa Canning Recipe

 Guacamole

Stuffed Peppers

Chile Rellano

 

Eggplant

 We have a dark purple variety and a white 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!

Ratatouille

Eggplant Parmesan

Tomatillos

We have changed up the salsa verde recipe this week, it is a fresh recipe that requires no cooking.  This salsa is great on pork chops!  This interesting vegetable is related to the tomato and must be removed from it's papery husk before use.  It can be used in many of the same ways as a tomato either in sauces or green salsas.  

 Salsa Verde

Summer Squash

This will likely be the last share with summer squash, and we have a few monster size zucchini for everyone. These are large enough for making zucchini bread one of Farmer Figgins' favorite way to use squash!  We shred and drain these large zucchini and freeze in 4cup batches so we can enjoy it all winter long.

 

Spaghetti Carbonera with Summer Squash

 

Kale

This green became a favorite for us at the farm Farmer Don certainly came to love it.  There are many great ways to enjoy this super food, which is loaded with vitamins.  You can of course eat it raw, or throw it in a juicer.  We really enjoy throwing it in the cast iron with  butter, salt, pepper, and some red pepper flakes and sauteing for a few minutes for a great side to any meal.  It is also a great healthy snack when you bake them into Kale Chips.  

Kale Chips

Fresh Herb Bundle

We've got  bunches of Catnip, Sage, Italian Basil and Lemon Basil this week, enjoy!  

Can't use it all? Here's a simple How-To on drying your own herbs.