Storage Share, 2023

Even the strawberry plants are showing fall colors.

We are using the mild weather to bring in fall bumper crops.  Here, Ken picks up stray parsnips.  The harvester picks up most roots but some are skipped.  The parsnips go into cold storage.  We’ll wash and ship to food coops through the winter, plus carrots, cabbage, radishes, celeriac, turnips, etc etc.

Storage Share this week

Your produce is in one box labelled “A” and one box labelled “B”.  Bring lots of bags and containers.

Things you need to know about your winter share

* Your delivery will consist of two different boxes, labeled “A” and “B”.  Take produce from one “A” box and one “B” box.  The boxes contain different vegetables.  The stacks may be covered with blankets.  Look around.
* Please pick up your boxes on the day of delivery, during the normal hours for your site.
* Bring extra bags or containers this time.  Leave the Tipi boxes at your site, take the produce home in your own bags/containers.
* If you send someone to pick up your produce, make sure they know what to do.

Strategy

We hope you enjoy this shipment of veggies.  Strategize to use them well, as some will last longer than others. 
* These are the most perishable vegetables:  Fennel, Romanesco.
* These are the next-most perishable: Brussels sprouts, leeks.
* Onions are next in line.  We sent you our best long-storing onions but you should still store them cool if possible (but don’t let freeze).  If you don’t have room in your fridge, find a cool spot in your house.
*Keep an eye on your butternut, potatoes and sweet potatoes.  These last well but the last two are susceptible to drying out.  Expect the largest butternuts to last the longest.
* These will last the longest: beets, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, daikon, garlic, parsnips and shallots.

Veggie List
Storage Share, Nov. 16/17, 2023 (Th/Fri sites)

Box “A”
Everything in this box can be stored cool or at room temperature.  See notes below for more detail.

Garlic, 3 – 4 bulbs, some bulbs might be split in half
Shallots, 1 or 2
(Garlic and shallots are in same bag.)
‘Autumn Frost’ winter squash
Butternut squash, several
(Combined, squash are ~10 lb total)
Sweet potatoes, ~10 lb
Onions, red & yellow, 5 lb total
Russet potatoes, 5 lb
Yellow potatoes, 5 lb

Box “B”
Refrigerate everything in this box.

Beets, 3 lb, mixed red and golden
Brussels sprouts, 1.5 lb
Cabbage, 1 head
Carrots, 6 lb mixed orange, red, yellow & purple
Celeriac, 1
Daikon radishes, white & purple & red
Fennel, 1 bulb
Leeks, ~2 lb
Parsnips, 2 lb
Romanesco cauliflower, 1 head

Beets – Your bag will have mostly red beets, with a few golden beets mixed in.  Refrigerate in a bag or container.  Beets will store for two months or longer.  

Brussels sprouts – Eat within 2 to 3 weeks.

Cabbage – Refrigerate.  You can cut off sections as needed. 

Carrots –  Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  Will keep for weeks.

Celeriac – Will store for months in your fridge.  Cut off chunks as needed.  Peel before using.  I find it easiest to cut the celeriac into flat slices, then peel.

Daikon radishes (white, purple, red) – Cover and refrigerate.  They are susceptible to drying out in your fridge so put them in a container or bag.  If the skins look dry, a quick peel freshens them up.

Fennel – Cover and refrigerate. 

Leeks.  Refrigerate. In general, leeks are not a long-storage crop.  You may need to strip off one or two outer leaves to freshen the leeks before you cook them.

Garlic –  Store at room temperature.  We’re sending a mix of large and small bulbs, German Extra Hardy (white wrapper leaves, large cloves) and Korean Red (purple wrapper leaves, smaller cloves).  Some bulbs might be in halves, leftover from when we cracked nice bulbs for planting. 

Onions:  Refrigerate or store in a cool, dark spot and protect from light.  Exposure to light stimulates sprouting.  

Parsnips (These look like large white carrots.) – Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  Parsnips will store for several months but will darken in color.  That is a harmless change.

Potatoes – Can be stored at room temperature or in a cool spot, but must be kept in the dark so they do not turn green.  A cloth or loose plastic bag draped over the paper bag will slow moisture loss, but do not close the plastic bag.  Potatoes store longer if kept cool.  Around 40 – 50 F is ideal.  These organic potatoes were grown by the Igl family near Antigo.
Russets – We got the big ‘baking’ grade so you have nice bakers for Thanksgiving.  Excellent for baked or mashed potatoes.
Yellows – These are good all-purpose potatoes.

Romanesco cauliflower – Refrigerate.  These should store for two weeks.  

Shallot (look like a small red onion) – Good for salad dressing or to caramelize.

Sweet potatoes – We’re sending a mix of two indistinguishable varieties, Beauregard and Orleans.  Both have excellent flavor and sweetness.  Store at room temperature, no lower than 55 F, but 60+ F is better.  Keep them on your kitchen counter where it’s easy to keep an eye on them.  I like to keep ours in a paper bag so they don’t dehydrate.  Cook promptly if they start to soften.  The roots come in a wide ranges of sizes and all are good.

WINTER SQUASH – Store all winter squash cool and dry.  60 F is ideal.  Do not put in a plastic bag.  Check your squash regularly and eat promptly if flaws develop.
Autumn Frost (frosted pumpkin) – This beautiful frosted squash has both pumpkin and butternut squash breeding.  It cooks and tastes like an unusually good butternut, with rich, smooth texture.  The skin is edible.
Butternut winter squash (tan, oblong) – All are our favorite ‘Metro’ variety.  If your butternuts show signs of drying or wrinkling, use them promptly.  They will still taste great, but it’s a sign that they are nearing the end of their storage life.  Remember, you can cook, mash and freeze the squash for future use.  I find that you can refrigerate cut raw squash for up to one week.  This runs counter to the accepted way to store squash, but is useful if you want to cook just half a squash.  Some of them are big!
Safety tip:  Microwave your squash for one to two minutes before cutting or peeling.  This softens the squash and makes a squash easier and safer to cut.

Thanksgiving Menus

Right now, websites are loaded with great recipes suited to your Storage Share vegetables.  Peruse and bookmark soon.  The Thanksgiving collections are taken down quickly after the holiday but individual recipes are not. This is a good chance to gather recipes to try this winter.  

Smitten Kitchen
You could begin and end your Thanksgiving planning with Deb Perelman.  She’s an amazing cook who publishes workable recipes.  She has an extensive list of Thanksgiving dishes collected over the years.  I really trust her recipes.

Food52.com
Check out their Automatic Holiday Menu Maker.  They have collected soooo many vegetable and salad recipes, especially under the Soups & Salads and the Vegetables sections but also Hors D’Oeuvres and Main Attractions.  I am relieved to see that they stripped out the ads this year.  This section was overrun last year and disappointing.

Love & Lemons 
They have a beautiful collection of “50 Thanksgiving Side Dishes”.

Squash & Sweets Share

Golden asparagus ferns at dusk.

Squash & Sweets Share

– November 2 / 3, 2023 (Thurs/Friday sites)
– These pre-ordered boxes will be available during the usual hours for each CSA sites.
– If you chose a new site for this week, please make sure you have updated site info from me.  If you don’t have that info, just ask me.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes

Sweet potatoes, about 10 lbs
Winter squash, about 16 lbs.
The sweet potatoes are washed but the winter squash is only brushed and has some soil.  Thanks for washing your squash this year!

Sweet potatoes (about 10 lb) – These are either Beauregard or Orleans variety, which are virtually indistinguishable.  
Storage:  Store covered at room temperature.  60 F is ideal.  I store mine in a paper bag or cardboard box to slow moisture loss a bit.  Sunlight does not harm them.

Winter squash (about 16 lb total) – We packed two Autumn Frost and the balance is butternuts.
Storage: All should be stored uncovered at room temperature.  60 F is ideal.  Your kitchen counter or shelves are perfect.  Keep an eye on the squash.  If you see a flaw developing, cook that squash first.
Safety tip:  Microwave your squash for one to two minutes before cutting or peeling.  This softens the squash and makes it easier and safer to cut.

‘Autumn Frost’ squash – This beautiful frosted squash has both pumpkin and butternut squash breeding.  They cook and taste like an unusually good butternut, with rich, smooth texture.  This is a fairly new variety.  The breeders really knocked it out of the park with this one.  The skin is edible.  
Butternut squash – The workhorse of squash!  We are sending the flavorful ‘Metro’ variety, good for roasting or soups or casseroles or baked goods.

Week #24, Final box for May-October CSA season!

Thank you and good bye for now.

This is the final delivery of our May – October CSA season.  Thank you so much for joining our farm this year.  We deeply appreciate your commitment and support.  And we hope that you enjoyed all the produce!  Watch for an email from us in the next few weeks with an end-of-season survey.

Those of you who ordered a fall Squash & Sweets share or a Storage Share, you know who you are.  If you are not certain, please check your online account, or send me an email.

What a season!  From our perspective, it was a challenging year because of drought but very rewarding and productive.  I’ll write in more detail when I send the survey.  Right now we need to get ready for tomorrow’s delivery.

Thanks again,
Beth & Steve

A few last photos

We got to harvest both your fennel (above) and Brussels sprouts during the burst of warm weather.  It was appreciated and a big contrast to the years we’ve harvested Brussels in sleet.  

Charlotte LOVES Romanesco cauliflower.  After the harvest was done, she got to keep the biggest one I could find.  

The cover crops are soaking up the late warmth and growing steadily.  The farm absolutely glows on sunny days.

Sample Squash & Sweets Share

Last chance, Squash & Sweets Share

Registration closes on Saturday for this upcoming delivery.  It’s a ‘Squash & Sweets’ box, filled with winter squash and sweet potatoes.  We have great and abundant crops of both.  The photo shows 9 lb sweet potatoes and 16 lb total winter squash but don’t get attached to the exact proportions; we’ll settle the ratios once we get everything out of storage.
– $42
– Check today’s email for a link to register.  
– Delivery next week.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #24, October 26/27, 2023 (Thurs/Fri sites)

– Weekly shares
– BiWeekly/ green
– Sampler/ D group

Brussels sprouts, ~3/4 lb
Carrots, 2 lb
Butternut squash
Sweet potatoes, ~3 lb
Fennel, 1 or 2 bulbs, with some fronds
Poblano chile, 1
Yellow onion
Shallots, 1 bulb
Everyone gets at least one thing from this list:
Romanesco cauliflower
&/or white cauliflower
&/or purple cauliflower
&/or purple broccoli

Fennel (bulbs with a tuft of lacy fronds) – Fennel is a ‘swing vegetable’; it can be used raw or cooked.  Clean well and slice as thinly as possible for use in raw salads.  It is good simply prepared with olive oil, lime or lemon juice, salt and shaved parmesan cheese.  Cooking softens and sweetens fennel, and mellows its anise flavor.  Both the bulb and leaves are edible.  Here are ideas from Alice Water of Chez Panisse about how to use fennel:  ‘It’s strong anise characteristic seems to suit fish particularly well.  … We use fennel all the time.  We add the feathery leaves to marinades for fish and to numerous salads, sauces and soups and we use them as a garnish, too. … The bulbs are sliced and served raw in salads in various combinations with other vegetables, parboiled for pastas; caramelized and served as a side dish; braised whole; or cooked in vegetable broths & fish stocks.”
Storage: Cover and refrigerate.

Poblano chile (green or red.  The only pepper in this box) – Eat soon!  These were exposed to cold temperatures in the field, then harvested and held in our cooler.  We’ve examined them carefully so they are in good shape now but will not store for long.  It’s a last gasp of summer and I am having trouble letting go.

Shallots (look like small red onions) –  Store at room temperature.   Shallots store for a long time.  Excellent minced for salad dressing.  They will sweeten considerably when fried and can be used in Thai or Vietnamese dishes, to top burgers, etc.  

For some sites: Romanesco cauliflower (beautiful chartreuse green, spiraled head) – Refrigerate.  These should store well, eg for a few weeks.
For some sites: White or purple cauliflower – Refrigerate.  These store for up to two weeks.
For some sites: Purple broccoli – Refrigerate.  Will store for one week.

Shallots, prepared by Raul!

Clockwise from top left; white cauliflower, Romanesco cauliflower, purple broccoli, purple cauliflower

RECIPES by PHOEBE

Carrot Orzotto

This one-pan orzo has a similar rich flavor and creamy texture to risotto, but it comes together in a fraction of the time…and with a fraction of the stirring. Carrots, often a supporting player in the kitchen, star in this dish, adding sweet, earthy flavor and satisfying bite.

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced carrots (about 4 medium)
½ medium onion, diced
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups dry orzo pasta
½ cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable broth
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large lidded skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the garlic, rosemary, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and several grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring, for another minute, until fragrant. Add the orzo and stir to coat in the oil. Cook for 1 minute to lightly toast.

Add the wine and let it cook down for 30 seconds, then pour in the broth. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the orzo is al dente.

Uncover and cook, stirring, for another minute, until the orzo has a saucy, risotto-like consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste and serve with more cheese, if desired.

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Photo by Jeanine Donofrio and Phoebe Moore

Cauliflower Pasta

From Love & Lemons
This is a roast and toss pasta recipe—roast the cauliflower until it’s deeply caramelized, crisp up some homemade breadcrumbs, and then toss it all together with campanelle (or another short pasta), lemon zest, capers, and cheese. It would work nicely with white, purple, and/or romanesco cauliflower.
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Photo by Smitten Kitchen

Roasted Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds, Brown Butter, and Lime

From Smitten Kitchen
This fun roasted cauliflower preparation is a delicious, unexpected side dish. Deb douses the tender florets in a bright, nutty brown butter and lime dressing and tops them with pepitas for crunch. Skip the cilantro if you don’t have any on hand.
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Photo by The Modern Proper

Shaved Fennel Salad

From The Modern Proper
This quick and easy salad is a refreshing side dish for a comforting fall meal. Slice the fennel as thinly as you can so that it softens in the dressing. I recommend using a mandoline slicer if you have one. If you don’t have any fresh mint on hand, replace it with a tablespoon of chopped fennel fronds.
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Photo by Cookie+Kate

Creamy Thai Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

From Cookie+Kate
This red curry soup comes from Angela Liddon’s cookbook Oh She Glows Every Day. It’s totally vegan—a scoop of almond or peanut butter creates its creamy texture. Top your bowl with tamari almonds for crunch!
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Photo by Minimalist Baker

Butternut Squash & Miso Brussels Sprouts Nourish Bowl

From Minimalist Baker
This veggie and grain bowl is flexible. You could make it as written, omitting the greens from the grain mixture, or add other vegetables from this week’s share. Roasted carrots, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower would be fantastic instead of or alongside the roasted squash.
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Photo by Eva Kolenko

Pasta e Fagioli

From Love & Lemons
Fennel adds rich, savory flavor to soups and stews, as this simple pasta e fagioli recipe demonstrates. Feel free to omit the kale here, or, if you like, add a few extra carrots in its place. This hearty noodle soup will be delicious either way.

Week #23, Final purple and C delivery

We’ve had some gorgeous fall days.  Your head of red cabbage is somewhere in this photo.

This is the final CSA delivery for these groups:

– BiWeekly/ purple, and
– Sampler/ C group.
Next week will the final delivery of the entire May – October CSA season.   

“Squash & Sweets” box

Check your emails from me.  I sent a link to sign up for one additional box, with delivery in early November.  It’s a ‘Squash & Sweets’ box, filled with winter squash and sweet potatoes.  We have great and abundant crops of both.  The photo shows 9 lb sweet potatoes and 16 lb total winter squash but don’t get attached to the exact proportions; we’ll settle the ratios once we grade everything.

Fun things to do in our area (Q & A from the Gleaning Party)

I enjoyed conversations with many of you during the Gleaning Party.  You asked many great questions.  Let me answer one of them.

Question:  What are other fun things to do in this area?

A: Take a cheese tour!  Here is my recommended sequence:
– Flora’s Butterfield Bakery in Albany (Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun; 8am – noon).  Stop for cheesecake, cinnamon rolls, cinnamon doughnuts and hand pies.  Arrive early if you want a slice of cheesecake as she sells out fast.  The cinnamon doughnuts are my favorite.  Steve’s is the hand pies.  Disclaimer, Flora worked for us briefly as a teenager, many years ago.  She started her baking business while young and her family built her commercial kitchen in their garage.

– Maple Leaf Cheese Store in Juda (Open every day).  Stock up on local cheese including award winners from Maple Leaf, Roth Cheese, etc.  The prices are very reasonable.  Don’t be intimidated by the setting.  It looks like a truck stop but the cheese store is located in the front of the building.

– Ten Eyck Orchard in Brodhead (Open seasonally, Mon – Sun).  While you are in the area, stop for apples of course.  They grow an impressive range of varieties.  Ask someone for help and they will explain the varieties and offer samples to taste.  We’ve gotten to know sixth-generation orchardist Drew and his wife Meg.  Also, they sell Flora’s doughnuts and hand pies, an option if Flora’s shop is sold out.

– Decatur Dairy in Brodhead (Mon – Sat).  Have a grilled cheese sandwich and eat outside at their picnic tables.  They are perched atop a hill with terrific views.  Yes, the sandwiches are made with white bread.  Yes, it’s more cheese than you should eat at one time.  Yes, you have to be really hungry to finish that entire sandwich.  Yes, my favorite is the dill havarti with dill pickles.  I stop there after volunteering at prairie burns, when I am ravenous.  Be prepared to wait on the weekends.  Decatur Dairy recently completed a big expansion, the result of collaboration between the Decatur creamery and the 70-farm co-op that supplies their milk.  I love stories like this.

Steve and I did a mini cheese tour last weekend, which is how we ended up with a lunch like this.  Clockwise from top left, Maple Leaf cheese curds, Ten Eyck apples, Flora’s cinnamon doughnuts.

A: Destination Dining

Register for a Monticello Social Club dinner for a spectacular multi-course meal prepared with local foods.  We are signed up for October 28, to celebrate our last big CSA delivery.  If you attend please be sure to introduce yourself!  I wrote about the Social Club in a recent newsletter.

A: Visit a Prairie

The Driftless area west of us has many pockets of remnant prairie, a legacy of its untillable steep hills.  I volunteer with the local Prairie Bluff chapter of the Prairie Enthusiasts, doing seed collecting, burning, etc.  My favorite prairie is Muralt Bluff which is spectacular in spring and fall.  The decades of volunteer effort really show.  Conservation of Muralt Bluff had a dramatic beginning:

During the early 1970s Albany natives Gary Eldred and John Ochsner independently discovered this patch of unusual tall grasses and flowers. The next spring in April of 1975, together with Jonathan Wilde, Tim Hammerli and others, they dropped a match in the southeast corner and watched the fire follow the wind across the field to the north. Their suppression tools – snow shovels and burlap bags — proved inadequate to slow or stop the fire. The Albany Fire Department responded to reports of a wild fire, but they were unable to get their trucks up the bluff, so everyone stood and watched as the fire eventually ran out of fuel. Many cedar trees were scorched, the ground was blackened. But that summer the bloom of flowers – long suppressed by lack of fire – was impressive enough that the Green County Board of Supervisors was persuaded to buy the acreage.

I volunteer with John Ochsner – he is still working out there!  And people still tease him about starting that out-of-control fire.

A: Eat your cheese and apples at the Sugar River

There’s a nice park between the Sugar River and mill race in Brodhead called Pearl Island with map here.  Or you can wander short prairie trails to the river at Three Waters Reserve.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #23, October 19/20, 2023

– Weekly shares
– BiWeekly/ purple
– Sampler/ C group

Red cabbage
Brussels sprouts, 3/4 lb
‘Metro’ butternut squash
Parsnips, 1.5 lb
Leeks, ~1 lb
Colored peppers, ~2
Scallions, 1 bunch
Korean Red garlic, 1 bulb
Everyone gets two of these:
White cauliflower &/or purple cauliflower &/or purple broccoli

Next week’s box will probably contain butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, and more.

Brussels sprouts – If you are a new CSA member, please approach Brussels sprouts with an open mind.  Many of us grew up eating awful, overcooked Brussels sprouts.  These Brussels sprouts are completely different. 
Here is our method to cook Brussels sprouts: Wash the sprouts and trim the cut ends. Cut an X in the stem end of large sprouts.  Cut a single slit in small or medium sprouts.  This does two things. It helps the Brussels sprouts cook evenly, plus it allows them to soak up any marinade or dressing.  Place sprouts in a pot with one inch of water in the bottom and steam until tender, 7 to 10 minutes.  If the sprouts are uneven in size, then set aside the smallest ones and add to the pot after the larger ones have cooked for a few minutes.  Don’t overcook them!  You can also oven-roast Brussels sprouts.  
Here are a few dressing ideas for cooked sprouts:  
– Sherry vinegar/olive oil/Dijon mustard/garlic/white wine/salt and pepper.  This is our favorite, especially when you combine the Brussels sprouts with slivered peppers and thinly sliced onions.  Delicious warm, cold, or at room temperature.
– Balsamic vinegar/olive oil/garlic/salt and pepper
– Lemon juice and zest/melted brown butter/poppy seeds/white wine/garlic/salt

Butternut squash – The workhorse of squash!  We are sending the flavorful ‘Metro’ variety, good for roasting or soups or casseroles or baked goods.
Storage:  Store uncovered at room temperature.
Safety tip:  Microwave your squash for one to two minutes before cutting or peeling.  This softens the squash and makes it easier and safer to cut.

Parsnips (These look like large white carrots) – Those long, white roots are not carrots, they are parsnips. The two vegetables are related.  When cooked, parsnips are sweet and starchy.  For the best flavor, brown them to caramelize the sugars.  Here are a few ideas for parsnip preparation:
– Caramelize the parsnips by roasting them in a vegetable medley.
– Parsnip fries are delicious: cut like French fries, oil lightly, place on a cookie sheet and roast in a hot oven until brown and cooked through.
– Try substituting grated parsnips in a potato pancake recipe. They brown beautifully and are very tasty.
– Steve loves pan-fried parsnips with onions and garlic.

Leeks (look like big scallions) – These alliums have a milder flavor than onions.  Nonetheless, they can be used in recipes that call for onions.  To wash, split the leek lengthwise, from the green tops about halfway to the base, leaving the base intact.  Rinse well under running water, separating the layers to flush.  If necessary, split the leek further if soil has penetrated more than halfway down the leek.  Shake dry.  Leeks are generally eaten cooked.  They can be sauteed, steamed or roasted.  Intact leeks will store 2 to 3 weeks if covered loosely and refrigerated.  The outer leaves will yellow.  Just peel them off and discard.  The inner leek layers will be fine.

Pepper – This is probably the last pepper of the season.  It is from a field that escaped frost damage.  Eat soon – peppers that have been chilled like this are good now but might not store for long.

RECIPES by DEB

Butternut squash, sausage, and pasta bake

This pasta bake is like many others: homey and cheesy and comforting. What sets it apart is the butternut squash in the sauce, that makes the dish taste as rich as similar bakes with a lot more cheese. I’ve used ground or link pork sausage here, but try chicken or turkey sausage if you prefer, and you can make this vegetarian by subbing in some greens instead of the sausage.

Prep time: 30 mins.
Baking time: 30 mins.
Serves: 8

12 ounces pasta of your choice, I used penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces ground Italian sausage or 3-4 links with casings removed or sliced, if it’s the type of sausage where you can’t remove the casing
1 large bell pepper, seeded and chopped

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 leeks, white and light green parts only, split longways and thinly sliced
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, OR 2 cups reserved pasta cooking water and 1 bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups grated cheese – sharp cheddar or a combination of cheddar and Swiss is good
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping:
1 cup breadcrumbs (can be fresh or dried)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced or put through a press
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until it’s a bit underdone, since it will be baked. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water if you are not using broth. Drop the bouillon cube into the reserved pasta water to melt while you prepare the other parts of the dish.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and brown the sausage. If using ground sausage, break it into smaller clumps with a wooden spoon as it browns. If you have any other type of link sausage, slice it and brown in the oil. Add the chopped bell pepper and continue to cook until the pepper is soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven with a lid. Add the leeks and a generous pinch of kosher salt, stir, and cover. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the leeks are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the squash cubes and the broth (or pasta water/bouillon mixture), cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. The squash cubes should be submerged; add a little more water if necessary. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth using an immersion blender. You can also use a food processor or blender but cool the mixture for about 10 minutes before proceeding. Add the nutmeg and the Parmesan and grated cheese(s) and stir until the cheese melts. Taste and season with salt if needed and freshly ground pepper.
4. Heat the oven to 400°. Stir the sausage mixture and the pasta into the sauce and spread into a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbly.
5. For the topping, heat the olive oil in a pan and add the minced garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir to coat with oil, and cook a few minutes until the crumbs are slightly toasted and the garlic is fragrant. Set aside to cool. After the pasta has baked for 20 minutes combine the 1/4 cup Parmesan and the crumbs, which should be cool by now, and top the pasta with this mixture. Bake for 10 more minutes and serve.

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Lemony Roasted Parsnip Hummus | power hungry

From power hungry
I think most of us are familiar with roasting parsnips to bring out their natural sweetness. Here roasting is taken one step further, and the roasted parsnips are pureed with lemon and garlic and almond butter to make hummus. You could sub in the more traditional tahini for the almond butter if you like.
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Roasted Cabbage Salad with Sesame Honey Red Onions | Justine Doiron

From Justine Snacks
This roasted cabbage salad is made with green cabbage, but red cabbage will work just as well. At the website, it’s shown served on toast spread with labneh or strained yogurt, but could also be served without the toast, or on toast spread with a little goat cheese.
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Photo by Jessica Merchant

Maple Sheet Pan Sausage with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts | How Sweet Eats

From How Sweet Eats
Sheet pan dinners are quick and easy and this one transforms our Brussels sprouts, garlic, and butternut squash into dinner. The recipe suggests serving this with brown rice; buttered noodles or orzo would be a nice alternative.
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Braised red cabbage with apple and bacon | DebsLunch

From DebsLunch
This is a traditional, slightly sweet-sour, red cabbage preparation. If you’d like to make it vegetarian/vegan, omit step one, frying the bacon, and start with step 2, sauteing the onions in 2-3 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil.
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Leek Tart with Gruyere and Onions | A Baking Journey

From A Baking Journey
There are tons of recipes for leek tart or leek quiche floating around on the Web – I chose this one since it is mostly leeks and cheese and also has good instructions for making your tart dough and fitting it into the pan. The recipe suggests blind-baking the crust and does not provide instructions for that – so here is a set from Sally’s Baking Addiction. The recipe calls for one small brown onion, which is the Australian name for yellow onions (that have a brown skin). If you like you could could double the leeks and omit the brown onion. Personally, I’d sub nutmeg for the optional cumin.
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Tuscan White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup | Fork Knife Swoon

From Fork Knife Swoon
This is a brothy soup featuring butternut squash, perhaps a nice change from soups with pureed squash that are more common. Any greens we get in the box this week, or even chopped broccoli or cauliflower, could be subbed for the kale, and a garnish of thinly sliced scallions and Parmesan cheese would be tasty.

Week #22, final Sampler/B box

The gleaning party was a success!  The weather was mild; chilly but dry and not too windy.  The sky was beautifully quilted with clouds.  Everyone found treasures to take home.  The most popular gleaning crops were pumpkins, flowers, basil and kale/collards.  I will tell you, those pumpkins were fully ripe in mid-August!  It is a miracle that they remained solid and beautiful for almost two months.  This is unprecedented.

Basil was a last-minute gleaning crop.  By the weekend, we knew it would suffer cold damage on Sunday night, so I offered entire plants to take home.  The farm smelled amazing!

Quite a few people hiked to the back of the farm, to explore or to glean winter squash.  Steve and I both enjoyed talking with so many of you.  We always learn something new when you visit.  
Beth & Steve

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #22, October 12/13, 2023

– Weekly shares
– BiWeekly/ green
– Sampler/ B group

Autumn Frost winter squash
Carrots, 2 lb
Poblano chilies, 2 (packed in bag of carrots)
Daikon radishes (white or purple or red)
Bok choy
Colored peppers, ~2
Yellow onion
Scallions
Garlic, 1 medium bulb
By site: purple OR white cauliflower OR smaller cauliflower plus Romaine lettuce

Next week’s box will probably contain butternut squash, red cabbage, greens and more.

‘Autumn Frost’ squash – Store cool and dry.  60 F is ideal.
This beautiful frosted squash has both pumpkin and butternut squash breeding.  They cook and taste like an unusually good butternut, with rich, smooth texture.  This is a fairly new variety.  The breeders really knocked it out of the park with this one.  The skin is edible.  

Poblano chiles – Your chilies could be green or red.  We packed them in the bag of carrots so they will be easy to identify.

Korean radishes – These are a favorite vegetable among our farm crew.  Crunchy Korean radishes are sweeter and milder than Japanese daikon radishes and come in a more manageable size.  They contain lots of water, which makes them easy to pickle or ferment.  You’ll receive at least two of the colors we grow: white, red and purple.  
Storage: Refrigerate.
Uses:  Maangchi rules for radish ideas! Head to her website for dozens of radish recipes.  She has the best website for Korean recipes.  Her Radish Kimchi recipe is close to foolproof and easy to scale.
More uses: Phoebe has a recipe below for “Quick pickled vegetables” that can be made with grated carrots and daikon.  It’s like the pickled slaw served on bahn mi sandwiches.

Scallions – Your scallions will need a little extra prep.  I asked the crew to trim roots and wash, but not do our usual full prep, to save time on a busy day.  Just pull off an outer leaf or two.

Garlic – This is German Extra Hardy variety, the type with large cloves.

Cauliflower – You’ll get purple or white cauliflower.  FYI, the purple color darkens when cooked.  
Storage:  Refrigerate.

Pretty, pretty Autumn Frost winter squash.

You will receive at least two of the daikon colors we grew this year; white, red and purple.

RECIPE from BETH

Steamed Coconut Custard in Autumn Frost

Thai pumpkin custard is a treat, and can be prepared in an Autumn Frost pumpkin.  That’s my custard in the photo above.  Autumn Frost really is that color inside!  I based my version on these recipes, with alterations. 
Thai Pumpkin Custard, from Cooking with Lane
Thai Pumpkin Custard, from Amporn’s Thai Kitchen

Beth’s notes.
– I’ve only made this in a steamer.
– Steam your hollow squash for 25 minutes before adding the custard mixture.  Otherwise, your squash is overcooked by the time the custard is set.
– I’ve never used pandan leaves.
– The linked recipes call for coconut milk or coconut cream.  I substitute a mixture of coconut milk and oat milk as I prefer it less rich.  I’ll pull together my cooking notes this weekend and will share my custard mixture here and on the Facebook group page.

RECIPES by PHOEBE

Pepper Lovers’ Pizza

Love peppers on pizza? This recipe is for you! It stars colorful roasted peppers, tangy pepper jack cheese, and red pepper flakes for an extra kick of heat. You can use any of the peppers from your share here—just keep in mind that the poblanos will increase the spice level.

Serves 2 to 3
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

6 ounces mixed peppers (bell, frying, poblano, etc.), stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
¼ onion, sliced into thin wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt
2 tomatoes from a can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
Cornmeal, for stretching the dough
1 pound pizza dough, store-bought or homemade*
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Red pepper flakes, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the peppers and onions on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast until soft and browned around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 500°F.

Place the whole peeled tomatoes in a medium bowl and use your hands to crush them into a slightly chunky sauce. Add ¼ teaspoon sea salt and stir to combine.

In another medium bowl, place the mozzarella and pepper jack cheeses and toss to combine.

Dust another large baking sheet or pizza pan with cornmeal. Place the pizza dough on the baking sheet and stretch it into a large circle or oval. Spread the tomatoes evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Top with all but ¼ cup of the cheese mixture, then top with the roasted peppers, onions, garlic, and dried oregano. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese on top.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Slice and serve.

*If using store-bought dough, let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before stretching.

Photo by The Modern Proper

Quick Pickled Vegetables

From The Modern Proper
These quick pickled carrots and daikon would be a great addition to a homemade banh mi, but the uses for them don’t end there. Pile them onto a burger or BBQ sandwich, add a scoop to a grain bowl, or top them onto cold sesame noodles.

Photo by The Woks of Life

Boiled Daikon Radish

From The Woks of Life
If you’re used to eating radishes raw, you might be surprised how much you enjoy this simple boiled daikon recipe. The cooking process mellows the radish’s bite, yielding a delicious, nourishing side dish.

Photo by Eva Kolenko

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

From Love & Lemons
This ultra-comforting mac and cheese features a creamy sauce made from part cheese, part roasted squash. The recipe calls for butternut, but autumn frost squash would add exceptional flavor!

Photo by The First Mess

Maple Tahini Glazed Cauliflower with Chipotle

From The First Mess
Purple and white cauliflower are both fair game here! The smoky chipotle seasoning and sweet, nutty tahini sauce will make them irresistible.

Photo by Pinch of Yum

Ginger Peanut Chicken with Coconut Rice

From Pinch of Yum
In this satisfying weeknight recipe, a gingery, peanut-y medley of chicken thighs, scallions, and bok choy tops a fragrant bed of coconut rice. Omit the cilantro if you don’t have any on hand.

Photo by Smitten Kitchen

Chicken Wonton Soup

From Smitten Kitchen
Homemade wonton soup is the perfect cozy cooking project for a rainy fall day! Finish the soup with chopped bok choy instead of spinach.