Final box + Tipi Secrets Revealed

This is the final box of our regular CSA season.  Thank you so much for joining our adventure this year.  We hope you have enjoyed the food and the experience.  We think about our community of eaters each week as we harvest and prepare your produce.  We cannot thank you enough for the trust you have placed in us.

It was a good season.  Too wet in spring, too dry in summer.  In other words, quite normal.  November weather usually leaves us battered and ready to hole up inside for the winter.  Not this year.  The mild fall has been a blessing, and we end the season feeling like spring chickens.  There are still housekeeping details to wrap up the season, so we will be in touch again in the next few weeks.
– 2015 survey, coming soon.
– 2016 CSA registration, coming soon.

Please return all boxes to your pick-up site.

We will retrieve them next week.  It is best to unpack this week’s produce and leave the empty box behind.

Storage share members …

We sent you an email on November 4 with delivery dates.  Contact us if you didn’t receive that email.

Tipi Secrets Revealed

I tend to curate the images we share, focussing on our farm’s beauty and productivity.  To end the season, let’s share a few things we’ve never shown you before.  The common thread?  Each of these images represents a moment of joy for our crew.

Last summer, there were reports of problems with the orange watermelons.  Not many, but enough to keep us from shipping the final melons from that harvest.  Not sure what to do with them, we left them in the cooler until it was clear they destined for the compost heap.  (Haven’t you done that with leftovers in your fridge??)  Billy, Maggie, Boi and Jon cleaned out the remnants and the job turned into a melon-smashing spree.  I have never heard them laugh so hard.  Photo by Bri Fiene.

Young lettuce fields are photogenic and filled with promise, so we usually share photos like the top one above.  Reality is that many of those lettuce heads will not be good enough to harvest.  Rot, insects, bolting, tip burn, rain damage – there are many, many ways for lettuce to go bad.  In the lower photo, we have harvested almost every single head.  That is rare and unusual, and made our lettuce crew very happy.  Maggie “Lettuce Queen” Schley still talks about this particular field.

I could fill the newsletter with scenes like this napa and kohlrabi harvest but it would be bewildering for readers.  That was a terrific field but looks like a scene of wanton destruction.

Oops. We felt bad after mowing the sweet corn. Madeleine noticed something shiny at the edge of the field and found these remnants of a garter snake. Gage tanned the skin for Madeleine, then ate the snake.  He says it tasted like chicken, with the consistency of a rubber band.  He is a unique and resourceful guy.  OK, that was an interesting episode rather than a moment of joy.

Our neighbors baled their corn stalks a few weeks ago.  There was endless discussion among our crew about whether it’s possible to leap up onto the bales unassisted.  Here are three answers:

That’s it!  Enjoy your winter and we will see you next spring.  Beth and Steve

Veggie List and Veggie Notes (Nov. 12/13, week #26, green EOW)

Red cabbage
Sweet potatoes, 2 – 2.5 lb
Brussels sprouts, on the stalk
Butternut squash
Leeks, 1.5 – 2 lb
Carrots, 2 lb
Beauty Heart radish
Garlic

Next week’s box will probably contain … Wait!  The next CSA box will be on May 19, 2016. Put it on your calendars. Our best guess for that box is asparagus, spinach, lettuce, green garlic, potatoes, arugula, radishes, and rhubarb.

Beauty Heart radishes (round, white with pale green shoulders and bright pink interior) – Refrigerate. The interior color is lovely. Slice thinly and add to salads, cook lightly in mixed vegetable medleys or cut into matchsticks and add to pasta salads. We enjoy grated carrot and Beauty Heart salads all winter.

THIS WEEK’S RECIPES

Comforting Classics

Confetti of Watermelon Radish and Carrot
Leek Bruschetta
Black Bean Burrito with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes and Red Cabbage
Sweet and Sour Braised Red Cabbage
Steamed Brussels Sprouts with Butter and Thyme
Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons

Outside the Box Recipes

Hazelnut Butter and Beauty Heart Radish Sandwich
Beer, Ham and Cheese Chowder with Leeks
Sweet Potato Polenta
Seared Red Cabbage with Crumbled Blue Cheese Dressing
Brussels Sprouts Braised in Nutmeg Cream
Butternut Squash Soup with Ham and Peas

Kitchen Sink Recipe

Hearty Garden Salad with Shaved Beauty Heart Radishes, Beets, Carrots, Eggs, Tuna or Chickpeas, and Sweet Garlic Dressing

Quick and Easy Meal Idea

Fusilli Mac and Cheese with Brussels Sprouts