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Weekly Greetings CSAers!
The fall bounty is upon us thus the shares are bountiful! This week you will find all sorts of fall comfort veggies like winter squash, potatoes, cauliflower and the likes to make al sorts of soups, stews and wonderful meals. Much of what is available this time of year stores very well for future meals, so while it may seem overwhelming at first glance, always keep in mind that you don't have to eat everything at once, but rather keep it around for later. Below is information about how to store winter squash, these tips will come in very handy.
Also this week, those of you who have fruit shares will notice that the pie cherries have returned. These are an awesome treat for they are already pitted and ready to go into pies, cobblers, crisps or what ever your little heart desires. They will come in plastic tubs, and despite your motives to return them to us, the orchards that we get these from cannot re-use the containers due to food safety. So please keep them for your own re-use, or please recycle them, but refrain from bringing them back to your sites, for this can get rather cumbersome for your hosts.
Enjoy this week's bounty and don't forget if you don't want the shares to end, be sure to signup for this year's winter shares!
This weeks shares may look something like this:
Single Share: Cauliflower, spinach, cilantro, red kale, cabbage, leeks, Russet potatoes, gold nugget squash, broccoli, **cinderella pumpkin, gold hubbard squash, Yugoslavian finger squash, Rocky Mtn. sweet onion.
**The cinderella pumpkin will be not be found in your share box for they are too big, you will find them at your site, so please take one.
Couple Share: Cauliflower, spinach, cilantro, red kale, leeks, Russet potatoes, gold nugget squash, broccoli, **cinderella pumpkin, blue hubbard squash, Yugoslavian finger squash, Rocky Mtn. sweet onion.
**The cinderella pumpkin will be not be found in your share box for they are too big, you will find them at your site, so please take one.
Family Share: Cauliflower, spinach, parsley, red kale, leeks, Russet potatoes, gold nugget squash, broccoli, **cinderella pumpkin, blue hubbard squash, Yugoslavian finger squash, Rocky Mtn. sweet onion.
**The cinderella pumpkin will be not be found in your share box for they are too big, you will find them at your site, so please take one.
Single Fruit Share: One tub of pie cherries and one bag of Golden Delicious apples.
Double Fruit Share: Two tubs of pie cherries and two bags of Golden Delicious apples.
Bread Share: Ciabatta
MouCo Cheese Share (one round per share): Truffello
Haystack Goat Cheese Share (one log per share): Cracked Pepper
Windsor Dairy Cheese: Nahku
Contents of the box may vary depending on weather, timing of the harvest and the whim of the farmer!
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Winter Shares!
If you are dreading heading back to the grocery stores this winter, we have a solution for you--Winter Shares! There are quite a few differences between our winter and summer share program, so read on. We don't offer as many options in regards to pickup locations, but we still try to have at least one in each area of the towns/cities we deliver to in the Front Range. Due to winter weather we do not offer winter shares to any of our Mountain Communities (I70 corridor and west of the Divide) or Wyoming (with the exception of Cheyenne).
Winter share deliveries begin the week of December 12th and continue through the week of June 4, 2012 for weekly deliveries.
Head over to our website to preview the list of winter pick up locations.
Questions? Call the CSA team at (970) 568-7654 or reply to this email.
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Buy One, Get One Free Ducks and Geese!
 If you are planning to have a goose or a duck in any upcoming holiday dinners, this is the last week the farm will be running the Buy One, Get One Deal. So make sure you have your order in time.
Click Here to Order Duck or Geese to get a SECOND ONE FREE! |
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Member Emails
"This was our first try with family shares with Grant Family Farms, I can't say enough about how great your product and service is. Not only is our whole family eating a far healthier diet, they like it! I often end up as the Chef in our family, and each week I look forward to trying new things, its really be great, and fun. Plus the obvious advantages to our environment, economy and community make it the best deal I've seen in a long time. You are helping to return America to its greatness and to its roots (no pun intended). Thank you so much for making this available to us and others.
I do have one complaint though: Your Heirloom tomatoes are SO GOOD, I don't think I'll ever be able to eat store bought tomatoes again! We made some homemade marinara sauce with them that was truly spectacular."
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Storing Winter Squash
Unlike their sunny day cousins the summer squash, winter squash can be stored for one to 5 months depending on the variety. Being able to store these squash will extend your cooking skills well into the winter.
For storage, transfer the squash to a cool (45 to 50 degrees), dry place such as the basement or the garage, but be careful, do not allow them to freeze. If you have shelves of space that allows for some circulation of air, this is will also extend their shelf life. The large hard rind winter squash can be stored up to six months under these conditions. Warmer temperatures simply mean shorter storage time.
If you have any squash that has punctures or holes, be sure to use these ones first, for their storage time will not be as long.
The smaller acorn and butternut do not store as well, only up to 3 months. Store cut pieces of winter squash in the refrigerator. Refrigeration is too humid for whole squash, and they will deteriorate quickly.
What Can I do With Winter Squash?
- Make soup! All of these squashes make wonderful soups and bisques. You can pair them with yellow split peas and curry or sweet potatoes and ginger with a hint of cayenne, it's up to you. Don't be afraid to experiment with soup.
- Roast squash: covered in foil with a little bit of olive oil and rosemary, these sweet squash make a fragrant side dish.
- Baked squash: cut in half or cut into slices and bake this squash with a little water in the pan. You can add sweetness in the form of butter, brown sugar or maple syrup, or add spices such as cinnamon or ginger for a spicier sweetness.
- Do a rootbake using other seasonal veggies (beets, potatoes, turnips, carrots) and season to your taste.
- Add these squash to a casserole where you usually use sweet potatoes.
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Potato Leek Soup
3 tbs butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced*
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 - 8 russet potatoes, thinly sliced**
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown.
Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom.
Add one cup of heavy cream (or more if you desire) and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve.
Notes: *Make sure to clean leeks thoroughly and slice only the white and light green part of the leeks. **You don't need to peel the potatoes as the peels add to the rustic texture of the soup. But make sure to scrub them thoroughly and remove any obvious blemishes before slicing. Although we always make it with chicken broth, this can easily become a vegetarian soup by simply using vegetable broth instead.
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Spicy Pumpkin Soup
4 tbs unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin*
5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)**
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
*To make pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.
**If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.
Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.
Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.
With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.
Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds.
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Who's Your Farmer?
Your CSA Team
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Leek Gratin
6-8 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Halve leeks lengthwise, leaving halves attached at root, and rinse well, shaking off water. In a large skillet, combine cream and leeks; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce to a medium simmer, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer until leeks are tender, 15 minutes. Transfer leeks and sauce to a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until golden and bubbling, about 35 minutes. Let gratin rest 10 minutes before serving. |
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Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
4 cups pitted tart cherries
3-4 tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 to 1 cup cherry juice
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
1 cup sugar
If frozen cherries are used, heat in saucepan until juice flows as cherries thaw. Drain before cherries are warm. If cherries are sugared, reduce sugar in recipe. Stir sugar & cornstarch together. Add small amounts of juice to make a paste. Stir into remaining juice, cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Stir in drained cherries and almond extract. Cool.
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Cherry Cheese Pie
1 graham cracker crust
1 8 oz. cream cheese
14 oz. sweetend condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
cherry pie filling (see recipe above)
Mix cream cheese, milk, and lemon juice until fluffy. Pour into baked graham cracker pie shell. Chill until set. Top with cherry pie filling. (Will not need all of the above recipe, only about 2-3 cups of it.)
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Colcannon (Winter Vegetable Casserole)
1 lb Potatoes, sliced
2 medium Parsnips,peeled and sliced *can also use carrots
2 medium Leeks
1 cup milk
1 lb Kale or cabbage
1/2 tsp Mace
2 large Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 tbs butter
1 bunch fresh Parsley, chopped
Cook the potatoes and parsnips in water until tender. While these are cooking, chop leeks (greens as well as whites) and simmer in the milk until soft. Next, cook the kale or cabbage and have warm and well chopped. Drain the potatoes, season with mace, garlic, salt and pepper, and beat well.
Add the cooked leeks and milk (be careful not to break down the leeks too much). Finally, blend in the kale or cabbage and butter. The texture should be that of a smooth-buttery potato with well distributed pieces of leek and kale.Garnish with parsley.
Colcannon is also made by cooking layered vegetables, starting with potatoes, in a slow-cooker during the day. Drain vegetables, blend with milk and margarine as above and garnish with parsley.
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"As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It's time to start making soup again."
~Leslie Newman
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