News from Grant Family Farms CSA

Grant Family Farms CSA Newsletter

Week 21 of 26

October 31st - November 5th, 2011

Weekly Greetings CSAers!

This past week we welcomed a bit of winter into our fall. As often as our October storms are, it always surprises us when it happens, sometimes in light fluffy snow and other times the heavy, water laden stuff like we just got. Due to the snow we are going to have to dance from one field to the next looking for what is best to harvest from day to day. This being the case the contents of your shares will vary from what we had originally planned, as the saying goes, "life is what happens when you are busy making plans", well this could not be more true than in farming.

Due to the size of the Cinderella pumpkins, which are a french heirloom also known as Rouge vif d'etampfs, we were not able to deliver them to everyone last week, so if you did not find one at your site, you probably will this week. Let us know if you do not or have any questions about them. They will not be in the share box themselves, but separate at your site, so please take one per veggie share if you did not last week.

The fruit shares this week will contain a jug of fresh pressed cider. this has not been frozen and will have a short shelf life, such it is with the freshest of the fresh stuff. If you cannot get to it this week, you will want to place the cider into your freezer until you can, otherwise drink up and enjoy the juice of the fall!

Enjoy your week, and as always if you ever have a question, comment, concern, etc., please email us (howdy@grantfarms.com) or call the farm directly ((970) 568-7654) and we will do what we can to help.

This weeks shares may look something like this:

Single Share: Cauliflower, spinach, green onions, spaghetti squash, leeks, Colorado rose potatoes, broccoli, red beets, Austrian blue hubbard squash, cippollini onions.

Couple Share: Cauliflower, spinach, green onions, chirimen squash, cabbage, kale, leeks, Colorado rose potatoes, broccoli, red beets, Austrian blue hubbard squash, cippollini onions.

Family Share: Cauliflower, spinach, green onions, parsley, cabbage, kale, leeks, Colorado rose potatoes, broccoli, red beets, Austrian blue hubbard squash, cippollini onions.

Single Fruit Share: One jug of fresh pressed cider, and one bag of either Rome of Golden Delicious apples.

Double Fruit Share: Two jugs of fresh pressed cider, and two bags of either Rome of Golden Delicious apples.

Bread Share: Multi-grain sesame

MouCo Cheese Share (one round per share): Truffello

Haystack Goat Cheese Share (one log per share): Farmer's Choice

Windsor Dairy Cheese: Nakhu

Contents of the box may vary depending on weather, timing of the harvest and the whim of the farmer!

Windsor Dairy Cheese Members - PLEASE read!

Due to the crazy snow storm that knocked out our power for the better half of Wednesday, a couple of wires were crossed on our orders. Because of that, we're a bit short on Windsor Dairy 1/2 lb's for Monday deliveries. If your Windsor Dairy cheese is not at your pickup on Monday, please email us to let us know. We will absolutely make this up to you by sending you an extra cheese next week! If extra cheese isn't your thing, we'd be happy to send eggs or mushrooms instead. Please make sure to specify in your email if you'd prefer other items. We sincerely apologize for the mix up! We will absolutely make it up to those of you who will miss your cheese- so please be in touch!

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.

Cipollini Onions

We at the farm have gone a little Cucina D'Italia! We planted CIPOLLINI'S, THE HEIRLOOM PEARL ONION of the Mediterranean, in our Rocky Mountain soil and it looks like they felt right at home. How do we know? Because on still, clear nights, if we went out in the field and knelt down on the ground, we could hear them chirping little tiny version of "O Solo Mio". So, here they are, hoping you'll take them home and enjoy their sweet song of rustic Italian flavor.

Follow these steps to Cipollini bliss:

1) Uncork a nice bottle of Chianti

2) Peel the outer skins of the Cipollini's

3) Crank Tosca, or your own favorite Opera (they all sound the same anyway)

4) Have a few sips of Chianti before cooking to insure the quality of your ingredients

5) Sauté' Cips in butter and/or olive oil until they begin to brown in spots. It is pretty hard to get even browning and opaque throughout

6) Throw in a few dried herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, basil all work nicely)

7) Pour yourself and the Cips a splash of Chianti

8) Sauté the Cips in wine until it reduces slightly and the little guys look dizzy

9) Add chicken or vegetable stock/broth and reduce by half

10) Have a few more sips of Chianti to double-check the quality of your ingredients

11) Add a little cream if you're skinny - or if you just don't care (it's still a kickin' dish even without cream)

12) Sit back, savor the Cips, and sing along loudly with the opera like you know the words!

The Cips will endear you to your guests, even if your singing doesn't

.....HIGH ALTITUDE BUON APPETITO!

Member Emails

"Thanks for the magnificent green thing from another planet. I've never quite seen spirals like that... maybe fractals made flesh! Well.... looking forward to trying this wacky thing. I sure enjoy seeing what surprises are in our basket every week. This is our first year, and I've never been so happy to get vegetables! I only wish I had signed on for eggs... is there any way to do that?"

"I almost never take the time to write to companies, neither to complain nor sing their praises, but these eggs warrant some serious kudos! I was very pleased to open my eggs to find that they were all different colors--it was a great way of me connecting to the fact that there are different kinds of chickens. But then, when I cracked them open, my jaw dropped at how beautifully rich gold the yolks were. And then, my jaw dropped further when I ate them: they were so rich, deep, nourishing, and nutritious tasting. Almost like an egg superfood!

These were honestly the best eggs I have ever tasted in my whole life; and as an avid egg fiend and a well-traveled businesswoman, I have tasted a LOT of eggs from around the country and around the world.

Thank you so much, whatever you are doing, please keep it up!"

Who's Your Farmer?

Your CSA Team

Watch Back To The Start

In This Newsletter

Windsor Cheese Delivery

Winter Shares!

Cipollini Onions

Member Emails

What's This?

Roasted Cipollini Onions

Pumpkin Chili

Herbed Broccoli Sandwich

What's This?

Cipollini Onions Roasted w/ Balsamic Vinegar and Honey

1 1/4 lb cipollini onions (unpeeled)

four sprigs fresh rosemary, thyme or oregano, chopped

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs honey

1. Place enough water in a sauce pan large enough to comfortably hold the cipollini. Bring the water to a boil.

2. Score an X in the root end of each onion and boil them in the water for 60 seconds. Drain and allow to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 450º.

4. Cut off the roots and stems and remove the onion peels.

5. Place the onions in a shallow dish or pan big enough to hold them all in one layer without crowding.

6. Combine the wine, soy sauce, vinegar and olive oil. Pour the mixture over the onions. Scatter on the herbs.

7. Roast in the preheated 450º oven for about 40 minutes, turning twice.

Pumpkin Chili

3 lbs lean ground beef

2 cups solid pack pumpkin or winter squash

2 cans red kidney beans

2 med onions (chopped)

3 (15-ounce) cans chopped tomatos

2 tbs chili powder (less if serving children)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if serving children)

2 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

2 bay leaves

In a large casserole, brown ground beef and drain off excess fat. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well, and simmer over low heat for 1 to 2 hours. Serve with crackers or garlic bread.

Herbed Broccoli Sandwich

2 cups broccoli (finely chopped)

1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)

dash dried basil

dash dried thyme

dash dried pepper

1/2 tsp salt

4-6 slices French bread

3/4 cup cheese (shredded)

In a large frypan heat about 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the broccoli and onion until broccoli is bright green. Mix in the few dashes of dried basil, thyme and pepper. Top the French bread with the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil until melted. Serve immediately.

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"In general, mankind, since the improvement in cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires."
~Benjamin Franklin