October 6, 2012 

letter head csa
sunflower

  

    

"The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, 

while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."

-   John Muir
 
FULL SHARE DELIVERY TO ALL LOCATIONS  

HALF SHARE DELIVERY FOR FREDERICK, SILVER SPRING, NW DC, TAKOMA PARK AND BERKELEY SPRINGS

 

Autumn Gifts

One of the gifts of being a CSA member is the connection it brings to eating in harmony with the seasons.  I was reflecting upon how the pumpkin has managed to keep its seasonal place.  Pumpkins seem to be a symbol of fall.  They appear in pumpkin flavored coffee,  pumpkin bread,  fall decorations, pumpkin pies on display at the grocery store, and even pumpkin ice cream; all as seasonal specialties.   Most of pumpkins on the market seem to be for carving, which I still enjoy doing myself. So many varieties are better suited for eating and we are grateful to have a harvest of them to share.  Many of the  pumpkin recipes I come across call for canned pumpkin.  The extra step or two is well worth the effort in using fresh pumpkin in place of the canned.  Fall returns and so does the pumpkin, what a wonderful way to celebrate local food!


pumpkin bench
Baking with real pumpkins is a gift not to be missed.  There are so many wonderful varieties to be enjoyed during this time of harvest.   This week your share will include both a Long Pie Pu
mpkin and a Kabocha Squash.  We have more pie pumpkins and lots of Butternut Squash curing in the sun to share over the coming weeks too.   
 
 In my pumpkin reflection, it reawakened my love of why eating with the seasons is such a gift.  It feeds that innate sense of connection and tradition that not only feeds my body, but my soul.  Baking a pie with the kids is a special event, that is greeted with excitement as it's a special treat, not to return until we circle back around the seasons.  In this day and age, it is easy to find a tomato any time of the year... or an apple... or a bag of lettuce, and the list goes on.  When we choose to eat seasonally and locally, it connects us with a sense of excitement when the season changes and offers us a new gift.  It connects us with the wisdom of how the harvest offers what most nourishes us in perfect timing.  Pumpkins and sweet potatoes are available just when the air cools enough to heat up the oven to bake a pie, or make a pot of soup to eat on a chilly fall evening.  The dark greens beco
me more abundant, with their need to be cooked before eating.  During the summer, we were munching on tomatoes, melons, and cucumbers raw, which makes sense on a hot afternoon.  With the sun setting earlier, I have more time to bake or cook a pot of soup.  During the summer, when I returned later in the day from a long day in the garden, a quick raw meal was welcome.   We hope you enjoy the fall gifts that come along in your share this season and they bring you into a sense of harmony with the season that is upon us and the uniqueness it brings into your kitchen.  
       
 Along wicarrotsth the return of the pumpkin, comes the return of the roots!  I would add the sweet potato to the list of my fall favorites as well.  The rest of them are being dug today to cure in the solar seed shed, along with the pumpkins, and fill your shares through the fall season. This weeks share will include a small bunch of carrots and daikon radishes.   Young turnips, watermelon radishes and beets were some of the last seeds sown for this years' harvest.  

The garlic will go in for next years' harvest, and many beds are being  cleared and seeded with cover crops to nourish the grgarlic plantingound for next years' harvest.  The root crops we harvest serve as a reminder to me that we are approaching the season of turning to inward reflection.  It seems to happen naturally.  We are sowing seeds to nourish the garden next year and beginning to talk about what we learned this year, what we may try differently next year, and ponder.   As I look for winter workshops, they seem to represent the seeds of knowledge we would like to plant in our beings to better ourselves as caretakers of the garden.  There is plenty of work to do still, but the fall season certainly has a unique quality of reaping the harvest, laying beds to rest, and nurturing the soil for a time to rest and prepare for new growth.

Hope you enjoy the nourishing harvest, the changing colors, the cool nights and all the other joys of Autumn.


Thank you for joining us this season to share in the harvest and all of it's beauty, nourishment, and healing. 
 

Please contact us any time with questions.  You are always welcome to come visit!

   Sunflower Art

Peace and Blessings~
 

Halima Willett
717-573-2956


 

This Weeks Harvest

market table
Long Pie Pumpkin
Kabocha Squash
Carrots and Daikon Bunch
Leeks
Swiss Chard
Tat Soi
Bell Peppers 
Hot Peppers  
2 bulbs of Garlic
Chocolate Mint 
Sage
 
 

Kabocha Squash Soup


kabocha soup

  

2 cups water

1 handful (about 1/2 cup) of wakame seaweed
1 kabocha squash, cut into cubes (no need to peel it)
1 daikon radish, peeled and cut into cubes
tops from 1 bunch of scallions (or substitute sliced leeks!) 

2-4 cups additional water, vegetable stock or homemade chicken stock
2-3 tablespoons white or red miso

1-2 teaspoons Thai chili garlic sauce  

(or sub fresh garlic and chilies from you share!)

2-4 tablespoons whole coconut milk--optional   

 

Directions~ 

   

1. Heat 2 cups water in a pot; add wakame, kabocha, scallions, and daikon radish. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes.

 

2. Check to see that the wakame is softened and the squash and daikon are cooked through and soft; if not, simmer 5-10 more minutes. Add the additional liquid. Because it is important not the boil the miso (boiling destroys the healthful enzymes), remove about 1/2 cup of the hot soup to a small bowl, and whisk the miso until it dissolves.

 

3. Return the miso mixture to the soup pot and stir to combine. Add the chili sauce and the optional coconut milk, and mix well. Taste and add more of these, if desired.





Pumpkin Pie


pumpkin harvest


2 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin or squash
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
( I use maple syrup)
2 Tbs molasses
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp powdered ginger
3/4 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1 cup cream
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Place pumpkin or squash puree in a bowl and add all other filling ingredients.  Beat until smooth.
Spread into pie crust and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Turn the oven down to 350 and bake another 40 minutes, or until the pie is firm in the center when shaken slightly.
Cool at least to room temperature before serving.  This pie tastes very good chilled, with vanilla whipped cream , or vanilla ice cream.

The New Moosewood cookbook
by Mollie Katzen