The Final Week: Week Twenty  

Members.  Here we are at week Twenty - the end of our seasonal eating journey.  It's my hope that you have enjoyed this eating adventure as much as I have enjoyed the growing adventure.  For me this drought-ridden season had moments of total bliss, and moments of absolute frustration.  And I am sure that sometimes being a CSA member contains both ends of the emotional spectrum as well, and that the emotional pendulum differs depending on who you are, depending on whether mountains of tomatoes, heads of escarole or bunches of sage cause you bliss or frustration.  For me, one of the great things about CSA is that the same box can deliver veggies you love, veggies you can do with out and veggies you didn't even know existed.  (And hopefully you will grow to love.) It's this element of surprise that continues to make farming exciting, and hopefully has made your eating experience exciting as well. 

 

Keep in mind that if you are not ready to end your trip with us we do have a few Winter Share spots open.  Despite the drought that has plagued us, we have a lot of delicious veg left in those fields that will be making it's way into the Winter Shares.  We would love to reach our Winter Share goal this season, so if you have some interest but aren't quite sure about all of the details please get in touch with me to discuss. Thanks! 

 

Farm News 

 

It's pretty quiet on the farm these days - October is always a welcome, slow decline into the hibernation of winter.  It's basically dark at seven a.m. (not to mention a bit chilly!) so we are starting later and on some days ending earlier.  We spend the majority of our time bulk harvesting items for the Winter Shares (Monday carrots, Tuesday parsnips, Friday more parsnips, beets, radishes, celeriac and kohlrabi) so that we make sure they are out of the ground in case of a hard freeze.  After harvest the roots get washed in the root washer, then weighed, boxed up and put in the cooler.  So now the challenge becomes fitting all of the hundreds of pounds of roots in the cooler when we are still putting out weekly shares! 

 

This weekend's 3 inches of rain, though not so great for Agri-CULTURE Fest, was amazing for the fields and has made our root crop harvests much easier.  (Digging those crops out of moist ground is much easier than digging them out of hard, dry ground.)  Most crops are pretty much as big as they are going to get by this time, so we weren't irrigating anymore anyway, but it also means we can happily put away the overhead irrigation for the year.  I know I have had enough of irrigation for 2012!! 

 

I had a lovely surprise yesterday morning when I rolled into work to find Intern Heather safely back from her trip to Italy and ready to volunteer for two weeks.  It's wonderful to have such great help to close out the season. 

 

 

What's In the Box and Where Does It Go? 

 

Crop                                      Fridge?                     Notes?

 

Butternut Squash                    No

Shallots                                    No 

Red Onion                            No 

Garlic                                   No          Chesnock Red Hardneck 

Cayenne Pepper                No                       Dried 

Golden Globe Turnips         Yes                Edible Greens! 

Beets                                   Yes                 Edible Greens! 

Carrots                                 Yes 

Kohlrabi                          Yes   Purple OR White - edible greens!

Cilantro                             Yes   In a jar of water with a bag on top   Salad Mix                           Yes            With Mizuna Asian Greens 

Braising Mix                             Yes        Baby Lacinato, Red Russian Kale, Baby Collards/Chard, Hon Tsai Tai and Mustard Greens

 

 

The two brand new items in the box this week are kohlrabi and braising mix. I have included some of last week's notes for this week's half shares. 

 

For those not familiar, kohlrabi is another member of the brassica family.  Kohlrabi has some serious fans, and I can't really claim to be one of them.  It's not that I don't like it, I'd just rather eat kale.  But you know what? I'd pretty much always rather eat kale.  I love the look of the kohlrabi though, and it is VERY versatile.  I think my favorite way to eat it is raw in some sort of a slaw.  If I were you, I would make a raw slaw with the carrots and beets and even the turnips, or perhaps a cabbage or some radishes if you have those around.  Recipe below. 

 

The Braising Mix is just basically several types of greens in one mix that can be cooked up all together.  The different greens will have different textures which is something I love about it.  I have included a couple of recipes below, but the basic idea is just to saute them up with garlic and onions! 

 

From Last week's letter: 

 

Our first butternut of the year is in the box - this should last for a few months at least.  They did go through a light frost, but only the one, and now they've been curing for at least two weeks.  Some people say butternut should cure for a month for maximum storability.  So if you're planning to keep it around until January you might want to leave it in a warm place for another two weeks.  Recipe below. 

 

The Golden Globe turnips are your more common variety of turnip than the Salad Turnips I've been pushing on you all season.  They are very versatile and great in soups, roasted in the oven or made into a mash.   Recipe below.  

 

You've probably noticed that the cilantro bunch is very small - this was done to make sure we could give out a bit last week and a bit this week.  

 

A final note on the salad mix: it is unwashed!!! Our giant salad spinner broke, which means that washed salad mix was going to end up soaking wet and soggy in all of your boxes.  Additionally, the several frosts that the lettuce has gone though makes it much more tender.  I apologize for this, but giving it out unwashed was the best way to preserve it's quality for you! 

 

 

Storage Tips 

 

See the above mention of the butternut squash.  Other than that, you know the drill by now with root crops and greens!  Again the shallots, onions and garlic are shelf stable so they can sit around on the counter for a while. 


The Braising Mix will last for at least two weeks in the plastic bag so I would concentrate on eating the lettuce mix first. 
Gluten-Free Cooking Workshop 

 

October 27th, 9 a.m. - 1p.m. 

 

Learn about living and cooking gluten-free! Chef and Organic Cooking Coach, KC Thorson leads 
* Workshop and Q&A on gluten-free dietary living 
* Cooking demonstrations and tastings 
* Latest news and cutting edge gluten-free cooking tips

 

Cost: $45 before October 20th, $50 after. Includes lunch! 
To register, please use email [email protected] or call
(847) 946-5565


Thanksgiving Side Dish Cooking Class

 

November 8th, 6-8 p.m.

 

Tired of those limp green bean casseroles on the Thanksgiving table? Join us for this exciting cooking class, highlighting healthy takes on traditional and new Thanksgiving side dishes! Organic cooking coach, KC Thorson will lead demos tastings and tips. Wine will be served and recipes will be available to take home! 

 

Cost: $20 until Nov. 6th, $25 after.

To register, please use email [email protected] or call (847) 946-5565


Winter Shares 

 

The Winter Share provides a great way to eat locally and organically even later in the season because it includes crops with long-term storage ability in your fridge or a cool place in your home. It will consist of yummy root crops like carrots, potatoes, beets and garlic, several types of winter squash, cold hearty favorites like broccoli, spinach, herbs and much, much more!

Recipes 

 

Braised Greens with Red Wine Vinegar from the Brain of Farmer Alissa 

Serves 4-6

 

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin

2-3 cloves garlic 

3 Tb olive oil, divided

� tsp sea salt, divided

1 bag braising mix 

3 cups water or broth

2-3 carrots, cut into ribbons (~1 cup)

� cup red wine vinegar

 

Heat a heavy bottom large stock pot over medium heat.When pan is hot add 1 Tb oil, onion, garlic and � tsp sea salt. Stir to coat the onion and sweat the onion on medium heat until soft and translucent.  Chop the braising mix into 2 inch chunks. You can pull the leaves off of the midribs or leave them intact if you want to save time. The leaves and mid ribs are small and not too fibrous so the choice is yours.

Add the braising mix and the 3 cups of water/broth. Stir frequently for 1-2 minutes to get all the greens wilted and wet. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and give the greens a stir. At this point they should just be peeking out from the liquid. Leave the pot uncovered and cook for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile use a vegetable peeler to make long ribbons out of your carrots. Shoot for about 1 cup of carrot ribbons.

Add the carrots, red wine vinegar, � tsp sea salt, and 2 Tb olive oil. Stir to combine and simmer for a couple more minutes.

 

Braising Mix with Bacon Salad from the Brain of Farmer Alissa 

 

3 cups braising mix 

1/4 red onion, sliced

1 tomato, diced (optional at this point in the season) 

4 slices bacon

8 button mushrooms

3 T apple cider vinegar

1 T dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper to Taste 

 

Chop braising mix into small 1/2 inch strips and place in a large metal bowl along with the red onion and optional tomato.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan cook your bacon and cook it until it's nice and crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and set aside.  Once it's cooled a bit, add  to the top of your braising greens.

Pour off all but 2 T of the bacon fat.  Set the pan back on the heat and add in your mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper and let the mushrooms soften up.

Once the mushrooms have softened knock the heat down a bit and deglaze the pan with your vinegar.  Stir in some dijon mustard, season with a bit more salt and pepper if desired, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Pour the dressing mixture over the greens to wilt and enjoy! 


 Here are a couple of Kohlrabi Slaw recipes: 

 

Kohlrabi Slaw with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts 

 

serves 4-6

 

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon stoneground mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

Salad:
4 small green or purple kohlrabi, cleaned, peeled and cut into matchsticks, about 2 cups
1/4 head of savoy cabbage, sliced as thinly as possible, about 1 cup
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
2 garlic scapes, very thinly sliced (you could also use green onions)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste

 

In a small bowl, mix together the vinaigrette ingredients with a whisk until well combined. Set aside.

In a large serving bowl, add all of the salad ingredients except the cranberries and walnuts. Toss gently to combine, the pour over some of the vinaigrette, you may not need it all, go conservative to start, you can always add more. Toss well to coat the entire salad with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle the cranberries and walnuts on top, salt and pepper to taste and serve.

 

For those who like a little spice, here's another here's another kohlrabi slaw:

 

 

 

 

Food Photos 
 
beets wk 7
beets 
carrots wk 5
carrots 

golden globe turnips 
shallots wk 21
shallots 
Butternut 22
butternut squash 
garlic wk 16
garlic 
salad mix 
Cilantro
cilantro 

white kohlrabi (yours might be purple!) 
braising mix 


 
In This Issue
Farm News
Box List
Storage Tips
Gluten Free Cooking
Thanksgiving Class
Winter Shares
Recipes
Food Photos