Tickets for Farm Day are selling quick at the webstore.  Availability is limited due to space for parking, so get your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Activities will include pumpkins, berry picking, hayrides, a farm tour, and bouncy houses for the kids.  You can bring a picnic but we will also have brick oven pizza for sale, made with TFF produce.  There will be live music all day.  As always, we will have a farmers market for anyone who wants to stock up on extra goodies from the farm.

The raindate will be the following Saturday, October 27th.

Tickets for the event are $5, and are exchangeable for pumpkins or produce.  Kids under 12 get in free, but if you register them in advance they also get a free pumpkin.

The event is not open to the public, but subscribers can buy tickets for friends and extended family.

We had a bumper crop of Delicata squash this year, and now that we've got it all harvested and in the barn, we're sending you some today.  Delicata is one of the moistest winter squashes, and it's yellow/white flesh is mild and very sweet.  The skin is thin enough that you can eat it.

Last week I mentioned that we were harvesting the 2013 crop of Pistachios -- we are just finishing now thanks to the rain.  In celebration of the harvest, we are sending you a bag of last year's crop.  The new crop will not be processed and ready for at least a few more months.

We are also sending you the first batch of Asian Pears from our orchard.  The Hosui variety in your boxes today is arguably the sweetest variety, although the skin is fairly tough and you may want to peel it before eating.

Unlike tomatoes, Peppers are rain-proof.  They have thicker skin and are hollow inside, so aren't prone to exploding from the inside out when water sits on them.  Good thing, too, since our pepper field still has loads of green fruit that will be ripening in the coming weeks.

Our new crop of yellow Onions is in your boxes today, harvested just before the rain.  These are a variety that stores well into fall, and can be kept at room temperature.  On the flip side, they are much more pungent than the onions that were in your boxes all summer (especially the reds).  You may want to keep a hankerchief handy when you cut them, unless you have a special trick for avoiding tears.   They sweeten up very nice when cooked fully, and caramelize beautifully.  But I don't recommend eating them raw.

Bonus Item:  Squash Seeds
Inside every winter squash we send you, there are seeds that be prepared and eaten as a tasty and healthful snack.

Last year, a subscriber asked me if the seeds of Delicata, Acorn and Butternut squash are edible like pumpkin seeds.  It turns out they are, but it takes a bit of preparation.

Step 1:  Save the seeds.  This is easiest to do before cooking, but it can be done after as well.

Step 2:  Wash them well.  You need to remove all the strings and other gunk sticking to them.

Step 3:  Dry them, then toss lightly with olive oil (and salt, if you like) and roast in the oven at 350 degrees or higher until they are just browned.  Each variety is a little different, taste them while cooking to make sure you don't overcook.

Recipe:  Delicata Stir-Fry with Basil and Black Bean Paste
The texture of the squash complements the crunch of the beans and peppers.  The black bean paste, available in most natural foods stores, sets off the sweetness.

Cut 1-2 Delicata squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Cut the squash in pencil-thick slices, crosswise.  You want 3 cups.

Peel and slice 1 onion.  Core and remove the seeds from 3-4 sweet peppers, then slice thinly.  Trim 1/2 lb. greens and cut into 2 inch pieces.  Pull the leaves off 1 bunch of basil.

Heat canola or other high heat oil in a wok and toss in the green beans.  Sprinkle with salt.  Cook on high heat until they are tender but not mushy.  Remove from the wok and set aside.

Add more oil to the wok and add the squash. Stir fry until it begins to soften, then add the onion.  When the onion and squash begin to brown, add the peppers and 1 T. black bean paste with garlic. 

When the peppers soften, add the green beans and basil and cook 2-3 minutes to combine.  Toss with 2 T. soy sauce and 1 t. rice vinegar or more to taste and serve.