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Dear Common Thread CSA Members, 

 
You can see a list of the crops available this week on our webpage.  You can also find what's in for pick your own
 
We still have a few winter shares left.  The sign up form, which has information about the shares, can be found on our website on the becoming a member page
 
Delivered share members, please remember to bring your wax boxes back! A lot of boxes don't make it back to your pick up site each week and we're worried we will run out of boxes in these last couple weeks if we don't get more back.  Please also make note if there are changes to your pick up time and/or location - those changes start this week.  They are:
  • Clinton Farmers Market - your share will be delivered to Clinton Pottery by 11 am on Thursdays unless you let us know that you will pick up elsewhere.
  • Clinton Pottery - your share will be delivered earlier in the day, by 11 am and will be available for the rest of the day 
  • Syracuse Downtown Market - we will deliver your share to an existing site of your choice on Thursdays 
  • Syracuse University/Westcott Area - we will deliver your share on Thursdays instead of Tuesday - same place, but an hour later, by 11 am.
  • Utica National - we will deliver your share earlier in the day, by 10:30 am.
Our unusually warm, sunny and beautiful fall continues!  The weather has allowed hot weather crops like peppers, eggplant and tomatoes to hang on (if in much smaller amounts), given fall crops that we weren't sure were going to have time to mature the time they needed to make it, and matured a few crops earlier than expected.  It's been wonderful to work outside recently, so beautiful and comfortable.  We know the cold is coming soon though, and we are busy bringing root crops into storage, covering frost sensitive crops with row cover, and trying to get the fields as cleaned up as we can while it is still warm enough to work outside.
 
We have a bumper crop of rutabagas this year.  Rutabagas are great sauteed with butter and salt, in roasted roots, and in vegetable soups.  One of our favorite recipes is Bashed Neeps, which even our kids will eat, although we don't usually tell them it isn't just mashed potatoes.
 
Bashed Neeps
Cook the 1 big or a few small rutabagas in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Do the same with 1 or 2 lb of potatoes.  Cook both vegetables until they are tender. Drain.  Mash the rutabagas and potatoes with the butter until smooth. Add a pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Place over low heat to warm through. 
 
Misato Rose Radishes, or Watermelon Radishes look pretty boring from the outside but they are beautiful when you cut into them, and their radish flavor (on the mild side for radishes) adds great flavor to salads and other dishes.  I like to grate the radish and add it to salads.  There are some beautiful pictures and a nice recipe on http://www.thekitchn.com  Another recipe that looks interesting from the Washington Post is:
 
Radish Risotto

Makes 4 servings

Winter radishes are sturdy enough to stand up to long cooking; in this dish, they turn tender and infuse the rice's creamy sauce with a subtle, peppery sweetness. If you scrub the radishes but don't peel them, their skins will lend the risotto a pretty pastel hint of color. To make vegetable broth, combine 2 coarsely chopped carrots, 2 coarsely chopped medium radishes, tops from 1 bunch of leeks, 4 large parsley sprigs and 6 cups of water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high, then reduce to medium and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids. Cool before storing.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large shallots, finely chopped (⅔ cup)

1� teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 pound Hilds Blauer or Misato Rose (watermelon) radishes, cut into �-inch cubes

1� teaspoons sea salt

1 cup short-grain Italian rice, such arborio, carnaroli or Vialone Nano

⅓ cup dry white wine

4 to 4� cups low-sodium vegetable broth, kept warm over low heat (may substitute no-salt-added chicken broth)

� cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish

� teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Cracked black pepper

Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, until golden. Then add the thyme and garlic; cook for 2 minutes, then add the radishes and salt, stirring to incorporate. Cook for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned, then add the rice; cook for a minute or so, stirring, so the rice is evenly coated and toasts a bit.

Stir in the wine and cook for a few minutes, then begin to add the broth one ladle at a time, stirring after each addition, until it is mostly absorbed. This should take about 20 minutes, and the rice should be creamy and tender. (You may have � cup of the warm broth left over).

Stir in the cheese and white pepper; remove from the heat and let the risotto rest for 2 minutes.

Divide among individual bowls; season each portion with cracked black pepper to taste. Pass more Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

 

Another radish that we have a good amount of right now is daikon radish. This large, mild radish is a staple in Japanese cooking.  It can be eaten raw in root slaws, roasted, in miso soup, pickled, or added to stir-fries (especially good with a tamari, garlic and ginger seasoning).

 

Yours in the field, Wendy and Asher