October 13, 2015          Common Thread CSA
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Dear Common Thread CSA Members,

We had a lovely end of season celebration the other day with a well attended farm tour, lots of great jack-o-lanterns (including one with bunny ears, a cat, a crazy staircase mouth, and several other creative ideas), a nice moment of appreciation, lots of delicious food and of course great people!  It was nice to meet some members for the first time and to catch up with folks we have known for longer.  In the pictures above, Maude carves a pumpkin and Asher shows the transplanter to the tour group . Thanks Simon Eisenbach for taking pictures (including these) for us this season.

We are enjoying the fall crops that are coming in now: squashes, potatoes, roots, greens.  We still haven't had a hard frost which has made the pressure of bringing in and covering the crops in the field less than usual but we can see colder nights coming in the 10 day forcast, so we are pulling in lots of different crops now and continuing to put covers on crops so they will pull through the next several weeks, into the winter shares.  

It's time to sign up for a winter share and keep eating fresh, farm grown food in November, December and January!  To sign up, just fill out our Winter Share Agreement Form and mail it in or bring it to the on-farm CSA distribution. 

You can find out what the vegetables for the week are by going to our "What's In" page on our website and checking out the PYO page on our website.  

We have grown about 10 varieties of potatoes this year.  The main types are yellow, red, white, russet, all blue, and all red.  The blue potatoes are more purple than blue inside and work great in oven roasted potatoes and potato salad.  They are less great in a pureed soup with other vegetables since they are likely to turn the soup grey rather than purple.

Broccoli stems are as tasty as the tops if you carefully peel the tough outer layer off the stem.  We eat a lot of sauteed broccoli in our house and the stems are as popular as the tops.  

Celeriac, or celery root, doesn't look like it will be great, but if you haven't had it before, you will be pleasantly surprised.  A celeriac is quite gnarly looking but inside is a smooth, tasty, versatile white root.  It has a mild celery-like taste.  It can be grated and added to salads and slaws.  It can be added to roasted roots and soups.  It can be mashed with herbs, alone or with potatoes.  Here are a few recipes from chowhound.com:  

Celery Root Soup
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • 1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 medium), white and light green parts only
  • 2 1/2 pounds celery root, also known as celeriac (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes(about 2 large), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 medium tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add celery root, potatoes, apple, garlic, salt, and a pinch of pepper. Stir to coat vegetables with oil, add water and broth, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until vegetables just give way when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  2. Remove 1 cup of liquid from the saucepan; set aside. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam from the hot soup to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off). Once blended, transfer the soup back to the saucepan and keep warm over low heat. If the soup is too thick, add the reserved liquid a little at a time until the soup reaches the desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. To serve, drizzle with olive oil.
Shaved Celery, Celery Root and Radish Salad
Ingredients
  • 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, minced, and mashed into a paste with the side of a knife (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 6 inner, lighter-green celery stalks
  • 1 small celery root, also known as celeriac, peeled and quartered
  • 1 bunch radishes, ends trimmed
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 2 tablespoons celery leaves (from within the celery bunch), coarsely chopped (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 (3-ounce) chunk Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
Instructions
  1. Place the anchovy paste, shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, and pepper in a small, nonreactive bowl, whisk to combine, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, very thinly slice the celery stalks, celery root, and radishes and place in a large bowl.
  2. When the anchovy mixture is ready, slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking continuously, until all of the oil is incorporated. Season with salt and additional pepper as needed.
  3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Transfer the salad to a large serving plate and arrange in an even layer. Sprinkle with the capers, celery leaves (if using), parsley leaves, and Parmesan and serve.

Yours in the field,
Wendy and Asher