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Farm Notes: Happy Thanks Giving
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Though often seen as two words, Happy Thanks Giving is truly three words and good things come in threes. "To give thanks"- some will say grace before every meal whether eating alone or with family. Some will give thanks every morning as they set their feet on the ground for yet another day. Some will give thanks every evening as they close yet another day of a good life. Some will stop at mid-day to pause and reflect and give thanks for all they have. Some will give thanks every week. But, it is comforting to know that we have all set aside at least one day per year to pause, gather together over a meal and communally give thanks not only for the meal we share but for our lives and of those around us.
It is in giving thanks that we acknowledge all that we have been given; putting aside those thoughts of what we do not have. In acknowledging that what we do have is really enough we find peace. And it is in peace that we find happiness. This cyclical process will grow itself. Giving (being generous), thanking (humbling ourselves), happiness (peace). At peace will we give more as we realize we need no more than we already have? The more giving and thanking one does, the happier one will become.
Happy Thanks Giving,
Farmer Dave
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In Your Share- Late Fall Week 4
| The following items may make an appearance in your share this week. As always, the contents of your share are ultimately determined by Mother Nature's harvest conditions.
- Kale
- Swiss Chard
- Bok Choi or Tatsoi
- Lettuce
- Brussels Sprouts
- Radishes
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Sweet potatoes
- Potatoes
- Butternut Squash
- Apples
- and more!
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CSA Thanksgiving!
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Celeriac, Potato and Pear Mash
Ingredients:
- 8 oz Celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cups very ripe pears, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large saucepan cook celery root, covered, in boiling lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Add potatoes. Cook, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes more or until tender; drain. Return potato mixture to saucepan.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine pears, whipping cream, and butter. Bring to boiling. (If pears are firm, simmer in whipping cream for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender enough to mash.) Remove from heat. Mash potato mixture with a potato masher or an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mash pear mixture with a potato masher or a fork until smooth. Stir pear mixture into potato mixture just until combined. Sprinkle with parsley.
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Bacon-Brown Sugar Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:- 4 bacon slices
- 14oz chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Directions: - Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Crumble bacon.
- Add broth, brown sugar, and salt to drippings in Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Stir in Brussels sprouts. Cover and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender. Transfer Brussels sprouts to a serving bowl using a slotted spoon, and sprinkle with bacon. Serve immediately.
________________________________________________ Maple-Braised Butternut Squash with fresh Thyme Ingredients:- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1 3 - 3 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
Directions: - Melt butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add squash, saute 1 minute. Add broth, syrup, thyme, salt and pepper; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until squash is almost tender.
- Remove squash from skillet with a slotted spoon. Boil liquid in skillet until thickened, 3-4 minutes.
- Return squash to skillet. Cook until tender, turning occasionally, 3-4 minutes. Season with more pepper if desired.
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Button Mushrooms and Greens
from Winter Foods by Brett Grohsgal & Julia Shanks
Ingredients
- 1 gallon pre-washed greens: kale, collards, swiss chard, bok choi or tatsoi
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 pint button mushrooms (portobello or crimini would also work well), sliced 1/4 inch thick.
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus salt & pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
- Pre-blanch and shock greens: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook greens until just wilted, approximately 1 minute and drain. Shock in an ice bath, and drain well.
- Coarsely chop greens if desired or leave whole
- In a large skillet, heat oil. Over medium high heat, cook onions and garlic until barely translucent. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 1 minute more, stirring often.
- Add white wine to mushroom pan and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add cream and continue cooking to reduce for 5 more minutes, until approximately 1 cup of liquid remains.
- Add the greens, stir well, adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook only until greens are heated through, about 30 seconds.
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Holiday Food Drive:
Dracut, Tewksbury, East Somerville
November 19-21st & December 10-12th
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Increasing access to fresh healthy foods is one of our core missions at Farmer Dave's. This year alone we were able to provide more than 100,000 pounds of food to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, the Boston Area Food Bank, Neighbors in Need, The Elizabeth Peabody House, the Reading Food Pantry, Food for Free and Lazarus House.
With the holidays approaching we start to think about the families in our area that don't enjoy the same access to healthy, abundant food that we are blessed with. As such we are going to launch our first annual Farmer Dave's CSA Food Drive!
We will be collecting donations at the CSA pickups the week of November 19th - 21st and again on December 10th - 12th. Donations in Dracut, Tewksbury, and East Somerville will be going to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
In addition to any CSA veggies that you would like to donate, the food bank is always looking for canned foods, dried foods and personal care items. You can find a list of most needed items here.
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| 2013 CSA Registration | |
Registration is open for all of our 2013 CSA shares!
Spring
Summer
Fruit
Late Fall!
Visit our website to register!
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| Groundwork Share A Share Update |  Thanks to generous donations by you (CSA members) to the Groundwork Share-A-Share™ fund, we were able to subsidize the cost of shares in 2012 for over thirty individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.
We'd love to be able to subsidize late fall shares as well. Please consider helping us in our efforts to make the CSA accessible to more families by donating to Groundwork Share-A-Share.
To learn more about the program, click here. Thank you all for helping us keep this program going in 2012!
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Contact us:
Farmer Dave's
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA 01826
(978) 349-1952
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