This week's $20 Farmer Pick Box

Alright, alright, alright we enjoyed a relatively weird-free week, no substitutions or changes from the Farmer's Forecasts. This was especially great now that we have the first round of ordering completed on our new website, whew! There were just a few folks who were not able to log right in and order and we tweaked some details like password requirements as we came up on questions from Members. While our FANTASTIC web crew at setmysite.com is finishing some of the last details (Invoice printing, pickup reminder emails, etc.) we could not be happier with the result. The streamlined site functions will give us back an estimated 12 days annually, time that we had been spending in the office. A day a month! Many, many thanks to Mark and the fine folks at setmysite.com, bravo. Haven't logged in to the new site yet? See more info below.
At long last our new Online Market website is officially launched. Those of you getting this email are current Members, we took out expired accounts or folks who registered and never ordered. Ya'll are special! When you are ready to login to your account use your same email address with default password friends. Once you are logged in you can click on your Account Details and change the password. We have been through every little thing with a fine-toothed comb but if you come up on something weird let us know by email or phone call (especially if you have any trouble logging in, checking out, etc.). We have only had a few blips so far, yay!

Some of the changes and updates you will find on the new Online Market include:

• Our Farmer Pick Forecasts are listed on the Online Market so you can easily view them anytime.
• Investment Accounts are now calculated on the site so you can always look up your balance when you login. Laurie is SO happy about this! Our Fall Investment Incentive will be announced by the end of the week,
• We will only send you two emails per week now: the "Online Market is Open" and our "Weekly Newsletter". We have eliminated the Monday "Order Reminder" so don't forget to order by Midnight Monday!
• While we have not raised product prices we have rounded up our Annual Membership Fee to $36 ($3 per month). This covers the cost of our boxes, labels and packaging.
• Our Recipes are searchable by ingredient! We're still uploading more of them and photos, it will be easy to find great new ways to prepare and enjoy that delicious mystery vegetable.

What has not changed is the wonderful array of locally grown Real Food from our wonderful Farmers!

Each week we highlight some of the ingredients from our boxes with one of our own Farmhouse Recipes. This is the way we cook here on the Farm with our limited kitchen time but love of Good Food. We hope to inspire you to try something new, even if it's just one All-Local Meal a week! Our "Butternut Squash Soup" is featured in our Soup & Salad Box this week.

1. Wash the outside of one large or two small Butternut Squash. We always recommend washing to remove any residual dirt, etc. Place the Squash on a towel to prevent it from slipping and with a large knife cleave it in half. This can be a little bit of a job, be careful and take your time. Scoop out the seeds and reserve for toasting*.
2. Place the Squash cut-side down on a lined baking sheet (we use a Silpat but foil or parchment are great and make cleanup easy). Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. The skin will become brittle and browned and wrinkled, it will give easily when you press on it. Allow to cool enough to handle.
3. While Squash is roasting, chop and saute 1 medium Onion with 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper and other spices of your choice. For this soup we like Cumin, some Hot Pepper and a bit of Nutmeg. We sometimes put Garlic and Sweet Peppers in there, too.
4. Scoop Squash pulp out of the skin and place in a soup pot, you want 2-3 cups for the soup. Add sauteed Onion.

5. Add 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, stir to combine. Use an immersion blender (or food processor) to puree until smooth. Reheat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, check for seasoning and add salt/pepper if necessary. Optional: add 1/2 cup cream before serving. Serve with crusty bread or homemade croutons and salad.
*Toasted Squash Seeds are wonderful garnish for this soup: wash, dry, toss seeds with just enough Olive Oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper, toast in the oven until quite crispy. They will keep in a zip bag at room temperature for a few days.  

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