Greetings!
The top story again is the extra nice weather we've had. Was it 80 a few days ago? And calm, too. Short sleeves in October are a bonus. The only tangible downside of the warm and dry is that the skeets have been out in force from about 6pm until after 9 or so. We have all been forced to quit working in the last week because of the skeeter pressure - how about that in the weather forecast! A few hours after dark their energy fades and one can go out again with headlamps, as I did Monday night to harvest the spinach. (Turns out I finished up just when the Vikings started playing some decent football.) The warm and dry is greatly appreciated by all farmers in the region and anyone who is affected by flooding in the Valley. The dryness
Contents this week are: spinach with arugula, tomatoes, parsley with thyme, beets, leeks (some of you), potatoes, Brussels sprouts on the stalk, buttercup or red kabocha squash, nasturtiums (some).
I apologize for my tardiness to the FM area. There were several factors involved; one is we had to cut the sprout stalks in half to fit them in the boxes (using a limb lopper); one is that we could not easily fit the greens into the boxes which necessitated another is the tremendous response to the pumpkin offer which took me away from the packing operation. I encourage you to heap oodles of kudos upon Courtney and Marc who are immensely responsible for making happen especially for the last six-plus weeks. This last week alone they dug about 1000 lbs of potatoes! I do try to reward them for their hard work but I am such a curmudgeon and verbally challenged sometimes that I'm not sure they know how much of a positive impact they are having. Please help me in my inadequacy! Email them yourself and heap some kudos upon them: mdcollin03@yahoo.com.
As opposed to my earlier prediction, I think we have enough stuff left to harvest to go another two weeks this season. That means next week and the the week after there should be boxes for you to pick up. Look forward to seeing parsnips (for the first time this year) along with more Brussels sprouts, spinach, baby lettuce, potatoes, squash, carrots, beets, peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, parsley and other herbs, kale/collards;and hopefully some small fennel bulbs and the late cauliflower and cabbage. They should be nice boxes.
The chickens must be close to starting to lay. With the platform of the mobile henhouse built, we hope to commence the final phase of construction very soon. (Time's a'ticking.)
I have mentioned before that there is a group attempting to open a food co-op store in the near future. I have been a part of this effort (though I've been a bit distracted the last several months) and encourage you to lend a hand. If you would like to learn more about it and/or be a part of this effort, come to the meeting.
When: Tuesday, October 19th
Time: 7:30 – 8:45pm
Place: Stokers in the Basement @ The Hotel Donaldson
If you cannot come but would like to know more about it, please check out their blog (http://ccwfoodcoop.blogspot.com/) and/or contact stephenrlong@gmail.com.
For those of you who do leave comments on this blog, I apologize for not getting back to you right away. If you have an urgent question or comment, please contact my email (redgoosegardens@gmail.com) as I check that more frequently.
More pictures next time. Enjoy!
The important thing is to not overcook them!
Recipes:
Beets with Pistachio – 6 servings
2 large bunches medium beets, preferably a combination, trimmed and scrubbed (not peeled.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
½ cup shelled pistachios plus chopped pistachios for garnish
About ¼ cup warm water
2 tablespoons pistachio oil
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinaigrette
Flaky sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
*Toss beets with olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt in a medium bowl. Spread beets out in a baking pan and roast until tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
*Pulse pistachios in a food processor until fairly finely ground. Add 3 tablespoons water and pulse to incorporate it. Add oil and pulse until smooth, adding up to 1 ½ more tablespoons water if necessary. You can refrigerate the pistachio butter for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
*Rub skins off beets with a paper towel. Cut into 1 inch chunks and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss beets with the vinaigrette and let stand for at least 10 minutes, or for up to 1 hour, before serving. You can refrigerate the beets up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
*Transfer beets to a platter or plates and sprinkle with the remaining pistachios. Spoon the pistachio butter alongside and serve.
Adapted from Molto Gusto Easy Italian Cooking by Mario Batali
Deviled Tomato Slices – 4 servings
Pungent Dijon mustard and spicy cayenne are responsible for the kick in these savory tomatoes. They are a great accompaniment to everything from eggs to barbecue.
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon butter
1 mild vegetable oil
4 large tomatoes (2 pounds) sliced 3/8 inch thick
¼ cup whole grain Dijon mustard
1 lemon, cut into quarters
Handful of tarragon or parsley for garnish
*In a large flat bowl, blend the flour, thyme, salt and cayenne. Heat butter and oil in a large cast iron skillet or other heavy pan over high heat while you dredge each tomato slice in the flour mixture. When butter has started to brown, add as many slices as you can fit in the frying pan. Saute them just long enough to make the coating crispy and to warm the slices through about 1 ½ minutes on the first side, then 1 minute on the second side.
*Lift the slices onto a heated platter and quickly spread each with about ½ tablespoon mustard. Serve at once garnished with lemon wedges and herbs. A spritz of lemon over the mustard is delicious.
Squash with Cheddar and Sage - 4 servings
2 squash, about 1.5 pounds each
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 tomato coarsely chopped
4 ounces Cheddar cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes
*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove stems from squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seed, etc. from the cavities. Place the squash halves in a shallow roasting pan.
*Sprinkle each of the cavities with salt, pepper, and a touch of sage. Place 1 tablespoon chopped tomato in the bottom of each cavity. Divide the cheese among the 3 squash halves, add 2 tablespoons wine to each cavity and top with the remaining tomato and sage. Sprinkle the squash with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining wine around the squash and bake for 1 hour, basting the squash several times. Check the bottom of the pan to make sure the liquid hasn’t cooked away. Add more wine or water if needed.
*The squash should feel tender when pierced with a fork or sharp knife; if not, bake it for another 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon maple syrup on top of each squash half and top with the
cubed butter. Bake until butter is melted and the syrup has formed a glaze on top, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
thanks for the Brussels sprouts, I have only learned to eat them this summer. how do you like to prepare them?
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