Week 17 news

This past week has been all about birds. We collected the first egg(!) on Monday and again on Tuesday. So far it appears only one of the 26 is laying. Go figure. There are a few that have full combs; one of these is the layer. (Based on the combs, it will take a couple more weeks for full-on lay.) A few days before, while picking peppers, the hens started up a racket that persisted for more than a minute. The first time I heard these noises there was a hawk perching in a tree just a few yards from the coop. The hens were all piled inside and stayed there several hours after I scared the hawk away. This second time, I came armed with a few frost damaged peppers and after looking for several minutes at the trees I finally saw what they were cackling about. Perched on a low branch near the trunk of an oak a few dozen yards from the coop was a medium sized hawk. I threw the peppers at it, coming within a few feet. In between throws, to which it was oblivious, the hawk appeared to be scanning the ground in a small radius below it, looking for its primary food, small rodents. It did not fly off until I approached within thirty feet and clapped loudly. A few days later, during the second day of picking tomatillos, it appeared again only this time on a fence post about forty yards away, scanning the ground below it for movement. There was something curious about the way this bird handled itself, the way it shifted its weight, how it did not scare like other birds when people approached. One of us had a camera and walked slowly over to it, taking shots. It dove down to the ground to pounce on some prey and then returned empty clawed. Watching carefully as it flew back to its ten foot high fence post perch, I noticed what the curiosity was: it was missing a leg. It flew away from the camera-armed person, as she approached ridiculously close, swooping within a few yards of my head before landing on another post behind me. This bird, injured but surviving, seems to symbolize nature in many ways. I hope this bird can overcome its challenge, one that isn’t so hard to see.

  
Box contents included: arugula and/or spinach with baby lettuce greens, peppers (bells and/or long type, jalapenos or serranos), a few tomatoes, tomatillos, Brussels sprouts, leeks (some of you), squash (butternut, spaghetti, or delicata for regular shares, and a French heirloom for large shares), carrots, and parsley with sage.

Notes about contents:
   The baby greens have not been washed or sorted, just cut and bagged; there is some icky stuff that will need to be picked out. The lettuce and spinach should taste really good, as the cold temperatures have triggered a build-up of sugars in the plant cells.
   The peppers we doled out included two mild-heat, long types that have far less heat than a jalapeno and a sweet flavor. That's the last of the peppers, tomatillos and tomatoes for the year, the frosts have done them in.
   The tomatillos are of various sizes; some are really ripe (yellow and/or purple) and some are less so (green); the purple coloration on them is natural, but look out for black fuzz which is some kind of disease (first time I've seen this on tomatillos and hard to detect with the husk on).
   Instead of Brussels sprouts on the stalk, which took up a lot of space in the boxes last week, I decided to take the time to pluck them off, leaving the stalks in the field; on average, there were about 40 sprouts per stalk; I wonder if the flavor has mellowed and sweetened compared to last week's due to the frosts.
   The squashes are by and large all doled out. If you got a butternut, bear in mind that, undamaged, they will keep and improve in flavor for months. Spaghetti squash will keep for a good long time also. Delicata are best used within a couple months. The French squash is called Galeux D'eysines (see http://inthegardenonline.com/main/2010/10/pink-warty-and-delicious-galeux-deysines-squash/ for more info). In past seasons, I've stored these for months and used them for soups as the flesh is on the moist side. Here's a tip for any moist-fleshed squash: after roasting them cut side down until the skin browns somewhat, prop up one of the ends of the roasting pan and let the liquid run collect on the low end. Drain this liquid into a sauce pot and reduce it to concentrate the flavors - you can even make your own squash syrup - and save it for later use or add it to whatever you make of the flesh. (You can do the same thing with the liquid from roasted tomatoes or tomatillos.) If you plan on keeping your squash around a while, it may keep better if the skin is washed off and thoroughly dried. All the squash has been curing on shelves in the “greenhouse” for about a couple weeks, they’ve been relatively warm and dry. It wouldn’t hurt if you keep it/them in a warm spot for another week or so before eating or storing. Squash keeps best in a cool (60F) and dry space.
   Preserving herbs is pretty easy. Drying and freezing are the two most common ways. Here’s a useful link: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/00018.html.  For herb uses and more, see http://culinaryherbguide.com/typesofherbs.htm.
   Next week, the last drop for the year, we hope to have for you: parsnips, potatoes, raspberries (frozen), kale/collards, carrots, beets, cauliflower or Napa cabbage, possibly some other item(s).
Granola and jams are also available as well as pie pumpkins.