- Lettuce
- Radishes or Kohlrabi
- Parsley
- Cabbage or broccoli or cauliflower
- Kale
- Tomatoes (say good bye to summer, try adding roasting them and adding them to soup)
- Sweet peppers red and green
- Hot peppers
- Winter squash
- Onions
- Leeks or celeriac
- Green onions
- Gourds or pumpkins
- Spinach or arugula
Well it is hard to believe that the 2017 season is drawing to an end. Juvencio and I got some of the harvest done on Saturday before he had to drop me at the airport. I am off to a conference, leaving him and Luna to bring in the harvest on this soggy weekend. We have had a hard year, harder than others. Spring had many challenges with weather, greenhouses, soil conditions. Summer was better, aliums (onions) were great as were peppers and tomatoes. Fall we have struggled to get some of our standards ready in time for the end of the season. Broccoli and cauliflower and cabbage have not really come on yet and we are heading into the rainy season. I guess you could say we are glad 2017 is ending. We look forward to better luck and magic next season.
The Harvest Festival could not have been more lovely weather wise. It was sunny and warm and not a drop of rain. People seemed to enjoy themselves, cider was made, peppers were roasted and dancers danced. After the official dancers we had little dancers enjoying the beat of our own blues pick up band. There was a lot of pizza made and more dough was brought out as the afternoon wore on. By 6 I had to make another recipe to feed the sweeper crew. Hopefully I will remember the pearls for next year.
We are busy getting bulbs in the ground, garlic planted, cover crop seeded and old crops pulled out of the ground. We want to rest , but truthfully it is not time yet. We have walnuts to gather that have not fallen yet from the trees. We hope to get more of it done this week as the weather brightens one last time before the true fall settles in.
We have lots of goodies for you in the barn!
- Beef is here, $6/# in the freezer next to the cooler. Let us know if you need more, we have about 300# more at the meating place waiting for us to have room. It comes in 1 and 2 pound bags so be aware of what you are picking up.
- Our friend Kris has brought us Chanterelles, he is offering them at a very low price to our subscribers, available in the cooler
- Kris also had a bumper crop of honey and has some for sale in the cooler, priced as marked on the jar.
- Sign up for the Thanksgiving harvest, it will be big. We would like you to prepay the $40 if possible so we don’t have to try and track you down that day. The pick up is 11/19 or 11/20. I will be selling wreaths, bird feeders, holiday wreaths and ceramics that weekend and after Thanksgiving as well so stop into my studio.
- Sign up for 2018 season!
- Consider joining our winter share, we will harvest 12 times over the next 5 months. It averages twice a month. We have a few spots left, first come first serve.
- Please do answer the survey questions I put out earlier this week, your feedback is welcome and will hopefully will help us for next year.
I am going to sign off for now. I leave in just a few hours. We thank you for being part of our community and letting our family grow vegetables for yours. See you around the farm.
Here are some fun recipes to try with your veggies this week:
Spiced Pork with Celery Root Purée and Lentils
Celery Root Puree
2 pounds celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes
5 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Ground white pepper
Lentils
3 bacon slices, chopped
1/4 cup 1/8-inch cubes peeled carrots
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
3 cups water
1 teaspoon butter
Pork
1/2 cup honey
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 tablespoon cold butter
For celery root puree:
Bring celery root and milk to boil in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until celery root is very tender, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer celery root to processor. Add 1/2 cup hot milk. Puree until very smooth. Blend in butter and lemon juice. Season with salt and white pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
For lentils:
Sauté bacon in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add carrots, shallots, and rosemary; sauté until shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 3 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are tender and liquid has nearly evaporated, about 35 minutes. Stir in butter. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
vFor pork:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk first 4 ingredients in bowl. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add pork; sauté until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Brush pork with honey mixture. Transfer skillet to oven; roast pork 10 minutes. Turn pork over and brush with honey mixture. Roast until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145°F, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer pork to work surface; tent with foil (temperature will increase 5 degrees).
Add broth and remaining honey mixture to same skillet. Boil over high heat until sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Strain sauce into small bowl. Return sauce to skillet. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Rewarm celery root puree and lentils. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place 1/2 cup celery root puree in center of each of 6 plates. Using back of spoon, make indentation in puree. Spoon 1/2 cup lentils into indentation on each plate. Arrange pork slices atop lentils and drizzle with sauce.
Bon Appétit
September 2003
Celeriac and Tomato Soup
4 tomatoes 2 cups water
2 # celeriac ¼ cup lovage chopped (optional)
3 leeks 1 onion
1 clove garlic 1 large carrot
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 T butter
3 sprigs parsley 6 cups chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
Peel, seed, and roughly chop tomatoes. Peel sufficient celeriac to make 1 ½ pounds trimmed flesh, then cut into ½ inch cubes and drop into acidulated water. Wash and trim leeks and, using only the white and light green parts, thinly slice. You should have 1 ½ cups. Chop onion and combine with leeks. Chop garlic. Thinly slice carrot. Heat together oil and butter and sauté leeks and onion until wilted. Add garlic and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes longer, Add one third of the tomatoes and cook until they are lightly browned on the edges and the juice is evaporated. Add Curried Winter Squash Soup
Farmer John’s Cookbook, John Peterson
Serves 6-8
3 T unsalted butter
1 cup chopped scallions (about 6)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds butternut squash, about ½ a large squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 14 ounce can whole tomatoes or 2 cups peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes
12 whole curry leaves (optional)
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground mace (I skipped this)
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons curry powder
salt
freshly ground pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions; sauté until soft and wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, jalapeno, and garlic,; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the squash and toss to coat it with the scallion mixture. Add the stock, tomatoes, curry leaves, all spice, mace and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the squash is very tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor; puree.
- Transfer the soup back to the pot. Stir in the curry powder and add salt, pepper to taste. Return the soup to a simmer to heat through. Garnish with the parsley just before serving.
adrained celeriac, the rest to the tomatoes and the parsley sprig. Cook together for 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, water and lovage (if using). Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree, season with salt and pepper, and serve with croutons on the side. (serves 8) For thinner soup only use 1 pound celeriac and 3 tomatoes.
Celeriac and Cheese Puree
1 large celeriac (2-3 lbs.)
2 large eggs
1/2 c. whole milk or half-and-half
salt and pepper
1 c. grated Gruyere
1 c. plain yogurt
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
Quarter celeriac, cook in boiling water until tender (about 30 minutes). Drain. Puree, using as much of the milk or half-and-half as necessary to get the mixture smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine puree, egg yolks, remaining milk, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Beat until well-blended and stir in cheese. Beat egg whites into soft peaks and fold into celeriac mixture.
Pour into a large buttered casserole or a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. There must be enough room for the mixture to rise. Cover and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes and unmold onto a serving plate. Serve with a sauce made of the yogurt, lemon juice and parsley.
From the Winter Harvest Cookbook by Lane Morgan.