• Escarole
• Broccoli or cauliflower
• Daikon radish
• Celery
• Fennel or celeriac or kohlrabi
• Parsley
• Cilantro or dill
• Green peppers
• Hot peppers
• Stuffing peppers
• Walnuts (hurray for the walnut picking up contest!)
• Onions (enjoy, make onions soup!)
• Garlic
• Cabbage (green or napa)
• Tomatoes
• Winter squash
• Kale
• Eggplant
The end of the 2014 season has arrived. Last weekend was glorious for the Harvest festival. Plenty of people showed up to celebrate fall, eat pizza, listen to music and watch the dancers. We estimate that over 250 people came by the farm. We made over 100 pizzas along with all the delicious potluck food. Special thanks to Mary Kay and Mark and friend Jay and Alison who helped get all that pizza cooked and served. My family; Steve, Geri, Dee and Dan as well as Catherine lent a hand at set up which was great. It was a real community event.
The true Oregon fall showed its colors. Yesterday’s windstorm damaged one of our hoop houses but the worst damage was to our farmers market stand. All four of our tents got picked up by a 60 mph gust and scrambled them into a ruined pile of aluminum. We lost all the tents, and the entire vendor community raced to our rescue. Fortunately no one was injured as heavy weights and metal poked out everywhere. Coincidentally an Oregonian reporter happened to be shopping at our booth and documented the whole event and it appeared in this morning’s newspaper. http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2014/10/high_wind_warning_gusts_up_to.html
We have had a good season all and all. The pests got the better of us on some crops and the weather managed wreak havoc on our hoop houses, but all and all seemed to work out well. We had 85 full shares this year and about 125 member families. We aimed for quality veggies with enough variety and quantity to keep you looking forward to the next week’s harvest. We had the help of our two sons for many of the harvests which made a huge difference. We also had our volunteer members who got the job done. There were five individuals who helped Juve with Wednesday harvest on a regular basis. At least two of them showed up every week and made a huge difference. Thank you to Catherine, Marianne, Eldon, Jean and Bob!
We have one last harvest for Thanksgiving. It is an add on for those who are interested. Juve and I will harvest on November 23 and it will be ready for pick-up later that day. It will be a huge harvest with salad mix and spinach and hopefully the Brussels Sprouts. They have been infested with aphids and really hard to combat. We are working on it though.
Thanks for a great year, we look forward to a small break and then to seed catalogs and planning for 2015. Please let us know your intentions so we can reserve you a spot at La Finquita del Buho for 2015.
APPLE-WALNUT SALAD WITH CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
10 cups mixed baby greens
2 Red Delicious apples, cored, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Puree cranberries in processor until smooth. Add vinegar, onion, sugar and mustard and process until well blended. With processor running, gradually add oil and process until well blended. Transfer to medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature and whisk before using.)
Combine greens and apples in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.
Lentil Walnut Spread
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and black or red pepper to taste
1. Wash the lentils, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook until soft, about 1 hour.
2. Drain the lentils and combine with the remaining ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding water as necessary to achieve a spreadable consistency.
3. Correct seasoning.
Serves 8
Butternut Shrimp Bisque
Frank Brigtsen, Brigtsen’s Resturaunt
Ingredients:
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups diced yellow onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups butternut squash (peeled, de-seeded, and diced into ½ – inch cubes)
• 2 cups peeled fresh shrimp
• 2 ¼ teaspoons salt
• 3/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• ½ cup shrimp stock (see NOTE)
• 6 cups heavy whipping cream
NOTE: To make shrimp stock, place shrimp heads and shells into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain.
1. Heat the butter in a heavy-duty saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions become soft and clear, 3-4 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add the butternut squash. Cook this mixture, stirring occasionally, until the squash begins to soften, 6-8 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low and add the shrimp, salt, cayenne, and white pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp turn pink, 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp stock and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the pan, scrape it with a spoon and continue cooking. This will intensify the flavor of the bisque.
5. Remove bay leaf and discard. Transfer the squash/shrimp mixture to a food processor and puree. Return the puree to a saucepan and add the cream. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH GRUYERE AND HAZELNUTS
1 medium cauliflower
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup crème fraiche (see note)
¾ c. shredded gruyere cheese
3 Tbsp. bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. flat parsley for garnish
Butter a 2-quart baking dish or gratin pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add cauliflower florets to pot and cook until tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Drain florets and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Toss cauliflower with crème fraiche and half the cheese in the prepared baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining cheese over cauliflower, then top with bread crumbs and hazelnuts. Bake on center rack until cheese has melted and bread crumbs and nuts are golden, 20-25 minutes or more. Garnish with parsley. Serves 5 or 6. Note: you can make crème fraiche by whisking 1 cup whipping cream with 1/3 c. sour cream in a nonreactive bowl. Let stand at room temperature until thickened, 6 hours or longer; then cover and refrigerate. Makes about 1 1/3 cups. From Foodday.