- Radicchio or lettuce
- Spinach or chard
- Radishes (watermelon or Spanish)
- Leeks or green onions
- Broccoli or cauliflower
- Onions
- Fennel or celery
- Green and red peppers
- Hot peppers
- Green and red tomatoes
- Small or large pumpkin
- Winter squash
- Basil
- Parsley or thyme
Here we are at the last harvest of 29 weeks. We had to harvest yesterday based on the very cold predicted temperatures for today. We harvested broccoli, cauliflower, fennel on Thursday. On Wednesday I harvested every pepper I could put my hands on as even a kiss of frost can damage them.We are sad to have the first frost happen in the month of October but this has happened before and we need to be prepared. We are giving you some of our most beautiful radicchio in the hopes that you will learn to love this amazing vegetable. Do let us know what you think as we plan for next year, I personally can’t get enough of it. You can roast it, you can put it on pizza, you can turn it into a delicious salad, you can use a Caesar dressing on it, find a way to enjoy this delicious Italian delicacy or else. Please remember the ice bath and the dressing make all the difference.
We are encouraged by the record number of early voters in our state and we are hopeful that in the battleground states around the nation that they too are animated to get out the vote early. I personally feel like I need to turn off the news for the next 10 days and not pay attention to social media. I have mostly tuned it out as it leads to indigestion and nothing productive. I know there are many of you who have been avid letter writers with one group writing over 11,000 postcards and good job doctors for camp closure.
For those of you in Washington County if you have not submitted your ballot yet for the Tualatin Valley Water Commission the only contested race includes one of our former natural resources advisors Dean Moeberg. He is a man with intimate knowledge of our county and how to protect and preserve the farmland as well as create wildlife habitat and he would be excellent for this job. In the Portland area Laura Masterson is also on the ballot she is a 25 year veteran CSA farmer who also has intimate knowledge of farming systems and food allocation and is an excellent representative on soil and land conservation. Lisa Reynolds, a member of our CSA for many years is making her first bid for state representative. She has been an activist against gun violence and gun regulation. She is a pediatrician, she understands family dynamics, she understands trauma and she understands the importance of education and healthcare for all. She has participated in leadership cohorts and is prepared to lead the state government in a well educated well-rounded fashion.
We hope that you will join us again in the 2021 season as we strive to provide fresh organically raised vegetables and fruit for your family. We hope that 2021 brings a dramatic change in all aspects of our lives. We promise to continue to work hard to do our part in making local and regional life better for all. we encourage you to place your deposit to hold your spot for 2021. There are still spots for the Thanksgiving harvest which will come to you on November 22. A survey will be emailed to you in the next week or so as we attempt to gather information about what you liked and what could be improved in our CSA. We recognize that many of the events that make our farm unique including gatherings, the canning party, the opening potluck and the harvest festival as well as picnicking on our farm have all been suspended for this year due to the pandemic. We are hopeful that next year will bring us back to some sense of normalcy and that we will find ways to carry on many of these traditions no matter what. For me, as a family physician and leader at my clinic it has been a very difficult juggling act to ensure safety in my workplace and safety on my farm. I could not envision a safe way to have all the lovely families come to the farm and still maintain safety. Next season will bring new thoughts and images of how to do things.
Many of you have signed up for winter harvest. We promise not to overwhelm you. We will start next weekend as we have to harvest the veggies when we have them. For now, we will slow down a bit. Fix the damaged hoop houses (still no plastic!) get our ornamental gardens reworked and maybe do a bit of ceramics (I miss it so). Thank you for trusting us to grow food for your families. Please stay safe, stay vigilant and stay in touch.
Recipes for this week, thanks again Sue Kass!
Green Tomato Salad (NY Times)
4-6 servings
3 large green tomatoes, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced
2 Tbs kosher salt
1 persian cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
large handful each of chopped parsley, chopped mint
1-2 green chiles, seeded and thinly sliced or chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 c EVOO
salt, pepper
Toss tomatoes with the salt and leave to drain for 20-30 minutes
In a shallow bowl, combine all ingredients
Green Tomato Salsa
6 green tomatoes peeled, cored, seeded and chopped
1 tart green apple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and minced
2 Tbs sugar
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 Tbs grated ginger
1 c fresh cilantro, minced
salt and pepper.
Place tomatoes in cast iron skillet, add remaining ingredients except coriander. Cook over medium heat about 30-40 minutes until a thick paste. Cool and refrigerate up to 4 days—add cilantro just prior to serving.
Green Tomato Soup with Bacon
4 Tbs butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 cloves garlic chopped
3 lbs green tomatoes, cored and chopped (about 8 cups)
2 c. vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
pepper to taste
4 oz sliced bacon
1/3 c creme fraiche
2 Tbs fresh dill, chopped
1 Tb honey
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, add onions and cook until translucent.
Crush the coriander, then add it with the garlic to onions; saute 3 minutes more.
Stir in tomatoes and stock, bring to a boil and then simmer until tomatoes have fallen apart, about 30 min
Fry bacon until crisp and set aside.
Using blender or immersion blender, puree soup until smooth
Return to heat, stir in creme farce, dill and honey. Garnish with crumbled bacon and tosted bread croutons.
Vegan Green Tomato Soup
2 large green tomatoes, diced (or about 3 cups)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 spring (15-20) curry leaves or 1/4 c fresh cilantro
2 green chiles, seeded
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 heaping tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 c coconut milk
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a frying pan—add mustard seed, and when they stat to pop add curry leaves and green chiles. Saute for a few minutes and then add the chiles.
Saute for a few more minutes and add the tomatoes, coriander and turmeric and stir well. Add a few Tbs water and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Add 1/2 the coconut milk and bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes more. Add remaining coconut milk and salt, stir well, and heat until warm but not boiling.