- Celery
- Daikon
- Cabbage
- Greens braising mix
- Green onions
- Onions
- Winter squash
We awoke to a deep frost. The weather was predicted to reach a low of 34 and we dropped to 28. The Hard frost is affecting our ability to get the harvest out of the ground and into the cooler. We will have to wait for it to thaw. We spent yesterday in the orchard with an excellent crew who helped us tame the fruit trees. If you have time when you come to pick up the veggies take a look at the neat piles of branches and the beauty of the freshly trimmed trees. Quite a site, I wish I had taken better pictures. Thank you to all who showed up to make this possible, we are sore this morning but feeling very grateful.
Our sheep are lambing! We had triplets last night and twins this morning. Cold weather and curious and deadly coyotes make this even more challenging. The goats are due to deliver next month so we will have a very full barn. So many challenges that we get ourselves into.
Juvencio and I are working hard to seed, weed and prepare for the start of the 2022 regular season. Tomatoes and peppers were seeded Thursday and are tucked on a heating table with nice new plastic cover to prevent them from freezing. We have to open and close the water system to prevent freezing and the list goes on. We are trying tarping our land to kill weeds and grass and flaming to get the sprouting weeds. We have a good stand of cover crop to regenerate our soil during the winter.
Enjoy your winter veggies, remember to pickle daikon (quick pickle is all it takes), braise your greens and enjoy a winter soup of squash and cabbage. Here is one of our favorite soups:
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.
DELICATA SQUASH WITH ROSEMARY, SAGE, AND CIDER GLAZE
This is my favorite way to cook winter squash. You peel, and slice it, then cook it in a skillet with cider and
winter herbs. When most of the liquid boils away, the cider forms a tart-sweet glaze around the now-tender squash.
Delicata is a wonderfully firm-textured squash that’s not too sweet and almost like a potato. Other varieties like
acorn, turban, or kabocha will make good substitutes, but they may not hold their shape quite as well through the
braising.
2 medium delicata squash (about 2 pounds) or other firm
winter squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup very coarsely chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups fresh unfiltered apple cider or juice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Squash. If using delicata squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut each piece lengthwise in half again, then crosswise into 1/2-inch -thick slices. Other types of squash should be peeled with a chef’s knife, seeded, cut into 1-inch wedges, then sliced 1/2-inch thick.
2. Herb Butter. Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over low heat. Add the sage and rosemary and cook,
stirring, until the butter just begins to turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not brown the herbs. Cooking the herbs in butter mellows their flavor and improves their texture.
3. Cooking the squash. Add the squash to the skillet, then the apple cider, water, vinegar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat at an even boil until the cider has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender,
20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with pepper, and additional salt if needed.
Makes 6 servings.