Summer CSA Week 18, 2022

The last share of the 2022 summer season!

Last week the leaves along the road were golden (pictured left) and this week there are more leaves on the ground than in the trees (pictured right). It is time for us to wrap up our 2022 delivery season. Winter shares will start November 14th. See below what to do with your Summer Share boxes. In your email inbox soon you will find a link to an online survey about how the Summer Share worked for you this season–thanks for taking the time to help us improve!

It has been a pleasure having you as part of the Food Farm family!


In your share this week:

Arugula – Beets – Brussels Sprouts – Red Cabbage – Carrots – Celery – Greens Mix – Onion – Sweet Red Peppers (not hot) – Yellow Potatoes – Rutabaga – Spinach – Winter Squash – Tomato – Thyme


What should I do with my CSA box now that the season is over?

I’m so glad you asked! You have two options:

  1. Bring your own bag or box to your CSA pick-up location. Take your produce and leave the CSA box for us.
  2.  Bring your empty Food Farm CSA share box back at your Please have your box back to your pickup site by next Thursday, October 20th, or bring bags with you to take your veggies home.

Returning your box helps us avoid buying more plastic. 


Beet Arugula Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 medium (2 lbs) beets
  • 5 oz (6 cups) baby arugula, rinsed and spun dry
  • 4 oz or 1/2 cup feta cheese or blue cheese, diced or crumbled
  • 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard (we love Grey Poupon brand)
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • Try adding minced rosemary and/or thyme

InstructionS

How to Cook Beets in an Instant Pot:

1. Wash and trim the beets so that the stems are about ½-inch long and the roots are no more than about 2 inches long.

2. Place basket insert into instant pot and add 1 cup water. Arrange the beets in a single layer over the insert.

3. Lock the lid and make sure the valve on the lid is pointed at the “Sealing” position. Press the “Pressure Cook” button and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. (If you have smaller beets, it might take just 10 min to cook. Larger beets, however, will take 20 to 30 minutes to cook.)

Or without an Instant Pot:

1. If you don’t have an instant pot yet: Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line the bottom of a medium rimmed baking sheet with foil. Wrap each beat in a sheet of foil, wrapping tightly to seal and arrange the beets on the lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour or until largest beet is easily pierced. Remove from oven, unwrap and allow them to cool to room temperature then peel the skins (see Pro Tip Below) and slice into halves and then wedges.

2. Toast 1/2 cup pecans on a dry skillet, tossing frequently until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

3. Transfer the arugula to a large mixing bowl then add remaining salad ingredients: sliced beets, 1/2 cup feta cheese, 1/2 cup toasted pecans and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.

4. To make balsamic vinagreate, combine all dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake well to combine. Drizzle over salad to taste. If not serving salad right away, shake the dressing again just before drizzling over salad.

Recipe based off Natasha’s Kitchen.


Harvesting cabbages. We love throwing our food!
And there’s lots more harvesting to be done before snow comes!

For the farm crew,

Starr

Summer CSA Week 17, 2022

It’s pumpkin time!

This is the penultimate CSA week! You will be receiving a carving pumpkin with your share this week. The pumpkins do not fit in the box, so please remember to grab your pumpkin when you pick-up. Enjoy carving jack o’lanterns! Try roasting your pumpkin seeds for a bonus tasty snack.

Next week will be the 18th and final CSA box for this season. It has been a joy having you as part of the Food Farm family!

Loading up pumpkins for Monday deliveries.

In your share this week:

Noreaster Beans – Broccoli – Carrots – Garlic – Leeks – Lettuce – Onion – Sweet Red Peppers (not hot) – Jalapeño Pepper (hot) – Yellow Potatoes – Daikon Radish – Delicata and Acorn Squash – Tomatoes – Parsley


Leaves changing at the farm


Universal Cream of Vegetable Soup

This recipe works for nearly any vegetable the farm grows – from celery to leeks to squash! This is also a great way to use up veggies from last week.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 6-8 cups coarsely chopped veggies (suggested starting point: 1 med onion coarsely chopped, 2 leeks, one clove garlic minced, 2 diced carrots,  2-3 stalks celery coarsely chopped, 2 potatoes diced. Add any other veggie like broccoli, cauliflower, or  squash to total 6 cups veggies.)
  • 1/4 cup flour.  
  • 4 cups broth (chicken, pork or veggie)
  • 1/2 to 1 cup milk or cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Sauté veggies in the butter 10-15 minutes (until tender but not brown).
  2. Add flour and cook for a couple of minutes.  
  3. Turn heat to high and add 4 cups of broth (chicken, pork or veggie), while constantly stirring as the soup thickens.  Bring to a boil.  
  4. Reduce heat to simmer the soup.  Cook, partially covered, until the vegetables are very tender (appx 30 minutes).   Using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender process the soup until smooth.  Add a little water or more broth if the soup is too thick and difficult to process.  
  5. Return soup to the pot and add 1/2-1 cups milk or cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Can be served with grated cheese.

Recipe from Deb Rausch


What to do with Daikon Radish?!

This week you will find daikon radish in your box. Daikon is a large peppery variety of radish that is common in Asian cuisines. This crunchy vegetable can be eaten raw, pickled (like in traditional kimchi), or cooked.

Vietnamese Pickled Carrots & Daikon Radish (Đồ Chua)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb daikon radish*
  • 1/2 lb carrots*
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1/2 c boiling water
  • 5 tbsp granulated white sugar
  • filtered room temp. water
  • 4 tbsp distilled vinegar

Instructions

  1. Peel daikon and carrots, then cut with mandolin slicer medium to small matchsticks. Smaller cuts will pickle faster.
  2. In a large bowl, sprinkle with salt evenly and toss to coat. Soak for 15 minutes.
  3. Rinse thoroughly to remove the salt and in small hand-fulls, squeeze to remove as much moister as you can.
  4. Add to jars, filling almost to the top.
  5. Create the vinegar solution (brine) by boiling water then adding sugar. Mix to dissolve. Add vinegar.
  6. Pour this liquid evenly into your jars. If needed, add extra room temp water to barely fully submerge the veggies.
  7. Screw on the lids, store at room temperature until pickled to your taste, checking every 12 or 24 hours. It usually takes 2-5 days depending on the temperature.
  8. Refrigerate when ready, for up to 3 weeks, or until too sour or veggies lose their crunch.

*You can change the ratio of veggies to your preference and/or scale the recipe up or down depending on how much veg you have to pickle. Just make sure you have enough brine to completely submerge your veggies.

Based off recipe from Hungry Huy.

Check out other daikon recipes here.


For the farm crew,

Starr