A Good Fall Vegetable Harvest

 

 

Andy says that Jack Frost came for a visit last week so that means the end to frost susceptible plants.  But he does have peppers growing in the hophouse.  They will show up in our boxes in a few weeks.

Even with the cooler weather, there are still plenty to do on the farm.  Harvesting sweet potatoes is the main chore at the moment. There is a good crop. Andy even dug up a sweet potato that weighed in close to 5 pounds.  Also he noticed that there are plenty of odd shapes and some roughness  on the surface.  He is not sure what has cause that but he suspects it might be a potassium deficiency.  They may look a little different then the ones that you might buy in the store but they should be fine to eat.

During the month of November the farm will be offering a sale on maple syrup.  A 15% discount for any maple syrup orders...any quantity can be ordered.

Some sad news to report...Chocolate Drop got sick and died a few days after I dropped him off.  Andy isn't sure what it was.  But he has heard of other rabbits with the same symptoms.  So I'll visit my friends and pick up a new one in a few weeks.  The kids are so sad.

Recipe Of The Week: Sweet Potatoes With Maple Syrup

Sweet Potatoes With Maple Syrup

1/2 cup of maple syrup

1/4 cup of butter 

4 cups of sweet potatoes sliced

Bring syrup and butter to a boil.  Boil rapidly for five minutes or until thickened.  Pour over boiled and peeled hot sweet potatoes.  Serve warm.

So Much Goodness In One Box

Got a note from Andy saying that they are getting colder weather and he thinks by this time this week they should have. Which means that will be an end to the beans, tomatoes, peppers and strawberries.  But the more hardy crops...turnips, broccoli, cabbage, chard, spicy greens, lettuce and radishes...should be fine.  There are lots of vegetables in storage...potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and winter squashes.  And I know Andy and his crew are thrilled that they have finished planting all the garlic for next year.  The next project is to get all the sweet potatoes out of the ground!

 

There are so many vegetables in this weeks box...and they are all my favorites!  Little things stuck in all the nooks and crannies of the box.

Recipe Of The Week: Turnips With Onions

Turnips With Onions

 

3 cups dices, peeled turnips

2 cups of sliced carrots

1/4 teaspoon of ginger

3/4 cup of water

1 teaspoon of salt, divided

1/2 cup of chopped onions

1/2 cup of diced celery

3 Tablespoons of butter

3 Tablespoons of flour

1/4 cup of black pepper

1 1/2cup of milk

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

 

In a saucepan, combine turnips, carrots, ginger, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, drain and reserve liquid.  Set vegetables aside.  In a skillet, sauté onion, celery in butter until tender.  Stir in flour, pepper, and remaining salt.  Ass milk and vegetable liquid.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Stir in vegetables and heat through.

Recipe Of The Week: Turnip Greens

Turnip Greens

 

Bring about 1/4 of a inch of water to a boil.  Add one pound of turnip greens and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Return to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on size.

 

4 slices of bacon

1 onion chopped

6-8 cups of turnip greens

salt and pepper to taste

 

Fry bacon and remove fro skillet.  Saute onions in the bacon drippings.  Add the greens to the skillet.  Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Add crumbled bacon, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

A First For Me

This is the first week since I have been involved with the CSA that Andy or Lizzie has been to busy to write a newsletter.  And to add to that, Rue and Susan, the couple that help with the communications for the farm, are out of town enjoying some family time. 

 

And I thought that spring was the busiest time for them.  Our boxes were full to overflowing again this week.  I have never seen a bigger head of broccoli!  And strawberries...what a sweet surprise!

Fluffy Has A Friend

Anna is going to start raising rabbits to sell to make a little money.  So I drove to my favorite rabbit pick up spot (Jamie Kinner's in Batavia) and picked up a male brown mini Rex.  Just so happens that the Kinner's use to own a coffee shop in Batavia that was a CSA dropoff.  And Adam, Andy's brother dresses chickens for the Kinner's.  And Jamie went to school with my next door neighbor.  Very small world around here.  I met Jamie thru FreeCycle about a year ago.

Fluffy didn't come out to meet Chocolate Drop.  This is home sweet home for the rabbits and all the little bunnies to come...a reused, recycled, repurposed chicken coop and run.  I love that.  And an added bonus, Sem, the watch dog.

Anna from this day forward will be known as my Cedarmore Blogger Assistant.  She suggested that we go out in the yard and take some pictures of all of her growing things.  These are her knockout roses.

She suggested a close up.  And after every shot she has to okay the pics.

Her sad sunflowers.

The birds are enjoying them.  So next year I am going to plant a row of sunflowers over by the chicken coop.  She got me hooked.

Slowing Down?

Has anyone noticed that the days are getting shorter?  The weather is getting cooler?  And the leaves are starting to turn.  All of this means that some of the work on the farm is beginning to slow down.  Andy says that this is his favorite time of year.  Work might be slowing down from the spring and summer shares, but there is still work to do, plenty of it.  The sweet potatoes are needing to be dug up.  Andy and his crew do all the digging by hand.  Talk about a job!  And then there is planting of the garlic for next year.  Hopefully these two projects will be accomplished in the next two or three weeks.

Along with shorter days and cooler nights, comes a change in the plants that are to be harvested.  Which means a whole new menu.  More green and less tomatoes and sweet corn.  Oh how I am going to miss that sweet corn!

Even with things beginning to slow down, our boxes are full to over flowing.

Running out to the farm on Saturday to deliver a buck mini Rex so Anna can begin raising rabbits.  Can't wait to see how much Fluffy has grown.

Recipe Of The Week: Chewy Tortillas

Chewy Tortillas

8 cups of soft wheat flour
2Tablespoons of salt
3 cups of milk or water warmed
2 Tablespoons of baking powder
3 Tablespoons of olive oil

In a mixer with the dough hook, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add olive oil and mix.  Slowly add the milk.  Knead for two minutes after the dough forms a ball and begins to cling to the sides.  Cover and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes.  Divide into 40 equal balls. (It works well to freeze the dough at this point for future use). Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before pressing to rolling.  Cook on a griddle over high heat until bubbles begin to form.  Flip and cook a little longer until bottom has some light brown spots. Store leftovers in the freezer for best exults.  Good results can be made without a mixer.

Makes 40 tortillas.

Lizzie suggests adding onions, radishes, peppers, tomatoes or just about anything you want.  And I love this part...'of course you may prefer to buy your tortillas rather than making them.  This is fine, but making your own can be fun and adventurous and we encourage you to give it a try once in awhile.'

Those Are Some Really Big Radishes

This is the first week of the fall share.  And once again the boxes are packed really full. Must be all the good weather we have been having.  And had been surprised with the moisture that he has found in the ground while digging sweet potatoes,  He thinks the cooler weather and the shorter days keeps in moisture in the ground longer.

The fall crops are still looking good.  There should be a good sweet potato harvest this year.  The regular potatoes are looking just a s good.  Andy says that tomatoes are starting to slow down but we are still getting lots.  He seems to think they are slowing down a few  weeks sooner than he thought they would.  There is a large patch of green beans that they are starting to hardest from.  He is hoping they will last until the frost.

In this weeks box you will find a large leafy green leaf with red stems.  That would be Swiss chard, my all time favorite vegetable in the entire world.  The long red vegetable with green leaves that looks like a radish on steroids, is actually a "Shunkyo" radish.  It is a little more spicy than most radishes.  More mild radishes will be coming later in the fall. 

If you have a moment, please take the time to email Rue and he can let Andy how you are liking your boxes.  If you have any questions or suggestions.  Any feedback is helpful.  If you would like to send along a recipe to share, please email me.  Both email are listed on the right side of the blog.

Recipe Of The Week: Chard Salad

Chard Salad

1 pound of coarsely chopped chard
1/2 cup of thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup of thinly sliced radishes
1/4 cup of sliced onions
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon of celery seed
salt and pepper to taste

Steam chard for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.  Rinse under cold water to cool.  Drain well.  To combine, toss chard with celery, radishes, and onions.  Put remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight lid.  Shake well.  Pour over salad.  Toss to coat.  Season to taste and serve.