Welcome to the fall CSA! It's my favorite time of year! Over the course of the next 8 weeks you will receive the rewards of the hard work our farmers put in over the past 7 months, including but not limited to crunchy radishes and carrots, earthy beets and sunchokes, fresh herbs, crisp lettuces, sweet onions and peppers, spicy arugula and garlic, and much, much more. Soup season is officially upon us and I encourage you to experiment and try new recipes with our celery and celeriac. There is no frost on the horizon so the end of summer and fall crops remain abundant and happy now that we have gotten some more rain in the past week as well.
This past Wednesday we enjoyed a visit from 9th graders of Milton Academy who helped us pull out tomato plants, stakes, and landscape fabric staples from the fields. We also were thrilled to host the Mr. Seth Trio on Saturday for the kids concert. Thanks to all who attended, we hope you had a good time!
Our winter squash harvest has concluded and the squash is curing in the greenhouse. The ideal conditions for curing squash is 7-10 days in 80-85 degrees and 80-85% humidity, so the greenhouse is great conditions for this! During this process the starches of the squash convert to sugars, making the squash sweeter, the skin hardens, and minor wounds heal, preparing the squash for long term storage. Acorn and delicata squash do not need to be cured. If cured and stored properly, some varieties of winter squash can be stored for 4-6 months!
Best,
Hannah
1. Squash curing in the greenhouse
2. Lots of daikon radish in your future
3. Still blooming!
Fruit Share:
3.5 lbs of local apples
Recipe of the week:
Shrimp and Arugula Pesto
Really only serves 2
Of course, you can make the arugula pesto without any shrimp, if you like.
1 cup uncooked mini farfalle
1 ½ cups arugula
¼ cup basil leaves and more for garnish, if you like
3 TB grated parmesan
2 TB pine nuts, or sunflower seeds (you can leave this out entirely)
½ tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
16 shrimp (or so)
¼ chicken broth or white wine (if you are using broth, maybe add a teaspoon of lemon juice)
1. Cook farfalle according to package. Save about ½ cup of your pasta water; drain.
2. Place arugula, basil, parmesan, pine nuts, pepper and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a bit, and then process. When it is fairly well chopped, add 2 TB of EVOO
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add remaining oil and cook shrimp 3-4 minutes or until a little golden.
5. Remove shrimp from pan. Add broth (or wine); cook until mostly evaporated. Add arugula mixture, and add pasta water as needed to thin the pesto; bring to a light simmer. Add farfalle and shrimp. Garnish with the extra basil.
Storage and Usage Tips
Green Tomatoes?!?
This week, we have green tomatoes in our share. Green tomatoes are tomatoes that have not ripened on the vine. They have a firm texture and are less juicier than ripe tomatoes, which allows them to be cooked in different ways. They also have a tart, almost acidic taste, which cooking can help to mellow. You can leave them on your counter or window sill, and maybe they will turn red. While I've had very good luck with this method, there are no guarantees. Some people say to put them in a paper bag or box with a ripe banana or apple; they will turn red but you do need to check them daily and remove any ripe ones from the bag. Remember that to ripen, tomatoes need warmth, not necessarily sun, and room temperature should be just about right. If they are going to ripen, it should take 7-14 days.
But maybe you want to embrace your green tomatoes and enjoy them as they are. So, what can you do with them? Well, I consulted with some experts (ok, my knitting buddies) and they recommend:
1. Fried Green Tomatoes! (with or without remoulade!) A southern classic! You can bake them too, if you don't like to fry!
7. Salad! Green tomatoes look so nice next to their red tomato friends!
Pick-up policy reminder:
Veggies: We can accomodate three day switch requests for the whole season this year. That means that you can change your pick-up day in the same week you signed up for. For instance: You are an odd week Saturday pick up but will be away for your typical day. You may request to change your Saturday odd week pick up to a Tuesday or Thursday odd week pick up for one particular week (up to three times). You may only switch days of your pick-up week, you may not switch pick-up weeks (odd/even). You’ll need to request this change the week before you want to use it. To make a day switch request: Up to the week before you want to switch pick-up days by 5 PM on Friday the week before the pickup you would like to change. Email csa@brookwoodcommunityfarm.org and include your name, your usual pick-up day, and your requested pick-up day. For example, Jane Smith, Tuesday, July 2nd is my pick-up day, and I would like to pick up on Saturday, July 6th instead.
Eggs: You may pick up your egg share up to three weeks after your missed pick-up day without notice. This means you may double up on previously missed pick-ups of up to three weeks.
Fruit: You may pick up your fruit share up to 7 days after your missed pick-up day without notice. This means you may double up on previously missed pick-ups of up to one week.
Mushrooms: You may pick up your mushroom share up to 7 days after your missed pick-up day without notice. This means you may double up on previously missed pick-ups of up to one week.
Flowers: Once the flower share starts you may pick your flowers in any increment you would like. But please keep an eye on the weekly newsletter as that will have advice on the abundance of blooms and other good information! You can pick one bouquet per visit or multiples of your share amount per visit.
