Week 19

I am trying to resist commenting on how fast the season went by because I know I refer to time flying by all the time. But it still surprises me every year.

As far as crops go we had many successes and a couple failures this year.  Hopefully you were happy with what was in your boxes each week.  We are incredibly fortunate to have pick-up at the farm and to have so much community support.  You may not think that buying one farm share makes that much of an impact but we are a small farm and your support means a lot both as individuals and as a community.  There are so many books and movies out there about local agriculture that it starts to seem a bit redundant and even trendy at times to talk about supporting local farmers.  We don't want to be a trend or hip or be treated like rock stars,  but we do want to grow good food and we need people like you to do so.  Thank you for your support!

If you find yourself missing your weekly box of vegetables the stand will be open on Saturdays from 9am until 4pm and on Wednesdays from 3pm until 6pm from now until the end of November.  Come by, say hi and get some veggies.  We will have bags of storage vegetables as Thanksgiving gets closer.

Today's Box

Hakuri/Tokyo Turnip - The juicy bunched turnips you had in your boxes in the spring.
Purple Top Turnip - The classic fall root vegetable that has a peppery bite.
Parsnips
Yellow Onions
Garlic
Red Kabocha Squash - A squash popular in both Japanese and Korean culinary traditions but also excellent in a pumpkin pie.  It is my favorite squash to use in a pureed soup that also has stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, red chiles and a squeeze of lime.  If that sounds up your alley there are many similar recipes on line that will give you amounts and measurements.  I just throw everything in the pot and hope for the best.
Carrots
Napa - Really good in a salad - sweet and crunchy
Romanesco - Looks crazy, tastes like cauliflower.

A farm share member (you know who you are) accused me of bad mouthing fall turnips while singing the praises of the rutabaga.  I will confess, I try but I find it hard to like fall turnips.  There is one way that I love them though and that is as a Middle Eastern pickle.  This recipe is adapted from The Joy of Pickling and it is a fermented pickle.  The beet makes them pink.

1 pound peeled turnips cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wedges
2 garlic cloves
1 small beet
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water
11/2 tbs pickling salt

Add beets, garlic and turnip to a sterilized quart jar.  Mix the remaining ingredients until the salt has dissolved and pour over the vegetables.  Lightly cap and let stand at room temperature for 10 days and then keep in the refrigerator.  Only putting the cap on lightly allows gases to escape as the pickle ferments.