Week 19

Our farmer friends all have their own unique combination of ways they sell vegetables.  Some drive to Seattle and sell to high end restaurants, some go to the Olympia market and many have CSAs and sell to the Co-op.  We are all trying to figure out a way to keep doing what we love and make enough money to be able to do it another year.  We consider ourselves to be incredibly fortunate.  We have the farm stand and the farm share, neither which require us to leave the farm and the Olympia Co-op which is fairly close.  Our hope is that that combination allows us more time to focus on the gardens and the produce.  You all have made a decision to support local agriculture.  Some of you might appreciate our organic farming methods, others might find it convenient and some of you might have just signed up on a whim.  Regardless, we appreciate your support.  Some farms find it difficult to fill their farm share/CSA and we have been lucky to find such great customers.  Although the interest in locally grown food is growing not everyone is up for receiving a box of vegetables every week.  We think you all are awesome for giving it a try.  We hope you enjoyed it and thank you again.

For some of you today is your last box.  Now you can go back to eating take out pizza without that bunch of kale yelling at you from your vegetable draw.  If after a couple pizzas you realize that you miss kale please come see us at the stand.  We will be open on Saturdays and Wednesdays until the end of November.

If you would like any storage vegetables (beets, carrots, onions, squash) just let me know and we will get you set up for the winter.

Carrots
Yellow Onions
Parsnips - They may look a bit like a white carrot but they have their own unique flavor.  They can be boiled, steamed or roasted.  They are great in stews and delicious mashed.
Broccoli
Spaghetti Squash or Pie Pumpkin - your choice  
Watermelon Radish 
Cucumber
Pepper
Parsley 
Green Cabbage - Large Only

French Onion Soup

I have a memory of being a little kid, about four and sitting in front of the television watching Julia Child on PBS.  We had a black and white TV and I think it must have been before cable.  I don't know what it was about her that I loved as a kid but as an adult I continue to love her.  If I could have dinner with any two people, dead or alive, she would be one of them.  Despite my adoration I haven't actually made many of her recipes.  Below is one that I do make a couple times a year, french onion soup.

The only change I have made to this recipe is that I use an extra cup of onion.  She calls for 5 cups and I like to use 6 cups.  Perhaps I cook the onions down more than I am suppose to or perhaps it is because the last couple times I have made it I used a higher moisture onion and I lost more to evaporation.  This soup requires a little patience because it really tastes better if you allow the onions to properly caramelize.

Soup

6 cups thinly sliced onion
3 Tb butter
1 Tb oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
3 Tb flour
2 quarts beef stock (I use homemade chicken stock when I don't have any homemade beef stock)
1/2  cup dry wine or dry white vermouth
3 Tb cognac

Cook onions in the butter and oil with the lid on for 15 minutes in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Uncover, add salt and sugar and cook for another half hour or so until the onions have fully caramelized.  Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for 3 minutes.  Add the wine and continue stirring and then add the stock a little at a time.  Simmer partially covered for another half hour or so.  Just before serving stir in the cognac.

Garnish

Slices of French bread
Grated Swiss or Parmesan

Put French bread in oven at 325 until hard and golden brown.  Place cheese on top of bread and broil until melted or use oven proof bowls and put bread in cheese in bowl on top of the soup and put the whole thing under the broiler.