Week 17

We have one customer that only comes two or three times a year always in search of green tomatoes.  He is from the south and he loves them.  On his first visit of the year we usually tell him to come back later in the season because in July we are still hopeful that the big green tomatoes on the plant will turn red.  In August we go through and cut the growth points off of the tomatoes in hopes of concentrating the plants energy into ripening tomatoes.  This time of year we are happy to sell green tomatoes except that this year we don't have very many left on the plant!  We are going to pick the plants clean today and see if we have enough for everyone.  I grew up eating slices of green tomatoes pan fried in butter and eaten with fried eggs and toast and also fermented with lots of garlic and made into half sour pickles.  Fried with eggs is still my favorite way to eat them.  I cook them until they brown a bit and are tender than slide them on a plate and top them with a fried egg.  Every year I hope to make half sours but I have never got around to it.  Once a year or so I also will make them with either panko bread crumbs or a corn meal crust to go with some baked chicken.   When you don't get many ripe tomatoes green tomatoes can seem like kind of a let down or like something you feel obligated to eat when what you really wanted was a bumper crop of ripe fruit.  However, I think a green tomato, when not compared to a red tomato is awesome.  It has distinct flavor that isn't like anything else.

Carrots
Acorn Squash - The acorn squash we grow is really sweet and shouldn't need any sugar to make it delicious.  Like the delicata you had last week it is easy to cut, quick to cook and great on its own or stuffed.
Garlic 
Poblano Peppers - These are great roasted and added to things like corn chowder, mac and cheese, a meat chili or a white bean chili.  They can also be sliced and sautéed.  They can be cut in half and stuffed or they can be used whole for chile rellenos.  Like the green tomatoes, I am not sure how many everyone will be getting.
Hakuri
Yokatta Na - an Asian green most similar to bok choy
Green Tomato
Cauliflower-Large Only

Next week will bring more winter squash, shallots and perhaps some root vegetables.  If you still have your delicata squash from last week don't worry about it.  All the squash we give you will keep for months just sitting on your kitchen counter.

Week 16

There are few things more beautiful than a sunny fall afternoon.  The warmth, the dryness in the air and a light breeze rustling the leaves all reminds me of growing up in New England.  I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the weekend.

We are still hauling squash.  Some years it is done in one push and others it is dragged out with a couple truck loads at the end of each day.  I don't know that one is really better than the other.  The nights have been mild and I am not worried about the squash but like any large project it is nice to just get it done.

Some of you seemed burdened by the cabbage you got last week.  I know, they look big and when you start shredding them they expand and take over your kitchen counter.  It breaks my heart just a little to think you don't love cabbage- it is such a wonderful vegetable and one of the few that I eat all year round and always enjoy.  I will include a couple recipes at the end because I have a feeling many of you still have the one you got last week rolling around your produce drawer!

We are starting off squash season with delicata squash.  It is the only winter squash we have eaten thus far and it was fantastic.  I just sliced it into "fries" and roasted them.

Delicata Squash
Broccoli
Sweet Peppers
Hot Pepper
Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatoes
Radish
Kale
Lettuce-Large Only
Potatoes-Large Only

We like this red cabbage dish.  I usually use less clove and I often add a little extra lemon juice.  Sometimes I will add a bit of red wine vinegar and a tablespoon or so of sugar to make it more like  sweet and sour cabbage.

Red Cabbage with Cranberries

Cabbage and apples go great together.  In the dish below they are cooked but they are also great together raw in a slaw/chopped salad type of thing.

Braised Green Cabbage with Apples

Squash and Dry Beans

Week 15

It has been a crazy week.  I dropped Kelly off at the airport on Tuesday and he flew to Tennessee to help my dad, who purchased a house just down the road from us in June, move out here.  Fortunately, my dad had hired a moving company so Kelly just helped with a few odds and ends and they headed out on Thursday.  They split the driving and arrived last night.  I enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with everything on the farm but am so thankful to have Kelly back for harvest this morning.  I am also incredibly thankful that the man who has no interest in leaving the farm to do anything offered to drive my dad half way across the country.  While Kelly was gone we saw some cold nights and the push to get all the winter squash out of the fields has begun.  Your box is showing signs of the changing seasons.  Next week we will fully embrace fall and include winter squash.  This week there will be some on the trade table for those of you looking to get started early.

Purple Diakon Radish - New for us this year and it is gorgeous.
Green Chard - I had hoped to harvest and assortment of greens today and let you choose one but I think they would all just wilt the minute we put them on the stand if the weather forecast is correct.  Instead, I chose my current favorite.  It is chard that tastes like spinach when cooked!
Kohlrabi - We haven't grown kohlrabi in a couple years and it is nice to see its whimsical looking bulbs in the field this year.
Cabbage 
Parsley
Sweet Onion
Zucchini - Along with the cherry tomatoes the last hurrah of summer.
Cherry Tomatoes
Purple Carrots - Large Only
Cauliflower - Large Only 

Week 14

Last year we attempted to grow a couple new winter squash for the farm share.  Those of you who have been with us for a few years may have noticed you get the same assortment of squash each year.  We have a good reason for that - they are our favorites.  Last year's attempt ended with one variety that refused to cure and ripen until after the farm share was over and another that ended up being ridiculously large.  This year's attempt is going better - all three look good.  Of course, looks aren't everything and the real test will be when we cook them up.  We hauled some squash out of the field last week and it is fun to see our barn starting to fill with fall color.

This week we are going to include what will probably be your last round of zucchini.  The weather is still great but production is beginning to slow down.  I think we will see a drop in production with the tomatoes shortly.

Carrots are back this week.  It has not been our best carrot year.  As you pull into the parking lot you can see our fall carrots in the front field by the road.  Hopefully they will do well and we will finish the year in abundance.

Carrots
Zucchini
Slicing Tomato
Cherry Tomato
Summer (aka Japanese) Turnips
Head Lettuce
Sun Jewel Melon
Senposai - Large Only -  A new green breed in Japan that is a cross between cabbage and Japanese Mustard Spinach. The large tender leaf has a mild taste and can be eaten raw or cooked (sweeter when cooked).

Here is a recipe I have been wanting to make all summer and haven't.  I am determined to give it a try before zucchini season is over.  The recipe is posted on a food blog but it is from the Jerusalem cookbook.  It is spiced with mint, cilantro and cumin.

Turkey and Zucchini Burgers

Week 13

Growing up in a resort town, Labor Day marked the end of summer.  The throngs of tourists crowded onto the ferry and headed home.  The residents prepared for another school year and more importantly in our small island town, a new football season.  It was hard to live on Nantucket and be indifferent towards football.  I spent many Saturdays sitting on the cold metal bleachers with my friends.  The year I graduated high school was probably the last time I cared at all about who won a football game.  That was until I moved out here to live with Kelly.  If we are around the house, or working in the washroom on a Sunday (or a Monday, or Thursday) the radio will be tuned into the Seahawks game and I have to admit over the years I have actually started to look forward to listening to them.  For one, it is a sign that fall is coming, that sleeping in is around the corner, that sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee and watching it get light out will be more than just a thought any day now.  Football, as it did many years ago, now reminds me again of fall.  We will be ditching our radio for the first game in favor of hanging out with some friends and watching it on television.  A football game is also a perfect excuse to eat football food.  We have meat birds in our orchard that will be ready to slaughter soon along with a freezer that still has a bunch of wings from last year's birds in it.  To go with the wings I am going to make some baked potato skins.  I know they haven't been a big deal since 1990 but since that may have been the last time I had them and because we are growing russet potatoes for the first time this year I am going to make some.  You have russet potatoes in your  boxes today.  We didn't grow them for potato skins, we grew them because I was curious.  Would a russet we grew ourselves taste any different than one from the grocery store?  I dug one plant last week and there were some nice decent sized potatoes as well as some smaller ones (mini baked potato skins - so cute).  They looked really nice but I haven't had a chance to cook any yet.  We hope you enjoy your vegetables.

Lettuce
Mixed Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Russet Potatoes
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Kale - The kale this time of year is very tender.
Cucumbers
Tuscan Melon - Large Only Some of you received one of these last week.  The remainder of large shares will get on this week
Eggplant - Large Only
Arugula - Large Only

We pulled our first winter squash out of the field last week - pie pumpkins.

There are still many signs of summer around the farm as well.