CSA Fall Share, Week 2: Killing frosts and final harvests on the horizon

In their shares this week, members will receive the following vegetables: 

Ginger, red onions, winter squashes (butternut, kabocha), dill, hot peppers (Thai matchbox and Hungarian hot wax), cabbage, cucumbers, Swiss chard, arugula, eggplant, Korean torpedo melon, tomatoes and carrots. 

This newsletter includes a roundup of news from the farm as well as information and recipes. Feel free to jump to the bottom of the newsletter to find the section titled, “This week’s veggies and recipes.”

News from the farm

On Sunday night, we put on our headlamps and walked out into the cool night to harvest sensitive plants before that night’s frost set in. We had been able to keep plants alive with our sprinkler system, but at this point in the season, it was ok to let some of them go. 

We harvested melons and eggplants to give to our Fall CSA customers before setting the sprinklers up to keep Heather-Marie’s flower beds protected overnight so that she can make bouquets for a friend’s wedding this weekend.

At 2 a.m., Heather-Maries climbed out of bed and turned on the sprinklers and was rewarded with the treat of seeing the northern lights (John grudgingly crawled out of bed to see them as well – don’t worry, he’s on sprinkler duty tonight). 

We awoke Monday morning to find that the eggplants and peppers had in fact, died. 

Across the field, there are fewer and fewer active plots, as we slowly wind down from the long growing season. Soon, we’ll have all the beds tucked in for the winter. Some will be under expansive, black silage tarps; others will be protected under a planting of winter rye. 

In the meantime, our brassicas – plants in the cabbage family – are thoroughly enjoying the cold nights, which add some sweetness to their flavor. 

After tomorrow’s CSA delivery, we have only a handful of harvest days left before the season is over. 

On Friday, we’ll host our last farm stand of the year (details below). Next Tuesday will be our last CSA delivery. And then the following Saturday, we’ll end our season at a Fall Festival out at the Denham Run Bar and Grill. 

That night, we’ll gather with our fellow farmer friends and have a Killing Frost Party, an idea borrowed from our dear friends at Mountain Harvest Organics in western North Carolina. 

Fall Festival this Friday

While Fall Share members will get a carving pumpkin and a pie pumpkin with their final share, we hope you’ll come out and join us for our final Farm Stand and Fall Celebration this Friday.

Rain or shine (but please shine!), we’ll have wonderful fall produce, dried flowers and an amazing assortment of pumpkins.

Facebook post about event: https://www.facebook.com/share/rkQSWyHE7bYfWurs/
Join us for our annual Fall Celebration and final Farm Stand of the season:

• Free hot cider
• Festive Fall photo booth
• Pumpkins
• Decorative gourds
• Winter squash
• Garlic
• Dried flowers
• Broom corn
• Fall vegetables (and maybe some tomatoes)

Images from the farm

This week’s veggies and recipes

Hot peppers

We took a chance this week and decided to give our CSA members a sampling of some of our hotter peppers. We know not everyone loves hot peppers, but we want to encourage you to try them. The larger yellow peppers are Hungarian hot wax, and they have, frankly, not been hot enough this year. But, in general, they are about the same level of heat as a jalapeno. We also included a few Thai matchbox peppers. These are hot. But, if you use them in small quantities, they can add a very nice kick to soups (see the recipe below). So, don’t be afraid. Embrace the peppers. 

Ginger

This is the first time we’ve attempted to grow ginger, and we weren’t sure how it would go, but it seems to have worked. Inspired by our creative and talented friends at Farm Sol, we gave it a shot and bought many pounds of organic ginger that we germinated in the spring and planted in our high tunnel. 

We’re pretty excited with the results and hope you’ll enjoy this exotic taste. 

Spicy Carrot-Ginger Soup

Based on a recipe from David Tanis for The New York Times

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced (about 1½ cups)
• 6 cloves garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 pounds young carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds (about 4 cups)
• 1 jalapeño (or a Hungarian hot wax or a matchbox pepper), stemmed, seeded, and sliced
• 1 piece of ginger (about 2 inches), peeled and thinly sliced, plus 1 teaspoon finely grated
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus more if needed
• ½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon finely sliced chives
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and garlic, seasoning with salt and pepper. Sauté until the onion and garlic are soft, about 10 minutes, taking care not to let them brown.
2. Stir in the carrots, jalapeño, and sliced ginger, coating them well. Season with a bit more salt. Increase the heat to high, pour in the 6 cups of broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer briskly until the carrots are completely tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. If possible, allow the soup to cool to room temperature.
3. While the soup cools, prepare the ginger-chive cream: In a small bowl, mix together the crème fraîche, grated ginger, and chives, adding a pinch of salt.
4. Once the soup has cooled, carefully transfer it to a blender (in batches if necessary) and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding additional broth as needed to reach a consistency similar to heavy cream; it should not be thick.
5. To serve, gently reheat the soup over low heat and check the seasoning. Coarsely chop the cilantro leaves and tender stems, reserving a few sprigs for garnish. Stir the lime juice, lime zest, and 1 cup of chopped cilantro into the soup, allowing small green flecks to distribute throughout (cooling the soup first keeps the cilantro tasting fresh).
6. Ladle the soup into bowls, topping each with a spoonful of the ginger-chive cream and a few cilantro sprigs for garnish. Enjoy!

Arugula pizza and Balsamic Glaze

We love arugula on pizza.  We recently made homemade pizzas and Heather-Marie made this Balsamic Glaze to drizzle over her pizza once it was out of the oven.  Added a nice tart to the sweet roasted cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes, roasted in the oven until collapsed 

Mozzarella, or feta cheese

Capers

Arugula, rinsed and chopped

Precook pizza crusts (if needed).  Add a layer of roasted tomatoes on the crust.  Sprinkle capers and arugula on top.  Bake until pizza is done to your liking.  Add more arugula.  Pile feta on top and drizzle with balsamic glaze.  

Balsamic Glaze

2 cups balsamic vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

Mix the balsamic vinegar with brown sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until glaze is reduced by half and coats the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes.  Make sure that you do not overcook as the glaze will harden.  If this does happen, add a small amount of water to rehydrate. 

Let cool, then pour into a lidded jar. Seal and store in the refrigerator.

Anyone want a kitten?