CSA Fall Share week 3: It’s a wrap! The end of the 2023 growing season

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

Russet potatoes, yellow onions, winter squash (will be a mix of all the winter squash: butternut, buttercup, acorn, kuri, kabocha and delicata), pie pumpkin, carving pumpkin, brussel sprouts, radicchio, collard greens, beets, spinach (two varieties mixed together), carrots, rutabaga, leeks and herbs: oregano, thyme and sage.  

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

It’s fitting that on Sunday morning the sun rose in nearly the same place and at the same time in the sky as it did the day we started this farm season back on April 1. That’s the day Heather-Marie trudged across the snow and turned on the heater in the greenhouse to start the first round of seeds for this growing season. They would be planted in our field and eventually feed our 45 CSA members and our farm stand customers. And, now, they’ll feed us throughout the winter that’s about to descend. 

Our last farm stand of the season on Friday was ironically cold and soggy — ironic because this summer we experienced a drought that long timers in this area told us was unprecedented and meant one of the worst farming seasons that anyone could remember. In spite of that, our fertile soil and our new irrigation system saw us through. Sure, there were setbacks and disappointments, but in the end, we were grateful for all that we were able to grow and to share with our friends and our neighbors. 

At the farm stand on Friday, we had carving pumpkins and a photo booth. We had hoped to have a hay ride but the rain picked up as the day went on, and we had to cancel. We didn’t know what to expect when we set up. Would anyone show up at all?

But as the day went on, we were pleasantly surprised. Many of our regular customers who had supported us all season came to make some final purchases for the season, to have some hot cider with us in our warm greenhouse and to say thank you for the growing season. 

Heather-Marie struggled over what to name this farm when she started her business in 2011. She thought of Second Chance Farm but in the end she settled on the name Rising Phoenix Community Farm with an emphasis on the word community. After years of transient farming leasing land, we know we are home here in Barnum. We have made so many friends and gotten so much wonderful support from so many people.

This year, we have seen the number of customers for our CSA more than double out here in Barnum. Many of them were people who discovered us through our Friday farm stands and we have gotten to know them and their families as we have learned about the history of this community and its connection to agriculture. Meanwhile, our longtime customers in Duluth continue to support us.

Tuesday will be our last CSA delivery of the season. It will be the end of John’s fifth season of working alongside Heather-Marie; it will be the end of Heather Marie’s 12th season. While the deliveries and farm stands are done, the season is not yet over. We turn our attention to finishing up a few more tasks before the snow flies. Those include planting 80lbs garlic, finishing our 100-foot long high tunnel, planting cover crops in our beds and tucking the field in for the winter so that when spring comes and the snow melts, we are ready to go again. As much as we love farming, we are ridiculously tired and we look forward to the dark nights and reading books. John can focus on his teaching and his writing and Heather-Marie can make plans for the upcoming flower and vegetable growing season, while working on her art and other passions.

On Sunday morning, Heather-Marie was away from the farm and John had the place to himself for a day. He got up early, took a few sips of coffee and grabbed his binoculars and walked out across the field. It was brisk and cool and the leaves were hanging on to the end of fall. The tamaracks down in our swamp were hinting at changing color. It won’t be long before we’ll be strapping on our cross country skis and gliding across our fields. 

Thank you all for supporting us this year and for your love of locally grown vegetables. We remain grateful to be your farmers. 

If you have not done so already, please subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on what we have planned for next year and on sign ups for the summer 2024 CSA growing season. 

Images from the week

This week’s veggies and recipes

Rutabaga

Most Minnesotans know rutabaga as a root vegetable that goes in stews and pasties; however, a friend of John’s who teaches at UMD told us that rutabaga is also a popular vegetable in China where it is often pickled. We haven’t tried this dish yet, but we are definitely planning on it.

Spinach, winter squash

Easy Coconut Curry from website Love & Lemons

We love this easy curry. You can replace any of the veggies for what you have on hand. Use this as a “base” curry recipe.

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 3 red Thai chiles, or 1 serrano, or ½ jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
• Freshly ground black pepper

for serving:

• 2 cups cooked basmati rice
• a few big handfuls of fresh basil or cilantro
• Naan bread, optional

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and well-browned, about 10 minutes, reducing the heat to low halfway through.

In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.

Add the butternut squash and chiles to the pot, stir, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and then add the coconut milk and the spice mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add the lemon juice, lime juice, spinach, peas, and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional lime juice, salt, and pepper, as desired.

Serve the curry over the rice with fresh basil, naan bread, if desired, and lime wedges on the side.

Collards taste better when it’s cold

This recipe is one of our favorite collard greens recipes.  Simple and comforting.  

Radicchio 

This is our second year growing radicchio and we’re still learning new dishes for it.  It is slightly bitter and although it can be eaten raw in salads, you can also roast and saute the leaves.  You’re supposed to harvest it while it’s in a “football shape” but with the cool, wet weather, it didn’t quite get to that stage.  Because we didn’t have a lot of radicchio to harvest, we suggest using the recipe below and adding spinach, although you don’t have to.

Radicchio Caesar Salad

Eric Kim for NYT Cooking

Heather-Marie made this and it was delicious, and easy.  The anchovy bread crumbs felt so fancy!

• 1 (2-ounce) can flat anchovy filets packed in olive oil
• ½ cup coarse or panko bread crumbs
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 T mayonnaise
• 1 T fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T finely grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large head or 2 small heads radicchio, any wilted outer leaves removed, quartered lengthwise, cored and leaves separated (can also add kale, spinach, chard, etc)

Prepare the bread crumbs: add all of the anchovy oil from the can (about 2 tablespoons) to a large skillet.  Transfer the anchovies from their can to a cutting board, draining them well.  Finely chop 2 anchovies and add to the skillet, then turn the heat to medium-high.  Cook the anchovies, stirring occasionally, until they start to sizzle, about 1 minute.  Stir in the bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and toasted, 5 minutes.  Transfer to a paper-lined plate. 

Make the dressing: set aside 4 anchovies (for garnish later) and finely chop the rest (there should be about 6).  Add the chopped anchovies to a large bowl, along with the garlic, olive oil, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan.  Season well with pepper and whisk to combine.

Dress the salad: add the radicchio leaves (and other greens if using) to the dressing and toss.  The salad should be lightly dressed, not thickly coated.  Taste for acidity, adjusting with more lemon juice if your radicchio is especially bitter.  Transfer to a large plate, piling the leaves high.  Top with a final grating of Parmesan and the bread crumbs, and garnish with the remaining anchovies.  Serve immediately.