CSA Week 15: Ahem. It’s not pumpkin season yet!

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

Red onion, sweet red peppers (Carmen – long and red), hot peppers (Hungarian hot wax and jalapeno), dill, red cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, beans.  Duluth shares will receive arugula; farm shares will receive spinach.

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

We couldn’t help but notice that they are selling imported pumpkins and other fall-related items in grocery store parking lots around the region. And since Labor Day passed, we’ve gotten used to being asked whether the farm season is wrapping up. (Because farming and gardening end after Labor Day, the assumption seems to be.)

Hold on there…

In the field, we are harvesting an abundance of produce that spans the color spectrum. Brilliant red sweet and hot peppers alike. Pounds and pounds of pickling and slicing cucumbers. Tomatoes of every shape, size and color. And, of course, flower bouquets that dazzle with late summer and early fall colors. 

It’s the time of year when we try to pause and appreciate all the work that went into the season and also marvel at how much more there is to harvest. 

With just two deliveries left in the regular season, we are packing boxes as full as we can, giving our summer CSA members one last taste of the season. 

But, we’re also gearing up for our three-week FALL CSA share (there is also a one-week option), which opened for signup on our online store on Monday and promises to sell out quickly. 

We’re harvesting yellow and red storage onions for curing and storing. We’re cleaning our garlic for bulk sales and to include in Fall Share boxes. 

And, of course, we’ll soon be harvesting our pumpkins and winter squash to sell at our Farm Stand and on our online store. 

It’s been our most productive season ever, and it’s not over yet. In some ways the next four weeks will be our busiest of the year as we begin getting the field ready for the winter months and even for the first plantings next spring. We’ll pull out silage tarps to cover beds and plant cover crops to keep exposed soil safe from erosion while contributing needed nutrients and organic matter. 

The finish line is close. It’s just not as close as everyone thinks it is.

Images from the farm

This week’s recipes

Caramelized Onion Sauce

The Moosewood Cookbook

Heather-Marie has had her Moosewood cookbook for years and didn’t notice this recipe until Member Avesa said she loves it.  The notes on the recipe say that the proportions are flexible and other greens can be used.

• ½ c olive oil
• 4 to 6 large onions (however many you have the patience to slice), thinly sliced about 6 to 8 cups
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ to 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 medium bunch arugula or spinach, stemmed and minced (but we love it best with arugula)
• 1 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese
• ¾ lb pasta (short, shapely variety, like penne or fusilli)
• 1 c chopped, toasted walnuts
• Parmesan

Instructions

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan.  Add the onions and sauté over medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Add salt, lower heat, and continue to cook for at least 10 minutes (and up to an hour for well-done onions).

2.  Add white wine, turn heat back up to medium, and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.  At this point the sauce can be set aside until you are ready to cook the pasta.

3.  Turn the heat back on under the sauce when you are ready to cook the pasta.  When the onions are hot, add the chopped greens, stir and cook for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the crumbled cheese, and turn heat to low while cooking the pasta.

4.  After the cooked pasta is drained, add it to the sauce, and stir briefly in the pan before serving.  Sprinkle with walnuts and parmesan and serve.

Spinach

Spinach is a fairly tough plant that’s why we grow it in the fall.  Despite that toughness, we don’t wash the spinach.  Spinach plants produce leaves that grow close to the ground so they will need to be washed.  Spinach is so versatile.  It can be eaten raw, sauteed, and steamed.  It’s always good! 

Spinach and Black Bean Buddha Bowl adapted from a recipe from the blog Deliciously Ella

Very yummy!  The miso and tomato paste flavors were a great combination..  This recipe is for one serving so increase amounts as needed for more people.

• ½ bag (100g) spinach
• ½ can of black beans, drained and rinsed (can be left whole or smashed)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp miso paste
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• ½ avocado
• Chilli flakes
• Optional: brown rice or other grain, fried egg

Instructions

Place the spinach in a frying pan with the beans, garlic, tomato purée, miso, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently heat this for about five minutes, until the spinach has wilted.

Mash the avocado with a sprinkling of chili flakes.

Finally, place everything together in a shallow bowl.

Potatoes and tomatoes cooked with coconut

“Madhur Jaffrey’s World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking”

A-mazing!  Can be served over rice.

• 3 medium-sized boiling potatoes (about 1 ¼ pounds)
• 4 T vegetable oil (could use less)
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 whole dried hot red pepper
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 ½ cups freshly grated coconut
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1 ¼ pounds fresh, red-ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces, or a 16 to 20 oz can of tomatoes
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

Instructions

Peel the potatoes, then cut into ¾ inch dice and put into a bowl of cold water.

Heat the oil in a heavy, 3-quart pot over a medium-high flame.  When hot, put in the minced garlic.  Stir for about 5 seconds.  Now put in the red pepper and the cumin seeds.  Stir for another 3 seconds.  The garlic should brown lightly, the red pepper should darken, and the cumin seeds should sizzle.  Lower the heat to medium, put in the grated coconut and stir it around for 10 to 15 seconds.

Drain the potatoes.  Add them as well as the turmeric, ground cumin, tomatoes (including any juice that may have accumulated or the juice in the can), the salt, and 1 ½ cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Stir gently every 7 to 8 minutes during this cooking period.

Put in the sugar and vinegar.  Stir again and cook, uncovered, for 1 minute.

Caption writing challenge: What’s with this tomato?