CSA Week 15 newsletter: Your farmers went camping and to a concert

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

Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, Braising mix (first of the season), sweet peppers, kale, gold potatoes, yellow/green beans, eggplant, summer squash/zucchini (last of the season), sweet onion (last of the season), thyme and watermelon.

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

So, this weekend, your farmers did a thing: We took a weekend off and went to Bayfield to camp and see a concert. Joined by Heather-Marie’s sister, Nicole, and our friends John and Erin, we had a wonderful time. We got to see Charlie Parr and Cloud Cult at Big Big Top Chautauqua. We got to sit out under the night sky and relax and laugh and talk with friends. 

It was just what we needed. After a summer that was far too busy, this was our first night sleeping in a tent.

And then we came home late Sunday afternoon and waiting for us was our farm: cover crop needed to be planted; beds needed to be prepared for the spring growing season; orders needed to be filled; and our CSA shares needed to be harvested. 

We went to bed early Sunday night and got up early (not early enough) on Monday and got back to it. 

So, perhaps you can forgive us if this week’s newsletter is a bit thin on information.

Would you like to hear about our pheasant? In our fields is a male pheasant. He’s quite beautiful and we’ve seen him on many occasions now. He’s usually inside our fence and when he sees us, he runs away, in a very awkward manner, and hides in the tall grass at the edge of the field. Sometimes he flies over our fence, which is always dramatic, because it’s never quite clear whether he’s going to clear the fence.

Pheasants are a curious thing to see this far north, so we asked our bird-expert friends Clinton and Kristina about it. What is a pheasant doing this far north? Do they migrate? What do they do in the winter?

Unfortunately the answer is that what they usually do this far north in the winter is die. Pheasants don’t belong here and the ones that are here are usually escapees from game farms. 

So, that’s a bit sad. We’re not sure what to do with our pheasant. We could invite him into the house. Our cat is pretty open minded. We could leave our high tunnel open and maybe put in some straw bedding. 

We’ll keep you posted.

Rising Phoenix to be featured on “Great Gardening,” Thursday

We have been told that our farm will be featured on this Thursday’s episode of the WDSE show, “Great Gardening.” The show will air at 7 p.m., and we are told it will also be available streaming online. The show came out and filmed at the farm earlier this summer.

A glance at the final weeks of the season

Here’s is a snapshot of what the rest of the season is going to look like for this month and into October:

• Last full delivery will be Tuesday, October 4
• Barnum half shares are a week shorter than the Duluth folks, so we’ll have an extra share for you on Tuesday, October 11.  This will be when you get your pumpkins
• Pumpkins for Duluth pick-ups plus Fall and Potato Shares will be Tuesday, October 18.
  • The Fall share is not part of the Summer CSA. Keep reading to find out more.
  • All shares during these weeks will be at the usual locations and times
• ALL boxes need to be returned on October 18.  

Extras! Items you can buy more of:

When you filled out your sign-up form, you had the opportunity to sign-up for additional shares.  We plant according to how many people sign-up for these shares. (If you have questions about what you ordered, ask us and we can look up your payment summary. It was also emailed to you.).  Some extras have been delivered (tomatoes, flowers, peppers), but there are more still coming.  Below is the list of extras coming this fall.

Want an extra? If you don’t see your name on a share that you are interested in, please let us know.  We may have room for more people.
Flower Share

• Delivered for one more week
• $25 for a fresh-cut bouquet including annual and perennial flowers (artemesia, nigella, strawflower, rudbeckia, zinnias, grasses, yarrow and more)
• Availability: Next week will be the last chance to order flower shares.

Hot Pepper Share

• Delivered throughout the rest of the season. A mix of hot peppers including matchbox, jalapeno and Hungarian hot wax.
• Availability: Contact us this week. We may have some hot peppers remaining.

Garlic Share

• Delivered October
• $12/lb, about 4-6 garlic heads per pound
• Availability: Sold out

Potato Share 

• Delivered October 18
• 25lbs of russet potatoes for $25
• Availability: We have some potato shares remaining.

Fall Share

• Delivered October 18
• $50 for a box of fall and storage crops (winter squash, garlic, potatoes, beets, onions, Brussels sprouts and more)
• Availability: Sold out

This week’s veggies and recipes

This week, we say goodbye to a few of our summer favorites, but fear not, we have lots of great vegetables left to harvest. One of our personal favorites is a braising mix that is in your shares this week. What’s a braising mix? We’re so glad you asked.

What to do with Braising Mix

The braising mix that we grow is made up of four different greens that we mix together and seed into the ground.  They are all Asian greens. They can be eaten raw but as the name implies, they are best when cooked:  steamed, sautéed, stewed or (ta-da) braised. 

Heather-Marie’s Egg Bake

Heather-Marie used to frequently bake quiches.  This is crustless and much quicker but just as tasty!

• Sweet onions
• Braising mix: leaves torn into pieces
• Mushrooms (puff balls from your lawn are best), chopped
• Kalamata olives or capers
• Tomatoes, sliced
• Berbere (Ethiopian spice blend), optional
• Salt and pepper
• Eggs, 3-12 depending on how many serving
• Cheese, optional

Saute onions and garlic and berbere in olive oil in a oven proof cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven.  Once soft and slightly browned, add the stems of the greens, if using.  Cook until softened and add the greens and mushrooms.  Saute for another 5-10 minutes.  In a bowl, mix all the eggs together.  Add salt and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture over the sauted veggies.  Sprinkle the olives or capers around and top with slices of tomatoes.  Bake 25-30 minutes, testing with a knife if the eggs are cooked through.  

Potatoes, summer squash/zucchini, thyme

Potato and Zucchini Packets on the Grill                             

“Tastes from Valley to Bluff” cookbook

• 1 ½ pounds potatoes (6 medium), scrubbed and thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt

Heat the grill.  Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Divide the mixture among 4 pieces of aluminum foil, placing the mixture near one end.  Fold in half to form a packet; then fold the edges to seal completely.  Grill the packets 25 to 30 minutes, turning over once, until the potatoes are tender when pierced.

Kale, cherry tomatoes, thyme

Kale with Tomato, Garlic, and Thyme    

from Martha Stewart Everyday Living

• 1 T plus two teaspoons, extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 pound boiled, chopped kale leaves
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add cherry tomatoes and fresh thyme leaves. Cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 2 minutes. Add kale and cook until heated through, 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons oil.

Potatoes, tomatoes

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

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.

Eggplant, beans

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Beans and Cashews

The Featherstone Farm Cookbook

Serves 6 

• 2 eggplants, diced into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• ½ lb. green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• ¼ tsp. ground pepper
• ½ cup roasted cashews, chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 

1. Preheat oven to 475°F.

2. Toss the eggplant in olive oil and ½ tsp. of the course salt.  Place the eggplant in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until it becomes golden brown.

3. Cook the beans in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until they become crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.  Drain.  Transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain, and pat dry with paper towels. 

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vegetable oil, curry powder, the remaining salt and pepper.  Toss the eggplant, beans, cashews, and cilantro with the dressing and serve immediately.