CSA Week 16: One, final soggy harvest

In their shares this week, members will receive the following vegetables: German extra hardy garlic, slicing and paste tomatoes, yellow onion, delicata winter squash, kale, radicchio, arugula, russet potatoes, gold potatoes, red cabbage, carrots, rutabaga 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

There’s a fair amount of irony in the fact that our final harvest of the summer CSA season was spent in the rain and the mud. Over the weekend, the farm received over 3 inches of precipitation – throughout the entire summer, the farm got 6 inches total.

It was wonderful to have the rain but almost comical that on Monday, we also hosted a field day in conjunction with the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District and the University of Minnesota Extension to demonstrate some of the practices we do on our farm. 

Joined by our friends from Farm Sol and a group of about 25, we stood out in the field in the driving rain as local farming experts shouted into the wind.

Afterward, we trudged back to the barn, soggy and cold, where we ate dinner and connected with others interested in sustainable agriculture. 

It was a proud moment for us and a chance to recognize all the work we’ve put into the farm in the past three years. 

The next morning, we were up before the sun to do one last push to get our final summer CSA harvest complete.

There’s still a lot of work to be done and more vegetables to harvest and deliver before this season is complete, but the end of the summer CSA season is a significant milestone in any farming season. 

As we’re fond of saying, we’re grateful to be your farmers. In spite of all the challenges, this marks the biggest and most ambitious season in our farm’s history, and that could not have happened without the support and encouragement of our CSA members, our family and our friends. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed the vegetables and the recipes and the chance to get to know more about what goes into producing food using organic practices in northern Minnesota.

Images from the week

This week’s veggies and recipes

There are three new vegetables in shares this week that mark the transition to fall: winter squash, rutabaga and radicchio. 

Rutabaga

Askov, a town about 30 min south of the farm, boasts that it is (or was) the Rutabaga Capital of the World.  Though rutabagas aren’t commercially produced there anymore, its a reminder that this massive root vegetable has a strong cultural connection to this region and northern climes. This might also have something to with why some people also call this vegetables “Swedes.” It’s also very popular at our farmstand where people call it “rutabagies.”

Pasties

Recipe from The New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 double-crust pie dough, preferably made with shortening
• 1 ¼ pounds coarsely ground sirloin, flank or chuck steak (or you may chop into 1/4-inch dice)
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and thinly sliced
•  Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Divide pie dough into 6 portions. Press each into a flat disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Roll out each dough into a 9-inch circle and brush edges with water. Place about 1/6 of meat-vegetable mixture off-center on each circle, topping each with 1/6 of the butter. Fold the large side of the dough over the filling, then crimp the edges to seal. Place on the prepared pan and cut several slits in the tops.

Bake about 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake (20 to 30 minutes) until the tip is golden brown. Serve with ketchup.

Arugula, delicata winter squash

We love both arugula and delicata squash.  Arugula is a peppery leafy green that can be grown anytime but we choose to only grow it in the fall.  So, it feels like a treat.  Delicata might be our favorite winter squash.  The skin is soft enough that it doesn’t need to be peeled which makes it one of the easiest of the winter squash to prep.  The squash flesh is sweet and versatile enough to be used in soups, roasted or even tacos!  It doesn’t store well so use it within two months.  

Arugula and Squash, aka what your farmer ate for dinner (two options)

Most nights, we want to just eat chips and salsa for dinner and last night was no exception.  Heather-Marie mustered some energy and creativity and made this dish.

• Arugula
• Delicata squash, cut in half, seeds scooped out then cut in slices (half moons)
• Feta cheese
• Sauerkraut
• Dressing of choice (HM chose a homemade sweet onion dressing)
• Optional other toppings

Saute the squash half moons until tender.  Assemble on top of arugula.  Sprinkle feta cheese on top, along with sauerkraut and dressing.  

Harvest Salad of squash, apples and arugula

• Delicata squash, seeds removed, flesh chopped
• Berbere spice blend, or salt pepper
• Arugula
• Apples, core removed, chopped
• Pepitas
• Feta cheese

Roast the squash in oil, berbere or salt and pepper in the oven until tender.  Pile squash, apples, pepitas and feta on top of a bed of arugula.  Add dressing of choice (or vinaigrette, below).  Enjoy warm or cold.

Basic Mustard Vinaigrette

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions: 

Whisk together mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on simple green salads, composed salads and poached vegetables. Cover and refrigerate unused portions. Shake before serving.

Radicchio 

This is the second year we’ve grown radicchio.  We’re pretty excited by it and learning how to cook with it.  It is slightly bitter and although it can be eaten raw in salads, you can also roast and saute the leaves.  Because of that bitterness, some people don’t like it but we hope you’ll give it a try!  You can also use this weeks’ kale to “cut” the bitterness by adding it to this recipe.

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.