In your box:

• Bok choy or tat soi
• Celery
• Fennel
• Head Lettuce
• Radishes
• Salad mix
• Shallots
• Winter Squash, “Fordhook Acorn”

Farm News

During the height of summer, our packing shed is a welcome refuge. It is shaded and open to any cooling breezes, and washing any veggies involves dunking them in really cold water. That’s great in late July, but in October it’s a different story. We don’t have a heat source or any way to warm the water, so I always dread 40 degree mornings with a strong breeze and my arms plunged into arctic water! This time of year, I look at the long-term forecast more for estimates of the morning temperature than for worries about heat in the afternoon. And there’s always a warm cup of coffee close by to warm up my hands!

This week’s box

It’s always a little sad when tomatoes disappear from the box, but all good seasons do eventually come to an end. This year’s harvest was just about average overall, but the heirlooms didn’t fare as well as I would have liked.

This week marks the first time we’ve ever offered shallots in our CSA box. I tried growing them last year without success, but this year they sized up fairly well and are a welcome addition to the box. Shallots are usually considered to be a type of onion, although they are much milder in their flavor and are often eaten raw. They don’t grow as large as regular onions, and we’ve had luck this year growing them in bunches to maximize space. If you do choose to cook or saute them, they can be used just like any onion.

The winter squash this week looks like a Nerf football, but it’s actually an acorn variety called “Fordhook.” These are great roasted, and all of our Friday night pizzas from now until February will have roasted acorn squash and sage on them. These squash are great plain, blended into soup, or peeled and roasted.

I’m most excited to have loose leaf salad mix in the boxes this week after a break over the long, hot summer. Try tossing a salad with fennel fronds, radishes and diced shallots!

Harvest Lentil and Vegetable Casserole

From LiveEatLearn.com

• 2 acorn squashes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 diced yellow or white onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrot (about 2 carrots)
• 1 cup diced celery (about 2 to 3 ribs)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups roughly chopped cauliflower (about ½ a head)
• topping ideas: pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, crushed red pepper, herbs

1. Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Cut squash in half vertically (from north to south), and scoop out the seeds. Peel and roughly chop the sweet potatoes. Evenly drizzle 2 Tbsp of oil onto the sweet potatoes and insides of the squash, rubbing to coat. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.
2. Roast: Set squash halves cut side up on a baking sheet, adding the sweet potato chunks onto the same sheet. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until fork tender.
3. Flavor Base: Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until veggies are softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Cauliflower: Add the broth and cauliflower, then allow to simmer until cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Blend: Scoop the flesh out of the acorn squash shells (leaving a thin layer in the shell if you want to serve this soup in the shells). Add the squash flesh and cooked sweet potato to the pot of soup. Using a handheld immersion blender (or working in batches with a countertop blender), carefully blend the mixture until smooth. Great when topped with pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, and crushed red pepper!

Coming up

Next week, we are expecting cabbage, onions, kale, salad mix, garlic, delicata squash, beets, radishes and aronia berries.