In Your Box:

• Basil
• Broccolini or kohlrabi
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onion
• Squash or cauliflower
• Tat Soi
• Tomatillos

Farm News

Even though summer weather is hanging on late this year, we are rapidly coming up on the end of the CSA season. We have just three more weeks to go after today’s box.

To mark the end of the year, we hope you can join us here on the farm on Saturday, October 5th from 3:30-6pm. We’ll have yard games and farm tours and then a potluck starting at 5pm. Please bring lawn chairs, table settings, and a dish to pass. Nina insists that no party is complete without an exhibit of veggie sculptures, so feel free to add to our display if you like! Our farm is located at 17250 County Road 122 / New Germany 55367. We hope to see you at the farm!

This week’s box

This is our last week of celery for the year, wrapping up one of the most impressive crops I’ve grown. If you’re not impressed with how much room it’s taking up in your fridge, just remember that it’s easy to freeze. Celery can be frozen raw and will keep well for up to two months. Just chop it into small slices and put directly into a bag and the freezer.

For longer term storage, chop it up small and boil in water for 2-3 minutes. After cooking, remove from heat and cool imediately with an ice bath. The celery can then be added to freezer bags and kept for 12-18 months.

Tomatillos are close relatives of tomatoes, in the same family as peppers, eggplant, and potatoes. Tomatillos are often associated with Mexican cuisine, and are the key ingredient in salsa verde. To use them, first remove the husk and compost it. The tomatillo inside can be eaten raw like any tomato, but most people prefer to sautee, grill, or stir-fry them.

This year’s crop is an heirloom called “Purple di Milpa” and was probably named by someone who didn’t bother to look up the Italian word for purple. Most tillos are green with green husks, but these are a variety of purple, yellow, and green. They are much smaller than other tillos, which led to a long harvest time, but the plants are very productive and they’re mighty tasty.

Tomatillo – Basil Salsa Verde

Ingredients

• 2 cups tomatillos
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup cilantro
• 3/4 – 1 cup basil
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste
• Splash of apple cider vinegar (optional)

Directions

• Turn your broiler on and let the oven get very hot
• Peel your garlic cloves and put them on a piece of tinfoil with some olive oil. Then wrap the tinfoil up into a little pouch so all of the cloves are covered
• Take the husks off your tomatillos, wash them, and then pat dry
• Halve or quarter your onion and place them on a baking sheet with your whole tomatillos and garlic pouch
  • Note: do not put oil on your onion or tomatillos because want them to slightly char
• Place under hot broiler for ~15 or so minutes. You want the tomatillos to look blistered, the onion to be charred, and the garlic to have softened
• Transfer your tomatillos, onion, and garlic to a blender and blend until everything is mixed
• Add your cilantro and basil (or any other herbs you like). It might be helpful to add them in waves so everything can blend easily
• Add lime juice and a pinch of salt then blend. Taste again to determine whether you would like to include the vinegar or not and whether you think it needs more lime juice or salt. Adjust until flavor is right for you!

Coming up

We are expecting broccolini, celeriac, carrots, onion, garlic, kale, basil, butternut squash and aronia berries..