In Your Box:
- Bok Choy
- Carrots
- Celeriac
- Garlic, “Music”
- Kale, “Red Russian”
- Red Onion
- Winter Squash: “Fordhook” Acorn
Farm News
The end is near! It’s hard to remember back to the start of the season in June, when I had boundless energy, it rained regularly, and the fields were brimming with promise. Now, with just one week left, I’m running on fumes and the gardens are looking quite bare. And we haven’t had a drop of rain in six weeks, which is rapidly drying the fields out and stressing young trees right before winter.
Next week will be our last delivery. Tuesday boxes will be as normal but our Thursday delivery will be moved up a day to Wednesday the 16th to accommodate anyone looking to travel for MEA.
We did have our first frost of the year last week on Friday morning, when the temperature here on the farm dipped to 35 degrees. We’re far enough outside of the Twin Cities to miss out on the urban heat island effect, so we were likely much colder that morning than where you live. That frost wraps up the growing season, even if we are still flirting with record heat this week.
This week’s box
Our winter squash this week is a prolific variety of acorn squash called “Fordhook.” It reminds me of a Nerf football, but much tastier! We like our Fordhooks as a pizza topping. Just peel the outside down to the orange flesh, scoop out the seeds in the center, and chop into small cubes. Drizzle with oil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes on its own, and then add to pizza or pasta. Fordhooks generally keep well into the spring.
Charred Bok Choy and Cannellini Bean Salad
from NYTimes Cooking
- 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 teaspoons sesame oil
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds bok choy (about 2 large bunches), rinsed and patted dry
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed
- 1 big handful cilantro, chopped
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
Directions:
- Make the dressing: Place the ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, maple syrup and sesame oil in a small bowl; whisk to combine. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the bok choy: Trim the base of the bok choy and separate the white stalks from the green leaves. Slice the stalks into 1-inch pieces and roughly chop the leaves, keeping them separate from the stalks.
- Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high for 2 minutes. Drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of oil, add the stalks, season well with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Leave to cook, undisturbed, until the bottoms of the stalks are charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss and then cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, tossing often, until the stalks are charred and crisp-tender. Transfer the bok choy from the pan and to a large serving bowl. Return the skillet to the heat.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil into the skillet and add the bok choy leaves. Season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing often, until the leaves are charred and the water has cooked out, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the leaves from the pan and add to the stalks.
- Add the cannellini beans to the bok choy and pour in the dressing. Add the cilantro and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. To serve, top with crushed red pepper and sesame seeds.
Coming up
We are expecting broccoli, carrots, radishes, onion, garlic, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts
Recommended Recipes
Panade: https://foxandfawnfarm.com/2011/01/31/panade/
Acorn Squash Soup: https://foxandfawnfarm.com/2022/10/03/acorn-squash-soup/
Fox & Fawn Farm 