2017 November CSA Newsletter – Week #2

By steve | November 10, 2017 | Comments Off on 2017 November CSA Newsletter – Week #2

Notes from the Farm

Winter is coming!  Temperatures dropped to 28 degrees here last night, giving us some frost throughout the farm, and it looks like we’ll see it get down in to the teens Fridaynight.  With this forecast in front of us we worked hard this week to harvest everything we could that might be vulnerable to that kind of cold, tucked others in under row cover, closed up our high tunnels, and left the heartiest of crops out to adapt to the changing conditions.

Speaking of the cold ahead reminds me that I neglected to write about the two big storms we had here the previous week.   Parts of the state and region went without power for
Beautiful leaves of radicchio

extended periods following the heavy winds and rains.  We were fortunate here, as the power stayed on, and all infrastructure remained unharmed, with only a few tree limbs falling down along the fence line.  The two storms each brought about 5.5 inches of rain.  That is 11 inches of rain in less than a week.  To put that in perspective, we typically average 3-4 inches of rain per month in Connecticut, with slightly less in the dry months and slightly more in the wet months.  So, in a five-day period we got about three months worth of rain.  Having most of the fields in mature crop or cover crop, with minimally exposed soil, allowed the farm to handle these two deluges well. Various salad and braising greens continue to thrive, except for our late planted spinach, which did not take kindly to the ferocity of the two downpours.  Our second wave of broccoli and cauliflower didn’t flinch, and have now been harvested for us to enjoy this week along with gorgeous heads of radicchio, frost-sweetened carrots, kohlrabi, kale, arugula, salad greens and the very last green peppers. Enjoy!

Best,

Farmer Steve and our Farmers: Adam, Alyssa, Kayla, Sara, TW and Tyler
  • Registration for our 2018 CSA is now open!  CSA registration forms will be available at the farm or you can download, fill them out and bring them to the farm or mail them on. You can also sign up online at our website.  Note that there is a discounted rate for paying by check/cash and a special discounted rate if you pay in full by December 1st, and if you pay in full before the end this year’s CSA, we’ll also give you free jar of our Green Tomato Salsa!  We are offering you this to thank you for the commitment you have made to your community farm, and because it is extremely helpful to us when you sign up early for the CSA.  When you sign up early for our CSA it allows us to focus on the farm in the spring having already completed a heavy load of marketing, paperwork and administrative tasks over the winter months.  With that in mind, in the weeks ahead please consider making a deposit, full payment or payment of any amount towards next year’s CSA.

In This Week’s Distribution

Our Harvest:  Cauliflower, Broccoli, Green Peppers, Radicchio, Carrots, Kohlrabi, Arugula, Salad Mix/Braising Greens, Kale, Lettuce

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

 
Kohlrabi Carrot Slaw
adapted from thespruce.com
Ingredients

  • 2 bulbs kohlrabi
  • 4 carrots
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain or dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • optional additions: radishes, salad turnips, raisins
Directions

Trim and peel the kohlrabi and the carrots. You can use a vegetable peeler on the carrots, but to properly peel kohlrabi, you’ll have better luck with a paring knife: Trim the tops and bottoms of the kohlrabi and set the flat bottoms on a cutting surface; use a sharp paring knife to cut down from top to bottom, removing the thick, tough peel (with this method you’ll easily be able to see where the tender white-ish inside ends and the green or purple peel begins, working around the vegetable until all the peel is removed). Be sure to cut off all of the tough outer peel of the kohlrabi-it’s better to lose a bit of the tender inside that bite into the tough peel later. Set the peeled vegetables aside.

 

In a salad bowl or large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt until well blended. Add pepper, if you like.

 

Using the large holes on a standing box grater or a mandolin set up for fine julienne, grate the kohlrabis and the carrots into the salad bowl. Toss everything together until the kohlrabi and carrot are evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and add more salt or pepper, if you’d like.

Serve immediately or know that this salad holds up quite well to be made a few hours ahead of time and kept covered and chilled.
If you’d like to make the salad ahead of time, don’t grate the vegetables directly into the dressing, but into a fine mesh sieve. Let them drain for a few minutes, pressing down on them a bit, then add to the dressing and toss-this will  help keep the dressing from getting watery as it sits. When it comes time to serve any leftovers that sit chilled overnight, use a slotted spoon to lift the salad out of the bowl to leave some of the liquid behind.
Radicchio, Gorgonzola, Walnut and Honey Open-Faced Sandwiches
from popsugar.com
 
Ingredients

  1. 1 medium head radicchio (about 10 ounces) cut in half through the core
  2. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  3. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  4. 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  5. 4 slices walnut, white, or whole-wheat sourdough bread
  6. 8 ounces gorgonzola dolce*
  7. Approximately 3 tablespoons honey, preferably buckwheat or chestnut
  8. 1 cup candied spiced walnuts, coarsely chopped, plus 8 candied walnut halves**
  9. Approximately 1 bunch chives, minced
Directions

  1. For the radicchio: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Cut each radicchio half into 5 wedges. In a cast-iron or other ovenproof 10-inch skillet, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the vinegar. Arrange the wedges of radicchio in the skillet in a concentric circle. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and vinegar over the radicchio and sprinkle over the salt.
  3. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil to allow the steam to escape.
  4. Turn the wedges of radicchio over, and on the stovetop over medium heat, cook the radicchio about 3-5 minutes to caramelize slightly, being careful not to burn it.
  5. To make the sandwiches: Grill the bread or toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Place the slices on serving plates.
  6. Spread an uneven layer of the gorgonzola over each slice of bread, and spoon about 2 teaspoons of honey over the cheese.
  7. Scatter about a 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (or pecans) over each, and evenly distribute the radicchio, leaving a border of the gorgonzola around the edge. Sprinkle the sandwiches with chives, and place 2 candied walnut (or pecan) halves overlapping in the center of each.
Thank you for your support of our efforts to maintain a non-profit, certified organic farm!
Posted in CSA Newsletters