Glorious Fall Weather

It's hard to imagine that this is the last (for bi-weekly group a) or second to last CSA pick up of the season when there's such great weather as this! This season has been the hardest to let go, we're having so much fun we don't want it to end. (It doesn't have to...see fall and winter share details below!)

We've been getting ready for the Fall CSA harvest festival. I've been making room in my freezer for pork, and in doing so, found many roasts from last years pig. I've made them into brautwursts for this weekends festival!

The cauliflower that we thought wasn't going to mature before the hard frost has matured, you'll see it in your box this week. It's fun to watch the cauliflower bloom. The variety we grow has nice 'wrapper' leaves, meaning they grow around the cauliflower head to shade it from the sun. It's been bred to do so. Too much sun and the head turns purple! While still delicious, it's too cosmetically...ugly... The cauliflower you will find is home to a few cabbage loopers. Have no fear, these green caterpillars are harmless, and can be easily be removed by soaking the head in cold ice water for 15 minutes. They'll float right to the surface!

We rented a laser level to start sighting new roads. We will be working hard this fall to set up the infrastructure for next year, like better (mud free!) roads.

This whole field is covered in daikon radish, an amazing cover crop. This radish has a taproot that pushes deep into the ground, breaking up compaction, waking up microbes down below with the sweet smell of food, aerating the soil, and adding organic matter. The radish in the picture is young, and the root is already long! Give it some more time and the taproot will be 3-5 feet!

We had another field trip of 70 third graders to the farm on Wednesday. The kids were from St. Paul and had a blast visiting a farm for the first time, for many. We threshed beans, harvested pumpkins, had a scavenger hunt bingo game, picked up leftover produce and fed it to the pigs, and ran and ran and ran around in the open fields.We all had fun with them. I didn't get any pictures of the kids jumping on the beans, but here's one of Dan, the Man!

The fall festival is this weekend, and we hope to see you there! The pictures above are the pumpkins you get to take home if you do!

Come at 4:30 to start the festivities this Saturday, October 10th.

I've been making brautwursts with Seeds Farm Pork to roast over the bonfire, in addition to the potluck we're having. Our neighbor is bringing his Horse and Buggy to give rides. Members can pick out a free pumpkin, either a Jack o Lantern or decorative gourd for free, and more will be for sale. Come see where your food has been growing this season, and meet your farmers! Stay as long as you'd like, we'll continue the bonfire till the party is over!

No need to RSVP, but if you know you're coming, it would be helpful to have a rough idea of numbers.

The CSA might be almost over, but there's still two ways to enjoy nutrient dense, Seeds Farm Produce for the rest of the year! Please see the fall and winter shares below. Concerned with storage space? These items are easy to store in various nooks and crannies in your home, they don't have to be in the refrigerator!

Fall Share: $140, Delivery Wednesday November 4th.

"These shares are a great option for saving money on meals especially during the holiday seasons. Most of these vegetables keep very well just in a heated garage (just above freezing) or a cool basement. When stored correctly, most of these items will last months. Directions on ideal storage conditions included with delivery."

Sample box:

10 lb potato
10 lb carrot
5 lb beets
1 celeriac
2 leeks
4 butternut
4 acorn
2 kabocha squash
2 lbs dry beans
1 cabbage
2 bunches kale
1 pie pumpkin

Winter share $150, Delivery date December 2nd

In the middle of winter, in the middle of Minnesota, it's impossible to find good, quality, locally grown vegetables in the grocery store. The ones that are there are shipped from other parts of the country and are never as good as what you get during the growing season and can be much more expensive. How refreshing to be able to enjoy vegetables that were grown on a local farm during the middle of winter!!

Sample box:

2 bags 'kale balls', frozen
5 butternut squash
5 acorn squash
2 gallon freezer bags of frozen broccoli
2 green cabbages
2 jars Becca's sauerkraut
5 lbs dry beans

These shares also make great gifts! To sign up, please go to this link, or else sign in with your Seeds Farm user id to add the fall or winter share. Feel free to spread the word, too!

I'd wager to bet that you'd be thankful to have this produce in the colder months....

In your share this week you'll see...
Dry beans! (Don't forget to soak them)
Radish
Cauliflower
Onion
Red Kale
Beets
Potato
Onion
Spinach
Cabbage
Winter squash

A note on the squash. You will either be receiving a winter sweet (pale green), red kuri (red) , or buttercup (Dark green) squash. These are varieties that not many people are familiar with, but are an extremely overlooked delight! Most Americans like butternut or acorn squash. Recipes call for them almost exclusively. But if you just stick to these varieties, you're surely missing out. Take the Red Kuri and Buttercup squashes, delicious, moist, and fiberless that are so sweet you don't need to add anything after you roast it. The Winter Sweet tastes and feels just like a chestnut. Think about that, an American chestnut without all the cracking? The best way to cook them is to split in half (their skins are tough) and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a pan with a centimeter of water and cook for an hour. The water will help keep it moist and delicious.

For the recipe, check out the pictures and step by step instructions at http://www.thingsimadetoday.com.

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:

1 small squash, halved
olive oil
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup whole milk
4-6 ounces blue cheese, depending on how strong of a flavor you like

For the pasta:

8 ounces pappardelle pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, sliced thin
6 sage leaves, minced
6 ounces baby spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425F.
Place squash halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 40-45 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and run pasta under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in sage and cook for additional minute. Lower heat, add spinach and cook until wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Add cooked pasta. Set aside.
Once squash has finished roasting, scoop out flesh and measure out 1 cup. Transfer 1 cup squash to food processor and add whole milk and blue cheese. Puree until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. If mixture feels too thick, add additional milk. If too thin, add more squash.
Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and additional sage.