1st Week of August

This Week at the Farm

Thank you to everyone who made the potluck a fun event. The rain held off and we enjoyed fabulous food and a great group of people, about 80 altogether. I think it set a record for how any people were in or around the barn at one time, and was a nice time to interact and recognize the trainees who grow your food.

Today there is a pleasant chill in the air and an autumn sky making the harvesting a delight and the washing a bit chilly. We are slowly saying goodbye to the peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes, and welcoming the fall greens, squash, collards, turnips and others.

Saturday Workshop Success

A warm thank you from shareholder Heather Conlon-Keller, aka Minister of Farm Education, to all who have participated in the Saturday morning workshops to make them a success. There will be at least one more workshop: Container Gardening with Fruiting plants, listed below and tentatively a sauerkraut-making workshop in late October or November.
Thanks! --Heather.

Did you Know?

Turnip greens are supercharged with so many different nutrients, their consumption can help prevent or heal a wide range of health conditions since turnip greens are an excellent source of vitamin A (through their concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, folate, copper, calcium, and dietary fiber. –from http://www.whfoods.org/ and Elizabeth Swope, farm staff.

Pick Your Own Alert

We have unlimited green and yellow beans for the picking in addition to your share portion. To help each other, please pick from the front of the row and move the markers to indicate where you have stopped picking down the row. The beans are located just past the Pick Your Own field.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Turnips: these hakurei turnips I like to refer to as "dessert turnips" because they are sweet and juicy and will likely give you new found appreciation for turnips if you haven’t ever eaten this type of turnip.
• Mibuna and Mizuna: these Asian greens have a nice tangy flavor and can be used in salads or as cooked greens.
• Winter squashes/pumpkin: use for pies and desserts, breads, roast the seeds, hot curried soup and see the Elise Abatto’s recipe from the potluck.
• Leeks: slice them thinly avoid chewiness. They have fine flavor and can used anywhere onions are called for.
• Eggplant: roast or grill with oil, seasonings, brushed with soy sauce, you’ll be singing eggplants praises if you weren’t before.

Happy harvest,
Scott

Recipe

Elise's Applesquash
1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup apple cider or water
2 small apples, peeled and cubed
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 T butter or margerine if desired
Peel and seed squash. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Cook squash and cider over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until squash is almost tender. Add remaining ingredients, cover, cook over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes or until squash and apples are very tender. Serve hot.
--from Elise Abatto, shareholder and residential staff

Upcoming Events

Saturday, October 18, 10 am
Fruiting Plants in Containers: Citrus, Figs, Bananas and more! Presented by our very own Scott Breneman. Please sign up at the farm’s check-in table or email Scott to attend.

Nov 13, 14 and 15 Final Harvest Week
Mid-November: end of weekly harvest, beginning of self-harvesting for shareholders once the regular season is over. More details will follow in November.