Hi everyone, Jess here. Hope you’re staying warm in this raw and rainy day. Despite the intense fluctuations in the weather, there is still a beautiful bounty of produce awaiting us! Thank you, Farm Family!
For those of you that have participated in the CSA before, you’ll probably notice the squashes aren’t taking over the crates quite as much as they do on other years. The battle against powdery and downy mildew on the squash plants is a hard fought one, and unavoidable when the weather and rains swing as wildly as they have been. Having dealt with plant diseases on a small postage stamp of land at the Community Garden, I have a complete and utter appreciation of what our farmers deal with on a much larger scale. Despite this year’s hit from Mother Nature (and dare I say perhaps from a few high carbon footprints), the winter squashes are still having quite a respectable showing! Let’s get to it!
- Butternut Squash
- Honeynut Squash
- Pie Pumpkin
- Cortland Apples
- Cabbage
- Sugar Beets
- Classic Carrots
- Onions
Small shares contained Fresh Dug Potatoes, Acorn and Honeynut Squash, Onions, Gala Apples (great for snacking), Kale, and Classic Carrots. Single shares contained Honeynut Squash, Cortland Apples (try Farmer Jamie’s dessert from yesterday’s post), Jingle Bell Sweet Peppers, Sugar Beets, Yellow Onions, and Classic Carrots.
- Honeycrisp Apples
- Eggs
I have to be honest, I didn’t have time to pick flowers yesterday so this is last week’s picture, but I’ll get there!
I was starving for lunch when I got home from the farm, and dove right in with this simple salad of lettuce, tomato, a pepper, carrots and walnuts. I find nuts or hard cooked eggs to add a nice protein boost to the simple salads, and usually have a container of each going in my fridge on any given day.
Let’s talk about these newbies for a minute! Honeynut squash are a trending veggie at the moment. As you can see, they are smaller than the Butternut, and apparently taste a little more like an acorn squash than a butternut. They have an interesting history that I was checking out, bred less than a decade ago at Cornell University, these love to be roasted to bring out that natural sweetness and flavor. I’m also reading that they don’t have to be peeled because their skin is thinner, however I haven’t confirmed this with our variety yet. I plan to attempt a roasting and a spiraling session with my Honeynuts, and look forward to reporting back. Please feel free to do the same!
Quick reminders for the week- There is a poultry harvest happening this Saturday at the farm! A few birds are still unspoken for, so feel free to stop by the stand and put your name in for one! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Springdell Chicken, and there are many many ways to enjoy them. Here, you’ll find a lesson on how to break one down for cooking. For those that have not enjoyed a fresh farm chicken before, they are completely unlike the pick-and-toss factory rotisseries you get under the heat lamps at the supermarket. Check out how many delicious meals you can get from just one Springdell Chicken:
Chapter 1- Springdell Roast Chicken (The Adventure Begins)
Chapter 3- Leftover Chicken Pot Pies
Chapter 4- Waldorf Chicken Salad
Chapter 5- Golden Roasted Cabbage
I’ll step off my chicken soapbox for a minute to remind you also of the scarecrow decorating happening this weekend as well! Fabulous prizes await the winners of this super fun contest! Stop by the farmstand for more details.
Thanks you for reading, and I look forward to cooking with you this week!