The departure of many of the summer field crew members last week made it feel like the season was winding down. However, we still have 8 weeks left of Main Season CSA veggies to enjoy! We will continue to have tomatoes, peppers and eggplant until our first frost (usually mid September) but now is the time to start the fall harvest. We have begun hauling in storage crops from the field including shallots, onions and winter squash to cure and store for later CSA distribution and farm store sales. Both the onions and the winter squash need certain conditions to cure them for winter storage. As each winter squash variety ripens in the field we will harvest it into large bulk crates and store them in the barn where they stay warm and dry. Winter squash requires a couple of weeks at warm temperatures to harden the skin for storage and increase sugar levels for better flavor. The greenhouse with a shade cloth is a great dry, warm, and well ventilated space for onion and shallot curing now that only a few lettuce seedlings are left to water! We will keep the onions spread out in the greenhouse for a few weeks to dry the outer skins for improved storage life before we bag them up and move them to a cooler spot for longer term storage.

We are looking forward to the annual Ag Day Farmers Market September 9th 10am-2pm in Concord Center. We will be open regular hours here at the farm for CSA pick-up and the farm store in addition to our farm stand set-up in town. We will also be hosting a Meet the Machines Farm Tour on Sunday, September 10th at 10am. Meet us at the farm stand and we will walk to check out the tractors and implements that we use to grow vegetables and maintain the farm!

In the CSA:

Spaghetti squash- Ripe when bright yellow
Salanova lettuce mix
Radishes
Red, yellow and orange peppers
Eggplant
Beets
Tomatoes- heirloom and slicing
Arugula
Green and purple peppers
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Carrots
Lettuce
Curly Kale

CSA PYO:

Edamame - these soybeans have a rich buttery flavor. Steam them for a few minutes in the pod, let them cool, and then shell them and snack on them with a pinch of salt.
Cherry Tomatoes and cocktail tomatoes - Sungold, jasper, black cherry, yellow mini, cherry bomb, red grape, Juane Flamme, pink boar, bumblebee, and Wapsipinicon peach!
Hot peppers - serrano, jalapeño and ancho. Some cayenne are also starting to turn red!
Purple tomatillos - pick when husks are filled out.
Husk cherries- Pick dry husks that have fallen on the ground under the plants. To eat, remove the husk and eat the yellow fruit inside.
Sunflowers
Dragon's tongue beans - these beans are yellow with purple spots.
Herbs: Basil, parsley, dill flowers, sage, thyme, mint, oregano, chives

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We will also have leeks, toscano kale and yukina savoy along with Verrill Farm sweet corn, Pete and Jen's eggs, and Fat Moon Farm mushrooms.

PYO Flower CSA:

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, tithonia, sunflowers and more.

Spaghetti Squash With Garlic, Parsley and Breadcrumbs

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

INGREDIENTS

1 spaghetti squash, about 3 pounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pierce the squash in several places with a sharp knife. Cover a baking sheet with foil, and place the squash on top. Bake for one hour, until the squash is soft and easy to cut with a knife. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool until you can handle it. Cut in half lengthwise, and allow to cool some more. Remove the seeds and discard. Scoop out the flesh from half of the squash, and place in a bowl. Run a fork through the flesh to separate the spaghettilike strands. You should have about 4 cups of squash. (Use some squash from the other half if necessary). Set aside the other half for another dish.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic and bread crumbs. When they begin to sizzle and smell fragrant and the breadcrumbs are crisp — that is, after about a minute — stir in the squash and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss together over medium heat until the squash is infused with the garlic and oil and heated through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a warm serving dish, top with freshly grated Parmesan and serve.

Variation: Toss the spaghetti squash with 1 cup fresh tomato sauce or simple marinara sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.