I like a week when we have a lot of “thank you’s” to do because it means we’ve had a lot of people in the mix! This week, with the addition of the Ag Day farmers’ market to a busy Saturday at the farm, we needed all the help we could get! The crew did a fantastic job holding down the fort at the farm, harvesting, stocking, and generally doing everything needed to keep the CSA and farm store running smoothly! The gigantic pile of bins they washed at the end of the day deserves mention (and a photo I regret not taking)! Lise’s dad loaned us his car for the Ag day market so we could transport everything, Jane worked at the farmers’ market helping out customers, Melissa’s brother delivered extra sunflowers from the farm to the market, Lise’s husband Matt brought us lunch, and Gretta watered the greenhouse. It was great to see many of the other farmers in town at the market and enjoy a festive day celebrating agriculture in Concord. The fact that agriculture is still a vibrant industry here in town is very much thanks to you all for support us!
We are looking forward to week 15 of 20 for the Main Season CSA season! The Main Season CSA runs until October 20th. The Late Fall CSA will run October 25th - November 17th (pick ups will be Thursdays 11am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm). We have a couple of spots left in the Late Fall CSA, so if you have been planning to sign up, please let us know by the end of this week! If you are unsure whether or not you are signed up for the Late Fall, email Melissa (melissa@barrettsmillfarm.com) to check. Barrett’s Bucks may be used until the close of the Farm Store October 27th.
This week in the CSA:
Red Kuri Squash - This colorful squash has an edible skin and is great for roasting or adding to curry. It is sweet like many other winter squashes but with a drier, nuttier flesh. We find it a little tricky to grow but we keep trying because it is one of our favorites! Transitional.
Yellow Storage Onions- These onions have been cured in our greenhouse to dry out their outer skin, allowing them to keep well outside the refrigerator (they will keep for months in a cool, dry, dark place). Transitional.
Collards
Leeks - Transitional.
Garlic - This is cured garlic so even if you don’t need it this week, store it in a cool dark place and it will keep for months.
Slicing Tomatoes
Green peppers
Colored peppers - All of the peppers we put in the CSA distribution area are sweet peppers. Hot peppers are in the PYO field!
Salanova Lettuce Mix
Spaghetti Squash - Transitional.
Beets
Kale
Arugula
Lettuce
CSA Pick-your-own:
Green beans - A new planting is now ready just past the flower field.
Sunflowers
Cherry tomatoes
Husk cherries
Tomatillos
Hot peppers - the fresno and ancho peppers are now open in addition to jalapenos and serranos.
Herbs - cilantro, dill, basil, thyme, mint, oregano, sage.
In the farm store:
We will have most of the veggies listed in the CSA available, as well as bulk paste tomatoes for making sauce. We'll also have organic raspberries from Silferleaf Farm in Concord (just down the road from us!) corn from Verrill, honey from Double B honey (produced by bees right here on the property!), and eggs from Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds.
PYO Flowers:
You don't have to be a Flower CSA member to pick - just talk to a shopkeeper about purchasing a bouquet a la carte. Flowers in bloom right now include zinnias, calendula, amaranth, orlaya, Sweet Annie, bachelors button, celosia, statice, scabiosa, verbena, cosmos, strawflower, craspedia, gomphrena, ammi, torch, and more.
Blistered Beans With Tomato-Almond Pesto
By Chris Morocco, Bon Appétit November 2015
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup unsalted, roasted almonds
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, turning once, until blistered and lightly charred, 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Finely chop almonds in a food processor. Add garlic, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and half of tomatoes; pulse to a coarse pesto consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add half of beans; cook, undisturbed, until beginning to blister, about 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 7–9 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Spread beans out on a platter; let cool. Repeat with remaining vegetable oil and beans. Toss beans with pesto; season with salt and pepper if needed. Add remaining tomatoes and transfer to a platter.
Leek, Cherry Tomato and Pecorino Pizza
Adapted from Food & Wine, October 2009
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 1/2 pounds pizza dough, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup plus olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 large leeks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
32 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 pound truffled pecorino cheese, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 500°. Heat a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes. (Alternatively, heat a large inverted baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven for 5 minutes.) On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough to a 7-inch round. Oil 3 large baking sheets and place the dough rounds on the sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 8 minutes; transfer to a plate. Generously flour a pizza peel. Place a dough round on the peel and brush with olive oil. Top with some of the leeks, tomatoes and pecorino cheese. Slide the dough round onto the hot stone or baking sheet and bake for about 4 minutes, until bubbling and crisp. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve.
Winter Squash Curry
adapted from How to Cook Everythingby Mark Bittman
2 tablespoons neutral oil (grapeseed, corn or canola)
1 onion, chopped (or you can use leeks!)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 lb winter squash, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup coconut milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Put the oil in a pot or deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion (or leek) and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the curry and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the squash and coconut milk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the squash is tender (about 20 minutes). If the squash is done and there is still a lot of liquid, remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium high until it's thicker than stew. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or quinoa.