We've got a big weekend coming up for Concord farms and farmers with the Food Farm and Garden Fair! This Saturday, September 8th, 10am - 2pm we'll once again be participating in the annual Ag Day Farmers' Market on Main Street in Concord Center. This producer-only market features Concord farms and the food, flowers and plants we grow right here in town! There will also be music, games, breakfast treats, ice cream, and an interactive display from the Concord Museum about Concord's agrarian past. We'll have a booth at the market selling our veggies and we'll have a tally sheet at the market so if you're a Barrett's Bucks member you can do your shopping there! Meanwhile, back at the farm both the store and CSA will still be open regular hours Saturday 9am-3pm.
On Sunday, September 9th, 10am - 11am, as part of the Food, Farm and Garden Fair weekend, we will be hosting a Meet the Machines tour at the farm. We'll demo a piece of tractor equipment and talk about how we use our equipment to get everything done! There will also be time for questions and for kids to explore the equipment with parental supervision. For a full schedule of farm tours, visit https://www.ccfoodcollaborative.org/farm-tours.
This weekend at the market and at the tour, you'll also be able to pick up a farm passport book. Visit Concord farm stands September 9th-22nd, get your passport book stamped, and submit it for a chance to win $50 in farm bucks to spend at your participating farm stand of choice in Concord.
We'll be busy this week not only prepping for the market, but also harvesting more winter squash, thinning and weeding carrots, irrigating some fall crops, prepping to plant our fall-planted strawberries, breaking new ground at the Corey Meadow and putting together our brochure for the 2019 season!
This week in the CSA:
- Leeks - A flavorful veggie in the allium family (along with garlic, onions and scallions). Use the white part and pale green part for most dishes. Leek tops can be used to make vegetable stock (you can freeze them to use later if you don't feel like making soup stock in 90 degree weather!). Transitional.
- Garlic
- Slicing Tomatoes - red, orange or pink.
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Eggplant
- Green peppers
- Colored peppers - Carmens, which are red frying peppers, are pretty abundant right now, but some of the bell pepper varieties are picking up in productivity too! All of the peppers we put in the CSA distribution area are sweet peppers. Hot peppers are in the PYO field!
- Summer Squash - Transitional.
- Zucchini - Transitional.
- Spaghetti Squash - Transitional.
- Beets
- Kale - this week we'll have Toscano kale, also known as "dinosaur kale" because it looks a little like the texture of reptile skin! It's a flat variety and thus really great for making kale chips.
- Baby Bok Choi
- Arugula - no lettuce or lettuce mix in the CSA this week, but arugula and Yukina make a really great salad!
- Yukina Savoy - milder flavor than arugula. Can be eaten raw in a salad or you can cook it like you would spinach.
CSA Pick-your-own:
- 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 salanova, head lettuce, and 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.
Here are two ways to cook your spaghetti squash!
Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Leeks
- 1 cooked spaghetti squash, halved, seeds removed
- 1 medium leek, sliced thinly (white and pale green part)
- 1 large garlic clove, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tomatoes, chopped (4 cups)
- 1⁄4 cup basil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1⁄4 cup grated parmesan
- 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled for topping (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the ends from the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard. Use a deep baking pan and fill with about an inch of water. Place the squash cut side down in the water. Bake for about 30 mins or until the squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a knife. Let cool.
Sauté leek and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper, and basil. Simmer together about 5 minutes more.
Shred the spaghetti squash flesh with a fork, keeping it inside the shell. Toss with butter. Spoon mixture on top of shredded squash, top with parmesan and bacon.
Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Mushrooms and Leeks
Cathy Roma | whatshouldimakefor.com
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virigin olive oil divided
- 1 large spaghetti squash about 2 1/2 lbs
- 8 oz mixed mushrooms oyster, cremini, shiitake, sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 large leeks white and pale green parts only, sliced thinly into half moons and rinsed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 parmesan cheese + for garnish
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh thyme minced
- Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet tray with nonstick aluminum foil.
Trim the ends from the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil and place cut side down on the tray.
Roast for about 30 mins or until the squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a knife.
Cool slightly and use a fork to shred the squash into spaghetti strands. Set aside.
On a separate sheet tray lined with nonstick aluminum foil, toss the mushrooms with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Roast for about 15 mins or until the mushrooms are browned and a little crispy.
While the squash and mushrooms are roasting, heat the butter in a large saute pan until melted.
Add the leeks and cook over medium/high heat until golden and tender. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more mins.
Add the wine and cook for 2 mins. Add the squash, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and thyme and toss together. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.
To serve, top the spaghetti squash with the roasted mushrooms and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.