CSA Renewals, CSA Week 16 and Farm store updates

Tomorrow is the first day of fall, many of our fields are planted in cover crop for the winter, and frost covered the farm the past two mornings (and likely will for a third day in a row tomorrow!), so it feels especially fitting to begin sign ups for the the 2021 season! We will open CSA renewals to current members this week and we will begin accepting new CSA members December 1st , 2020. Barrett’s Bucks sign-ups for 2021 will be available starting December 1st as well.

Current CSA members will be receiving an email on Wednesday with renewal details for 2021, including a few changes that we’ve made to sign-ups. We don’t know what June 2021 will look like in terms of the pandemic, but for now we will have members select specific pick up days to space out traffic. We are going back to having just three pick-up day options (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday), and the first hour of each CSA day will still be reserved for seniors and the immunocompromised. We do plan to increase flexibility in pick-up timing if conditions permit.

Another change that we have made is that we have moved up the sign-up deadlines to try to concentrate our administrative workload in the winter. The deadline for Early Bird pricing is now January 21st, 2021. Additionally, there is a needed price increase for next season. While sales in 2020 have so far increased beyond expectations, our expenses increased by more than our income due to the additional supply and labor costs needed to safely distribute our produce while also paying our workers a fair wage. Early Bird prices for 2021 will be as follows (with renewals costing $10 less): Main Season: $765, Extended Season: $900, Flex Season: $805. As always, a deposit made by the Early Bird deadline will secure the early price. Finally, in order to further address our budget shortfalls this season, as well as cut down on our administrative work, we will not be offering CSA members any Barrett’s Bucks included with their membership for the 2021 season (CSA members will still be able to set up a Barrett’s Bucks account for a lower minimum than standalone Bucks memberships). We think that the CSA is still a really great value and that the changes we’ve made will make a huge difference for us in terms of financial solvency and quality of life. As always, please let us know if you need to work out an alternative payment plan as we know that it is a difficult time in other industries as well. We hope that returning and new members will join us for all the bounty, fun in the fields, and hopefully some more relaxed time on the farm in 2021!

We are in week 16 of 20 for the 2020 Main Season CSA, so the last Main Season CSA pick-up day for 2020 will be Saturday, October 24th and the last Extended Season and Flex CSA pick-up will be Saturday November 21st . The farm store is open until October 31st . If you are a Flex member and would like to know how many pick ups you have left, feel free to ask when you check in this week (records are currently updated) or email Melissa.

In the CSA this week:

• Delicata Squash - These sweet winter squash are great as is, cut in half, seeds scooped out and then cut into “smiles” or half moons (about 1/4- 1/2” thick) to roast and enjoy! The skins are edible so no need to peel.

• Red onions - we hadn’t grown red storage onions in several years as we tried to focus on improving our yellow onion yields. Now that we’ve dialed in our onion growing strategy a bit better, we’ve gone back to growing some red storage onions, because, well, they’re delicious! These are milder than yellow storage onions, but with a bit more of a kick than the fresh onions from earlier in the season. They should be stored outside the refrigerator.

• Spinach - Our fall spinach is ready and it looks gorgeous!

• Mustard greens - a beautiful red spicy green that can be eaten cooked (it gets milder when cooked) or mixed in raw with a salad.

• Fennel - our fall planting is looking nice! We also planted some more in our high tunnel as an experiment, so we’ll see if it sizes up in time for a late fall round of baby fennel.

• Peppers or Eggplant- We had a frost, but so far the pepper and eggplant plants are still alive (though we’ll see what happens after another cold night tonight!). They have definitely slowed production, but we’re hoping to eke out one more week of one or the other in the CSA. We also still have peppers growing under the protection of our high tunnel, so even if we lose the field plants we should be safe for the rest of the week!

• Savoy Cabbage

• Curly Kale

• Carrots

• Beets

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Lettuce- red leaf and oakleaf (panisse)

• Garlic

CSA PYO:

We have had a a couple of frosts, so tender green beans and basil are done for the season.

• Herbs: cilantro, parsley, sage, thyme, oregano or mint

• The frost nipped the PYO tomatoes, hot peppers and husk cherries, but we are hoping the plants will hold on through the end of the week so that you can have one last taste of one of these three PYO favorites.

PYO Flower CSA:

The flower field was mostly knocked down by Sunday night’s frost, so it will now only be open to current Flower CSA members who still have some bouquets left to pick. The plants that survived are light on flowers, but you still might be able to scavenge some cosmos, amaranth, gomphrena, rudbeckia or salvia. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar.

In the Farm Store:

The farm store is open until October 31st, 2020. That is the last day to use 2020 Barrett’s Bucks, as balances do not carry over to the following year. In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have some tomatoes from our high tunnel, as well as scallions, broccoli, spaghetti squash, sunflowers and baby bok choy. We will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Orecchiette With Mustard Greens and Sausage

by Anna Painter from Real Simple

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (also very good with vegetarian sausage substitute)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 bunches mustard greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 pound cooked orecchiette

• Toasted bread crumbs and grated Parmesan

Cook the sausage in olive oil in a large skillet over medium until browned. Add garlic, mustard greens, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add orecchiette and toss to combine. Serve topped with bread crumbs and Parmesan.

Delicata Squash and Spinach Salad

from Green Valley Kitchen, November 30, 2014

Ingredients

• 1 delicata squash

• 1/2 bag of baby spinach – about 5 oz

• 1/3 cup of dried cranberries

• 1/3 cup of walnut pieces

• 2 tbs red onion

• 2 oz feta cheese

• 4 tbs olive oil

• 1 tbs red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 8 twists of black pepper

• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse delicata squash well. Chop off ends of squash then split squash down the middle. Scoop out seeds and slice squash into 1/2 inch slices.

3. Toss delicata squash with 1 tbs olive oil and a few twists of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Place on a baking sheet and even spread out the squash so it does not overlap.

4. Bake the squash for 20 minutes in the oven. After 10 minutes – take the squash out and flip the slices so they will be evenly browned on each side – but the pan back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

5. While the squash is cooking, wash spinach and add to a bowl.

6. Add cranberries and walnuts to the bowl of spinach.

7. Mince red onion and dice feta cheese. Add red onion to the bowl of spinach.

8. Whisk together the remaining 3 tbs of olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and a few twists of black pepper. Pour 3/4 over spinach salad and toss to combine. Add diced feta cheese and toss gently to combine.

9. Drizzle remaining dressing over squash slices (once they are out of the oven). Add squash to salad and toss very gently. I kept a couple of slices aside and then added to the top of the salad for presentation.