After this week we have just 4 weeks left of the Main Season CSA for the 2021 season! So it is fitting that much of our focus (other than the harvest) has turned to preparing for next year, both in the fields and in the office. In the fields we have been working to remove drip tape irrigation, landscape fabric and plastic mulch in any areas where we have finished harvesting for the season. We are motivated to clear fields as early as possible because the earlier we seed cover crop in open fields, the better crop stand we have to protect the soil from erosion during the winter months and and the more nutrients can be returned to the soil. In the office Lise and Melissa have been drafting a 2022 budget and doing the preliminary planning needed to begin to offer 2022 memberships. CSA Renewals will become available next week, followed by new CSA membership openings in December. Barrett’s Bucks memberships will open in January.
Also, along the lines of planning for next season, we have a quiet and responsible crew member who is looking for a new affordable living situation. She has been working for us for 3 seasons and we would love to be able to help her stay in the area for a 4th! If you know of an in-law apartment, studio apartment, or another quiet person with a two bedroom apartment looking for a roommate starting late fall/early winter within about a 20-30 minute drive from the farm, please email Lise or Melissa.
Upcoming dates to remember:
Last day of the Main Season (20 week) CSA: Saturday, October 23rd
Farm store closes for the season: Saturday, October 30th (2021 Barrett’s Bucks expire)
Last day of Flex/Extended Season CSA : Saturday, November 20th (the CSA is closed Tuesdays in November)
In the CSA this week:
CSA pick up hours are Tues/Thurs 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. Face masks are required under the CSA tent during the first hour of each day. Please note we do our best to predict what will be available each week, but conditions change and there may be slight variations in what’s available!
Black Futsu Pumpkins - These are an heirloom mini pumpkin variety that is great roasted. Thankfully the skin is edible (the exterior is quite bumpy and would be difficult to peel!). You can cut into wedges and roast - see recipe below!
Escarole - A bitter green that looks similar to lettuce but is best cooked rather than eaten in salad. Escarole is great sauteed with garlic or in it’s best known dish, Escarole and White Bean Soup.
Scallions
Garlic
Mixed Winter Squash- Choices will include small butternut, delicata and orange cutie (a mini red kabocha).
Fennel
Eggplant or tomato - With shorter days and cooler nights, these are really winding down quickly! Likely the last week for these in the CSA.
Green and purple peppers
Carrots
Beets
Kale
Salanova Lettuce Mix
Mustard Greens
CSA PYO:
Handwashing sinks are provided at the entrance to each PYO field. For the sake of food safety, please wash hands before picking. The barn bathroom and wash area sinks in the barn are for employees only (we do now have a green porta-potty restroom by the tree behind the red barn for customer use with a portable handwashing sink just beside it).
*Please note that we close down the PYO fields for lightning storms.
Sunflowers
Green Beans
Cherry tomatoes
Shishito or Hot peppers - jalapeño, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax, fresno and aji rico varieties are all producing. Signs in the field indicate what to look for in terms of ripeness, as well as how spicy varieties are.
Herbs- parsley, cilantro, basil, sage, thyme, oregano
PYO Flower CSA:
Picking is available for Flower CSA members as well as to the public for purchase by the bouquet. We will offer picking until our first frost. Picking is available any time the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Varieties blooming now include: zinnias, marigolds, statice, gomphrena, celosia, decorative basil, frosted explosion, cosmos, ageratum, rudbeckia, ammi, scabiosa and more! Please pick stems above the first branching of all flowers to encourage future growth.
In the farm store:
In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have tendersweet cabbage, arugula, lemongrass (grown in our high tunnel!), peppers, and head lettuce in the farm store this week. We will have mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm, honey from Double B, and eggs from Codman Farm. We will not have corn (from Verrill Farm) this week. We also have raspberry jam and raspberry vinegar infusion from Silferleaf Farm again, as well as fresh berries as available! If you miss getting berries in the store, head over to their farm on Strawberry Hill Road - they are open for PYO Tuesday - Sunday. It’s especially nice and plentiful on weekdays!
We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. Masks are required during the first hour of each day and are encouraged the remainder of the day. Staff will continue to wear masks inside the farm stand all day. We are keeping a chalkboard list of items available outside the store and our Shopkeepers would be happy to shop for anyone who is uncomfortable entering the store. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.
Escarole and White Bean Soup
By Martha Stewart: https://www.marthastewart.com/867270/escarole-and-white-bean-soup
Ingredients
2 heads escarole
3/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans cannellini beans
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 (15.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Black pepper biscotti, for serving
Directions
Step 1 : Fill a large basin with water and add escarole; drain basin, refill with water, and return escarole to basin. Repeat this process at least 4 times, or until basin is free of sand. Drain, and chop escarole into bite-size pieces.
Step 2: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add escarole and cook 20 minutes. Drain.
Step 3: Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans in their liquid, oregano, red-pepper flakes, chicken broth, and escarole. Raise heat and bring soup to a simmer; cover and cook 15 minutes.
Step 4: Place biscotti in individual serving bowls. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.
Simple Satueed Mustard Greens
By SHEELA PRAKASH at https://www.thekitchn.com/mustard-greens-recipe-23085172
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds mustard greens (about 2 bunches)
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep the mustard greens and garlic. Trim the thick bottom stems from 1 1/2 pounds mustard greens and discard. Coarsely chop the greens with their thin stems attached (about 12 cups). Rinse in a colander but do not dry. Thinly slice 3 garlic cloves.
Sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide, high-sided sauté pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes if desired. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute (do not let the garlic brown).
Add the mustard greens and cook. Add the mustard greens a few handfuls at a time, stirring after each addition so that they start to wilt, until all of the greens are added. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mustard greens are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and serve.
Spiced and Roasted Black Futsu
by Francesca Patterson from Norman’s Farm Market
INGREDIENTS
1 Black Futsu pumpkin (seeds removed, cut into 1-inch wedges)
1 tbsp Olive oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper (to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp freshly chopped or dried rosemary
DIRECTIONS
Carefully cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Then, slice the pumpkin into about 1-inch wedges. Keeping the skin on while cooking will help the pieces retain their shape.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the olive oil, spices, and pumpkin wedges until all is thoroughly coated.
Arrange the pumpkin wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for about 45 minutes or until the pumpkin meat is tender enough to pierce easily with a fork.
I recommend eating the skin since it is very thin and delicious. Otherwise, you can peel it off as it will remove easily now that it’s been cooked.