Extended/Flex CSA Week 23

Last week we had some lovely weather for harvesting and cleaning up around the farm! This week’s main non-harvest projects will be mulching and covering strawberries with row cover, putting up winter coyote fencing and taking down the deer fencing from several of our fields.

The unseasonably warm weather is in stark contrast to a few years ago when we had a night in late October so cold that most of the late season crops that were still out in the field didn’t survive! While it looks like some colder temps are on the way, it has been mild enough that we still have a nice variety of crops. Because of that, we do anticipate being able to offer a pop-up sale before Thanksgiving, and we will announce details next week!

In the CSA this week:

• Butternut squash - Some of our own butternut, plus we’ll likely move on to some organic butternut from Lakeview Organics in Hadley, MA

• Green tomatoes - These are great for fried green tomatoes - see the recipe below!

• Lemongrass - We’ve included a fairly ambitious recipe for Vietnamese Noodles below (note that you can sub in different veggies than those listed in the recipe!), but if you are looking for a simpler use of lemongrass, we have a Broccoli and Lemongrass Soup recipe in our October 17th blog post!

• Carrots - From Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Tetsukabuto squash - Skins are edible, so you can slice them into thin wedges and roast without peeling.

• Sweet potatoes

• Potatoes - Yellow potatoes from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. These are certified organic. We will be distributing Atlas Farm-grown potatoes for the remainder of the CSA!

• Leeks

• Onions

• Garlic

• Peppers

• Beets

• Rutabaga - Tastes a bit like a cross between cabbage and potatoes. See below for a recipe for mashed potatoes and rutabaga!

• Radishes - Watermelon and white and purple mini daikon.

• Salanova Lettuce Mix- from our high tunnel.

• Kale

• Cabbage

• Broccoli

• Brussels sprouts - We distribute Brussels sprouts still on the stalk. Just pop them off at home and follow your favorite recipe.

Farm Store:

Though the store is closed for the season, we will have a few add-ons available for purchase during CSA pick-ups, including cranberries, honey and raspberry vinegar.

We are planning a pop-up sale right before Thanksgiving - details will be available next week!

Fall Mushroom CSA

It is the ninth week of the 10-week Fall Mushroom CSA. Since the farm store is now closed, pick-ups for the Fall mushroom CSA are now Thursdays 3pm-6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm. Mushrooms will be delivered on Thursdays by 3pm in order to have them as fresh as possible for the new schedule. For this week, please email Lise to make other arrangements if you cannot make the new pick-up times.

Fried Green Tomatoes

from Southern Living

Ingredients

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• ½ cup all-purpose flour, divided

• ½ cup buttermilk

• ½ cup cornmeal

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon pepper

• 3 green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices

• Vegetable oil

Directions

1. Mix together egg and buttermilk; set aside. Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan. Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

2. Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°F. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

Mashed Rutabaga and Yukon Gold Potatoes

by Anne Burrell from The Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 large rutabaga, waxy skin removed and cut into 1-inch chunks

• Kosher salt

• 4 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

• 3/4 cup heavy cream

• 1 stick cold butter, cut into 5 to 6 pats

Directions

1. Toss the rutabagas into a large pot and cover generously with water. Season the water generously with salt.

2. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 45 minutes. Toss in the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, another 20 minutes.

3. Strain the rutabagas and potatoes from the water and pass through a food mill into a large bowl.

4. In a small saucepot, bring the cream to a boil and turn off.

5. Take 1 to 2 pats of butter and a splash of hot cream and whip them into the potato mixture. Continue this until all the butter and cream are incorporated. Taste and re-season with salt if needed. Serve immediately or keep warm in a low oven.

Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken (Bun Ga Nuong)

from recipetineats.com

Chicken and Marinade

• 600 - 800g / 1.2 - 1.6lb chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless or breast (or pork, beef or any seafood)

• 1 stalk lemongrass , white part only, bruised them sliced into pieces easy to pick out later (Note 1)

• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped or minced

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)

• 1 tbsp soy sauce (all purpose or light, NOT dark soy)

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Sauce)

• 1/4 cup fish sauce (Note 3)

• 4 tbsp rice vinegar

• 2 tbsp white sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped

• 1 red birds eye chilli , finely chopped (Note 4)

• 3 tbsp lime juice

Noodle Bowl

• 1/2 tbsp oil

• 200 g / 7 oz vermicelli noodles , dried

• 2 carrots , julienned

• 2 cucumbers , julienned (optional: remove seeds) - or use finely sliced peppers!

• 5 cups iceberg lettuce , finely sliced - or try shredded cabbage or lettuce!

• 3 cups bean sprouts

• Handful of mint leaves

• Handful of cilantro/coriander

• Sliced red chilli (for garnish - optional)

• Lime wedges (to serve - optional but recommended)

Instructions

Lemongrass Chicken

• Combine Chicken and Marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. (Note 4)

• Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a fry pan over medium heat (or heat the BBQ). Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off large bits of lemongrass (small bits should fall off during cooking).

• Place chicken in the pan and cook each side until dark golden brown and chicken is just cooked through - about 6 to 8 minutes in total.

• Remove from pan, shaking off any remaining bits of visible lemongrass and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into thin pieces.

Nuoc Cham Sauce

• Combine the Nuoc Cham ingredients and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Adjust to your taste (spiciness, lime, sweetness) and set aside for at least 20 minutes.

Assemble

• Soak the vermicelli noodles in hot water for 3 minutes (or according to packet instructions), then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the noodles from sticking together.

• Individual servings: Place noodles in bowl. Top with vegetables and herbs, and sliced chicken pieces. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Nuoc Cham Sauce (be generous, ~ 4 tbsp per serving) and serve with lime wedges.

• DIY (my preferred way): Place chicken, vegetables, herbs, noodles and sauce in separate bowls / piled on platters. Then let everyone make their own bowls!

Recipe Notes:

1. Lemongrass - to prepare, peel the tough outer layers off to reveal the softer white part on the bottom ~1/3 of the lemongrass. Bruise using the back of the knife (see video). Don't slice too finely or finely chop, you want the pieces large enough so you can just brush them off (lemongrass is kind of tough, it has to be very finely chopped / cooked for a long time to eat). You could sub with 1 tbsp lemongrass paste.

2. Fish sauce is a key ingredient in a lot of Asian cooking. Don't worry, it doesn't taste fishy when combined with other ingredients! It's an incredible flavour enhancer that has more depth than salt or soy sauce and is very cheap to buy at supermarkets or Asian grocery stores (even better value!).

3. Chilli -This can be substituted with any spicy chilli or even chilli paste. Adjust to your taste.

4. CUSTOMISE:

• Make this kid friendly by just serving the chilli on the side.

• To make it GLUTEN FREE, ensure you use GF tamari.

• Sub the vegetables with other vegetables of choice eg. capsicum/bell peppers, snow peas (finely sliced)

5. Freezing: Pop the chicken in the fridge as soon as it's in the marinade. Then let it defrost in the fridge - it will marinate during this time.

6. DIY Noodle Bowl Spread: Pile all the components on a large platter or separate bowls and let guests serve themselves. That's how I typically serve this.