We made a lot of progress last week in cleaning up the fields. All of the landscape fabric and black plastic mulch are up, and we took down one of our deer fences. There are still a few remaining field tasks, like taking down our second deer fence, mulching our garlic and strawberries, and putting up smaller fences around our tulips and strawberries. Mostly, though, we have high tunnel projects and maintenance work on our equipment and infrastructure.
In addition to clean-up and maintenance work, we are also prepping for a Thanksgiving pop-up sale on Saturday, November 23rd. We’ll likely have potatoes, sweet potatoes, our own butternut, Autumn Frost squash, pie pumpkins, onions, carrots, beets from Atlas Farm, turnips, radishes, cabbage and salanova
2025 CSA sign-ups are still open to new and returning members alike. CSA description are found here: https://www.barrettsmillfarm.com/csa. If you are a current member please see the email that was sent out a few weeks ago for your sign-up link. PYO Flower CSA sign-ups will open up later this fall, and Barrett’s Bucks sign-ups will open up this winter!
In the CSA this week:
Popcorn - These are distributed on the cob. Kernels can be removed by rubbing them off the cob with your thumb.
Garlic - We’ve planted all of our garlic for next year, and there was enough leftover for distribution in the CSA!
Leeks
Yellow potatoes - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.
Sweet potatoes - This week’s recipe theme is sweet potatoes. Check them out for ideas about what to do with some of our larger sweet potatoes!
Autumn Frost squash
Carrots
Beets - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.
Brussels sprouts - These are distributed on the stalk.
Mini Daikon
Watermelon radishes - These have a similar level of heat as the daikon. The insides are magenta, so it’s visually stunning!
Storage turnips
Storage cabbage - green and purple.
Lettuce
Salanova
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Parsley
Available for sale during CSA pick-ups:
Green tomatoes
Colored peppers - likely available only on Wednesday.
Broccoli - likely available only on Wednesday.
Butternut squash - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.
Honey from Double B (from hives on the property). Not organic.
Raspberry vinegar and jam from Silferleaf Farm in Concord. Certified Organic.
Cranberries from Fresh Meadows in Carver, MA. Certified Organic.
Sweet Potato Fries
by Mark Bittman, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
½teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Heat the oven to 400.
Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks ¼ to ½ inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.
Mix the spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread them out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Sweet Potato-Garlic Soup With Chile Oil
By Nik Sharma from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
For the Soup
1 head of garlic
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
Fine sea salt
For the Chile Oil
½ cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2 tablespoons red-pepper flakes, such as Aleppo
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
Preparation
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove some of the excess paper from the head of garlic, leaving the bulb intact. Rub the bulb with 2 teaspoons oil and place it in the center of a rimmed baking sheet.
In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes, onion and cumin seeds with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast until the sweet potatoes are slightly caramelized and tender and the garlic has softened, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest until the vegetables are cool enough to handle, about 8 minutes.
While the vegetables roast, prepare the chile oil: In a small saucepan over medium, heat the neutral oil, taking care not to burn it. (Measure the oil’s temperature with a thermometer; it should read about 325 degrees. You could also test the temperature with a Sichuan peppercorn: It should sizzle when tossed in.)
Once the oil is hot, remove it from the heat, add the red-pepper flakes, garlic and Sichuan peppercorns. Cover with a lid and let steep for at least 20 minutes. (The oil can be prepared a day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)
Transfer the cooked sweet potato mixture to a blender. Squeeze the softened garlic pulp out of the cloves and add the pulp to the blender. Add ¼ cup stock to the baking sheet and scrape off any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the stock and bits to the blender. Add the remaining stock, the black pepper and turmeric to the blender and purée on high speed until smooth and creamy. Taste and add salt as needed. Transfer the soup to a medium saucepan and rewarm over low as needed.
Divide the soup among bowls. Give the chile oil a stir and drizzle the soup with a generous tablespoon or two. Serve immediately.
Brown Butter Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad
By Yossy Arefi from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
For the Salad
1 pound sweet potatoes, butternut squash or carrots, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup French green lentils or black lentils, rinsed
½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves and tender stems
½ cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)
For the Brown Butter Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Kosher salt and black pepper
Preparation
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and set a rack in the center.
Prepare the sweet potatoes: On a baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread into an even layer and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, 15 to 25 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes cook, prepare the lentils: Add the lentils to a medium pot and cover with about 6 cups water. Salt the water generously and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the lentils until just tender, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain the lentils then return them to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
Prepare the vinaigrette: Add the sage to a small bowl. Melt the butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. (Use a pan with a light interior so you can easily see the milk solids change color.) Cook the butter a few minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the milk solids off the bottom and sides of the pan as needed, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell toasty.
Pour the hot browned butter and all of the toasty bits over the sage; it will crackle and foam a bit. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute to let the foam subside, then whisk in the olive oil, followed by the red wine vinegar and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the pot with the warm lentils. Pour the dressing over the top and stir gently to combine. Add the parsley, season with more salt and pepper, if desired, and toss to combine.
Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with goat cheese, if using. Serve warm.