The week leading up to the Ag Day market is always a busy one. We don’t do any other farmer’s markets, so in addition to harvesting extra produce and flowers, a big part of preparations involves putting together non-produce items (like tents, folding tables, signs, scales, and a cooler and handwashing station) that are needed for our booth set-up. Aside from the Ag Day prep, we also had plenty of farming to do! The winter squash harvest continued, drip tape and plastic mulch were pulled up, and cover crops were seeded (Lise finished on the tractor Friday night around the same time Catherine finished up her marathon day of bouquet making!). And of course, there is still the constant need to harvest and sort tomatoes, though that is starting to slow down a little.
There is another celebration of Concord farms coming up: Stone Soup Dinner on Sunday, September 20th. This annual fundraising dinner brings together chefs from Concord’s amazing restaurants in support of Concord’s many farms. Stone Soup, Inc. generously donated funds to the Concord Housing Foundation for building the addition on our Town-owned farm house. They have also given out grants to Concord farms for needed equipment and upgrades that would otherwise be unaffordable. We were one of the lucky recipients in our early days on the property, helping us to purchase a piece of equipment we needed to scale up our operations. The dinner is at Verrill Farm’s pavilion and features produce from Concord farms as well as live music! Tickets are available here: https://www.stonesoupconcordma.com/tickets.
In the CSA this week:
Carrots - Our fall planting is ready! We’ll have orange bunches this week, but within the next couple of weeks we should also have some rainbow bunches.
Broccoli - Umpqua variety, which tend to have more open florets.
Delicata squash - Always a favorite, this sweet squash has thin skin that is edible if you don’t feel like peeling it!
Spaghetti squash
Garlic
Heirloom and Hyloom tomatoes - Production is slowing down, but we’ll enjoy these while they’re here!
Slicing tomatoes
Colored peppers
Green and purple peppers
Cabbage - Tendersweet variety
Curly Kale
Arugula
Salanova - It’s back!
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Cherry tomatoes - All 15 varieties are producing! Sungold, Black Cherry, Honey Bee, White Cherry, Yellow Mini, Cherry Bomb, Jasper, Citrine, Midnight Pear, Moonbeam, Valentine, Apple Yellow, Clementine, Mountain Magic and Nova.
Green beans
Tomatillos
Shishito peppers
Hot peppers - Varieties include Aji Rico, Pantera (jalapeño), Hungarian Hot Wax, Red Ember (cayenne), and Hot Paper Lantern (habañero - extremely hot!).
Herbs: Basil, Thai basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, mint, thyme, chives
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm.
In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA above, we will have:
Kabocha squash
Beets
Baby bok choi
Lettuce
Radishes
Scallions (at the beginning of the week)
Cucumbers
Potatoes - Constance Gold. From MX Morningstar Farm in Hudson, NY. Certified Organic.
Cherry tomatoes - Sakura variety from our high tunnel as other varieties from the field.
Flowers - A great supply of dahlia bunches with eucalyptus.
Grapes from Ed at Long Run Produce - Certified organic. Limited availability.
Apples - Cortland and Macintosh. From Carver Hill in Stow, MA. Not organic.
Sweet corn - From Verrill Farm in Concord. Not organic.
Hot Sauce - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic habañeros, aji rico, fresno, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax and garlic. Hot.
Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry, and Cannellini are Certified Organic. Bumblebee and Black Coco are not organic. Grown by Charley Baer in South Berwick, ME.
Raspberry Vinegar Infusion and Raspberry Jam -Silferleaf Farm in Concord, MA. Certified Organic.
PYO Flower Field
The flower field is open to both PYO Flower CSA members and the general public for picking by the jar. Please check in at the farm stand before picking. Please note that the field was picked pretty heavily right around the return to school, but the plants are recovering and we should hopefully have several more weeks of them before a frost!
Roasted Delicata Squash and Kale Salad
by Jamie Vespa from Dishing out Health
Ingredients
2 small-medium delicata squashes (about 1.25 lbs total)
1/2 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dried)
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 bunch green curly kale, stemmed and chopped
Parmesan-Peppercorn Dressing
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Slice delicata squash in half lengthwise; scoop out (and discard) seeds. Slice the halves again lengthwise to create four segments. Slice each segment into 1/2-inch thick pieces.
Combine squash, red onion, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, maple syrup, thyme, chili powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl; toss well to coat.
Empty out onto a rimmed baking sheet and arrange veggies so that there is no overlap. Roast for 35 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
While veggies roast, prepare Parmesan-Peppercorn dressing. In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon, black pepper, and salt. Gradually stream in olive oil, while whisking constantly, until combined. Stir in Parmesan and set aside.
Prepare crunchy walnut topping by spreading walnuts, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and breadcrumbs out on a smaller rimmed baking sheet. Toss with remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
During the final 10 minutes of the veggies roasting, place pan in the oven. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning, and shaking the pan every few minutes, until golden brown and toasted.
Place kale in a large bowl. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Use your hands to massage the oil and salt into kale leaves for about 30 seconds until the greens soften.
Let roasted veggies cool for about 10 minutes before adding to the bowl. Add half of the walnut mixture and half of the dressing; toss to combine. Spoon remaining dressing overtop, and garnish with remaining walnut-breadcrumb mixture.
Gingery Creamed Kale and Cabbage
by Marcus Samuelsson, from Food & Wine
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds lacinato kale, stemmed (about 12 packed cups)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 white onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups coarsely shredded green cabbage (from 1 small head)
2 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add kale; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Once cooled, coarsely chop kale; set aside. Do not wash pot.
Heat oil in pot over medium. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add cabbage, ginger, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add coconut milk. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and cabbage is just tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in kale and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until kale is warmed through and evenly coated in sauce mixture, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in buttermilk. Serve immediately.
Stone Soup dinner 2025 was a great time!