Week 22 of the Extended/Flex CSA. Farm store is closed for the season.

The farm store is now closed for the season and there are three more weeks (including this one) of the Extended and Flex CSA. CSA hours continue to be Wednesdays 11am - 6:30pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to bringing in the last of the harvest, we continue to be busy with field clean up such as rolling up landscape fabric, pulling up plastic mulch, and rolling up our barely-used irrigation lines. As we move around the farm we admire the great stands of cover crop growing which include oats and peas, Austrian winter peas and triticale, winter rye, and clover and annual rye grass (pictured above). This week we are also starting to plant garlic for next year and mulch strawberries with straw for the winter. We are continuing to accept CSA renewals for next year so email Melissa for the renewal link or for more information about becoming a new member.

In the CSA this week:

• Cilantro - Grown in our high tunnel

• Lemongrass - Grown in our high tunnel. Great in curry, see recipe below which includes instructions for prepraring.

• Colored Peppers- the last colored peppers harvested from our high tunnel.

• Green tomatoes

• Scallions

• Beets - From Atlas Farm

• Cabbage - red or green storage varieties

• Broccoli

• Eggplant

• Green peppers

• Sweet Potatoes - From Atlas Farm

• Salad turnips or radishes

• Brussels Sprouts - We distribute these on the stalk - just snap the sprouts off at home to store in your refrigerator.

• Garlic

• Lettuce or Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Jalapeño hot peppers - We picked these before the hard frost so they are picked for you this week and will be (well labeled) in the CSA distribution area.

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

Just a few herbs survived the cold temperatures of Monday night. Depending on how they fare with another cool night, options for PYO herbs may include parsley, sage, mint and oregano. Please note that although the CSA is open until 6:30 on Wednesdays, the PYO fields are closed when it gets dark.

Mushroom CSA:

It is the 7th week of the 8-week Fall Mushroom CSA. This week mushroom pick up is during CSA hours only: Wednesday 11am-6:30pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. Please check in with our crew member at the CSA check-in and they will retrieve your mushrooms from the cooler. Please email Melissa if you need to make other arrangements.

The PYO Flower CSA is done for the season.

Lemongrass Curry with Vegetables and Tofu

https://thenewbaguette.com/lemongrass-curry

Ingredients

• One 14-ounce block extra firm tofu

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like avocado or refined coconut

• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces

• 2 cups bite-size broccoli florets

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks

• 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed, pounded, and finely minced*

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 ounces green beans - could substitute green peppers or cabbage

• 4 ounces cremini mushrooms (about 8 medium mushrooms), stemmed and quartered

• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)

• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• One 13-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• Rice and cilantro for serving

  Instructions:

  Press tofu. Drain tofu and place it on a plate, then top with another plate or cutting board and weigh it down with something heavy (like a couple of cans), to squeeze out as much water as possible. Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes, periodically draining off the excess water.

  Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes, and season one side with salt and pepper.

  Cook tofu. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Arrange the tofu seasoned side down in a single layer in the skillet, then season the top-facing side. Cook until it forms a golden crust, resisting the urge to flip/move it until it’s ready, about 5 minutes per side; brown 2-3 of the sides. (Use tongs, not a spatula, to flip.) Remove and set aside.

  Cook vegetables. Drain off excess oil if needed and return skillet to medium heat. Add the beans, mushrooms, scallions, broccoli, and carrots. Cook until the broccoli is bright green and the vegetables are just starting to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

  Add the minced lemongrass, ginger, and garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon each chili flakes and turmeric, and cook for 30 seconds.

  Finish curry. Add the tofu back in, along with the coconut milk, and 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and lime juice. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  Serve with rice and cilantro

  Notes from the recipe:

  • Feel free to swap in whatever veg you already have as long as the overall volume of vegetables stays roughly the same.

  • Lemongrass prep tips: While you wait for the tofu, get the sharpest, largest knife you have. Chop off the fibrous greener top portion of the lemongrass stalk and discard (or freeze for flavoring broths later). Trim about half an inch from the bottom. Peel off the tough fibrous outer leaves and discard/freeze. (The point is to get to the white/light green portion.) Using the spine of your knife (not the sharp side), whack the stalk fiercely until it’s bruised all over to release its essential oils. Finally, mince the lemongrass into the tiniest pieces possible. Set aside.

  Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

  https://cookieandkate.com/sweet-potato-black-bean-tacos

  INGREDIENTS

  Roasted sweet potatoes

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes (3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if sensitive to spice)

• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

  Spicy black beans

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped

• Fine sea salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked black beans)

• 1/3 cup water

• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or lime juice

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  Avocado-pepita dip

• 2 avocados, pitted

• 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves, some small stems are ok)

• 1/2 cup pepitas

• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped, or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (go easy if sensitive to spice)

• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime) or 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Everything else

• 8 to 10 small corn tortillas

• Crumbled feta

• Suggested garnishes: Pickled jalapeños or pickled radishes or pickled red onions, torn cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Last Week of the Farm Store and Week 21 of Flex/Extended CSA

We have been busy harvesting, seeding cover crop, taking down tomato trellising and removing landscape fabric, plastic mulch and drip irrigation from the fields. However we also found time for planting tulips for the 2024 season on a sunny Thursday afternoon, which was a nice change of pace! This week we have more bulb planting, though this time it’s our garlic for 2024. We’ll also work on removing irrigation from the fields and mulching next year’s strawberries and garlic.

This week is the last week of the Farm Store for the 2023 season! Farm store hours are the same as usual this week: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. Barrett’s Bucks expire at the end of this week (October 28th) when the Farm Store closes. The Main Season CSA is now over but the Extended Season and Flex CSAs continue until November 18th.

In the CSA this week:

• Autumn Frost squash - This is a type of specialty butternut with a fan following due to it’s sweet flavor and excellent storage life. The skins are edible so no need to peel.

• Yellow Potatoes from Atlas Farm or Sweet Potatoes

• Spinach - We lost our first two successions of spinach to torrential rains and flooding in August. Once it dried out enough we reseeded in a new location, but because it was a bit later than originally planned we have a more limited harvest.

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

• Salad turnips - Tastes like a milder and sweeter radish with a little less crunch.

• Radishes - Daikon, Red King and Watermelon

• Brussels Sprouts - We distribute these on the stalk - just snap the sprouts off at home to store in your refrigerator.

• Broccoli

• Carrots

• Leeks

• Garlic

• Green peppers

• Salanova

• Mustard greens or Arugula

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

We expect a harder frost tonight so we don’t expect to have any PYO crops other than herbs this week. Please note that although the CSA is open until 6:30 on Wednesdays, the PYO fields are closed when it gets dark.

• Herbs - If the frost isn’t too bad we hope to still have sage, thyme, oregano, mint and parsley.

In the farm store:

This is the last week of the farm store for the 2023 season! In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have lemongrass, pie pumpkins, butternut, scallions, cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes, colored peppers and corn stalks. We will also have organic cranberries from Fresh Meadow Farm in Carver, MA, honey from Double B (from hives on the property) and mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

We are assuming that tonight’s frost will wipe out most of the flower field, but if it doesn’t we will keep it open this last week.

Mushroom CSA:

It is the sixth week of the 8-week Fall Mushroom CSA. This week you may come to pick up your mushrooms anytime the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Your mushrooms will be kept in the cooler and retrieved by the shopkeeper when you arrive at the store. The farm stand will be closed for the season during weeks 7 and 8, so at that time pick-up will just be available during the regular Vegetable CSA pick-up on Wednesdays 11am - 6pm and Fridays 9am - 3pm.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic

by Mark Bittman, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 pint brussels sprouts (about a pound)

• 4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat bottom of pan

• 5 cloves garlic, peeled

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim bottom of brussels sprouts, and slice each in half top to bottom. Heat oil in cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers; put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Put in garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom, and transfer to oven. Roast, shaking pan every 5 minutes, until sprouts are quite brown and tender, about 10 to 20 minutes.

3. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in balsamic vinegar, and serve hot or warm.

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.

CSA Week 20 and Farm Stand Updates

This is the last week for the Main Season CSA! The farm store will be open this week and next, with the last day of the farm store for the season on Saturday, October 28th (2023 Barrett’s Bucks expire at that time). Extended and Flex CSAs continue for 4 more weeks, until November 18th.

It looks like a harder frost is almost certain for next week, but for now some of the more tender crops like peppers are hanging on out in the field. You can’t really fight cooler soil temperatures and shorter days, so an ever-increasing portion of our day is spent preparing for the end of the season rather than harvesting. We have been making a lot of progress in preparing the fields for the winter and next season, but there are a few more areas we are hoping to clear out and seed into cover crop this week. Cover crops aren’t the only thing we plant this time of year, though - we are excited that garlic and tulips for next season are also on the agenda!

In the CSA this week:

• Sweet Potatoes

• Tetsukabuto Squash - This winter squash has a smooth and creamy texture. It is not overly sweet and has a hint of nutty flavor. These usually store well long-term, but we are finding that many of our storage crops are not holding up as well as usual due to the unusually wet conditions in which they grew, so I wouldn’t recommend saving it until the holidays!

• Salad turnips - Tastes like a milder and sweeter radish with a little less crunch.

• Watermelon Radish - When you cut open these radishes you will find a gorgeous hot pink color!

• Cabbage - Green storage cabbage, as well as some savoy.

• Brussels Sprouts - We distribute these on the stalk - just snap the sprouts off at home to store in your refrigerator.

• Broccoli

• Carrots - We ran through all of our purple and red carrots, but we’ll have lots of orange carrots and we’ll even still have some yellow ones this week.

• Yellow Onions

• Garlic

• Green peppers

• Salanova

• Lettuce or Kale

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

The PYO fields are really winding down. Please note that although the CSA is open until 6:30 on Wednesdays, the PYO fields are closed when it gets dark.

• Hot peppers

• Tomatillos, shishito or husk cherries - there aren’t much left out in the field, but we’ll try to squeeze one final week out of them!

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, mint and parsley.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have lemongrass, beets, leeks, pie pumpkins, butternut and scallions, as well as limited quantities of eggplant, tomatoes and colored peppers. We will also have organic cranberries from Fresh Meadow Farm in Carver, MA, honey from Double B (from hives on the property), mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

The flowers are still hanging on, but because of dwindling supply, the flower field is open only to Flower CSA members. Available varieties include zinnias, celosia, gomphrena, verbena, strawflower, scabiosa, rudbeckia, ammi, and amaranth. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Mushroom CSA:

It is the fifth week of the 8-week Fall Mushroom CSA. You may come to pick up your mushrooms anytime the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Your mushrooms will be kept in the cooler and retrieved by the shopkeeper when you arrive at the store.

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries and Pecans

from Zest & Simmer

Ingredients

• 4 cups Brussels sprouts (approximately 1 lb)

• 2 medium sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

• 2 shallots , cut into wedges

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/3 cup pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°f.

2. Trim ends of Brussels sprouts, remove any yellow leaves and cut in halves.

3. In a 8x13" casserole baking dish ad the Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, cranberries and shallots.

4. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, balsamic, cinnamon, rosemary, salt and pepper. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat.

5. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Add in the pecans, toss, and roast for another 10 minutes. Sweet potatoes should be fork-tender. If not, roast another 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye to ensure pecans do not burn. Enjoy!

Buddha Bowl with Watermelon Radish

from Love & Lemons

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, cubed

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

• 1 watermelon radish

• 2 medium carrots

• 1 cup shredded cabbage

• Squeeze of lemon

• 8 kale leaves, stemmed and chopped

• 2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas or cooked lentils

• ¾ cup sauerkraut or other fermented veggie

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or hemp seeds

• Microgreens, optional

• Turmeric Tahini Sauce, for serving (see directions below)

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread onto the baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. Thinly slice the radish into rounds (this is best done on a mandoline), and use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots into ribbons.

4. Toss the radish slices, carrots, and shredded cabbage with a squeeze of lemon. Set aside.

5. Place the kale leaves into a large bowl and toss with a squeeze of lemon and a few pinches of salt. Use your hands to massage the leaves until they become soft and wilted and reduce in the bowl by about half.

6. Assemble individual bowls with the brown rice, chickpeas, kale, carrots, radishes, cabbage, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, sesame seeds, and microgreens, if using. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the Turmeric Tahini Sauce.

Turmeric Tahini Sauce: Stir together ½ cup tahini, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 6 tablespoons water (plus more as needed), 1 small garlic clove, grated or pressed, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup.

CSA Week 19 and Farm Stand Updates

Cover crops have always been an important piece of our plan for improving soil health, as they add organic matter, promote a healthy ecosystem (both above and below ground) and prevent erosion. The work of seeding cover crops begins much earlier in the season, but the pace picks up in September, and by mid-October we are furiously working to ensure that there is as little bare ground as possible over the winter. Typically we’ve found that cover crops sown after about October 20th don’t provide much coverage over the winter, which makes it difficult to get every acre covered (We are always still harvesting some crops from the field and we aren’t always able to get all the landscape fabric, plastic mulch and drip irrigation lines out of the field in time for that deadline). While it doesn’t work with every late fall crop, for several years we have been successfully sowing clover underneath our cabbages and kale in August. Since we reduced the total acreage in cash crops this year, we were able to see all of the white clover we seeded in 2022 return and flourish all season long, a nice reminder of the investments we make in soil health every year!

Next week is the final week of the Main Season CSA, with the last pick-up on October 21st. The Extended Season goes until November 18th. If you are a Flex member and are unsure of how many weeks you have skipped, be sure to ask the Shopkeepers when you check in so you can plan which weeks (if any) you still need to miss. Current CSA members should have received an email on Saturday with details on how to renew their membership for the 2024 season. If you didn’t get an email, please reach out and we will forward along that information! The farm store will be open until October 28th, which is also the date that 2023 Barrett’s Bucks expire.

In the CSA this week:

• Butternut squash - This week we’ll start distributing some of the smaller squash, as well as ones that have some superficial blemishes on them. These are all completely fine to eat, but they won’t store as long, which is why we want to start moving through them first. We will also have some larger blemish-free squash in coming weeks.

• Daikon radish - We’ll have a beautiful assortment of white, purple and red!

• Broccoli - We’ve been struggling with disease in the broccoli field this fall, so have picked the heads smaller than usual in order to avoid losing them altogether.

• Beets

• Carrots - We’ll be back to mostly orange carrots this week, but we should also have some rainbow carrots in the mix.

• Yellow Potatoes from Atlas Farm (organic)

• Yellow Onions

• Garlic

• Leeks

• Fennel

• Green peppers

• Eggplant

• Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

The PYO fields are really winding down. Please note that although the CSA is open until 6:30 on Wednesdays, the PYO fields are closed when it gets dark.

• As long as we don’t have a harder frost this week, we will have some hot peppers and basil available.

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, mint and parsley.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have the first lemongrass of the year as well as kale, tomatoes, colored peppers, salanova and scallions in the store. We will also have organic cranberries from Fresh Meadow Farm in Carver, MA, honey from Double B (from hives on the property), mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

Because of dwindling supply, the flower field is now open only to Flower CSA members. It’s possible we’ll have a hard enough frost that the field will be closed for the season, but if not, available varieties include zinnias, celosia, gomphrena, verbena, strawflower, rudbeckia, ammi, and amaranth. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Mushroom CSA:

It is the fourth week of the 8-week Fall Mushroom CSA. You may come to pick up your mushrooms anytime the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Your mushrooms will be kept in the cooler and retrieved by the shopkeeper when you arrive at the store.

Week 18 and Farm Stand Updates

Though we have now transitioned into October, we still have a several weeks-worth of yummy veggies left in the season! The farm store is open for 4 more weeks, with the last day for the 2023 season on October 28th. That is also the day 2023 Barrett’s Bucks expire (they do not carry over into next season). If you are a Bucks member and did not receive an email last week with your balance information, please either reach out to us (email is best) or check in with a Shopkeeper in the store. We are also now in week 18 of the 20 week Main Season CSA (Flex and Extended Seasons contiue an additional 4 weeks). Current CSA members should get an email later this week about sign-ups for the 2024 season!

It’s important to note that at this time of year a killing frost can happen anytime and can affect availability of certain crops. We’ve already had a few light frosts, but crop damage was minimal - mostly we’re just experiencing the slow growth and gradual dying back of plants that is typical for this time of year. This week’s forecast is pretty warm, and the overnight temperatures appear to be well above the danger zone for freezes (it’s unlikely this week, but we’ve definitely woken up in the morning to find that the forecast changed and a frost warning went out in the middle of the night!). While it is sad when the summer crops are finished for the season, I must admit that sometimes the first hard freeze of the season is a relief for us farmers. I think many of us have an affection for later season crops - we finally start to have time to cook them ourselves, and turning on the stove or oven is much more appealing when you haven’t been working outside in 90 degree heat all day!

In the CSA this week:

• Rainbow Carrots - People were excited about the limited amount we grew last year, so we increased the amount we seeded this year.

• Yellow Potatoes from Atlas Farm - We buy in these organic potatoes from Deerfield, MA every year for the Extended Season CSA, but we’ll also have them this week in the Main Season CSA!

• Savoy Cabbage - We’ll also have a few Tendersweet heads thrown in the mix.

• Yellow Onions - These are storage onions and should be kept in a cool, dark and dry place (so not in a refrigerator).

• Garlic

• Leeks

• Fennel

• Green peppers

• Eggplant

• Escarole - This green looks like it could be lettuce, but it has a more bitter flavor and should be cooked.

• Mustard greens

• Salanova

• Cherriette Radishes

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

The PYO fields are really winding down. Please note that although the CSA is open until 6:30 on Wednesdays, the PYO fields are closed when it gets dark.

• Shishito peppers, husk cherries or tomatillos

• Hot peppers

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, parsley, and basil.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have kale, tomatoes, colored peppers and flowers in the store. This week we are picking up organic cranberries from Fresh Meadow Farm in Carver, MA! We will also have honey from Double B (from hives on the property), mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s. Sweet corn is finished for the season and we will not be offering jack-o-lanterns this year. We normally buy in jack-o-lanterns (we do not grow them ourselves because of lack of space), but with the rainy season and flooding this year, many Concord farms lost their crops.

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. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

Because of dwindling supply, the flower field is now open only to Flower CSA members. Available varieties include zinnias, celosia, gomphrena, strawflower, ammi, and amaranth. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Mushroom CSA:

It is the third week of the 8-week Fall Mushroom CSA! You may come to pick up your mushrooms anytime the farm store is open (Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm). Your mushrooms will be kept in the cooler and retrieved by the shopkeeper when you arrive at the store.

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

from Love and Lemons

Ingredients:

• 1 pound rainbow carrots with tops

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• ½ recipe Tahini Sauce (see recipe below)

• Pomegranate arils, for garnish

Carrot Top Gremolata:

• ¼ cup chopped carrot tops

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1 small garlic clove, grated

• 1 teaspoon orange zest

• ½ teaspoon toasted cumin seeds, roughly ground in a mortar and pestle

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Wash the carrots and their tops well and pat them dry. Slice the tops off the carrots and set them aside for the gremolata.

3. Place the whole carrots on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender and browned around the edges.

4. Meanwhile, make the gremolata: Chop the carrot tops and measure ¼ cup. Save the remaining carrot tops for another use, such as homemade vegetable broth.

5. Place the ¼ cup chopped carrot tops in a medium bowl and add the parsley, garlic, orange zest, cumin seeds, and salt. Stir to combine.

6. Toss the rainbow carrots with the gremolata while they’re still warm from the oven. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with the tahini sauce, and garnish with pomegranate arils. Season to taste and serve.

Basic Tahini Sauce (for carrot recipe above)

• ½ cup tahini

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• 6 tablespoons water, plus more as needed

• 1 small garlic clove, grated or pressed

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• In a small bowl, stir together the tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic, and sea salt. Season to taste. If you find the tahini sauce too bitter, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey to balance the flavor. If it’s too sharp, add ½ to 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil to mellow the flavor. If it's too thick, add water, as needed, to reach your desired consistency.