CSA Week 21 and Mini Farm Store

There are 4 more weeks left in the CSA, including this one. Pick-ups will now be in the greenhouse attached to the farm stand for warmth and light! Additionally, the CSA will now close at 6pm instead of 6:30 on Wednesday evenings. If you can’t make it by 6pm just email shopkeeper@barrettsmillfarm.com and we will make you a bag and leave it out on the front porch of the farm stand for later pick-up. The PYO herbs will close once it is dark out.

The regular farm store season has come to a close, but starting this week we will have a mini store open to the public during the remaining CSA pick-ups: Wednesdays 11am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm. There will also be a large pre-Thanksgiving sale open to all on Saturday, November 22nd from 9am-3pm.

In the CSA this week:

• Watermelon radish - These are unassuming on the outside but inside they are bright red with a ring of green! They also taste delicious in salads and make a great addition to crudités.

• Green tomatoes - Fried green tomatoes are a classic preparation, but they can also be pickled or turned into a sauce like salsa verde.

• Autumn Frost Squash - A specialty butternut squash with edible skin.

• Pie pumpkins

• Yellow potatoes - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Garlic

• Peppers

• Broccoli

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

• Cabbage - Tendersweet and Savoy varieties

• Mini daikon - Purple, red and white varieties.

• Turnips

• Kale - Curly green

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Escarole

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: parsley, sage, thyme, mint

In the mini farm store:

Hours this week are Wednesday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: pie pumpkins, autumn frost squash, salanova lettuce mix, broccoli.

• Leeks

• Bok Choi

• Tomatoes - We just cleared out the remaining ripe tomatoes from the high tunnel to make way for winter spinach this week!

• Corn stalks - For decorating!

• Cranberries from Fresh Meadows Farm in Carver, MA. Certified Organic.

• Asian Pears- From Ed at Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified organic. Limited amounts available.

• Apples - From Carver Hill in Stow, MA. Macoun and Cortland varieties. Not organic. Limited amounts available.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

Vegetarian Stuffed Squash

adapted from Cookie + Kate

Ingredients

• 2 medium squash (original recipe calls for acorn, but Autumn Frost would work really nicely!)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed

• 1 cup water

• ¼ cup dried cranberries

• ¼ cup raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

• ¼ cup chopped green onion

• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• ½ cup crumbled goat cheese or feta

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.

2. To prepare the squash, use a sharp chef’s knife to slice through it from the tip to the stem. I find it easiest to pierce the squash in the center along a depression line, then cut through the tip, and finish by slicing through the top portion just next to the stem. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside, and discard those pieces.

3. Place the squash halves cut side up on the parchment-lined pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the squash, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Rub the oil into the cut sides of the squash, then turn them over so the cut sides are against the pan. Bake until the squash flesh is easily pierced through by a fork, about 30 to 45 minutes. Leave the oven on.

4. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed quinoa and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until all of the water is absorbed, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cranberries. Cover, and let the mixture steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

5. In a medium skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pepitas are turning golden on the edges and making little popping noises, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

6. Pour the fluffed quinoa mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add the toasted pepitas, chopped green onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.

7. If the mixture is very hot, let it cool for a few minutes before adding the Parmesan cheese and goat cheese. Gently stir the mixture to combine.

8. Turn the cooked squash halves over so the cut sides are facing up. Divide the mixture evenly between the squash halves with a large spoon. Return the squash to the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cheesy quinoa is turning golden on top.

9. Sprinkle the stuffed squash with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and serve warm.

Notes

Squash filling adapted from the stuffed sweet potatoes in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 144).

Change it up: You can add more protein to this dish by stirring 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas), into the quinoa mixture. You may have some of the mixture leftover—it’s a great quinoa salad on its own.

Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit both varieties of cheese. You might want to add chickpeas (see above) to fill out the stuffing mixture. Top the baked squash with dollops of vegan sour cream, and you could even finish it off with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan.

Fried Green Tomato Parmesan

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs

• 4 cups Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

• 10 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick

• 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

• 1 (16 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• ½ teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk eggs in a small bowl until smooth. Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish.

3. Dip each tomato slice in egg, then press into bread crumbs to coat. Arrange coated tomato slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 5 minutes per side.

5. Pour 3 cups spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of tomato slices. Layer with 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat layers with remaining 3 cups spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, remaining mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Sprinkle basil over the top.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

CSA Week 20 and Farm Stand Updates

This is the last week that the farm stand will be open for regular hours. Barrett’s Bucks will also expire this Saturday, October 25th. Though the regular store will be closed next week, we will have a mini store open to everyone during CSA pick-ups Wednesdays 11am - 6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm. We will also have our big pre-Thanksgiving sale on Saturday, November 22nd. Although this is the last week for the store, the CSA continues on until Saturday November 22nd. If you have a Flex membership, be sure to check in with the Shopkeeper to find out how many pick-ups you have left to skip!

Even though it feels like the season is winding down, we still have a wide array of fall veggies to enjoy! We also still have lots of field and high tunnel work to keep us busy. The late fall always entails putting the farm to bed - this means taking down trellising, pulling up plastic mulches, seeding cover crops, mulching strawberries and garlic with straw, ripping out summer crops in our high tunnels, digging up dahlia tubers, taking down fences and more. It’s not all about endings, though! We’re also planting tulips and garlic for next year and greens in our high tunnel for this winter. We keep wondering when we’ll have time to catch up on our mountains of office work!

In the CSA this week:

• Butternut squash

• Turnips - We now have the more classic purple-top storage turnips.

• Rainbow carrots

• Yellow potatoes - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Leeks

• Garlic - Back after a hiatus!

• Fennel

• Colored pepper

• Green and purple peppers

• Broccoli

• Cabbage - Tendersweet and Savoy varieties

• Mini daikon - Purple, red and white varieties.

• Bok Choi - Full-sized heads.

• Kale - Curly green

• Salanova

• Escarole - This bitter green is excellent in soups and stew like the classic white bean and escarole soup. It can also be sauteed with garlic and olive oil as a side dish.

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, mint and chives.

In the farm store:

Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. Our farm store will be open until October 25th! This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: butternut squash, turnips, garlic, broccoli, rainbow carrots, potatoes from Atlas Farm, escarole, leeks, bok choi, cabbage, fennel, green and purple peppers, kale, salanova, herbs.

• Tomatoes - From the high tunnel. We may not have them for the whole week as the plants are looking rough and we’ll need to begin turning over all of our high tunnels to winter greens!

• Pie pumpkins

• Autumn Frost squash

• Acorn squash

• Lettuce

• Mini daikon

• Watermelon radish

• Salad turnips

• Onions

• Corn stalks - For decorating!

• Cranberries from Fresh Meadows Farm in Carver, MA. Certified Organic.

• Beets from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Apples - From Carver Hill in Stow, MA (not organic). Macoun and Cortland varieties. Not organic.

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified Organic.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags of Italian Cranberry. We will have more varieties soon when Charley Baer is able to make our fall delivery!

Pasta With Kale Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash

By Melissa Clark, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds butternut squash

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more for squash

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 bunch (about ½ pound) kale, center ribs removed

• 8 ounces pasta (penne rigate works well)

• ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts

• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a vegetable peeler to peel squash, then halve it lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Dice squash flesh into 1-inch pieces, place on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread pieces into an even layer, making sure there is space between them. Roast, stirring squash pieces once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; have ready a bowl of ice water. Drop kale into boiling water and cook for 45 seconds. Use tongs or slotted spoon to transfer kale to ice water. Bring water in pot back to a boil, adding more if necessary so there is enough to cook pasta.

3. Drain kale well, then wrap tightly in a dry kitchen towel and squeeze thoroughly to remove any excess moisture. Roughly chop leaves. When water in pot comes back to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions.

4. In a food processor, pulse together kale, nuts, garlic, salt and lemon zest until mixture is smooth and salt has dissolved. With motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt dissolved in a little lemon juice, if necessary.

5. Drain pasta, reserving a little cooking water. Toss pasta with kale pesto and some pasta cooking water if necessary to help it coat pasta. Add cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve topped with squash and more cheese.

Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan

from Smitten Kitchen

• 1 medium-large (1 3/4 pounds) or two small heads savoy cabbage

• 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Scant 1/2 cup (1.75 ounces) walnut halves and pieces

• 1 large or 2 smaller garlic cloves

• 1 large lemon

• Red pepper flakes, such as Aleppo (optional)

• Grated parmesan, to taste

Heat oven to 475ºF. Remove any damaged outer leaves of cabbage and cut it 8 (for small ones) to 12 (for a large one) wedges. Coat a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange cabbage wedges in one layer, drizzling or brushing them with 2 more tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until charred underneath (don’t panic if you see a few thin black edges; they’re going to taste amazing). Use a spatula to flip each piece over and roast for 5 more minutes, until the edges of the cabbage are dark brown.

Meanwhile, while cabbage roasts, place nuts on a smaller tray or baking dish and roast them next to the cabbage for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and scatter them, still hot, onto a cutting board and coarsely chop them. Scoop into a bowl and finely grate the zest of half a lemon and all of the garlic over it. Add remaning 3 tablespoons olive oil to walnuts, a few pinches of salt and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. If you’ve got a couple minutes to let it all infuse as it cools, let it rest. When ready, squeeze the juice of half your lemon in and stir to combine. Adjust flavors to taste, adding more lemon if needed; you want this dressing to be robust.

The moment the cabbage comes out of the oven, spoon the walnut dressing over the wedges. Grate parmesan all over, to taste. Serve immediately, while piping hot.

CSA Week 19 and Farm Stand Updates

The big event of last week was the freeze on Thursday night, and the big excitement/surprise was that overhead irrigating the flowers overnight mostly worked. When we checked on the flowers at sunrise and saw them all perfectly encased in ice, the first thought was “oh well, it didn’t work, but it looks really cool.” We saw people pulling over on their way to work to snap some pictures, and we were feeling a little sheepish about what at first seemed like a very public and spectacular failure. However, hours later we noticed from a distance that the flower field looked awfully colorful for having just been showered with an ice storm (After a hard frost, cold sensitive crops like flowers, peppers and tomatoes turn brown after they thaw out). On closer inspection we saw that most of the plants were still alive! The weight of the ice did cause taller stems to collapse and sometimes snap, and on some plants you could see that the side that hadn’t been directly hit by the sprinkler water had turned brown. Overall though, it felt like we had snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. Of course we are still on the trajectory of colder and colder nights, so this will be a short-lived win, but we are happy to extend the flower season a little longer, especially for the dahlias that have such a short production window!

The overnight temperatures on Thursday were low enough and sustained enough that all of the peppers, tomatoes, husk cherries, tomatillos and basil out in the field didn’t survive. Even the tomatoes and peppers in our high tunnels didn’t escape unscathed. The plants are alive, but the tops of them got nipped, and some of the plants on the outside edges didn’t make it. Fortunately, we have a really diverse selection of veggies that are perfect for making warm and cozy meals to go with the changing season!

In the CSA this week:

• Broccoli

• Colored pepper

• Yellow potatoes - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Rainbow carrots - Always a hit, these rainbow bunches include purple, pink and yellow mixed in with some traditional orange ones.

• Pie pumpkin - They may look like Halloween decorations, but unlike jack-o-lanterns, they are intended for eating. Not only can you make pumpkin pie with them, but you can also make things like pumpkin soup and pumpkin muffins!

• Leeks

• Fennel

• Green and purple peppers

• Cabbage - Tendersweet variety. The name says it all!

• Bok Choi - Full-sized heads.

• Mini Daikon - Red, purple and white varieties.

• Kale - Curly green

• Salad turnips

• Lettuce

• Escarole - This bitter green is excellent in soups and stew like the classic white bean and escarole soup. It can also be sauteed with garlic and olive oil as a side dish.

• Arugula

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

The cold overnight temperatures last Thursday/Friday has led to the end of all of our cold sensitive crops like cherry tomatoes, hot peppers, husk cherries and basil.

• Herbs: parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, mint and chives.

In the farm store:

Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. Our farm store will be open until October 25th! This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: broccoli, rainbow carrots, potatoes from Atlas Farm, pie pumpkins, escarole, leeks, bok choi, cabbage, mini daikon, fennel, salad turnips, green and purple peppers, lettuce, arugula, kale, herbs.

• Tomatoes - From the high tunnel (all of our field tomato plants perished in the freeze last week).

• Garlic

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Acorn squash

• Dahlias

• Cranberries from Fresh Meadows Farm in Carver, MA. Certified Organic.

• Beets from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Apples - From Carver Hill in Stow, MA (not organic). Macoun and Cortland varieties. Not organic.

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified Organic.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. Not organic: marfax. We will have more varieties soon when Charley Baer is able to make our fall delivery!

Sheet Pan Chow Mein

Adapted by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen from Hetty McKinnon's To Asia, With Love

Note from the author: Below are the vegetables I used, but feel free to use what you have for all or some. Chinese broccoli or other greens would be great here, or shredded cabbage. Thinly sliced mushrooms, too. Dried (or fresh) thin egg noodles will crisp up best for chow mein, but if you’re okay with it being less crisp, use whatever noodles you have on hand, including rice noodles, if wheat is an issue.

Ingredients:

• 1 bell pepper (any color), finely sliced

• 1 carrot, peeled and finely sliced diagonally

• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets, or bundle of broccolini, cut into 1- to 2-inch segments

• Kosher salt

• Olive oil or a neutral oil

• A 250-gram or 8.8-ounce package dried thin egg noodles

• 1 small can baby corn, drained

• 6 ounces asparagus, sugar snaps, or snow peas, trimmed and cut into 1- to 2-inch segments

• 1 medium shallot or 3 scallions, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, to finish

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Soy seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos

• 1 tablespoon vegetarian stir-fry sauce, such as vegetarian oyster or hoisin sauce (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 small clove garlic, grated or minced

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. On a large baking sheet, toss the pepper, carrot, and broccoli with a splash of olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 10 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.

2. Meanwhile, make the noodles: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the egg noodles, and cook according to the packet instructions, or al dente, about four to five minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water. Drain well again and pat dry with a clean tea towel.

3. Combine the soy seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Remove the baking sheet and push the vegetables to the side. Add the noodles, corn and asparagus. Drizzle the noodles with sesame oil, season with more salt and toss well to coat. Return the tray to the oven and bake for another 15 to 18 minutes, until the noodles are crispy on the top and bottom. We are looking for a combination of crispy and non-crispy noodles.

5. Remove the tray from the oven, drizzle over the soy seasoning and toss well. Scatter over the shallot and sesame seeds and serve.

Cabbage, Potato and Leek Soup

By Melissa Clark, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3 medium leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

• 8 cups shredded cabbage

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced

• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 thyme branches

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to serve

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the leeks and cook until soft and golden around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cabbage and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage begins to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in potatoes, stock, 4 cups water, salt and thyme. Bring soup to a simmer and cook, partly covered, until potatoes begin to fall apart, 45 to 50 minutes. Add more water, as needed, to reach the desired consistency. Season with black pepper and serve, topped with cheese.

Spicy Roasted Daikon “French Fry” Recipe

by Valentina K. Wein

Ingredients

• 3½ tablespoons grapeseed oil

• 1½ teaspoons chili paste

• 1 teaspoon low sodium Tamari or soy sauce

• ½ teaspoon ginger pulp, freshly grated

• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (use half the amount if you're using table salt)

• 5 cups (about 1 ¾-pounds) Daikon radish, peeled & sliced (see instruction no. 2)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F, and adjust a rack to the center.

2. Make the seasoning. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili paste, Tamari or soy sauce, ginger, sugar and salt.

3. Prep Daikon. Cut the Daikon into sections approximately 3-inches long, then cut about ¼-inch slices off the side of each one, to make a base. Stand the sections on their bases, and cut them, vertically into slices about ¼-inch thick. Stand these slices on top of each other, and then cut them into sticks about ¼-inch thick. Add all of the Daikon slices to a baking sheet and set aside.

4. Assemble. Drizzle this over the Daikon slices and then use your hands to toss them until they're all evenly coated and in a single layer.

5. Roast. Place the baking sheet in the preheated 475°F oven and roast until they are golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes. (You should gently toss/flip them about halfway through the cooking time.)

6. Drain, cool and serve. Add a double layer of paper towels to another baking sheet, and when the fries are done, add them on top of the towels to drain and cool.

End of season dates and updates for Farm Store and CSA

The last day of the Farm Store for the season is Saturday, October 25th and the last day of the CSA (for all members) is Saturday, November 22nd! There was a hard frost Thursday night but most of our fall crops do just fine in the cold and for those that don’t we brought in big harvests early this week. In addition to big flower harvests before the freeze, we also ran irrigation on the dahlias and PYO flowers and many survived! Our high tunnel protected the tomatoes (for now!) so those are still producing, albeit more slowly. That’s all to say, keep coming for the farm store and CSA!

Farm Store:

• The last day of the regular season is Saturday, October 25th.

• 2025 Barrett’s Bucks expire on October 25th and can not be used for later pop-up sales or carried over to next season.

• Hours will continue to be Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm.

• We will be in touch via our newsletter to announce winter pop-up sales for high tunnel greens, winter squash, and root crops. We will also have our own hot sauce and salsa verde available! Our first (and biggest) pop-up will likely be the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

CSA:

• The last day of the CSA is Saturday November 22nd. This is the end date for all CSA memberships this year!

• There are 2 types of CSA memberships this year. Flex CSA members pick up 20 weeks out of the 24 week season (so skip 4 weeks) and Extended Season members come all 24 weeks. If you aren’t sure which you have, or want to check on your number of skips feel free to email melissa@barrettsmillfarm.com.

• Due to the recent frost Pick-Your-Own crops are mostly done for the season. We will still have herbs available for picking.

• In November we will move the CSA pick-up into the greenhouse attached to the farm stand for warmth and light!

• Even after the farm store closes we will often have a few products for sale during CSA pick-up such as Fresh Meadows organic cranberries, raspberry vinegar and jam from Silferleaf farm, and organic applesauce.

CSA Week 18 and Farm Stand Updates

Our big project last week was skinning one of our high tunnels (“skinning” a high tunnel or greenhouse means putting on a new plastic covering). The plastic needs to be replaced every 4 years, but in this case a burst of wind in late July caused the plastic covering to fly off. It had been home to our high tunnel cucumbers, but because the plants had already died off and the summer is a difficult time to take a full morning skinning a high tunnel, we decided to leave the covering off for the rest of the summer. We had actually been wanting to take the plastic off the high tunnel anyway to have a sort of fresh start by exposing the soil to the elements. Because the inside of high tunnels are not exposed to rain or snow, salts can build up in the soil of high tunnels over time, so it is recommended to leave the covering off of high tunnels for a couple of months to leach out some of that salt. Of course, we were in a drought this summer so we didn’t get as much rain as we’d like, but hopefully it was enough to help. Also, an aphid problem had been building up over the past couple of years in that tunnel. Conditions in high tunnels are protective not only to plants, but also to some pests like aphids! We hope exposure to the elements will knock back the population naturally.

While the wind burst definitely saved us some time taking the covering off, putting a new covering on is still an undertaking. We have to secure the plastic all around the edges and endwalls, which means working on ladders 14 feet in the air for some of it - not our favorite part of the process! Still, we’ve done it enough now we can usually complete it in a couple of hours. By last week we felt in a better position to take that time out of our day. Now the salanova lettuce mix planted in there will have some warmer conditions to grow in.

It look like we have some much colder overnight temperatures forecast for later this week, so it could be the end of some of our crops, including the PYO flowers. If you are a PYO Flower CSA member and still have a bouquet left to pick, we recommend picking Tuesday or Wednesday!

In the CSA this week:

• Rainbow carrots - Always a hit, these rainbow bunches include purple, pink and yellow mixed in with some traditional orange ones.

• Pie pumpkin - They may look like Halloween decorations, but unlike jack-o-lanterns, they are intended for eating. Not only can you make pumpkin pie with them, but you can also make things like pumpkin soup and pumpkin muffins!

• Escarole - This bitter green is excellent in soups and stew like the classic white bean and escarole soup (see below for one take on it). It can also be sauteed with garlic and olive oil as a side dish.

• Leeks

• Fennel

• Beets - from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Green and purple peppers

• Tomatoes - Production is slowing down with shorter days and cooler temperatures, especially in the field (our high tunnel tomatoes enjoy warmer temperatures so are more productive than the field tomatoes in October).

• Cabbage - Tendersweet variety. The name says it all!

• Bok Choi - full sized heads

• Mini Daikon - In addition to the Red King variety, we’ll have white and purple varieties available as well.

• Kale - Curly green

• Salad turnips

• Lettuce

• Arugula

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

The cold overnight temperatures forecast for later this week may affect availability of PYO crops for Saturday.

• Hot peppers - Jalapeño, Fresno, Aji Rico, Cayenne and Hungarian Hot Wax.

• Habañeros - We delivered two batches of hot peppers to Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provisions to turn into hot sauce, but there are still a lot out there, so members will have the opportunity to pick a larger quantity of these extra spicy peppers!

• Herbs: parsley, cilantro dill flowers, sage, thyme, mint, chives and basil.

In addition, members may choose 1 of the following:

• Husk cherries - These small fruit in papery husks are related to tomatoes and tomatillos and have a somewhat tropical flavor.

• Tomatillos - They should be picked when the fruit fills our the green husk around it.

In the farm store:

Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. Our farm store will be open until October 25th! This week in the farm store we plan to have:

• The following items that are also in the CSA: rainbow carrots, pie pumpkins, escarole, leeks, bok choi, cabbage, mini daikon, fennel, salad turnips, green and purple peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, arugula, kale, herbs, hot peppers, husk cherries and tomatillos.

• Garlic

• Salanova lettuce mix

• Mustard greens

• Delicata -the last of this early season winter squash favorite!

• Acorn squash

• Dahlias - Wrapped bouquets as well as mini jars. We are going to try to keep them going by running sprinklers on them when it freezes Thursday night, but this may be the last week.

• Raspberries - From Silferleaf Farm just down the road from us! Available Tuesday and Wednesday, TBD for other days. Certified Organic.

• Yellow Potatoes from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified Organic.

• Apples - From Carver Hill in Stow, MA (not organic). Macoun, Mutsu and Cortland varieties. Not organic.

• Sweet corn from Verrill Farm (not organic)

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified Organic.

• Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.

• Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. Not organic: marfax. We will have more varieties soon when Charley Baer is able to make our fall delivery!

White Bean and Escarole Soup

by Debra Klein

Ingredients

• 3 leeks thinly sliced

• ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 3 large cloves garlic pressed

• 1 head escarole roughly chopped

• 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 2 cups water

• 2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans

• 1 tablespoon light miso diluted with ¼ cup warm water

• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Wash and dry escarole. Roughly chop. Thinly slice white and light green sections of leeks.

2. Heat dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat.

3. Saute leeks in olive oil or vegetable broth for 3 minutes.

4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add garlic, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

5. Stir in escarole and cook for 2 minutes, stirring as it wilts.

6. Add tomatoes, beans, broth and water. Stir well.

7. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low to simmer for 10 minutes.

8. Whisk miso with ¼ cup water and then mix into the soup until heated through.

9. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, mix well and ladle into bowls while still hot.

10. Garnish with additional nutritional yeast and crushed red pepper if you like a little heat.

Notes:

Leeks:  3 large leeks with yield approximately 1 ¼ cups sliced leeks. Substitute 1 large or 2 small diced onion.

Escarole: Approximately 6 cups firmly packed after chopping. Can substitute with kale, collard greens, endive or Napa cabbage. You can use spinach, and reduce the simmer time to 5 minutes. 

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

from Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

Wet ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (To make a pumpkin puree, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and roast. Once the flesh is soft, scoop it out and puree)

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled (or sub melted butter)

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners and spray the insides of the liners with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, almond milk and vanilla.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Evenly divide batter between 12 muffin cups. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Enjoy!

Jake, Sue and Joe show off the Monday rainbow carrot harvest.