CSA Week 19 and Farm Store Updates

It is week 19 out of 20 for the Main Season CSA! In these last two weeks we will fit in many fall favorites including butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, carrots and onions. Folks who are signed up for the Flex and Extended CSA will receive an email from us next week to sign up for time slots for the 4 weeks of the Late Fall (October 29-November 21st). The last day of the farm store of the 2020 season will be Saturday, October 31st, and all 2020 Barrett’s Bucks expire at that time. We will not be offering bulk orders this year, however we will likely have a few days of online pre-orders for late fall greens and other items in November and December. CSA renewals are still open and we will start offering spots to new members December 1st. Barrett’s Bucks memberships for both new and returning folks will open this winter. This week out in the fields we will continue to focus on bringing in the harvest as well as tackling end of the season clean up projects like landscape fabric and irrigation removal. We also have cleaning and organizing projects in the greenhouses, barn and farm stand to make room for storage of supplies. Once we get organized we do have some more exciting activities right around the corner, like planting tulips and garlic for 2021!

In the CSA this week:

• Brussels sprouts

• Yellow onions - These have been cured and so should ideally be kept in a cool, dry and dark place (not for fridge storage).

• Butternut squash

• Sweet potatoes

• Green tomatoes - fried green tomatoes anyone?

• Carrots - Fall carrots are back and sweeter than ever after the recent frosts

• Spinach - What a fall for spinach! The field harvest continues and our high tunnel planting is also almost ready!

• Daikon radishes- we grow a small (more approachable!) version called mini mak

• Cabbage - red and green storage varieties

• Escarole - A fall cooking green.

• Beets

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Lettuce

• Garlic

CSA PYO:

We have had a a couple of frosts, so most PYO is done for the season, and the herbs need a break. Hopefully the parsley and herbs in our raised beds will recover for more picking before the end of the CSA, but things do grow quite slowly this time of year!

PYO Flower CSA:

Flower picking is done for the 2020 season.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have scallions, colored peppers, and fresh ginger from our high tunnel. We will also have organic cranberries from Fresh Meadow Farm in Carver, MA, honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn and jack-o-lantern pumpkins from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Fat Moon has an abundance of mushrooms, and is making 3 pound boxes of mixed mushrooms available for $50 which are available to pre-order online this week for pick up after 2pm on Friday or on Saturday - select the special “Friday after 2pm (mushrooms only)” order cycle online in order to order for pickup at the end of the week. Bulk mushroom ordering will close at noon on Thursday. Regular online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Sheet-Pan Curry Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes

By Anna Stockwell, Epicurious September 2018

·       4 tsp. mild curry powder

·       1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·       1 tsp. light brown sugar

·       2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

·       1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

·       4 (1"-thick) small bone-in pork chops (2 lb. total)

·       8 small sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.), scrubbed, sliced in half lengthwise

·       1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

·       3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

·       4 small radishes, thinly sliced

·       1 cup pomegranate arils

Arrange a rack in top third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Stir curry, pepper, brown sugar, and 2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Rub an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet with oil. Sprinkle pork chops and potatoes with spice mixture on prepared pan to evenly coat, then arrange in an even layer with potatoes cut side down.Roast until pork is golden brown and cooked through and potatoes are deeply browned on cut sides and fork-tender, about 20 minutes. (The pork might finish cooking before the potatoes do; if so, transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest, then continue roasting the potatoes until done). Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Arrange pork and potatoes on a platter. Top with yogurt sauce, radishes, and pomegranate arils.

Perfect Roasted Brussels Sprouts

By Cookie + Kate: https://cookieandkate.com/perfect-roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If desired, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

2. To prepare your Brussels sprouts, slice off the nubby ends and remove any discolored or damaged leaves. Cut each sprout in half from the flat base through the top.

3. On your baking sheet, combine the halved sprouts, olive oil and salt. Toss until the sprouts are lightly and evenly coated. Arrange the sprouts in an even layer with their flat sides facing down.

4. Roast the the sprouts until they are tender and deeply golden on the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish if desired (see ideas below). Roasted Brussels are best served warm, but they are also good at room temperature. Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

CHANGE IT UP: Your garnishes can offer extra flavor. I love finishing the sprouts with a light drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (bonus points for adding lemon zest, too). Grated Parmesan is a good idea, especially if you’re serving your Brussels sprouts with Italian main dishes. You can’t go wrong with a light sprinkle of red pepper flakes. For an Asian spin, top with sesame seeds (white or black), and a light drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Or for a Middle Eastern take, serve your sprouts over several generous swooshes of tahini sauce.

Fried Green Tomatoes

from pinchandswirl.com

·    3 medium green tomatoes about 12 ounces

·    1 large egg

·    1/2 cup buttermilk

·    1/2 cup all-purpose flour divided

·    1/2 cup cornmeal

·    1 teaspoon salt

·    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·    pinch ground cayenne pepper

·    avocado oil or other high heat oil, for frying

·    flaky sea salt such as Maldon, for finishing

Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Whisk egg and buttermilk together in a shallow bowl. Scoop 1/4 cup flour onto a medium plate. To a second medium plate add remaining flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and cayenne; combine thoroughly with fork or small whisk. Dredge a tomato slice in plain flour, shaking off any excess; dip in egg mixture; dredge in cornmeal until evenly coated and transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining tomato slices. Line a plate with paper towels; set aside. In a heavy skillet (ideally cast iron) heat 1/4-inch of high heat oil to 375°. (It's important for the oil to be very hot to keep tomatoes from absorbing it. Be sure to reheat between batches!) Carefully place tomatoes into hot oil and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plate (keeping tomatoes in a single layer so they don't get soggy) and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. Serve hot.

Sarah is the farm’s master organizer!

CSA Week 18 and Farm Store Updates

Fall is a simpler season in many ways on the farm. Plant growth has slowed down, which means we have less crop maintenance to do and more time to focus on reaping the benefits of all the planting, weeding, mulching, pruning and trellising we did over the spring and summer. Many of the crops we will be enjoying over the next weeks have already been harvested and are in storage (like winter squash, sweet potatoes, onions and garlic), and others such as carrots and beets are done growing and ripening and just waiting for us to harvest in the field when we need them. There are still leafy greens and other crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts that need regular harvesting when ready but they are largely done needing any other maintenance from us.

While we are enjoying the fall harvest and cooking season, we are not in a “stress free” farm zone yet! Storage of fall crops can be complicated if you don’t have the right amount of space or the proper storage conditions. This is a challenge we are constantly trying to work around, as our barn is small and humid, which leads to lots of premature storage crop rot. We have better storage conditions in the farm stand (which we have been able to utilize more this year with our modified farm stand and CSA set-up), and the Town made some space available to us in their red barn this fall. This has helped a lot, but we’ve still needed to store some crops temporarily in the white barn before freeing up space elsewhere, so there has been a lot of moving vegetables around, and still more rot than we’d like to see. We lost a lot of delicata, red kuri, acorn and buttercup to rot already, but fortunately the butternut, tetsukabuto (a new squash we grew this year) and pie pumpkins made it into better storage space this year and are looking good!

Another complication in the fall is figuring out how to fill in when there are partial crop failures of fall staples as it is well past the time when planting can help make up for losses. We had an intense drought this year (and we are still in the midst of one - check out how low nearby waterways like the Assabet River, Nashoba Brook and Macone Pond are!) and irrigation was tough to keep up with. While the timing of our irrigation efforts worked okay for some potato varieties, it wasn’t enough for others. We’ll have potatoes again this week for the Main Season CSA but they will be the last, so we will buy in organic potatoes from Western Massachusetts to supplement the late fall CSA. We’d already been toying with the idea of buying in local storage potatoes more regularly, as our soil type and historic pest pressures make our land not very suitable for potato growing, but the drought this year forced our hand on this!

While this year has been tough for some crops, we are excited that our investment in four unheated high tunnels on the property is bearing fruit - literally! The colored peppers in particular have been amazing in the high tunnels this season. We didn’t devote an entire high tunnel to colored peppers this year because we had heard that some growers found them to be an inefficient use of space. However, we have been really impressed by the yields from them and are particularly excited to be pulling gorgeous colored peppers out of the tunnels two weeks after a frost! Next year we plan to grow a full tunnel’s worth so that we can hopefully have enough for both the store and CSA over a longer season. We’ve also got high tunnel kale, spinach, salanova and fennel coming later, and this week we are harvesting our fresh ginger for the store!

In the CSA this week:

• Pie pumpkins - roast them and puree the cooked flesh to use in your favorite pumpkin recipes like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread or pumpkin soup.

• Leeks - they’re back!

• Potatoes - Satina variety, they are yellow skinned with yellow flesh.

• Hakurei salad turnips - delicious raw in salad, roasted, or sauteed in butter!

• Spinach

• Escarole - A fall cooking green.

• Broccoli

• Cabbage - Tendersweet and Savoy

• Beets

• Arugula

• Mustard greens - a beautiful red spicy green that can be eaten cooked (it gets milder when cooked) or mixed in raw with a salad.

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Lettuce- red and green leaf

• Garlic

CSA PYO:

We have had a a couple of frosts, so most PYO is done for the season, and the herbs need a break for a week. Hopefully the parsley and herbs in our raised beds will recover for more picking before the end of the CSA, but things do grow quite slowly this time of year!

PYO Flower CSA:

Flower picking is done for the 2020 season.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have scallions, colored peppers, and fresh ginger from our high tunnel. We will also have organic cranberries from Fresh Meadow Farm in Carver, MA, honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn and jack-o-lantern pumpkins from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Fat Moon has an abundance of mushrooms, and is making 3 pound boxes of mixed mushrooms available for $50. If you would like to order, please email Lise (lise@barrettsmillfarm.com) by Thursday at noon and we will add it to our order for Friday. It would be available to pick up after 2pm on Friday or on Saturday. Regular online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Pumpkin Cranberry Ginger Scones

from Bon Appetit, November 2014

·       ½ cup granulated sugar

·       2 teaspoons baking powder

·       1 teaspoon ground ginger (or try using some grated fresh ginger! - use more like 1 tbsp)

·       ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

·       ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       ½ teaspoon kosher salt

·       ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

·       ¼ teaspoon baking soda

·       2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

·       ¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter

·       ½ cup chopped fresh cranberries

·       1 large egg

·       ½ cup pumpkin puree (roast halved and de-seeded pie pumpkin until fork tender, scoop out flesh and puree)

·       ¼ cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing

·       2 tablespoons raw sugar
 

Whisk granulated sugar, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, cloves, baking soda, and 2 cups flour in a large bowl. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate in butter, tossing to coat in dry ingredients as you go; toss in cranberries. Mix in egg, pumpkin, and ¼ cup buttermilk. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1½”-thick disk. Cut into 8 wedges; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, 25–30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Brush scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden, 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin Mushroom Soup

·       ½ Pound Mushrooms  

·       ½ Cup chopped Onions

·       Butter or Oil

·       2 Tablespoons Flour

·       1 Teaspoon Curry Powder

·       3 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

·       1 Pound of cooked pureed Pumpkin

·       1 Tablespoon Honey

·       2 Tablespoons Dash of Nutmeg

·       Salt and Pepper to Taste

·       1 Cup Evaporated Milk

Sauté mushrooms and onions in the butter (or oil).  Add flour and curry powder and stir.  Slowly add the broth and stir. Add pumpkin, honey and spices. Stir and simmer 10-15 minutes. Add evaporated milk. (Do not allow to boil after milk has been added.)

Spinach Pesto

from chow.com

•  8 ounces baby spinach

•  3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

•  2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

•  1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce), plus more for serving

•  Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

•  1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)

•  1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

•  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

•  1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place half of the spinach and all of the pine nuts and garlic in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until coarsely chopped, Add the remaining spinach and pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper and process until combined, about 30 seconds. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and process until a smooth paste forms, about 30 seconds. Serve on top of pasta (or whatever else sounds good to you!).

Fresh ginger sharing space with pepper plants and fennel.

CSA Week 17 and Farm Store Updates

Last week’s weather transitioned right from from a killing frost and chilly mornings to warm sunny days that felt like summer. Regardless of the daily temperatures, now that the summer plants are no longer producing the pick-our-own is now limited to herbs and hot peppers. However, we have a full fall line-up under the tent for the last 4 weeks of the Main Season CSA! This week we will enjoy potatoes, more spinach, our second broccoli planting and escarole, a classic fall cooking green. Future weeks will bring more fall favorites including sweet potatoes, yellow onions, butternut squash, red cabbage, radishes, pie pumpkins and more.

Reminders as the end of the 2020 season approaches:

• We are currently accepting CSA renewals. CSA sign-ups will open for new members on December 1st.

• The 2020 Main Season CSA ends October 24th and Flex and Extended CSAs end November 21st.

• The last day of the farm store will be October 31st. All Barrett’s Bucks expire at that time - balances do not carry over into next year.

• We will not be doing a bulk order this season. However, it is likely we will have a few days of online pre-ordering available for later fall crops in place of our usual November and December pop-up farm stand days.

• Flex members may email Melissa or inquire with CSA shopkeeper to find out how many pick-ups they have missed.

In the CSA this week:

• Potatoes - Peter Wilcox, they are purple skinned with yellow flesh. Great for roasting!

• Baby Bok Choy - Our last planting of the season

• Red onions

• Spinach

• Escarole - A fall cooking green. See recipe below for White Bean and Escarole Soup!

• Mustard greens - a beautiful red spicy green that can be eaten cooked (it gets milder when cooked) or mixed in raw with a salad.

• Fennel

• Green peppers

• Broccoli

• Curly Kale

• Beets

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Lettuce- red leaf

• Garlic

• Winter squash - choice of autumn frost, delicata or spaghetti squash

CSA PYO:

We have had a a couple of frosts, so most PYO is done for the season. There are still some herbs including parsley, sage, thyme oregano or mint as well as hot peppers.

PYO Flower CSA: Flower picking is done for the 2020 season.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have some tomatoes from our high tunnel, as well as arugula, cabbage, carrots, and a few tomatoes from our high tunnel. We will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

White Bean and Escarole Soup

from Bon Appetit | March 1996

•  1 tablespoons olive oil

•  1 cup chopped onion

•  1 large carrot, cut into small dice

•  5 large garlic cloves, peeled, flattened

•  3 cups (packed) 1-inch pieces escarole (about 1/2 large head)

•  4 cups (or more) canned vegetable broth or low-salt chicken broth

•  3 1/4 cups cooked Great Northern beans or two 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained

•  1 14 1/2- to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

•  2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic and sauté until onion is golden and tender, about 7 minutes. Discard garlic. Add escarole; stir 3 minutes. Add 4 cups broth, beans and tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until escarole is tender and flavors blend, about 20 minutes. Thin with more broth, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Roast Chicken With Fennel

By Mark Bittman

•   ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, or as needed

•   3 - 4 bulbs fennel, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

•   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

•   1 whole (about 3-pound) chicken, cut up, or about 3 pounds drumsticks and thighs

•   Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

•   Lemon wedges

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle bottom of shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with about half the olive oil and cover it with a layer of the fennel. Overlap pieces if necessary but use whole pan. Drizzle remaining oil over fennel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut up chicken if necessary and sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper. Top fennel with the chicken parts, skin side up. Ideally, you'll have a layer of fennel pretty much covered by a layer of chicken, but it's fine if some of the fennel roasts uncovered. Spoon some of the oil from bottom of pan over chicken. If there is not enough, drizzle additional olive oil over the chicken. Roast about 15 minutes, then baste chicken with pan drippings and rotate the pan. If necessary, adjust oven temperature so chicken browns but does not burn. The chicken will be done in about 30 minutes. Serve each piece with some fennel and a little of the pan juices spooned over, garnished with parsley and a lemon wedge.

CSA Renewals, CSA Week 16 and Farm store updates

Tomorrow is the first day of fall, many of our fields are planted in cover crop for the winter, and frost covered the farm the past two mornings (and likely will for a third day in a row tomorrow!), so it feels especially fitting to begin sign ups for the the 2021 season! We will open CSA renewals to current members this week and we will begin accepting new CSA members December 1st , 2020. Barrett’s Bucks sign-ups for 2021 will be available starting December 1st as well.

Current CSA members will be receiving an email on Wednesday with renewal details for 2021, including a few changes that we’ve made to sign-ups. We don’t know what June 2021 will look like in terms of the pandemic, but for now we will have members select specific pick up days to space out traffic. We are going back to having just three pick-up day options (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday), and the first hour of each CSA day will still be reserved for seniors and the immunocompromised. We do plan to increase flexibility in pick-up timing if conditions permit.

Another change that we have made is that we have moved up the sign-up deadlines to try to concentrate our administrative workload in the winter. The deadline for Early Bird pricing is now January 21st, 2021. Additionally, there is a needed price increase for next season. While sales in 2020 have so far increased beyond expectations, our expenses increased by more than our income due to the additional supply and labor costs needed to safely distribute our produce while also paying our workers a fair wage. Early Bird prices for 2021 will be as follows (with renewals costing $10 less): Main Season: $765, Extended Season: $900, Flex Season: $805. As always, a deposit made by the Early Bird deadline will secure the early price. Finally, in order to further address our budget shortfalls this season, as well as cut down on our administrative work, we will not be offering CSA members any Barrett’s Bucks included with their membership for the 2021 season (CSA members will still be able to set up a Barrett’s Bucks account for a lower minimum than standalone Bucks memberships). We think that the CSA is still a really great value and that the changes we’ve made will make a huge difference for us in terms of financial solvency and quality of life. As always, please let us know if you need to work out an alternative payment plan as we know that it is a difficult time in other industries as well. We hope that returning and new members will join us for all the bounty, fun in the fields, and hopefully some more relaxed time on the farm in 2021!

We are in week 16 of 20 for the 2020 Main Season CSA, so the last Main Season CSA pick-up day for 2020 will be Saturday, October 24th and the last Extended Season and Flex CSA pick-up will be Saturday November 21st . The farm store is open until October 31st . If you are a Flex member and would like to know how many pick ups you have left, feel free to ask when you check in this week (records are currently updated) or email Melissa.

In the CSA this week:

• Delicata Squash - These sweet winter squash are great as is, cut in half, seeds scooped out and then cut into “smiles” or half moons (about 1/4- 1/2” thick) to roast and enjoy! The skins are edible so no need to peel.

• Red onions - we hadn’t grown red storage onions in several years as we tried to focus on improving our yellow onion yields. Now that we’ve dialed in our onion growing strategy a bit better, we’ve gone back to growing some red storage onions, because, well, they’re delicious! These are milder than yellow storage onions, but with a bit more of a kick than the fresh onions from earlier in the season. They should be stored outside the refrigerator.

• Spinach - Our fall spinach is ready and it looks gorgeous!

• Mustard greens - a beautiful red spicy green that can be eaten cooked (it gets milder when cooked) or mixed in raw with a salad.

• Fennel - our fall planting is looking nice! We also planted some more in our high tunnel as an experiment, so we’ll see if it sizes up in time for a late fall round of baby fennel.

• Peppers or Eggplant- We had a frost, but so far the pepper and eggplant plants are still alive (though we’ll see what happens after another cold night tonight!). They have definitely slowed production, but we’re hoping to eke out one more week of one or the other in the CSA. We also still have peppers growing under the protection of our high tunnel, so even if we lose the field plants we should be safe for the rest of the week!

• Savoy Cabbage

• Curly Kale

• Carrots

• Beets

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Lettuce- red leaf and oakleaf (panisse)

• Garlic

CSA PYO:

We have had a a couple of frosts, so tender green beans and basil are done for the season.

• Herbs: cilantro, parsley, sage, thyme, oregano or mint

• The frost nipped the PYO tomatoes, hot peppers and husk cherries, but we are hoping the plants will hold on through the end of the week so that you can have one last taste of one of these three PYO favorites.

PYO Flower CSA:

The flower field was mostly knocked down by Sunday night’s frost, so it will now only be open to current Flower CSA members who still have some bouquets left to pick. The plants that survived are light on flowers, but you still might be able to scavenge some cosmos, amaranth, gomphrena, rudbeckia or salvia. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar.

In the Farm Store:

The farm store is open until October 31st, 2020. That is the last day to use 2020 Barrett’s Bucks, as balances do not carry over to the following year. In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have some tomatoes from our high tunnel, as well as scallions, broccoli, spaghetti squash, sunflowers and baby bok choy. We will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Orecchiette With Mustard Greens and Sausage

by Anna Painter from Real Simple

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (also very good with vegetarian sausage substitute)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 bunches mustard greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 pound cooked orecchiette

• Toasted bread crumbs and grated Parmesan

Cook the sausage in olive oil in a large skillet over medium until browned. Add garlic, mustard greens, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add orecchiette and toss to combine. Serve topped with bread crumbs and Parmesan.

Delicata Squash and Spinach Salad

from Green Valley Kitchen, November 30, 2014

Ingredients

• 1 delicata squash

• 1/2 bag of baby spinach – about 5 oz

• 1/3 cup of dried cranberries

• 1/3 cup of walnut pieces

• 2 tbs red onion

• 2 oz feta cheese

• 4 tbs olive oil

• 1 tbs red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 8 twists of black pepper

• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse delicata squash well. Chop off ends of squash then split squash down the middle. Scoop out seeds and slice squash into 1/2 inch slices.

3. Toss delicata squash with 1 tbs olive oil and a few twists of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Place on a baking sheet and even spread out the squash so it does not overlap.

4. Bake the squash for 20 minutes in the oven. After 10 minutes – take the squash out and flip the slices so they will be evenly browned on each side – but the pan back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

5. While the squash is cooking, wash spinach and add to a bowl.

6. Add cranberries and walnuts to the bowl of spinach.

7. Mince red onion and dice feta cheese. Add red onion to the bowl of spinach.

8. Whisk together the remaining 3 tbs of olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and a few twists of black pepper. Pour 3/4 over spinach salad and toss to combine. Add diced feta cheese and toss gently to combine.

9. Drizzle remaining dressing over squash slices (once they are out of the oven). Add squash to salad and toss very gently. I kept a couple of slices aside and then added to the top of the salad for presentation.

CSA Week 15 and Farm Store Updates

It feels like we have pretty abruptly transitioned from summer crops to fall crops in the past week. While we are still harvesting some tomatoes, peppers and eggplant from the high tunnels and fields, the shorter days have contributed to dramatically slower fruit growth. Though it is warmer in the high tunnels and the plants look very healthy, you can’t make up for shorter day length (unless you want to use a lot of electricity and invest heavily in supplemental lighting!). Once we hit late August and day lengths started to be closer to 13 hours per day, the plants just stopped churning out new ripe fruit every day. With the cooler weather, though, it is a nice time for cooking some of the gorgeous fall crops we have coming on. We’ve been enjoying a lovely beet crop for a few weeks now, and the first succession of fall carrots finally sized up for harvest last week. Brassicas also thrive in this weather - broccoli, Tendersweet cabbage and dinosaur kale are welcome additions to the mix this week.

The cooler weather and shorter days are also ushering in a later start time for our crew a few days per week. Melissa and I have been starting administrative, cleaning, organizing and sanitizing work long before the crew arrives at 7am in order to prep for the day (we always started earlier in normal years, but the pandemic has really increased the morning work load!). Even with help from Sarah before the rest of the crew arrives it has been hard to keep up, and it’s starting to get a little dreary working in the dark, so now that we’ve completed our fall crew hiring we’ve pushed the crew back to starting at 8am a few days per week to give ourselves a little breathing room after a tough summer!

In the CSA this week:

• Broccoli! - we do not spray our broccoli at all, so there is some “wildlife” in the broccoli heads. Soak the heads in warm water with a little salt to entice out cabbage worms before prepping for cooking.

• Tendersweet cabbage - the name says it all. Perfect for coleslaw or as a shredded addition to tacos!

• Dinosaur kale - also known as toscano or lacinato, these flat leaves cook evenly and are great for making kale chips.

• Scallions - after a summer hiatus, they’re back!

• Acorn squash - unlike the red kuri and buttercup squash, these squash skins are thicker (and less tasty), so they are well-suited for stuffing.

• Carrots

• Beets

• Buttercup or Red Kuri Squash or Spaghetti Squash - you’ll have a choice of one of these.

• Salanova Lettuce Mix

• Arugula

• Garlic

• Curly Green Kale

• Lettuce

• Green peppers

• Colored Peppers or Eggplant - we don’t have enough for unlimited supplies of both all week, so you’ll see one of these as an option.

CSA PYO:

Please bring scissors from home for your herb picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Green Beans

• Cherry tomatoes - we’re still seeing a bit of splitting from another rain last week, but all varieties are in pretty similar shape this week. It takes a little longer to fill a pint container than it used to. Definitely past peak flavor, but they’ll likely hang on until our first frost.

• Hot peppers or husk cherries - you’ll have a choice between the two.

• Herbs: sage, cilantro, basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley are available this week.

• Sunflowers

PYO Flower CSA:

The flower field is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase PYO flowers by the jar. Picking is open anytime the Farm Store is open: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Zinnias are the highlight right now! Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar. We are short on jars so if you have a quart mason jar at home bring in along! Check in at the farm stand before picking.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA we will also have some tomatoes and radishes. We will also have honey from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property), sweet corn from Verrill Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Roasted Veggies

by Lauren Kenson, freeyourfork.com

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash

• 4 c broccoli florets

• 2 c shiitake mushrooms, chopped into ½” pieces

• 4 tbs avocado oil

• ½ tbs dried thyme

• salt

• ½ c tomato sauce*

OPTIONAL

• shredded cheese*

• red pepper flakes

1. PREHEAT OVEN: to 375 F and prepare a baking sheet with foil (can also use bare sheet tray if preferred).

2. CUT + SEED SQUASH: Cut the acorn squash down the middle (from the top stem to the pointy end). Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and set these aside (either discard them or roast them another time as a snack). Rub ½ tbs avocado oil onto just the cut-side of each half (don’t rub it onto the green skin) and place them cut side up on the sheet tray. Sprinkle with salt and the dried thyme and roast for 35 min.

3. ADD VEGETABLES: Take out the sheet tray with the acorn squash. Then add the broccoli and mushrooms to it. Toss them in avocado oil and salt them before returning entire sheet tray to oven and roast for another 40 min (taking the tray out once halfway through to flip the veggies around). You want to roast the vegetables until browned on the ends and roast the squash until it has softened.

4. STUFF THE SQUASH: Remove the tray from the oven and set your temperature to broil on high. Using a fork, lightly smash the squash flesh (leaving the skin intact) so it resembles mashed potato texture. Press the mixture to the sides to make room for the roasted veggies and sauce. Spoon half the tomato sauce into each squash half. Then add half the roasted veggies to each half. Top with a sprinkle of cheese (if using) and return to the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese has just melted on top. Remove and enjoy immediately. The skin is edible if you wish to eat it, but it also comes off quite easily if you don’t.

Notes

TO KEEP DISH VEGAN FRIENDLY: Omit the cheese or use a vegan-friendly cheese option.