We’ve finally had our first frosts of the year, and they were legit. Even today, the ground remained solid until luncthime, which meant that a great deal of our harvest was pitched toward the end of the day, which is the opposite of how we typically roll on Mondays. But, the crew rallied and harvested a modest amount of Arugula for the CSA only this week—it suffered a bit of cold damage over the weekend, but the crew has pulled in just enough to bring a little pep to some roasted Squash and gorgeous jewel-toned Beets that are hitting the share tables this week—Red, Golden and Chioggia “Candy.” If you haven’t done anything with your Celery Root from last week just yet, Beets are a wonderful pairing. As is custom for many of our root harvests in Fall, we’re enjoying some now and preparing the rest for storing an enjoying this Fall and Winter. This year’s harvest is looking solid, but Mark is starting to worry that we’ll run out of room in our Root Cellar.

We have not one, not two but THREE choices of Winter Squashes for the CSA this week—Red Kuri, Green Kabocha and an old squash that will be new to many of you Thelma Sanders’ Sweet Potato Squash.  Thelma is a cream-colored heirloom Acorn squash with a delicate yellow flesh that makes it great for mashing up with a little bit of salt and butter like its Sweet Potato namesake.  I’m thinking it would make a great base for a Squashy Polenta; however, the skin is also quite tender, so you can enjoy it how you would a typical Acorn—sliced and roasted or stuffed skins and all.   Kuri is a Japanese hubbard type squash that imparts the most a bold deep orange color whatever you're baking or cooking up.  As I've mentioned before, this teardrop shaped gourd really flourishes in my favorite squash soup recipe, and Kuri Squash Curry is also an obvious bet, for the sake of flavor and wordplay if nothing else.  Don’t sleep on Green Kabocha though, because it is quite versatile.  Dark green on the outside, and somewhat golden on the inside, Kabocha literally translates into "pumpkin" in Japanese, and it is a variety that many chefs turn to when composing their menus and cookbooks.   

As a reminder to folks with Egg Shares, this is the last week of prepaid egg pickup before we push pause for the remainder of the Fall. We will still have eggs available for sale in the farmstand! Why the pause? Chickens are very sensitive to day length, and their laying habits naturally drop off significantly as the days get shorter. At the height of the Summer, we gather over twenty dozen eggs a day from our flocks, and by the Winter Solstice, we’re lucky to bring in around three or four dozen. Dramatic, right? So, after almost a decade of struggling to get enough eggs to fill pre-sold shares in late Fall, we’re calling it what it is and preemptively cutting the Egg Share short for the Fall season in anticipation of a natural seasonal shortage. Ironically, they’ve still been laying pretty darn well through October, so we really hope you’ll keep buying what we have going forward in November and early December.

Many Thanks,
Katie

IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:

• Beets

• Baby Arugula

• Yellow Onions

• Red Kuri, Green Kabocha or Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Acorn Squash

• Red Bartlett and/or Concorde Pears

AT THE FARMSTAND THIS WEEK

GOLDEN BEET BORSCHT
Melissa Clark

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 medium leeks, white and light green parts diced (about 2½ cups), or use white onion

• 1 large celery stalk, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

• ¾ teaspoon ground coriander

• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds

• 1½ pounds medium golden beets, peeled and grated or shredded (about 6 cups)

• ½ pound medium carrots, peeled and grated or shredded (about 1½ cups)

• 2 teaspoons fine sea or table salt, plus more to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 5 thyme sprigs

• 6 cups vegetable stock

• ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, dill or parsley, leaves and tender stems, plus more for serving

• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

• 1 lemon

• Plain sour cream or whole-milk yogurt, for serving

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

ROASTED PUMPKIN SALAD WITH ARUGULA & CHEVRE
Food 52

• 2 Acorn Squash

• Splash Olive Oil

• Pinch Salt

• Pinch Pepper

• 1 bunch Baby Arugula

• 8 ounces Bucheron - aged goat cheese (or substitute chèvre)

• For the dressing

• 1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• salt

• pepper

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH PEARS & WALNUTS
Love & Lemons

• 3 medium sized beets, any variety (I used a mix of red and golden beets)

• a small drizzle of olive oil, for roasting the beets

• 1 ripe pear, chopped into ½ inch pieces

• ¼ cup walnuts, toasted

• ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled (or more)

• A few handfuls of salad greens of your choice

• ¼-1/2 cup cooked quinoa (optional, for a heartier salad)

• Micro sprouts, for garnish (also optional)

• 1-2 tablespoons walnut oil

• A drizzle of balsamic vinegar

• A drizzle of honey

• Sea salt and fresh black pepper

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

ROASTED SQUASH WITH SPICED PISTACHIOS
Alison Roman

• 1 winter squash, such as kabocha, acorn, or red kuri, washed and sliced into 1 1/2-inch-thick wedges (1 1/2 to 2 lbs.)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil 

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• ¼ cup raw pistachios, finely chopped

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

• Pinch ground cinnamon

• Pinch crushed red pepper (optional)

• Flaky sea salt

• 1 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt

CONTINUE TO RECIPE