October is off to a very full start as we begin our root harvests. While there are buckets of rain in the forecast, there is not a cold night to be seen, so we’re holding off on harvesting things that benefit most from a touch of frost for flavor. (Like Parsnips, for instance), but we’ve got to get started with stocking the cellar somehow. So, the crew has harvested White Daikon, Carrots and another round of bunched White Onions for this week that are going to be a great addition to the pointy little Cone Cabbages. I think it is a perfect combo for a nice little slaw, stir fry, brothy soup, pickle or ferment.

A new week means a new squash, and this week we’ve got Spaghetti, a beautiful compact orange variety that is great to split for a weeknight main dish or side. I know people either love, are on the fence about, or have given up on liking Spaghetti Squash completely.  I fall squarely in the "on the fence" category. I don’t typically care for it as a “pasta with red sauce” substitute, but I LOVE it with garlic and oil, or covered with toasted warm spices, or as a substitute for rice or rice noodles.  Luckily, there is more than one way to prepare Spaghetti Squash. You can cut it in half to cook it in the oven, or you can use an Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker or a Slow Cooker if you'd like. Pro tip—cutting the squash lengthwise results in shorter strands, because you’re technically cutting across the grain. However, you can get longer strands of squash “noodles” by cutting the squash into rings across the width from stem to end if that’s your goal. From there, you can serve it with a Marinara or Bolognese sauce like its namesake would suggest (and many folks really LOVE even though I don’t), but you can also dress it up with a bit of lemon, garlic, olive oil and pepper. I haven’t tried it yet, but one of our CSA members has made peace with Spaghetti Squash by using it for blended soup, like this one, which might be a helpful way of putting what’s left of last week’s enormous celery to good use.

While I spend my days wondering if we’ll ever see a Fall frost, I have to admit that the weekend warmth was a gift as we welcomed 250 day-old-chicks to the farm on Thursday. They’re cute, they’re vocal, they’re fuzzy, and they’ll spend the next several weeks cozied up in the brooder house out back while they grow and feather out. You’re welcome to visit them when you come to the farm each week—Mark has installed a plexiglass panel on the door to make it easy for the little ones to see into the brooder. As you can see, Lupa is very interested in them, and likes to accompany Mark to check in on “the babies” throughout the day. When we see all of those little pullet eggs in Spring, we’ll know who to thank.

Take Care,
Katie

IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:

• Cone Cabbage

• Carrots

• Spaghetti Squash

• Daikon Radish

• Bunched White Onions

• Honeycrisp Apples

AT THE FARMSTAND THIS WEEK

CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER TURMERIC & LIME
David Tanis

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, vegetable oil or ghee

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon turmeric

• ½ teaspoon toasted and ground coriander

• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne

• Salt

• 2 pounds young carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 small daikon radish, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick (about 2 cups)

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 serrano pepper, finely chopped

• Cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

• Lime wedges, for serving

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

MORNING GLORY BAKED OATMEAL
Once Upon a Chef

• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

• ¼ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon plus 1 pinch salt

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking, instant or steel-cut oats)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 cups milk

• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 tart-yet-sweet medium baking apple, like Honey Crisp or Fuji, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces (see note)

• 1 cup shredded carrots, from about 2 carrots

• ½ cup raisins

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

SPAGHETTI SQUASH BURRITO BOWL
Cookie + Kate

• 2 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds each), halved and seeds removed

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 cups purple cabbage, thinly sliced and roughly chopped into 2-inch long pieces

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• ⅓ cup chopped green onions, both green and white parts

• ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon salt

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

WALTER’S OKONOMIYAKI (JAPANESE VEGETABLE PANCAKE)
PBS Kitchen Vignettes

• 5 cups shredded cabbage

• 2 cups grated carrots

• 1 cup grated radish

• 1 1/2 cup flour of choice (can be gluten-free)

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 1/4 cup water

• 1 1/2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or any good frying oil)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

BEEF & RADISH SOUP
Maangchi

• ½ pound beef brisket, cut into small pieces

• ½ pound Korean radish or daikon, washed and peeled

• 2 green onions, sliced thinly diagonally

• 4  garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or soup soy sauce)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 7 cups water

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

NANCY HACHISU'S CELERY STIR FRY
Simply Recipes

• 2 tablespoons high-quality canola oil, rice bran oil, or other cooking oil

• 3 small dried chile peppers, broken in half (can sub 1/8 teaspoon of red chili flakes)

• 4 cups julienned celery (cut into pieces about 2 inches long)

• 1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce (to taste)

• 2 to 3 drops dark sesame oil (optional)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE