Howdy Folks! We hope everyone is staying warm with all this cold weather we have been having. Van and I would first like to say thanks to everyone who will be going out of their way on Tuesday to get their CSA box. We really appreciate everyone working with us, so that we can all enjoy the holiday. We would also like to say how thankful we are for each and every one of you. Thank you for trusting in us and in our farm, and we sincerely hope that everyone has been enjoying their boxes. Without y'all we would not be able to make a living doing what we love and believe in, so we are incredibly thankful for all of y'all!!
We had a big scare with the bad weather last week! There were tornado cells all around the farm. Van and I sat at home hopelessly glued to the tv watching the news channels, and thankfully no tornadoes formed and touched down. Just some serious wind! It finally is starting to feel like old man winter is upon us! And with all this cold weather, and the frosts that we have had the last couple of nights, the greens and root crops in your box this week should be nice and sweet. Before the frost, we picked ALL of our tomatoes. So you will be getting green tomatoes along with red in your box this week. Get ready to fry some of those bad boys up! Hoping the frost killed off all the bad bugs too. We will be planting a couple of rows of garlic over the holidays, and will be looking forward to Spring when they will be ready for harvest.
We hope y'all have a great holiday and get to enjoy some time with the ones you love, clink some glasses, and eat some delicious food! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Here are the contents of this week's box:
1. Collard Greens
2. Kale- the variety this week is Red Russian.
3. Turnips with Greens
4. Endive- this is a bitter curly green. It is actually a cousin to chicory. It is nice to mix in with salads. And can even cook it. Great in stews or soups.
5. Dill- I love dill. I could put it on anything and everything. I especially love it chopped and thrown in with my salads.
6. Butternut Squash
7. Kabocha- this pumpkin squash is sweeter and ideal to make your pies with. Please try the recipe below. It is so good!
8. Green tomatoes
9. Red tomatoes
10. Cauliflower
11. Lettuce- a tastey head from our friends at Salad Days
KABOCHA SQUASH PIE
YIELD: 4-6 servings
PREP TIME: 50 minutes
COOK TIME: 35-40 minutes
2 cups squash cooked and mashed
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla
4 eggs
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Halve and de-seed squash. Place cut side down on oiled cookie sheet. Roast at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes until fork tender. Scrape out cooked squash and mash with fork.
Blend squash and cream cheese with hand mixer. Add remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake for 35-40 min at 350 degrees
WINTER SQUASH KALE LENTIL STEW
YIELD: 2-4 servings
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
1 small leek, diced (white and light green parts only)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium-sized winter squash such as butternut, red kuri, acorn etc. Peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Roughly 2 cups.
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme OR1 teaspoon dried
1 Tablespoon fresh oreganoOR 1 teaspoon dried
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 cup french green lentils
1 bay leaf
6-8 cups low sodium vegetable stock
1 bunch of kale, tough stems removed and torn into bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and leek and cook, stirring often until beginning to soften. About 8 minutes. Add the garlic, winter squash, herbs and tiny pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant. About 2 minutes.
Stir in the lentils, bay leaf and vegetable stock. Add 6 cups of stock first and if need be add additional stock or water if the soup needs to be thinned. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are cooked and the squash is tender. About 20-25 minutes. Stir in the kale and season with salt and pepper. Let the soup cool a bit and taste test. Adjust seasonings if need be
Serve warm with rustic bread and a glass of your favorite wine