Week 22 and now we're through

Hi everyone,
I can't believe another season has come and gone! Back in June, 22 weeks seemed like a pretty long run, but now it's here, and it feels like it just flew right by.
We had a great year on the farm, despite the difficult weather conditions, and we hope you enjoyed your vegetables! It was a pleasure growing them for you.
So we filled up the bags nice and heavy to finish things off, and here's what you have:
Green cabbage
Sweet peppers
Assorted onions
Red turnips (taste just like white turnips, just prettier :>)
Carrots
Fingerling potatoes
Collard greens
Butternut squash (smooth, oblong and tan)
Buttercup squash (small, round and warty)


I just want to say thanks for supporting a local, sustainable farm. The only way small farms survive and thrive is when people like you put your time and money into local agriculture. Hopefully, we returned your investment with delicious, beautiful, fresh vegetables; straight from the farm to your tables. So thank you all for your support! We couldn't do this without you!

So have a safe, happy and healthy winter, and hope to see you again next year!

All the best,
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

Here is a tasty recipe to try with your cabbage. I've left in the notes from the lady who sent it to us, as you might find them useful:

It really isn’t that hard, but with hot oil everything happens fast so you have to have everything all measured out and ready like  you’re on a cooking show.

“A Simple Cabbage Stir-Fry,” taken from “5 Spices, 50 Dishes,” by ruta kahate (a great Indian cookbook that is not too complicated)

¼ cup canola oil (I prefer olive oil and use about half that amount)

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric (YUM)

1 pound green cabbage, very thinly sliced

2 cloves peeled garlic, smashed with the side of a knife (I can never do this so I get the garlic in there whatever way works)

1 teaspoon salt (I don’t add any salt)

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (this is way too spicy for me so I use a fraction of this amount)

 

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat (I use a skillet and adjust the heat depending on the oil being used). When the oil begins to smoke (yeah right! I avoid smoking oil, so I always do the next step a little too soon), add the mustard seeds, covering with a lid or spatter screen (the idea is to pop the mustard seeds like popcorn without burning everything). After the seeds stop sputtering, (quick like a bunny) add the turmeric and sliced cabbage. Next add garlic, salt, and cayenne and toss well. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and steam until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes (it takes way longer for me—probably because I slice the cabbage with a knife and don’t get it all that thinly sliced). Serve hot.

This is a yummy and interestingly different way to serve cabbage, once you get the proportions and zing adjusted to your individual taste. Good as leftovers too. Enjoy!

Week 21, One more to go!

Hi everyone,
I can't believe we only have one week left! The season has really flown by for me.
I hope you've enjoyed taking part in our CSA and have had a bounty of fresh vegetables all season long... We still have some nice goodies to wrap things up.

Here's what's in your bags:
Salad mix
Acorn squash
Delicata squash (yellow with greenish stripes)
Yellow and Red onions
Garlic
Kale
Beets
1 or 2 tomatoes (if they seem a bit pale or unripe, just let them sit on a counter or windowsill for a few days before using, and they should ripen up)
Green or Purple pepper
Red Maria potatoes
Bulb fennel

You can use the delicata right away, since they aren't the best keepers, but it's often best to let the acorns ripen for a few more weeks before eating- they get sweeter and smoother with time. But they are fine to cook if need be.

And for the fennel bulb, I don't have tons of experience, but there are lots of recipes online, and if you're not keen on licorice, give it a try anyways, as the flavor changes when cooked. It becomes quite mild and almost nutty-tasting. Here's one recipe that looked good: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_fennel/

And if you haven't tried roasting beets in the oven, make sure you give it a go. You can peel and cut up the beets before hand, or put them in there whole, and slip the skins off once cooked. Either way, it's much easier than boiling (and tastier, too!)

If you have any thoughts, comments or general feedback about your CSA experience, we'd love to hear them. We work very hard to provide a good food experience for our customers, but it helps us to get better if we know how things are on your end! Feel free to email me at sarah_ziegi at yahoo dot com  or email Lucky Moon at luckymoonfarm4976 at gmail dot com

Sarah V
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 20 and October Harvest

Hi everyone,
The nights are getting just a touch of frost, and the trees are in their full glory- it's a beautiful time of year. It's been a bit wet and gloomy lately, but 'tis the season. I do love the late season vegetables, though. They have such substance and flavor!
Your bags this week include:
Red Cabbage
Spinach
Carrots- White Satin, Purple Haze and Yaya varieties, in white, purple and orange 
Snow Peas
Pie pumpkin
Tomatoes- I think we picked the last 150 pounds of them today; we're going to rip the vines out soon.
Parsley
Leeks

Lots of great meal possibilities! I'll include some recipes down below, but first: the pie pumpkin.

Now lots of people assume it's a terrible headache/mess to cook a pumpkin, but it's really not! I find it one of the more simple and satisfying cooking jobs of the season. If you want to see my more thought-through blog entry on this topic, click here.
But here's the basic method:
I usually make sure my pumpkin doesn't have any major dirt on it, but it doesn't have to be pristine, either. In the past, I've often cut my pumpkin in half and scooped out the seeds before baking it, but it's really ok to simply bake it whole after piercing it with a fork a few times to create steam vents. That's what I've been doing lately, and the only difference is it takes slightly longer, and scooping out the seeds is a little more difficult once the innards are all soft and cooked, but it is safer than cutting through a squash with a very tough rind while it's still raw.
If you do cut it in half first, I usually bake the sides face down in a glass casserole dish at 350 degrees for about an hour or so. It's best to do this on a day when you'll be around the house, since the baking time will vary on the particular squash or pumpkin and you'll want to check on it occasionally. Once the pumpkin is very soft and the skin is easily pierced by a fork, remove from the oven and let it cool for a while. Once it's comfortable to handle it, I get a spoon and scoop and scrape out all the great cooked pumpkin filling from the rind into a bowl. Depending on your squash, you might want to puree it in a blender or food processor, but most of the time, my pumpkins are smooth enough that all I have to do is mash it up a bit with a fork.
At this point, you have pumpkin puree ready to use in pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin soup (I could go on :>) OR you can put it all in some containers and freeze it once it's cooled off completely. Squash and Pumpkin freeze and thaw and refreeze very well, and keep their flavor quite well throughout the whole process, so save some for a day when you feel like baking!

So don't waste that beautiful pumpkin! Stick it in the oven, and I promise, it won't be a headache :>) Just great, tasty food to enjoy throughout the winter.

Now for some recipes:

Sauteed Spinach w/ Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta
Spinach (~10 oz)
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup sherry (I read that apple juice can be used as a substitute)
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup feta
salt & pepper to taste
1) Over medium heat, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
2) Add sun dried tomatoes, then add sherry and lemon juice and reduce by a third (about 3 minutes)
3) Add butter, and toss until it melts, then add the spinach. Cover and stir occasionally until slightly wilted and warm (about 3 minutes). Add feta and cook until slightly melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

And in case you still have that red cabbage from last week, here's a recipe from someone in the CSA that comes highly recommended!

Autumn Salad (serves 4)

4 tsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 tsp. honey

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

3 medium sweet-tart apples (Braeburn, Empire), quartered and thinly sliced crosswise

1 1/2 c. thinly sliced red cabbage

1/3 c. crumbled mild blue cheese

1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion

1/4 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Whisk oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in large bowl. add remaining ingredients, tossing to combine.

(from Prevention, October 2010)

Cauliflower and Spinach Gratin
serves 8
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
~ 10 oz fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, divided
Alfredo sauce, ~ 13 oz
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp basting oil
1 Tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, add cauliflower and spinach to a large bowl, season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese. Mix well, set aside.
2) Make topping: Combine rest of bread crumbs and basting oil in a small bowl. Set Aside.
3) Grease baking 13x9 baking dish with olive oil, add vegetable cheese mixture to dish.
4) Bake 40 mins, uncovered, stirring halfway through baking time. Remove from oven, sprinkle with topping, return to oven and bake 15 mins, until topping is light golden brown.