2016 CSA Week 20- Final Week!

Hi everyone,

So here we are, at the final week of the 2016 Lucky Moon Farm CSA. I always find the end of the season to be bittersweet. It's been an intense summer full of long days and lots of hard work, so in some ways I look forward to the season being over, but I also love those long summer days and working outside all day, every day. I enjoy my winter work as well, but it's nothing like the satisfaction of the growing season. We had a hard frost at the farm last night, but we picked all the outdoor tomatoes and peppers yesterday and got them all in the barn before it got too cold. We dug a bunch of leeks to give out this week, and have some beautiful savoy cabbage as well. But I'm getting ahead of myself! 

Here's what's in your bags:

Salad Mix

Leeks

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Kale

Kennebec Potatoes

Green Peppers (or their equivalents: purple or light green)

Czech Black Hot Peppers- wicked-looking little black or red peppers. They are moderately spicy.

Shallots

Garlic

Mixed Onions

Savoy Cabbage

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

Butternut Squash

Phew! 

So hopefully this will keep you supplied with veggies for a while, but if you run out, keep in mind that Sue and Claude have a farmstand open at their place from Friday through Sunday, 9 AM to 6 PM. They'll be keeping it stocked until the weather gets too cold, but most likely through October and into November, unless we get a real blizzard or something. And once the winter has truly arrived, you can keep getting veggies from them at the Poolville and Cazenovia winter markets. Poolville is on the 2nd Saturday of the month and the Caz market is on the 3rd Saturday of the month starting in November from 10 AM to 1 PM. It's held in the American Legion Building on Chenango Street. It's a great place to stock up on local produce for your holiday tables and you can find some really nice gifts there as well! 

Most of the veggies this week are self-explanatory, but here are few comments:

1) Green Peppers are not-fully-ripe peppers, but despite their name, they aren't always green. We offer "Green Peppers" that are lavendar, dark purply-black, yellow-green and dark green. But you can use them all the same way 

2) The Czech Black peppers are hot, small, and shiny black. The do eventually turn red, so you may have a few red ones mixed in. Remember to use gloves when cutting hot peppers, or at least don't touch your eyes afterwards! I did that once... I don't recommend it. 

3) Savoy Cabbage is a beautiful late-season cabbage. It's frilly leaves elevate the lowly cabbage to a vegetable with real panache! It's particularly good sliced thinly in soups or stir-fries. 

4) Pie Pumpkin (Winter Luxury or Long Pie varieties). Don't be scared of the pie pumpkin! It's really quite easy to cook and you can make a truly great pumpkin pie (or cheesecake or pancakes or bread or muffins or puree...) with some locally grown, organic pumpkin! Believe me, it's a fun point to brag on at the thanksgiving dinner table. So like the other winter squash, you want to cut off the stem, then cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, then bake it in the oven at 350 for about an hour. Or maybe longer. But the trick is to cook it long enough so that the flesh is really smooth. If you find that your pumpkin seems stringy, then you probably need to cook it longer. A fork should easily pierce the skin when it's done, and the flesh should easily whip up into a puree by hand.  That puree can be frozen or used right away in whatever pumpkiny thing your heart desires. 

Here are a couple of recipes to try:

1) Potato Leek Gratin (omg, this is delicious...)

2) Potato Leek Soup classic and heartwarming

3) Some ideas for using your cabbage: http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/2010/03/all-about-savoy-cabbage.html

Happy cooking everyone! And I wish you all a safe, happy, healthy winter and I hope to see you again next year. Local, sustainable, organic farming is only possible with the support of people like you. So thanks for your patronage and we hope you consider sharing another growing season with us in the future. 

All the very best,

Sarah VanNorstrand

for Lucky Moon Farm

2016 CSA Week 19

Hi everyone,
So we've reached the penultimate week of the 2016 CSA season. I'm finding it hard to believe! And I'm still trying to figure out what happened to September- I don't feel like I got my full 4 weeks of that month...
But here we are in October, and after a few cloudy days, it looks like we're going to get some more beautiful weather. I don't take it for granted- this time of year it could be snow, freezing rain, or sunny and 70 degrees. You never know what you'll get. We got the winter squash in last week, and overall, it did pretty well, despite the dry weather.

Here's what's in your bag this week:
Arugula
Braising Greens (a mix that includes Kale, Red Mustard, Hon Tsai Tai, Tatsoi and Collards)
Spaghetti Squash
Buttercup Squash
Fingerling Potatoes
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Yellow Onions
Eggplant
Sweet Peppers
Celeriac (aka Celery Root)

Lots of great fall veggies! I love harvesting winter squash. I picked it all from my own garden over the weekend, and it's so satisfying to see a wheelbarrow full of beautiful, delicious squash! Most of the varieties keep really well, so it will be providing great dinners all winter long and into the spring. The varieties that you should use sooner, rather than later are the Delicata (yellow, oblong, with green stripes), Spaghetti and the pie pumpkins. The Buttercup, Butternut and Acorn Squashes will keep much longer, and often sweeten up a bit with a little time. So feel free to squirrel a few of those away and save them for Thanksgiving or some evening in the middle of winter. Many people aren't familiar with the Buttercup squash (some people refer to them as kabocha squash). But beneath the thick warty rind is some of the best tasting winter squash to be had. It makes a really great pumpkin pie. Sue and I both love pumpkin pie, and this year, we're thinking of trying a taste comparison between pie made with buttercup squash, and the two pie pumpkin varieties that we grow at the farm: Longpie and Winter Luxury. I'll be sure to report our findings :)

                                                                      Pie Pumpkins

Spaghetti Squash

Here are some recipes to try:
1) Buttercup Squash with Apples (For 2 people)
When you do decide to cook up your buttercup, here's a recipe from Betty Crocker to consider if you decide not to puree it.

2) Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Butter
Yum!

3) My favorite thing to do with spaghetti squash is to cook it until the flesh is tender, then saute up some slices of garlic until they are just starting to brown, then toss in the "spaghetti" (scoop it out of the rind after it's cooked in the oven). I like to add cannellini beans and toss with a bit of feta cheese at the end. It's really tasty.

4) Braising Greens- here's a great looking recipe that should use them up nicely!
Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Braised Greens

5) Another site with great ideas for using Braising Greens: http://www.nativesonfarm.com/recipe-blog-1/2015/11/12/what-do-i-make-with-braising-mix

Have a great week, everyone! Enjoy whatever outdoor time you can to soak up the beautiful weather.

Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

2016 CSA Week 18

Hi everyone!
I hope you're doing well. It really started feeling like fall this weekend. There is starting to be a hint of color in the trees, the asters are blooming, the bluejays are migrating and the morning dew is decidedly chilly. But the days are still nice and warm and the fall crops are doing well.
The winter squash is coming in now, and there are only a few rows of potatoes left to dig. But the great thing is that many of the summer veggies continue on, especially with the relatively warm fall we've been having. So there are still tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers coming out of the garden and the greenhouses, and we should continue to have them through the next two weeks of the CSA.

In your bags this week is a nice mix of both summer and fall veggies:
Salad Mix
Asian Greens
Carrots
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Cabbage
Garlic
Red Marble Onions
White Potatoes
Acorn and/or Delicata Squash

Delicata squash

Acorn Squash

The Acorn squash can sit on your counter for quite a while (and it will actually sweeten up a bit if it gets to sit a while) but the Delicata, if you received it, should be used sooner rather than later. It's not a squash that holds very well. The thin skin that makes it so easy to cook (and is quite edible and tasty) means that it doesn't have the shelf life of the other winter squashes. People often ask me how they should cook Delicata or Acorn or Buttercup or Pie Pumpkins. The good news is that it's pretty much the same method for all of the hard-skinned winter squashes; you want to wash the rind, cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and scrape the cavity, then bake, usually cut-side down, on baking sheet or in a casserole dish in a 350 degree oven until tender. You should be able to easily pierce the skin with a fork when it's done. I often let mine go a little longer, because I really despise undercooked squash. It's stringy and lacks the full flavor. Cooked squash should be smooth and the flesh should be caramelized a bit where it's in contact with the pan. Yum!

Here are some recipes for your consideration:
1) Asian Greens: I'll admit that sometimes I don't know what to do with greens. But whenever we harvest the Asian Greens, I munch a few leaves and I feel like there must be some excellent ways to prepare these highly flavorful, zingy greens. A friend of mine recommended this recipe:

Asian Greens Stir Fry

2 Cloves Garlic, minced,

1 Hot Pepper Sliced in rings (optional)

1 big handful of Green/Yellow beans, trimmed

2 summer squash/zucchini sliced thick (too thin and they get mushy)

2 large handfuls of Asian greens rinsed (make sure to spin or shake off excess water)

Sauce:

1 TBSP Oyster Sauce

1 TBSP Soy Sauce

1/2 TBSP Rice Vinegar

1/2 tsp ground fresh Galangal or Ginger

1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 clove minced garlic

3 shakes/dashes cumin

• Mix all sauce ingredients in small bowl
• Heat 2 Tbsp Veg. Oil (oil with high smoking pt) over medium high heat in wok.
• Add garlic, beans, and pepper (if using)
• Let brown 1-2 minutes. Stir, let brown 1-2 minutes. (DON'T OVER-STIR, just a quick stir to keep it from sticking. Once is fine)
• Add Zucchini and Squash, stir briefly
• Let brown 1-2 minutes. Stir, let brown 1-2 minutes.
• Add Greens and turn heat to Medium Low. Stir constantly, and after 3 minutes taste the greens until they're cooked enough that the texture and spiceyness are to your liking.
• Add sauce and serve over rice or lo mein noodles.
• Lo mein noodles can be started after the greens have been added. If you add them to the wok, add them after the sauce and stir.

2) Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Here's a quick and easy one that's perfect for fall:

4-6 carrots, quartered lengthwise

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

• Preheat oven to 450
• In a roasting pan, combine the carrots, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly caramelized and tender but still firm.

3) Tunisian Vegetable Stew

Here's a nice recipe from the Moosewood. The amount of cabbage is flexible. 

serves 4, takes 30 minutes

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups thinly sliced cabbage

dash of salt

1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

sprinkle of cayenne to taste

3 cups undrained chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh) (28 oz can)

1 1/2 cups drained cooked chickpeas (16 oz can)

1/3 cup raisins or currants (optional)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

salt to taste

• In a large skillet, saute the onions in the oil for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cabbage, sprinkle with salt and continue to saute for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the bell pepper, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne to the skillet and saute for another minute or so. 
• Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and optional currants or raisins and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. 
• Add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Top with feta and sliced almonds, if you like.
• Serve over couscous or any grain of your choice.  

We have two more weeks to go for the 2016 season.

All the best,
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

2016 CSA Week 18

Hi everyone!
I hope you're doing well. It really started feeling like fall this weekend. There is starting to be a hint of color in the trees, the asters are blooming, the bluejays are migrating and the morning dew is decidedly chilly. But the days are still nice and warm and the fall crops are doing well.
The winter squash is coming in now, and there are only a few rows of potatoes left to dig. But the great thing is that many of the summer veggies continue on, especially with the relatively warm fall we've been having. So there are still tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers coming out of the garden and the greenhouses, and we should continue to have them through the next two weeks of the CSA.

In your bags this week is a nice mix of both summer and fall veggies:
Salad Mix
Asian Greens
Carrots
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Cabbage
Garlic
Red Marble Onions
White Potatoes
Acorn and/or Delicata Squash

Delicata squash

Acorn Squash

The Acorn squash can sit on your counter for quite a while (and it will actually sweeten up a bit if it gets to sit a while) but the Delicata, if you received it, should be used sooner rather than later. It's not a squash that holds very well. The thin skin that makes it so easy to cook (and is quite edible and tasty) means that it doesn't have the shelf life of the other winter squashes. People often ask me how they should cook Delicata or Acorn or Buttercup or Pie Pumpkins. The good news is that it's pretty much the same method for all of the hard-skinned winter squashes; you want to wash the rind, cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and scrape the cavity, then bake, usually cut-side down, on baking sheet or in a casserole dish in a 350 degree oven until tender. You should be able to easily pierce the skin with a fork when it's done. I often let mine go a little longer, because I really despise undercooked squash. It's stringy and lacks the full flavor. Cooked squash should be smooth and the flesh should be caramelized a bit where it's in contact with the pan. Yum!

Here are some recipes for your consideration:
1) Asian Greens: I'll admit that sometimes I don't know what to do with greens. But whenever we harvest the Asian Greens, I munch a few leaves and I feel like there must be some excellent ways to prepare these highly flavorful, zingy greens. A friend of mine recommended this recipe:

Asian Greens Stir Fry

2 Cloves Garlic, minced,

1 Hot Pepper Sliced in rings (optional)

1 big handful of Green/Yellow beans, trimmed

2 summer squash/zucchini sliced thick (too thin and they get mushy)

2 large handfuls of Asian greens rinsed (make sure to spin or shake off excess water)

Sauce:

1 TBSP Oyster Sauce

1 TBSP Soy Sauce

1/2 TBSP Rice Vinegar

1/2 tsp ground fresh Galangal or Ginger

1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 clove minced garlic

3 shakes/dashes cumin

• Mix all sauce ingredients in small bowl
• Heat 2 Tbsp Veg. Oil (oil with high smoking pt) over medium high heat in wok.
• Add garlic, beans, and pepper (if using)
• Let brown 1-2 minutes. Stir, let brown 1-2 minutes. (DON'T OVER-STIR, just a quick stir to keep it from sticking. Once is fine)
• Add Zucchini and Squash, stir briefly
• Let brown 1-2 minutes. Stir, let brown 1-2 minutes.
• Add Greens and turn heat to Medium Low. Stir constantly, and after 3 minutes taste the greens until they're cooked enough that the texture and spiceyness are to your liking.
• Add sauce and serve over rice or lo mein noodles.
• Lo mein noodles can be started after the greens have been added. If you add them to the wok, add them after the sauce and stir.

2) Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Here's a quick and easy one that's perfect for fall:

4-6 carrots, quartered lengthwise

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

• Preheat oven to 450
• In a roasting pan, combine the carrots, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly caramelized and tender but still firm.

3) Tunisian Vegetable Stew

Here's a nice recipe from the Moosewood. The amount of cabbage is flexible. 

serves 4, takes 30 minutes

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups thinly sliced cabbage

dash of salt

1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

sprinkle of cayenne to taste

3 cups undrained chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh) (28 oz can)

1 1/2 cups drained cooked chickpeas (16 oz can)

1/3 cup raisins or currants (optional)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

salt to taste

• In a large skillet, saute the onions in the oil for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cabbage, sprinkle with salt and continue to saute for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the bell pepper, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne to the skillet and saute for another minute or so. 
• Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and optional currants or raisins and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. 
• Add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Top with feta and sliced almonds, if you like.
• Serve over couscous or any grain of your choice.  

We have two more weeks to go for the 2016 season.

All the best,
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

2016 CSA Week 17

Hi everyone,
We're at Week 17! That means 3 more weeks of veggies, and then our season comes to a close. Of course, Sue and Claude will continue to have their farm stand open on weekends (Friday-Sunday, 9-6, I think) and they will be participating in the Cazenovia Winter Farmers Market as well, so the end of the CSA doesn't have to mean the end of fresh veggies!
But we've still got a lot of great things planned to give out before the CSA is through.
This week, you have:
Arugula
Kale
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Red-Skin Potatoes
Celeriac (aka Celery Root)
Beets
Eggplant
Edamame (aka fresh soy beans)

Celeriac is an old-world root vegetable with a pleasant celery flavor. The root, once peeled, can be roasted, mashed or boiled and it's great in stews, soups, roasts and can be used anywhere you want some celery flavor. You definitely want to peel it first (though it's probably too much for the average vegetable peeler. You'll probably be better of slicing off the outer skin with a knife and getting down to the creamy white interior. Here's a website (thank you, BBC!) that talks about celeriac, how to store it and recipe ideas.

And our other new veggie this week is Edamame. If you've been out for sushi, you may have had Edamame as an appetizer. It's delicious when the pods are boiled up until tender, then salted and set on the table. Eat them by putting the pod up to your mouth, then popping the beans out with your teeth, and sucking a little of the salt of the pod at the same time. Try it, I bet you'll like it :) My husband loves edamame so much that he'll eat a whole plateful at a time.
Also, the shelled beans are great as a substitute for lima beans. They have a sweet, nutty flavor that I love in a veggie stew with corn and tomatoes.

For the beets, if you haven't tried it before, put them in a roasting pan with a lid in the oven (covered up to keep them moist and tender) and roast for an hour or so (could be shorter or longer depending on the size of your beets). You can skin them and chop them up before that, or just roast them whole with their tops and bottoms cut off. They'll slip right out of their skins once they're cooked. They are so delicious like that! If you'd like more detailed instructions than that (and I admit, those are pretty vague), here's a website with some good directions.

Here are some recipes:
1) Here's a great-looking Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese, Roasted Beets and Balsamic Reduction. My mom loves this, with as much balsamic as she can get on it.

2) If you find you have some eggplant piling up, try using it in this great Indian dish called Baingan Bharta. It's one of my favorites!

3) And a website with some more useful Eggplant recipes.

It's apple-picking time! Go out and support some of the smaller orchards who are working hard to offer organic apples. Two that I have been enjoying are Adams Acres in Jamesville and Deer Run Farm in Lafayette. And the fritters are Deer Run are superb...

Have a great week!
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

2016 CSA Week 16

Hi everyone!
It's hard to believe we're already to the middle of September... luckily we've been having some great warm weather, though the night-time temperature has definitely been getting cooler.
We picked some more beautiful peppers and eggplant today. They are some of my favorite vegetables to harvest- it's like picking jewels off the plants. The colors are amazing!
Things are doing pretty well at the farm. The drought conditions this summer and fall have definitely impacted some of the crops; in general the plants have been a bit less productive. But we've still been bringing in some excellent tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and squash. And there's plenty of great fall veggies still on their way. We have 4 more weeks left, so there will be lots of goodies still to come.

In your bags this week:
Salad Mix
Summer Squash (which includes zucchini and yellow squash)
Cucumbers (the last of these)
Red-Skin Potatoes
Yellow Onions
Garlic
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers (Hungarian Hot wax: red, pointed and shorter than the sweet peppers)
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Eggplant

Here are some pics of the peppers for this week:

Hot Pepper- Hungarian Hotwax

Sweet Peppers- Carmen, Escamillo, or Bell pepper

And now for some recipes:
1) Fresh Tomato Popover Pie- Kristen Byers

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

3 Tbsp oil, divided

2 medium tomatoes

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

2 tsp basil

2 C. shredded mozzarella (8 oz)

1/4 C. Parmesan

1 1/4 C. sliced mushrooms

To prepare crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat an ovenproof 8" skillet in the oven for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix flour, milk and eggs until well blended. Remove skillet from the oven and add 1 Tbsp oil. Pour batter into skillet and bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 minutes more. Remove skillet from the oven and set aside. Crust should be puffed golden, then fall slightly as it cools.

To prepare filling:

Core and cut tomatoes into 1/4" slices, set aside.

In another large skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbsp of oil until hot. Add zucchini and cook until sightly softened, 1 - 2 minutes. Push to one side of skillet. Add mushrooms, then sprinkle veggies with basil and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring frequently but still keeping mushrooms and zucchini separated. Remove from heat.

To assemble: preheat broiler

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the crust. Line the edge of the crust with tomato slices, overlapping slightly. Arrange zucchini and mushrooms in center of popover. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Broil 3 - 4 " from the heat for 1 - 2 minutes. Makes 4 -6 servings.   

2) Vegetarian Feijoada from the Moosewood Cooks

This is the national dish of Brazil, and this vegetarian version uses peppers, tomatoes, black beans, garlic, onions, and more. A lot of the ingredients are in your bag this week. Sounds like a fun dish!

3) Eggplant Meatballs

This comes highly recommended from one of our CSA members. And it sounds really delicious! Eggplant can be very meaty, so it makes a nice vegetarian equivalent of a meatball. 

1 large eggplant (do not peel)

2 beaten eggs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese or 1/3 cup Romano cheese

1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder (or sauteed garlic)

1 teaspoon onion powder (or sauteed onion)

black pepper, to taste

sea salt, to taste

1 cup breadcrumbs (may need more)

Directions:

• Slice eggplant and sprinkle with salt.
• Let sit 10 minutes to draw out water.
• Rinse and pat dry.
• Saute on stovetop with a splash of olive oil and about 1/4 cup water until eggplant is soft.
• Remove and chop finely. *rough chop then use food processor
• Whisk everything but the breadcrumbs when eggplant is cool.
• Then add breadcrumbs and mix until you get the consistency you want to form the balls.
• Place in a generously olive oiled pan about l inch apart and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 40-60 minutes.
• (Personal Note: Bake on the middle rack, flip at 18-20 min, take out at 25 - 30 min. 40-60 mins is too long)
• Turn halfway through baking to ensure even browning.

Have a great week!