What’s in Upic?…… last week…
Thyme and chives, depending on frost
It’s Maura here at the newsletter helm as Seth is putting his head and hands to work in warmer climes of Harare, Zimbabwe. He packed two fifty-pound bags filled with a wide variety of seed for cover crop to promote fertility as well as some equipment to work on setting up an irrigation system – including graph paper and pencils to work the design. And lots of bubble gum for the children, as per their request.
The final harvest and farm clean up is in the hands of our competent interns who are heading towards the end of their tenure with us. It is almost as if Seth planned this time away from the farm. Our apprenticeship program promotes independent thinking and problem-solving by giving lots of responsibility from day one, all the way back in April. By October the interns can go for weeks without missing Seth at all (aside from his great company and funny jokes of course). We could never do this work without the dedication of our fabulous interns.
Rutabaga is coming in this week. To some this is a welcome treat, and you know exactly what to do. Others may wonder…. Believed to be a cross between a turnip and a cabbage, rutabaga is high in vitamins A, C, and calcium. You can store it in your fridge for up to a month. Here are a few cooking ideas for you. Peel the outer skin and grate into a salad or slaw with your other root vegetables. You can also steam one-inch chunks and serve with butter, salt, pepper, or mash with potatoes. Rutabaga is also yummy roasted along with your other root veggies, squashes. There are a few recipes on the farm website, including rutabaga fries – serve with ketchup and let the kids have at it.
Think Soups Now that the days are colder and we don’t have the burden of watching or listening to the Red Sox late into the night (or reading the articles in the morning) we might have extra time for cooking to warm our house and bodies. We’ve been enjoying warm cider, apple crisps, and yummy soups. I just roasted some pears along with the winter squash to puree together into soup, along with onions and ginger. Yum….
Next week is final harvest The last pick up will be October 27th and 30th. You can look forward to Brussels sprouts, and pumpkins, both pie and carving next week. Depending on the frost, we may have thyme and chives this week and then we’ll be putting the upic to beds for the winter.
Surveys I don’t have the end of season surveys ready for you yet, but they are important to us, so I hope to have them next week.
Order your Thanksgiving Turkey Milkweed Farm’s (off Woodside Road) pastured turkeys available for the holiday fresh $3.50 per pound, 10-20+ pound birds available for the holiday. Contact Michael or Lucretia at 725.4554 or milkweedfarm@gmail.com
Fall cooking CSA cooking class. Still spaces available in cooking class this Saturday the 24th at 10:30 am with Katiya Gettys and Bob Lezer. Sounds like a fun, educational and yummy day! Produce, all supplies and copies of the recipes will be provided. Look for more info at CSA pick-up and make reservation by calling 865.0655.
Apples This week we have Macs and Northern Spys from Willow Pond.
CSA sign-up for 2010. Thank you for those of you who have given your deposits and full payments. If you haven’t done so yet, sign up now with a deposit and get on the easy winter payment plan. A $100 deposit will hold your share with payments of $138.33 due in February, April and June 2010.
Crystal Spring whole and half lambs. We still have lamb available for a winter delivery date. See us at pick-up for all the details.
Crystal Spring Farm Honey from bees here at the farm now available – ½ lb and 1lb. and 2 lb.