2007 CSA Week 20

News from Windy Willow Farm: 2007 Week 20

This week’s share includes:
3 heads lettuce – Thank you, Mother in law! She’s the one who started these at her farm, and planted them in my garden for you to enjoy. These cute heads of lettuce are mostly small, but will be a great way to close out our season. With three heads per share, it’ll be enough for your family to enjoy one last salad. Fall lettuce is usually fantastic, since there is little exposure to the hot, dry days of summer. Enjoy!
1 Qt. Brussels Sprouts – If anyone needs me to show you how to “fix” or trim these, I’d be happy to.
1 bunch Swiss Chard – These stalks of Swiss chard are so big and beautiful, it’s a pleasure to see the rainbow of colors in the field. Don’t forget that the stalks are great in your dishes as well!
2 sweet potato
1 bunch leeks
2 Butternut Squash – see below for a great recipe from one of our members, who highly recommends it – even non-butternut squash-eaters eat this soup! Can’t wait to try it.
1 bunch carrots – yes, I’m sure it’s obvious that I dug the carrots today, hrrumph! As many of you have told me, it doesn’t matter how ugly they are, they still taste great. I preserved lots of carrots this weekend: scrubbed the dirt off (no need to peel these!), cut into 2-3 inch pieces and boiled for 2 minutes. Plunge into a cold water bath, blot dry and pack into plastic bags. I’m planning on taking out a bunch for the soups I never have time to cook during my season, and to mix them with other veggies for stir fries and side dishes. I also made candied carrots (I was looking at all those carrots for hours…), but I think I used way too much sugar. Anyone have a good recipe to share with me?
3 heads garlic
2 sweet onions, one white and one red
1 Qt red potatoes
1 Qt white potatoes

It’s unbelievable to me that this is the last week of the season. The signs are there: the garden is empty, there are fewer animals on the farm, the leaves are turning; it just seems like it speeds by way too fast. I had a great season, and I hope you did, too. Thank you for your faith and trust in us: it’s not a small thing to entrust your hard-earned money to someone who promises to feed you for 20 weeks of the year! I take that trust seriously and work very hard to exceed your expectations. I always try to be available as well for questions, advice, cooking tips, and any other information you may need. I’ve heard from many of you (and your friends) that you will be joining us next year: be sure to sign up early, as I plan to keep the group small, only 14 or 15 families. I truly believe that the more personal I can make my business, the more successful I’ll be. I’ll never turn down help, don’t forget, so if you get a hankering to get some farm dirt on your hands, all year long, let me know. I’m also open to tours, forest walks through our 90 acres, sunset watching or any other social activity!

I forgot to discuss this topic in last week’s newsletter: the carbon footprint reduction/paper-free picnic challenge! As I was shopping for the paper goods for our CSA picnic, I came to the realization that we should be leaders in paper-free parties (as well as discussing how we can reduce our carbon footprints). (I bought the only plates I could find that were recycled, but it was tough!) I’m proposing that next year’s picnic is entirely paper-free: all attendees bring their own cutlery, plates and glasses. I also challenge you to host your own paper-free party for one of your family gatherings this year! Let me know what you think and how your own footprint-reducing activities are going. There are several websites for additional information: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/what_you_can_do/consumer_tips/index.cfm
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/Minimise_cfp.html
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html
We’ve done a number of things this year to reduce our impact on the climate: changed to CFL light bulbs, installed solar electric and hot water systems, put electric devices on power strips, replaced old appliances with Energy Star models and installed gutters on the south side of the house to eliminate the need for a basement humidifier. What does your list look like?

One of my favorite comments is, “Farmers don’t have anything to do in the winter!” Certainly I have less to do in the winter, but I definitely keep busy. We reduce the number of animals to feed and water in the winter (all of our meat animals went to be processed this week), but all animals need fresh water and food every day, sometimes two or three times a day, in the very cold weather. You’ll find us hauling hot water to the chickens, cats and horse when the weather is below 20, and feeding more hay to keep the animals warm (their digestion of roughage helps to warm them from the inside), as well as to make sure they all have shelter from the wind and weather. The chickens have already been moved to their winter pasture: they always have access to pasture, but are now housed in the newly-roofed hay barn. Our three sheep will also call the hay barn their winter quarters as well. And my horse, Zack, stays in his stall during the worst weather, but loves to kick up his heels in deep snow. You should see him with his thick winter coat, you can bury your hand in it, it’s so thick.

I also spend a month or two planning for next year’s crops: going over seed magazines, figuring out how much to plant and when/where to plant. In February we’ll have an abbreviated lambing season (2 ewes versus our previous 24 ewes!). We are planning a garlic-planting party this weekend! I also like to take once- or twice-weekly trips to the library with the kids. I have lots of knitting projects in the queue for the winter: I just turned the heel of my first pair of socks (very exciting for me!), and have a hat for Mark and another pair of socks lined up. I’m looking forward to relaxing in front of the woodstove and knitting!

So, thanks again for a great year, and your constant encouragement and support. Please keep in touch over the winter – I get very attached to my CSA families!

Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason

© 2007 Gwen Hyde

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
3 butternut squashes, halved longways, seeds removed
4 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 or 2 shakes hot pepper sauce
1 t. ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 t. salt
4 c. vegetable stock
1 T. maple syrup
1 T. lime juice

Coat cut side of squash halves lightly with half the olive oil. Lay, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 40-45 minutes at 425. When the squash has 15 minutes left to bake, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil in a stockpot for several minutes. Add ginger and salt. When squash is ready, scoop out and puree in a blender or food processor with the vegetable stock and sautéed onion, until smooth. Return the mixture to the pot and heat through, add the maple syrup and lime juice, and serve.

Baked Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin Recipe
1 quart Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Flour
1/2 slice Bacon
1 1/2 teaspoon Garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon Parsley, chopped
1 cup Water, reserved from cooking
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
2 1/2 tablespoons Bread crumbs

Preheat oven 325 F. Wash and "x" bottom of brussels sprouts. Place in boiling water, enough to cover. Boil and simmer 10 mins or until tender. Drain and reserve 1 cup hot liquid. Melt butter in small skillet. Add green onions and sauté 3 mins. Stir in flour and cook until flour is dissolved, 3 mins. Add bacon, garlic and parsley. Cook 3 mins more. Pour in reserved water. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened to consistency of heavy cream Remove bacon from sauce. Place sprouts base down in a buttered casserole. Pour sauce over. Top with grated cheese then breadcrumbs. Bake 30 mins or until top is browned.

Swiss Chard With Raisins and Pine Nuts Recipe
1 large bunch Swiss chard
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Remove the chard stems and the thick central vein from each leaf. Chop the leaves very coarsely. Using a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium high heat, melt the butter with the oil until it just begins to sizzle. Add the chard, stirring well to coat the chard with the butter/oil mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute until the chard has wilted to about half its original volume. Add raisins and pine nuts, stirring to combine evenly, and continue cooking until all moisture in the pan has evaporated. The entire cooking process should take no more than about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.