week 18

one bag: Lettuce Basil Arugula

Lacinato Kale one last Tomato

in another bag: Onions Garlic Potatoes

Variety Peppers Summer Squash Eggplants

Okra Sage and a Fairy Winter Squash

Just to quickly reiterate the plan here – there will be no veggie deliveries for the next two Tuesdays. We will miss our gardens, and we hope you miss our produce, but we'll be back to share whatever this Autumn has to offer. I'll drop a line out to you as a reminder when we return.

I love that somehow, as all the summer greens begin to turn earthward, we can coax a dark succulent green from the garden one more time. The kale this week is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it. After the break, we will (God willing) have turnips and radishes and more good greens, along with the sweet potatoes and more squash. If it frosts while we're away, the peppers, eggplant, and basil will be gone, but the arugula will carry on through the first couple cold snaps.

It's time to start praying for rain again. Sometimes I think the NOAA weather predictions keep rain in the forecast just so we don't fall into despair. It was amazing that the last round missed us. But it did. So, it's dusty now, and slow, but good for drying out the field corn and beans. There's always a up-side, somewhere.

If you are struggling with your arugula, allow me to suggest you try it on pizza. As I was packing bags this morning, I was imagining a pizza, with grilled vegetables – like eggplant and patty pan squash, sliced thin and grilled before the pizza baked. The last thing to go on the very top would be a handful of sliced arugula. Cooking mellows the taste.

You can even grill pizza. A friend introduced me to this concept and it's wonderful. Start with your dough (if you've got time – make your own – it's not hard) rolled out and a hot grill. Put the dough on the grill, covered, for just a few minutes. Take it to the kitchen and dress the grilled side (NOT the raw side) with all your pizza fixings – don't load it up too much – and then put it back on the grill for about 5 minutes more. This time, obviously, the 'raw' side is going to go onto the grill. OH, so good.

Even though I hope you will come along with us into the Fall for as long as you like, I just want to take a second and thank you for sharing this season with us. You have been wonderful eaters. Thank you for not complaining about too many tomatoes, for enjoying eggplant, week after week. It is a joy to share our abundance with you. I hope your freezers are all stocked with some goodies for winter, and your memories stocked with good memories of the flavors of summer.

See you soon! Paul, Coree, Lulah and Levon

Red Springs Family Farm

week 23

Lettuce Green Peppers Garlic
Sweet and White Potatoes Butternut
Pac Choy Green Tomato Fun Jen Cabbage
herb bag: Cutting Celery Arugula Chives
Sorrel Chickweed

We are not by any means complaining about the weather – just commenting on how interesting it is that we've had three weeks of rain on Thursdays now! Hasn't it been amazingly beautiful weather?

We've enjoyed a busy week, making the most of our last few days with Branden. We've hauled in a couple dump truck loads of manure to compost, and laid more of the garden into cover crops for winter. There were a few more cowpeas kicking around that Lulah helped bring in. We also enjoyed a farm visit at Hill and Hollow Farm up in Kentucky. Always a pleasure to see like-minded friends succeeding and thriving in their craft. It's been a good time.

There are still SOOOOO many vegetables in the garden. Next week is the last week of our Fall Share. We're having a family get-away for a week or so after that, but will definitely be willing and able to bring more greens into town at the end of November and into December (broccoli!). If you are enjoying these greens, rest assured that we'll be back with more.

Chickweed is a weed, and chicks do love it. We love it too. It's the stemmy succulent little green in your herb bag. It's taste is green and not remarkably spicy. It's a nice crunchy green and very good for you. Our herbalist friend swore by it for warding off flu in flu season. Throw it in your salad or put it on sandwiches.

Fun Jen is like a Chinese Cabbage crossed with a ruffley lettuce. Technically, it is in the same family as Bok Choy. It is easy to use as a salad green, and needs only a couple minutes of cooking to enjoy hot. Fun Jen also works well as kim chi. Wrap it tight in a grocery bag and it will keep well in your fridge. Napa Cabbages come next week. It's Kimchi time!

Let's load you up with recipes this week. One came from Martha Stewart (amazing cache of recipes on that website), and more from Sapelo Farm in Georgia (also a great selection of farm fresh recipes on their website).

Arugula and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
5 large potatoes, peeled, quartered 1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups whole milk 5 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 lb arugula, stems removed, cleaned

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes.
Drain. Return potatoes to stove. Add butter; mash potatoes to desired texture.
In a skillet, bring milk to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add goat cheese.
Add milk mixture to potatoes and stir well. Stir in arugula and salt and pepper to taste.
Chinese Cabbage Stir Fry
4 ounces medium flat rice noodles 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 head Chinese cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds), shredded (8 cups)
8 ounces ground pork 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp finely grated peeled ginger 4 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce 2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce, such as Sriracha
1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 cup chopped fresh, cilantro
2 limes, halved Cilantro sprigs and lime wedges, for garnish

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; stir, and remove pot from heat. Let stand until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or Dutch oven over high heat. Add half the cabbage. Sear, pressing with a wooden spoon, until slightly wilted and golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside. Repeat with remaining cabbage.
Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining tablespoon oil, the pork, garlic, ginger, and white parts of scallions. Cook, stirring constantly, until pork browns, about 1 minute. Stir in fish and chili sauces. Toss in rice noodles and seared cabbage. Add soy sauce to taste. Remove from heat, and add green parts of scallions and the cilantro. Squeeze limes over noodles. Garnish with cilantro, and serve with lime wedges. Serve immediately.

Sesame Soy Dressing
1/4 cup mayo 1 T Sesame Oil
1 T Soy Sauce 2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar or any other White Vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic

Mix all ingredients well and serve over Fun Jen, another Bok Choy, or lettuce.
If the sesame oil is very fragrant you could possibly skip the mayo, and add a dash of sweetener. A garnish of cashews or almonds would set this off nice, too.

And this just sounds SO good: Winter Squash Mac and Cheese
1 pound macaroni Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan 2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups chicken (or veggie) stock
1 medium butternut squash, roasted and then peeled and pureed
1 cup cream or half-and-half 2 cups (8 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In the meantime, heat a medium heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Cook the onion in butter and oil 1 to 2 minutes, then add flour and cook 1 to 2 more minutes.
Whisk in stock, then combine with butternut squash until warmed through and smooth.
Stir in cream or half-and-half and bring sauce to a simmer.
Stir in cheeses and season the completed sauce with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings. Drain cooked pasta well and combine with sauce. Serve.

Enjoy your food! With warm regards ~ Paul, Coree, Lulah and Levon

“Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.” - Wendell Berry