Full Share (above)

 

 

Medium Share (above) 

 

 

 

Small Share (above)

 

 

The return of the fajita box!

Well, members, as predicted we got a light frost out here in Amery and in preparation for that we picked all the sweet, bell, and hot peppers from the plants and you now have the fajita box! Luckily the cilantro made it through the frost in decent shape, so you’ve got peppers, onions and cilantro to form a really good base for fajitas.

We’ve been starting our fall clean-up, which includes starting the process of cutting all the winter squash off the vine, curing it outside for a week or so, and then bringing it all into the pack shed before a freeze hits. We’ve also started pulling plants out of the ground, pulling up plastic mulch and irrigation systems, and tidying up in preparation for winter. It’s an extremely big project to put a farm to bed for the winter, so it’s great that we have some nice weather to start early. Brandon also seeded some more winter greens for the final boxes, and we are keeping busy with general weekly harvesting, weeding, and maintenance. We’ve also been blessed with the addition of Michelle, a super-awesome mother of 5 who is helping us out part-time during the week. She’s an Amery native and we are so grateful to have her on board for the rest of the season!

A reminder that our annual member party will be a Work and Harvest Party on Sunday, October 5th. Feel free to come to some or all of the event, it should be a great time on the farm with fall walks in the woods, a tasty potluck and maybe even a fun market stand with items like organic, free-range chickens, maple syrup, and other local goods to take home. Stay tuned for details, but please RSVP so we know how much main course to make!

One more reminder-please return your gently unfolded boxes to your drop site each week. We’re starting to run low again, so if you all remember we should make it through the season. We’ve also had to throw away almost 2 dozen boxes this week because they’ve been ripped in the process of unfolding. We know they can be challenging to unfold, especially when they’re new and stiff, but please take care! Starting at $1.50 per box, this is a big expense for us that can be minimized with a little care on your part. Thanks so much for your help. We even talked Brandon into modeling the procedure for you in this video!

Sweet little bird’s nest in the squash

 

 

 Carnival Squash with Ben!

 

 

Meet your winter greens mix: from left to right, baby kale, hon tsai tai, green mustard, red mustard, and tat soi. 

 

Here’s what’s in the boxes this week:

Peppers (1# for small shares, 1 1/2# for medium and full shares)

Hot Peppers (2 for small and medium shares, 3 for full shares)

Onions (1# for all share sizes)

Cilantro (1 bunch for all share sizes)

Winter Greens (1/2# for small and medium shares, 3/4# for full shares)

Winter Squash (1 or 2, depending on weight, for all share sizes)

Cauliflower or Broccoli (1 head or 1#, medium shares)

Radishes (1 bunch, full shares)

Carrots (1 1/2#, full shares)

 

Peppers- The last of the year! An assortment of everything we’ve got, you’ll find sweet and bell peppers in your bag. Make some fajitas with these, the bell peppers, some of the onions and the cilantro. It might be one of your last (!) tastes of summer…

Hot Peppers- A mix of jalapeno and hungarian hot wax. These are loose in your box, so they should be easy to identify!

Winter Greens- A really neat winter braising mix that contains tat soi, red and green mustard, and kale. While designed to saute or stir-fry, they are still very tender and sweet so feel free to eat fresh like any other mixed greens.

Winter Squash-The first appearance of our winter squash! A sure sign of the transition to fall, your squash might be the lovely multi-colored acorn squash known as Carnival, or the more modestly colored yellow-orange acorn.

Radishes-Only in full share boxes this week, the radishes are a fun fall addition as they tolerate the cool weather well. We actually really like these shredded on top of our fajitas and tacos.

Recipes

Moosewood Cafe Squash Pancakes

Our neighbor and Monday helper, Ben, told us about these pancakes which he’s been eating all week. We made them last night and ate them with our winter greens as a side salad. Delicious, thanks Ben!

Ingredients

4 cups winter squash, peeled and grated (I used a food processor to grate them to speed things up)

1 onion, grated

4 eggs

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

fresh black pepper

 

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place enough oil or butter in the pan to coat. Spoon the pancake mix into the skillet, smoothing and flattening the mix so that it’s about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Let cook on one side until browned, then flip and cook until the other side is browned. Place pancakes on sheet tray in oven to keep warm while you make the remaining pancakes.

Tastes great with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream on top and a big salad of winter greens on the side!

Quick Stir-Fried Winter Greens

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 lb. mixed baby greens for cooking, well rinsed and drained but not dried (see note above)
• Pinch of kosher salt

Directions: