full share
medium share
small share
Good day all,
Well, after some nice warm weather it is starting to undeniably feel like fall. We are officially done with planting for the season (yes, we were still planting up until last week!) and there are more fields that are mowed down than have crops in them. Things are starting to wind down on the farm and we are switching from production mode to clean up mode. Most of our time now is spent harvesting, removing trellising, fixing things we were too busy to fix during the summer, and getting ready to tuck the fields in for the winter.
And don’t forget, the fall member potluck party is this weekend:
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH
MEMBER APPRECIATION/FALL HARVEST POTLUCK
803 60TH STREET-AMERY, WI.-54001
10 AM TO 2 PM
RSVP to sleepyrootfarm@gmail.com if you can make it and let us how many will be in your party. Bring a dish to share, we will make a big batch of soup and have an apple cider pressing! We look forward to seeing everyone.
A very full pallet box of Kabocha and Buttercup Squash
Brandon and an unruly head of Purple of Sicily Cauliflower
A nice bed of spring greens ready to be harvested
What’s in the Box
- Spring Greens (5 oz small, 8 oz med & full)
- Winter Squash: Kabocha Sunshine (orange) or Buttercup (green)
- Broccoli or Cauliflower (1.25 lbs)
- Snap Beans (1 lb)
- Green Peppers
- Pac Choi (medium & full)
- Onions (medium & full)
- Tomatoes (1.5 lb full only)
Recipes and Notes
We have a few interesting and unusual cauliflower varieties that are starting to come to maturity. Above is the coveted Purple of Sicily Cauliflower. It is a rarely grown heirloom variety. Like many heirlooms, the plants produces mature heads over the course of several weeks instead of all the plants maturing at relatively the same time. This can make predictable production tough, but, boy, when they do produce the heads are beautiful with a delicate texture unlike any other cauliflower. Another purple variety and romanesco cauliflower may start making it into Thursday boxes this week, too.
Kabocha squash (orange) and Buttercup (green) in the pallet box
Kabocha and Buttercup Squashes are two of my all time favorite winter squashes. Excellent flavor with a slightly drier and grainier texture than some of the other popular winter squashes. Great for soups, curries or just mixing with butter, a bit of brown sugar, and a little milk to thin it out for a mashed squash side dish.
Recipes
Squash-I love the taste of this week’s squash varieties. The Kabocha Sunshine, a deep orange Japanese type, is prized for the sweetness of the meat, and the Buttercup has a butter, slightly nutty flavor. They’re intense, and packed with nutrients, and their texture is like a sweet potato crossed with a butternut squash. Feel free to use them interchangeably in recipes. They both have a firmness that keeps its shape nicely when peeled, diced and cooked. For cooking, I’d recommend one of my favorite soups, Laksa. A great combination of textures, flavors, and absolutely perfect for a cool rainy day, this soup was brought to my attention by Nigel Slater. He’s one of the best cookbook writers out there, and if you don’t have his seminal Kitchen Diaries, do yourself a favor and get a copy! Another great way to cook this squash is to make my Squash and Sausage Bread Pudding. If you’ve got the time to browse, check out this blog entry from the Kitchn, or this article from Food & Wine.
Sneak Peek at Next Week:
Okay, I know I said beets the last two weeks in a row and they have not been in the box either time. So, I’m not going to say beets, but, folks, they’re out there and could show up anytime.
- Celeriac
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower/Broccoli
- Onions
- Snap Beans
- Winter Squash
All the best from all of us,
Brandon, Heather, Ted, Hannah, Michele, and Karen
sleepy root farm 