2nd to last share of the regular season contains:

1 pound broccoli, 3/4 pound kale, 1 pound Romano beans, 2 kohlrabi, 1 bunch carrots, 1 bunch hakurei turnips, 1 bunch radishes, 2 butternut squash, 2 pounds potatoes, 2 bulbs garlic.

We have had a little rain here to help these fall crops along.  Hopefully the predicted cooler temperatures arrive end of the week and we can breathe a sigh of relief.  Next week you will get sweet potatoes!

Kohlrabi, Turnip n’ Carrot Slaw

2 kohlrabi, peeled and grated

several carrots, sliced thinly on the diagonal

several white turnips, either grated or thinly sliced

the greens of the turnips, washed and sliced into thin ribbons

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

Dressing: 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 cups red wine vinegar, 1 &1/2 teaspoons of chili powder or berbere or cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper.

1. Toss the vegetables together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl.  Taste and adjust salt, pepper and spices to your liking.
3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Share contents:  2 small heads lettuce, 1 head radicchio, 3 yellow onion, 1 garlic, 1 pound yellow wax beans, 1 pound green Romano beans, 2 pounds red beets, 1.25 pound Turkey Red wheat flour.

Both varieties of beans are string-less. The beets were dug yesterday but the tops are unsightly so we removed them.  The flour, if not used right away, will keep best in the freezer.  Onions and garlic can be kept out of the refrigerator.

It is time for my annual nudge to eat your bitter greens.  The radicchio is great for your blood.  Eat it combined with other flavors if the bitter alone is too much for you.

Here is a salad we have been eating.

Equal parts lettuce and radicchio, shredded raw beets, fresh herbs (cilantro, dill, mint), red wine vinaigrette, toasted sesame seed nuggets.

To make the vinaigrette finely dice a shallot and let sit in red wine vinegar for 30 minutes.  Add to it extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper.

To make the sesame seed nuggets toast half a cup of sesame seeds in a skillet on the stove.  When they start popping, remove from heat and drizzle over them some sorghum molasses or honey.  Stir to coat well.  As they cool, break them apart into little balls and sprinkle over the salad.

After this weeks’ share, there are 2 more weeks in the CSA.  We dug the orange sweet potatoes on Monday so you’ll be getting those in the last couple boxes.  Broccoli is starting to make heads and carrots are getting bigger.

This weeks’ share:  1 pound red onions, 2 pounds Satina Potatoes, 3 butternut squash, 1 pound green curly kale, 2 heads of lettuce, 1/4 pound French Gray shallots.

The shallots are tiny but pack a-lot of flavor.  They are great added to salad dressings, slowly sauteed in butter until they become crispy, or in any recipe calling for shallot.  We planted these last fall, harvested them mid summer, let them cure in the barn loft, and are enjoying them immensely.  We hope you enjoy them too!

On the menu at our house this week are:

Baked butternut squash with crispy shallots sprinkled on top

Chunked and boiled potatoes served warm with minced shallot, parsley, butter, and sour cream

Sesame Kale

Red onion and lettuce Salad with shallot vinaigrette.

There’s also a traditional Portuguese soup of Kale and Potato

about 1 pound kale, 2 pounds potatoes, 2 quarts water, 1 teaspoon salt, extra virgin olive oil

Remove stems from the kale, wash the leaves, and cut into ribbons.

Peel the potatoes and chop them very fine.  Bring the water to a boil with the salt.  Add the potatoes, return to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, covered.  Add the kale and cook 2 minutes more.  Taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper if desired.  This soup is good served with a spicy sausage.

Next week you will get another  bag of red turkey wheat flour.  Sweet potatoes are coming soon as well as more greens and lettuces and broccoli.  Hopefully the next carrots will be ready early October.

Summer crops are slowing down and we are feverishly moving irrigation rigs around the farm to water the fall crops while it is 90! degrees out.  There will be more greens coming in the next couple weeks as well as root crops, broccoli, sweet potatoes.

This weeks’ share;  1 head green bibb and 1 head summer crisp lettuce, 1/2 pound arugula, 1/2 pound aji dulce peppers, 1 pound red torpedo onions, 3 pounds purple viking potatoes, 1/2 pound garlic.

The aji dulce peppers look hot but are not.  Their heat is like black pepper.  The also have an astounding fruity flavor package.  We love them raw in an onion and aji relish on just about anything.  They are great added to a pot of beans, pickled, added to lemonade, in a simple syrup poured over ice cream or cake, or in cocktails.

The onions and potatoes have been stored in our cooler so will keep best for you in the refrigerator too.  The garlic can be stored out of refrigeration.

Purple viking potatoes are white inside and have a sweetness to them.  Try roasting them and serving with arugula pesto on top and a side of aji dulce relish.

Share contents:  1 pound okra, 4 poblano peppers, 4 sweet Italian peppers, 1 pound red onion, 2 pounds Desiree potatoes, 2 butternut squash, 1 bunch hakurei turnips.

If you de-seed the poblano peppers they do not have much heat.  If you want them to be spicy, use with the seeds.

The butternut are ready to eat but also will keep for weeks if you’re not ready to eat “winter” squash yet.  Keep them in a cabinet or on the counter, not refrigerated.

Try eating the turnip greens!  They make a great pesto.

They are also awesome in green goddess dressing.  Make the dressing and use it as a dip for the raw trunips and sweet peppers.

Green Goddess Dressing

greens of the turnips in combination with chives, parsley, cilantro, basil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 anchovy fillet (optional), 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream, 1/2 cup mayonnaise.

Combine everything in a blender.  Turn on at low speed and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.  Transfer the dressing to a storage container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

This dressing is also good on roasted potatoes and roasted okra!