Dear CSA Members:
I had the
opportunity to walk some of our hillside pastures today, and I realized once
again what an incredible farm is living here. The rolling landscape of
the valley, with the hills sculpted by powerful, ancient glaciers moving
through what are now grassy pastures and beautiful woodlands, bears the traces
of an older rhythm of geology and meteorology. Our farming rhythms in the
valley are not as enormous or awesome as a glacier, but they are steady,
changing with the passing seasons.
There is a slow
rhythm of the cows moving through the pastures, coming into the barn twice a
day, every day, for morning and evening milking. The cows could be the
heartbeat of the farm, slow and regular, as if they were the blood coursing
through the veins of the whole farmland. The vegetable fields are more
seasonal, with variations and change throughout the year, yet with a continuity
in the year-after-year rhythms. The farm days in spring, summer and fall
usually begin with a morning milking team of two farmers calling in the cows
for morning milking, and a team of four to five farmers to start the harvest of
the vegetables early in the morning as the sun rises. When we see the
schoolchildren riding the school bus past our lettuce field, we vegetable
farmers know our breakfast time is coming up and we begin to get hungry for a
hearty meal after a couple of hours of early work. The elegant blue heron
pair is also looking for breakfast in the early morning, near the banks of the
farm creek. Just before the school day starts, the morning milking is
finished up in the barn, and the cows sedately walk down the cow lane to their
day pasture. Throughout the year, the farm rhythms are centered around
taking care of the animals, the plants and the soil of the farm, and nourishing
all of us who take an interest in this valley.
This winter we will
be planning for the 2007 CSA season, as well as taking good care of the cows
and calves, the pigs and piglets and probably shoveling snow in the
meantime. Before the snow arrives, (we hope), this fall is the time to
start reflecting over the 2006 season, so that you can look out for and return
a CSA season review postcard, which will help us plan the 2007 season.
You can also consider whether you would like to reserve your CSA membership for
next year, by sending in a $25 deposit. Our 2006 season is not over
yet! The last CSA pick up will be on Thursday, November 2. I am
just priming us to be on the lookout for CSA response postcards and deposit
forms – they will be arriving soon.
This has been a
great season, and I am looking forward to 2007.
-Farmer Katy
Next Thursday
Oct 26th
Last Day
to
Pre-Order
HVF products!
Last pick-up is Nov. 2.
Looking Forward
to Next Week
Anticipated for October 26th
Celeriac
Garlic
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Parsley
Potatoes
Winter
Squash
Farmer John's
Pumpkin Soup
With roasted fresh pumpkin as its base, this easy-to-make soup is
accented with sage and spice
Notes: You can make the soup through step 3
up to 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Reheat over medium heat, covered, stirring
often.
½ lb leeks (about 1
large)
2 Tbsps. butter
½ lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 quarts chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 cups Mashed
Pumpkin
1/2 cup apple cider or juice
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh sage 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
Salt and pepper
1 cup crème frâiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1. Trim and discard
root end and tough dark green tops from leek. Slice leek in half lengthwise and
rinse well, flipping layers under cool running water to remove dirt. Slice
thinly crosswise.
2.
In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, melt butter. Add leek, carrots, celery,
onion, and garlic; stir often until onion is limp, 6 to 8 minutes. Add broth,
Mashed Pumpkin, apple cider, apple, ginger, sage, cinnamon, and allspice; cover
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10
minutes.
3.
Whirl soup, a portion at a time, in a blender (holding lid down with a towel)
until puréed, and pour into a bowl. Return all soup to pan and stir often over
high heat until hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4.
In a small bowl, mix 1 cup crème frâiche or sour cream and lemon peel. Ladle
soup into bowls or mugs. Garnish with a dollop of crème frâiche. Makes 10 to 12 servings . from Sunset,
October 2005
Mashed Pumpkin
Preheat
oven to 350°. Rinse a 3- to 9-pound Sugar Pie (also called Sugar), Long Island
Cheese, Apple Blossom, or Jarrahdale pumpkin or kabocha squash. With a large,
heavy knife, cut in half vertically, starting along one side of stem. Use a
mallet or hammer to tap knife gently through flesh. Scoop out and discard
seeds, or reserve for another use. Rub the inside with about 2 teaspoons
vegetable oil and lay, cut side down, in a 12- by 16-inch rimmed baking pan.
Bake until squash is soft when pressed, 45 to 75 minutes.
Scoop
out flesh, place in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher. If pumpkin is watery,
place pumpkin in two colanders lined with cheesecloth. Let stand, lightly
pressing, until dripping stops, 15 to 30 minutes. (Draining is critical for
baked goods, but less so for soup.) Most meaty pumpkins yield 3/4 to 1 1/4 cups
mashed pumpkin per pound of raw weight. Chill airtight up to 3 days or freeze
up to 6 months.
from Sunset, October 2005
Winter Vegetable Soup Makes 6 servings.
SOUP
3
tbsp olive oil
1
cup coarsely chopped onion
1
cup peeled, cored and coarsely chopped Granny Smith apple
1
cup peeled and coarsely chopped turnip
1
cup peeled and chopped butternut squash (seeds discarded)
1
cup coarsely chopped carrot
1
cup peeled, chopped sweet potato
5
cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
1/4
cup maple syrup
Cayenne
pepper
heat
oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until
translucent. Add apple, turnip, squash, carrot, and sweet potato; season with
salt, then sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil and simmer, stirring
occasionally, about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add syrup, then
cayenne pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Puree with a handheld mixer, food
processor or blender. Pour soup into 6 large bowls; float toast on top.
TOAST
TOPPERS
1
small whole-grain baguette
3
oz goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped
fresh chives
Cut 6 slices bread
and toast them. Spread 1/2 oz goat cheese on top of each; sprinkle with chives.
from SELF, January 2004