In Your Share (Oct 17th edition)

broccoli_colorFall crops are here – beautiful broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco! As many folks know these are all in the brassica family and are famous for their health benefits. As if not more important – this time of year these crops taste amazing!! For Slow Food Fast – just cut up the heads into bite size pieces, toss with nothing more than salt and olive oil and put it under the broiler. They are ready as soon as the edges start to caramelize – yum!

Happy to report that we got all the storage crops in and cover crops planted before the rains began! That said, there’s always plenty to do at the farm. This week we are finishing up the garlic planting and starting to drain irrigation pipes so we can winterize the system. In the winter it is too wet to drive out into the fields so everything take a little longer. That said, it’s a nice change of pace from the hectic craziness of summer.

The big storm that was forecast weekend never really happened, but we did have some high winds and a bit of hail. Winter is on it’s way! And if you want to keep getting great produce then we hope you’ll join our WINTER CSA!!  Summer share runs through the end of October. Winter share starts the first week in November and runs through April. Hope you can join us!

Amazing recipes for broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco and everything else we grow on the farm are available to members at Cook With What You Have. If you joined our Summer CSA you will find your password in the member email. Enjoy 24/7 access to recipe inspiration!

This week your share may include…

  • Broccoli: It doesn’t need much introduction – yum!
  • Cauliflower: Put the florettes under the broiler, cut in rounds & make cauliflower “steak” on the grill, make soup or – one of my personal favorites – try a cauliflower curry pizza! It sounds a bit unusual, but it is always a big hit!  I sauté a red onion in olive oil then add cauliflower and curry powder. Next, lay out the pizza dough, brush it with olive oil, add the cauliflower topping, put some mozzarella on top and bake. Simple and tasty!
  • Lettuce Heads: We were happy that these made it through the hail storm!
  • Red Tropea Onions: An Italian heirloom from the coast south of Venice, these have a distinctive elongated shape and slightly sweet flavor.
  • Mixed Sweet Peppers: Probably the last of the season – choose from Jimmy Nardello, Gatherers Gold, & Stocky Red Roaster.
  • Hot Peppers: A few jalapeño, black czech and bulgarian carrot to liven up your winter soups & stews!
  • Romanesco: Possibly the most weirdly beautiful vegetable in the world aka the fractal cauliflower. Use the florets raw or cooked just like you would a regular cauliflower.
  • Hakuri Turnip: No greens this week – the hailstorm did them in, but the roots are incredibly sweet & crunchy!

Coming soon… Winter CSA!