On the Farm
Beautiful weather we have been having so far in October! Warm falls make farm cleanup 1000x easier. It helps when you can feel your fingers 😉
Sorry for the short newsletter last week. I was in MD for the weekend and coming back to the farm after a couple days away always means a pile of tasks to catch up on.
It’s been a beautiful fall to work outside. The foliage this year was spectacular. I was worried about what effect the drought would have, but the maples seem unfazed. My notes from last year say that we were in peak foliage the first week of October last year and past peak by the second week. Right on for this year. I made a not about the oaks giving a beautiful display until early November, so hopefully we can look forward to some lasting color before winter sets in. I didn’t realize it, but we didn’t get our first frost until November last year. We were picking peppers throughout October in 2022 and this year we got our first frost on the 9th. It’s too bad because the Carmen peppers really start to come on in October, and if we get an early frost we miss out on the bulk of the red peppers. I will look into strategies for getting them to turn earlier for next year.
We’re pretty close to being cleaned up here on the farm. The rest of the full timers are on a part time schedule now that the fields are coming to rest. There are still a few larger projects to get done. The asparagus needs weeding and cutting back, peppers and beans have to be removed from the field, garlic has to be planted, probably a few more that I’m not recalling off the top of my head.
What is left in the fields is looking good. We’ve got a lot of veggies right on the verge of maturity. Beets, cabbage, napa cabbage, brussel sprouts and more radishes. New items will be in shares for a solid few weeks and this week we’ll have escarole and hakurei turnips gracing baskets for the first time this fall. More on shares below.
FALL SHARES WEEK 3!
Fall shares go out every Wednesday from October 5th until the week of Thanksgiving. On November 22nd shares will be packed on Tuesday.
Ought to have some nice looking baskets going out this week. Carrots, Garlic, Onions, Potatoes, and Sweet Potatoes will be going out on a weekly basis so you can always expect those items in your share. Escarole is a classic green that we include in fall shares. I call it bitter lettuce and you can cook with it! Click Here for a link to 18 different recipes for escarole. I will include my favorite recipe below. Lettuce will be in shares while we have it in the field. I will band the escarole to differentiate it from lettuce heads. They can look similar. Spicy Salad Mix is back in shares this week. I’ve been loving it with a creamy dressing. Hakurei Turnips are in shares! This is the consensus favorite veggie on the farm. Disregard everything you know about turnips, this ain’t that. Hakureis are super sweet and go perfectly sliced up raw in a salad made with their own greens. Or make the recipe below and lightly glaze the turnips and the greens in the same pan. Winter Squash is going to start going out to shares. We’ll have butternut later in the fall, but for now members will get either Acorn or Delicata squash. They are shaped similarly, so the way to differentiate is acorn is green with mottled yellow and delicata is cream colored with some mottled green.
Check for recipes below!
Shares Week 3:
Carrots
Escarole
Garlic
Lettuce
Onions
Potatoes
Salad Mix
Sweet Potatoes
Turnips — With Tops!
Winter Squash
Egg Share: CHECK LIST FOR NAME
Bread Share: Onion Pepper Parmesan CHECK LIST FOR NAME
LINK: LEMON CHICKEN WITH POTATOES AND ESCAROLE
Ingredients
| ▪ | 1 pound small Dutch or baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved |
| ▪ | Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper |
| ▪ | 1 lemon, scrubbed |
| ▪ | 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| ▪ | 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained |
| ▪ | 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (6 to 8) |
| ▪ | 1 small or medium red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges |
| ▪ | 6 ounces escarole, torn into bite-size pieces (5 to 6 cups) |
| ▪ | Dijon mustard, for serving |
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°F, with a rack in upper third. Place potatoes in a pot; cover with 2 inches generously salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes; drain. Remove zest from lemon in long strips with a peeler, then use a sharp knife to slice strips into a fine julienne. Squeeze 3 tablespoons lemon juice into a bowl, whisk in oil and capers, and season with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper; arrange in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet with onion and potatoes. Pour caper mixture over everything; toss to coat. Roast until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Step 3
Switch oven to broil and cook vegetables, stirring once, until juices have reduced slightly and vegetables are charred in places, about 5 minutes. Stir in julienned lemon zest and escarole; broil another 30 seconds. Serve with chicken and mustard.
LINK: GLAZED HAKUREI TURNIPS
Edamame is a great side dish for any meal. Similar to shishito peppers, it is easy to prepare and delicious!
Ingredients
3 bunches baby hakurei turnips, baby turnips, or red radishes (about 2 pounds), trimmed, greens reserved
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
Directions
Step 1
Place turnips in a large skillet; add water to cover turnips halfway. Add butter, sugar, and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. (If turnips are tender before liquid has reduced, use a slotted spoon to transfer turnips to a plate and reduce liquid until syrupy. Return turnips to pan and stir to coat well.) DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before continuing.
Step 2
Add turnip greens to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, 2–3 minutes. Season with salt.
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