Wow, 19 weeks have flown by and here we are at the final week of our CSA. Thank you so much to all of you who have supported us at Maple Wind Farm. We hope that you have enjoyed your experience cooking and eating the array of vegetables we have grown for you and your family. Some of you have been out of your comfort zones a few times trying new items-kudos to you! I would love to hear stories of you or your kids experiences. Send them along. Recipes for next year or an additional blog later this month would be great - please submit to my email!

PLEASE ALLOW A FEW EXTRA MINUTES AT PICKUP THIS WEEK to fill out our member survey and have a cup of cider. We’ll trade you a filled out survey for your last installment of syrup! 

PLEASE BRING BACK OUR OTHER PINT JARS. they are expensive to keep buying. Our intention was to buy only one set and refill for you each time but that model didnt work as we planned. If you have any suggestions, let us know. We hope you enjoyed the sweetness and inclusion in the share this year.

Many many thanks to all the farm crew helping in the garden this summer harvesting, weeding and washing your vegetables. A special thanks to Jodi Dean, my right hand this summer, who is knowledgable and capable and took on a great bit of the responsibility in the garden.

Congratulations to Susan and Lars Whitman on the birth of their baby boy (little brother to Carter), named Issac born on Sept. 9th. They are doing well and Ive had many sightings at the Richmond Farmers Market!

Storage Vegetable Share baskets still available: 35 lbs of great storage crops with a tip sheet included. $65. Order by calling or emailing. Pickup at Andrews Farm mid November.

Organic Turkeys still available for Thanksgiving. $4.75/lb. $25 deposit holds your order.

We’ll be at the Burlington Winter Farmers Market this 08-09 winter season beginning on Sat Nov 22 from 10-2pm at Memorial Auditorium. Maybe we’ll see you there.

ON THE FARM: This week, we’ve been doing quite a bit of logging with our draft horses in the woods bringing out firewood for the house and our two yurts. With this wonderful weather, its been great progress and Bruce said he was so thrilled to see how Herbie and Henry have worked together so well. 

IN THE GARDEN: As you drive by the garden from up on route 2,  you will notice big changes as much of the garden has been tilled under and we are cover cropping for next year. There will remain the rest of the kale and turnips through the fall so we can harvest it for our pigs to eat.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Great big pumpkin (your choice, 1 per family), Acorn Squash, Cabbage, Turnips, Kale, Chard or Pac Choi, Beautiful broccoli and purple (yes purple) califlower, Some greens, Peppers, Onions, and Garlic. Oh yes, and the interesting Kohlrabi (see info below). ENJOY!!!!!!

Kohlrabi… 

Excerpted from Rolling Prairie Cookbook, by Nancy O’Connor.

Many of you have been asking great questions about storage of some of the vegetables.

Please see this great website, its easy to read and has great information. Thanks to Robin at the Mad River Valley Localvore group for pointing me to this site so I wanted to pass it on to you.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/gist82.html

Reminders: CSA members PLEASE bring in the pint jar to refill for next weeks syrup.

Check out our recipes at the bottom of this newsletter- some great ones.

Still time to order a Thanksgiving turkey. Also our Storage Share Basket is getting some nice response so if you are interested (or anyone you know) for a basket of storage goods in November, please reserve one before the end of the month. Just call or email me.

ON THE FARM: Another group of lambs went to the butcher this week. We are seeing the slower growth of the grass but still there is plenty on the farm for both the sheep and the cows (coming back from Teal Farm) to eat before we have to feed out hay. The longer we can pasture the better, but we wont overgraze it to compromise good regrowth in the spring. 

IN THE GARDEN: Time is flying by and I cant believe we have only two more pickups for our CSA. The garden is getting trimmed down to pretty much just the cold crops now. What a great week for the garden and getting clean up jobs done thanks to the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. We had two groups of kids come on Tues. and Wed. this week to do some assistance clean up. We accomplished a great deal of pulling up mulch plastic, bundling drip tape, and pulling up the tomato, eggplant and old squash plants for the compost pile. We brought Herbie and Henry, our Percheron draft horses, to the garden today to harvest the remaining potatoes. Again, with the help of the VYCC, we bagged the potatos, pulled the leeks and picked peppers and brussel sprouts too.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: New item… Brussel Sprouts! (recipe below) Give them a try, and go beyond the old boiled sprouts option. Also in your share this week: Pie pumpkins (easy recipe below), squashes, Peppers, Tomatos, Chard and Kale, Radishes, parley and Carrots (the last of our garden) - beets next week.

IN THE KITCHEN:

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

This is the only way to eat brussels sprouts: cut in half and cooked until deliciously tender inside and perfectly brown and crusted on the outside.

Use brussels sprouts that are on the small size and tightly closed. You can finish these with many different types of cheese but I tend to go for Parmesan when the weather is good. I trade that in for heavier cheeses like gruyere or Gouda in colder weather. I finished them off with some toasted hazelnuts the other night - delicious!

24 small brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don’t overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they’re tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Serves 4.

The following is submitted by Lucy, our apprentice and very good cook. Thanks!

An easy pie to make, and a denser custard than most pumpkin pies thanks to the mascarpone.

Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie

Crust: 1 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt 5 T chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 c chilled non-hydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 c (or more) ice water

Blend flour and salt in food processor. Add butter and shortening; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/4 c ice water; pulse until dough begins to clump, adding more ice water by teasponsful if dry. Gather into ball, flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out dough on floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch beyond rim. Crimp edges. Chill crust while making filling.

Filling: 1 c pureed pumpkin

1 c (packed) brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (fresh is best)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt 1

8-oz container mascarpone

Using electric mixer, beat pumpkin and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add egs and next 7 ingredients and beat until blended. Add mascarpone and beat just until mixture is smooth. Transfer filling to prepared crust. Bake pie until custard is set, about 55 minutes. Transfer to pie rack and cool.

Notes: Vermont Butter and Cheese makes a great mascarpone that will satisfy localvores. Also, I’ve heard that real lard makes an even better, flakier crust than veggie shortening. Perhaps Maple Wind Farm lard, rendered, would do the trick

This looked quite good. I havent tried it yet but let me know. It uses alot of veggies from this week.

Ribollita (Reboiled Cabbage Italian Soup) from AllRecipes.com

Week 17 for our vegetable CSA! Welcome to October. Its been another great week on the farm and in the garden. Remember, we are offering a winter storage share in November of a huge basket of veggies. Please make a reservation for one if you are interested and you can tell your friends too.

Side Note: PLEASE PATRONIZE THE RICHMOND FARMERS MARKET IF YOU CAN, The market has lost significant business since the bridge has been closed. Coming from the south, park at the round church and enjoy a walk across the bridge. Thanks! See you there. We’ll be grilling! Fridays 3-6:30 until Oct. 17th

ON THE FARM: This week we hosted our friend Dave Birdsall, who taught a Game of Logging course to a group of 10 on Tuesday and Wednesday. They learned many new skills for safe chainsaw use and how to fell trees in a thoughtful way. We took another group of lambs to the butcher, this group is intended for the Burlington Food Hub CSA with the Intervale. Those of you who ordered whole lambs for the freezers will be in future groups soon to folllow throughout the fall. 

IN THE GARDEN: We’re well on our way to cover cropping some of the areas in the garden that arent in production anymore planting with winter rye. Soon we’ll be putting in our garlic beds for next years crop. Im making notes for next year and realizing where we had some holes and what varieties we could plant more of. Example: I will plant more carrots next year in two week successions. This year we will only have one more share distribution of carrots as we had some bacteria arrive and hit our carrots so their growth was slowed.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Acorn Squash (recipe), Braising Greens (recipe), Peppers, Onions, Head Lettuce, Potatos, Tomatos, Beets, Cabbage, Radishes, maybe broccoli and eggplant.

IMPORTANT STORAGE NOTES: We are giving out the Acorn squash that the stems got broken off so they will not be long keepers. Enjoy it sooner than later. Store in a cool location about 50 degrees if possible or in your fridge.

IN THE KITCHEN: Enjoy the last of five winter squash we grew this year (spaghetti, kabocha, delicata, butternut and acorn). You’ll see more delicata and butternut in weeks to come. 

Acorn Squash stuffed with baked apples

Loaded with apples, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, it is like an acorn squash stuffed with apple pie. This side dish is especially good with pork. In a word: Yum!

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 medium acorn squash
• 3 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

To facilitate slicing, partially bake or microwave the acorn squash until the skin can be broken easily by the pressure of your thumbnail. Transfer to a colander and allow to stand. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil 6 individual baking dishes or a large shallow pan. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the apples and flour and toss to coat evenly. 

When the squash is cool enough to handle, cut each one in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and fibrous tissue. Transfer the shells to the prepared baking dish. Spoon the apples into the squash cavities and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Brush over the exposed flesh of the squash and then drizzle what remains over the apples. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Simple Greens with Garlic

Here is a tribute to the simple cooking: when the livin’ is easy, cooking should be easy, too! This deliciously nourishing recipe, filled with heart-healthy, immune-boosting greens, is proof that you can eat inexpensively and well while pleasing your taste buds with seasonal goodness.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunches fresh greens, about 8 cups, washed and coarsely chopped. This could include a mixture of Asian greens, or mustard, collards, turnip greens, beet greens, kale - any toothy substantial green will do.
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 cup water or vegetable broth
Salt to taste
Optional flavorings: Sesame oil, ume plum vinegar, tamari
Optional toppings: sesame seeds, chopped almonds or walnuts, toasted pumpkin seeds

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add greens and garlic, stirring to coat with oil. Stir occasionally until greens are barely wilted, just a few minutes.

2. Add vegetable broth or water and stir, allowing greens to steam until barely tender. Salt to taste.

3. Add flavorings and toppings as desired and serve.

Serves 4.

From Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday, here’s a meatless alternative to a creative taco…

Braised Greens Tacos

- serves 2 -

Ingredients

1 12 ounce bunch Swiss chard, washed (or collard greens, kale, etc.)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large white or red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth, or water

12 corn tortillas, warmed with a bit of water in a kitchen towel in the microwave
1 cup crumbled queso fresco (or feta, or goat cheese)

A large handful (6-10) cherry tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
(Alternatively, a store-bought salsa or hot sauce will work)

Procedure

1. Heat the oil in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium high, add the onion and cook until golden but still a bit crunchy, 4-5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, slice the greens crosswise into 1/2 inch slices.

3. Add the garlic and chili flakes to the onion and cook for an additional minute, then add the broth or water, a large pinch of salt, and the greens. Reduce heat to low and braise, covered, for about 5 minutes or until the greens are nearing tender, but not quite finished.

4. Meanwhile, put the cherry tomatoes into a dry skillet over medium-high heat until blistered, transfer to a small food processor with the chipotle pepper and a large pinch of salt, and blend until smooth.

5. Remove the cover from the greens and cook off the moisture until it is nearly dry. Season with salt if necessary. Fill each taco—two tortillas thick—with a tongful of the greens, a spoonful of salsa, and the queso fresco.

This week we’ll be doing a poll on whether folks would be interested in buying a bag of winter storage crops after the CSA season is over. We’d be making it a one time pickup the first week of November.

Hello folks, What a gorgeous fall week. This is why we LOVE Vermont. I hope everyone had some fun outside watching soccer games, working in the yard, going for walks or bike rides.

ON THE FARM: All of our chickens for 2008 are finally processed and in the freezer. I hope those of you who got to enjoy a fresh bird made a tasty treat last weekend. We still have plenty more of frozen birds, so just let us know. TURKEYS are selling- we have 20 more so get your deposit in for Thanksgiving. We are continueing to put up our hay for the winter in the barn for the sheep, cows and horses. Speaking of horses, our vet is coming Thursday to ultrasound our Suffolk Punch draft horse mare, Abbey, to confirm her pregnancy. Also we’ll be doing the same to our milk cow, Eliza Jane. Stay tuned for the results.

IN THE GARDEN: Well we’ve started to put the parts of the garden away for the season, brushogging the high weeds, pulling up the plastic mulch, discussing plans for the cover cropping with Winter Rye and deciding where to put next years garlic. The frost has not gotten us yet, cross your fingers, but we have covered our precious more delicate crops two nights with remay just in case. There are still too many tomatos and peppers yet to harvest to lose them.

Ill sell blemished tomatoes for canning for $2/ lb. Just give me a holler before 1pm on Thurs on my cell 233-3862.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Turnips (see 2 recipes), Butternut Squash, Tomatos, Garlic, Carrots, Kale or Chard, Pac Choi, Peppers, Broccoli, Tomatillos

IN THE KITCHEN: Tomatillos and Turnips see below… yum.

TURNIP-    This turnip recipe is a tried-and-true family favourite. After peeling, turnip is simple to prepare, making it a great everyday side dish that still feels special enough for holidays and special dinners. Some may consider it comfort food.

For this recipe, choose a large waxed turnip, also called rutabaga or swede.

Turnip can smell a little bit strong while it’s cooking. If it becomes bothersome, consider cooking it outside on a barbeque burner. 

Turnip Recipe Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large rutabaga (turnip)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1-2 tsp. brown sugar

Directions:

1. Wash the turnip and peel it with a potato peeler. Cut it into rough cubes; don’t worry about keeping the size or shape consistent; it will be mashed up later.
2. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil and add about one teaspoon of salt. Add the turnip.
3. Boil for about 45 minutes; drain.
4. Add about a quarter of a cup butter or margarine and the brown sugar.
5. Mash all the ingredients together. Stir, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Turnip Souffle  Prep 40 min Cook 30 min and serves 6

Lime-Tomatillo Salsa

CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Serves/Makes: 4 cups   Ready In: < 30 minutesIngredients:
1 large ripe red tomato, finely diced
8 tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup minced bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced red or white onion
1 teaspoon grated Mexican lime peel
1 tablespoon Mexican lime juiceDirections:
In a non-reactive bowl mix all ingredients. If not using immediately cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

CSA for the Huntington pickup members is back to Maple Wind Farm from 4:30-6pm. Let us know if you need us to pack a bag if you might be tardy. No problem!

Many of you are wondering when the last pickup is. We are aiming for the third week of October which would bring us to 19 weeks of the CSA program for 2008. PS. When the large carving pumpkin is delivered you’ll know its the last week.

Ill have 10 lb bags of extra tomatoes available if anyone is interested for canning and freezing.

ON THE FARM: If you are in the neighborhood of Camel’s Hump Rd, drive up just past Brewster Pierce School and check out our cows, they are enjoying the lush grass and will be moving across the road on Friday afternoon. Come for our short cattle drive! All is well on the home farm, we now have one less chore since the broilers have all been processed. As for poultry, we can now focus on our turkeys for Thanksgiving (still taking orders).

IN THE GARDEN: We have harvested all of the winter squash and the pumpkins and put them on pallets to cure for the upcoming weeks. You’ll see acorns, and delicatas and of course butternut too! We are looking at the garden as a big transition now as we take out the dying vines and brushhog back the overgrowth and make a cover crop plan for the fields until next summer. The tomato vines are still bursting with fruit so long as we stay ahead of the frost and cover or harvest before it comes.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Kabocha Squash, Pie pumpkins, Potatoes, Kale, Greens, Tomatoes, Beets with Greens, Garlic, Leeks, Eggplant and some ornamental gourds.

IN THE KITCHEN: Time for potato leek soup! yum! Pie time. We’ll include Lucy’s easy pie recipe next week!

WINTER SQUASH…..Most recipes out there for using winter squash seem to involve pureeing them, but I rather like them when they are in chunks or slices. This roasted squash has a sweet, spicy and salty glaze of sorts on them, which brings out the dense sweetness of the fruit. Cut into fairly thin slices like this, it makes interesting finger food. You can vary the sugar and spice to your taste, though too much of either may overwhelm it.

You do need to use kabocha-type squash for this ideally, though butternut should work too. You will need a dense, starchy and sweet squash. Don’t use regular pumpkin, which is too watery and lacks sweetness. (Rouge d’etampes pumpkin may work, but I’ve found their sweetness to vary quite a bit.)

Sweet and spicy roasted kabocha squash

• 1/2 small to medium sized kabocha squash
• 3 Tbs light brown, natural cane, or muscovado sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper or hot chili powder, more or less to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• Oil for drizzling - pumpkin seed oil is preferred, or use toasted sesame oil, argan oil, or walnut oil (see notes)

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Line a baking sheet or two with silicon baking liner or parchment paper.

De-seed and cut the squash into slices about 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch thick. (Use a sturdy knife for cutting squash or pumpkin, on a stable surface, and be careful!)

Combine all the dry ingredients. Toss the squash slices in this until coated thoroughly. Add the soy sauce and toss well again.

Spread the slices in a singler layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle over them with the oil, and optionally sprinkle more sugar on them. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn over, drizzle with more oil and sprinkle more sugar, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Any other recipes, please send them my way. Have a great week!

Beth

Welcome to week 14 of our CSA. Its really feeling like fall on these crisp mornings.

Thanks for sending in some recipes… keep them coming. Think of your favorite squash dish.

This week is the last Huntington Localvore Market at Jubilee. 3-6:30 is the time to come. Then we’ll move back to pickups at our farm 4-6:30.

Anyone who might be tardy to pickup veggies, please call my cell 233-3862 and we can set a bag out for you after we are gone so you dont miss the amazing harvest.

Great Event…dont miss out.

Shelburne Orchards Small Farms Food Festival. Sunday 11-5pm. Come listen to Bluegrass music, pick apples, face painting and food tastes from local farms. We’ll be there with our hamburgers and sausages!

ON THE FARM: Our cow/calf/bull herd has once again moved back to the Teal Farm pastures for the fall grazing program. See them now and for the next week and a half up close along side the Camels Hump Rd near Brewster Pierce School.

Turkeys are having a great time pecking away at the grass and grubs. Reserve yours now for Thanksgiving. We have sent off our first group of lambs to the butcher, we take the animals when they reach 80 lbs live weight.

Another poultry announcement: Our last fresh organic bird processing is next week. If you would like to reserve one or several, let us know. Pick and selection will be at the Andrews Farm Thurs from 3-6.

IN THE GARDEN: Tomatos are plentiful! Make salsa, spaghetti sauce, can or freeze them if you cant quite eat them all. Enjoy! Thank you for the last shot of rain from Mother Nature and the wonderful warm fall sun. The garden is looking great, many wonderful things still to come. We have a plethora of winter squash coming your way and fall broccoli and more potatoes of course.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Tomatoes, Paste Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatillos(see recipe), Chard, a last baby Watermelon, Green Peppers, Onion, Jalapeno, Pac Choi (see recipe), Green Cabbage, Red Lettuce and root vegetables…..and your 3rd installment of maple syrup!

IN THE KITCHEN:

Green Salsa is super easy to make with the tomatillos. Give it a try, you’ll get hooked! Its great with scrambled eggs or meats.

Tomatillo Salsa

Roast your white onion, tomatillos and jalapeno on a cookie sheet under the broiler. Turn the veggies as they roast. The tomatillos will get brown and exude some liquid (thats good). 

Put the veggies and the juice in your blender or food processor with some salt pepper lemon juice and of course some cilantro and voila, delicious salsa.

Note, you do not have to roast the veggies it just gives a more full bodied flavor. You can make the salsa with the raw veggies or boil the tomatillos if you want. 

The following great recipe idea is submitted by CSA member,Wendy Gagliardi of Simply Gourmet Personal Chef Service www.simplygourmetvt.com

Tangy Pork with Tomatillos, Tomatoes, and Cilantro
Total time: 28 minutes

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add pork; toss well. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Add pork; sauté 3 minutes. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 30 seconds. Add tomatillos; sauté 1 minute. Add pork; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pork is done. Add tomatoes and cilantro; cover and cook for 1 minute. Serve with rice.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 cup pork mixture and 1 cup rice)

CALORIES 375 (18% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.1g,poly 0.9g); IRON 4.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 62mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46g; SODIUM 379mg; PROTEIN 29.4g; FIBER 4g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2001

Pac Choi

 ***************************************

Welcome to week 13 of the Maple Wind CSA. A few announcements:

Join the Huntington Valley Arts at Jubilee Farm in Huntington Center this Sunday, September 7 from 11-5 for a wonderful day of art, local food, music and fun. Maple Wind will be serving up some of our delicious grilled food (hamburgers/sausages) along with other local food folks. Come browse local artisans, take part in the many children activities, or just relax and listen to some great music.

The Localvore Market at Jubilee Farm will be running only two more Thursdays until Sept. 11. After that, we will return to our regular Huntington pickup for the CSA at Maple Wind 4:30-6pm. Call us if you will be late and we’ll put a bag inside the barn for you to get.  

We hope to get another round of syrup out next week so returning your jars is very appreciated (or donating some other pint jars you have kicking around).

ON THE FARM: We have been blessed with some real “Hay weather”. We made about 150 dry round bales on some of our leased acreage. Whew! That’s a relief. The new group of market pigs are really rooting up their pasture as they should. What a riot they are… its a sight to see when they know you are coming up to give them their afternoon meal of grain and milk!  

After about 6 months of some R&D at Earth Turbines, we are proud to announce that we have a turbine on our second tower again! Lets make some KW!!!

IN THE GARDEN:The garden is plentiful with goodness. Thursday we are bringing Herbie and Henry to the garden to harvest all of the potatoes with a horse drawn harvester. Ill take some photos and attache them next week if I can. Its amazing to watch all the potatoes come out of the earth - we’ll have some new varieties for the rest of the season. What a site to see after a slow start, the 700 feet of tomatoes are ripening nicely now. The tomatillos are very close to being ready so get your salsa verde recipes ready! The winter squash are huge and we will start to field cure them as their vines begin to die back. We’ve picked the spaghetti and the kabocha squash which you’ll see in your share soon. New curley kale is looking wonderful as are the fall broccoli and some pac choi and kolrabi.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Enjoy a great September harvest: Spaghetti Squash, Potatoes, Baby Watermelon, Onion, Garlic, Basil, Tomatos, Peppers, Eggplant, Spicy Greens as well as some varieties of lettuce.

IN THE KITCHEN: Make some pesto! Its the last of the basil.

Spaghetti Squash I
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings
“Such a perfect name for this squash. When it’s baked, its meat looks like glistening strands of pasta. For this recipe, the squash is baked and then combined with feta cheese, sauteed vegetables, olives, and basil. Lovely.”
INGREDIENTS:
1 spaghetti squash, halved
lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
2 tablespoons chopped freshbasil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

From Allrecipes.com

Roasted Eggplant Dip   (CSA eggplant might be small so adjust the recipe accordingly)

YIELD: Makes 8 (1/4-cup) servings. Baba ghanoush is the name of this traditional and healthy Middle Eastern appetizer. For the best flavor, choose firm, smooth-skinned eggplants for roasting. You can reduce the fat content of the dip by pouring any oil off the top of the tahini before measuring it.

INGREDIENTS:
2eggplants (about 1 pound each)
1/4cup lemon juice
3tablespoons sesame tahini*
4cloves garlic, minced
2teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1/2teaspoon salt
Paprika
1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Red chili pepper slices** (optional)
Pita bread rounds, cut into wedges
PREPARATION: 1.Prepare grill for direct cooking. Prick eggplants in several places with fork. Place eggplants on grid. Grill, covered, over medium-high heat 30 to 40 minutes or until skin is black and blistered and pulp is soft, turning often. Peel eggplants when cool enough to handle. Let cool to room temperature.
2.Place eggplant pulp in food processor with lemon juice, tahini, garlic, pepper sauce and salt; process until smooth. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to blend. Sprinkle top with paprika and parsley and red pepper slices; serve with pita bread.

What a lovely couple of days, we have been blessed. This is what we’ve been waiting for… Today our son David started first grade, what a milestone! Its amazing that it is school time again.

CSA members: Please remember to bring back your syrup jars, we’ll be sending your third installment next week I think. Can you believe this is week #12! 

ON THE FARM: This week we have made a few big changes in animals groups. The group of 160 White Comets layer hens moved up the hill to be with all the other layer hens so now we have a mixed group of 250 hens producing our delicious organic eggs. You can now find them at Richmond Corner Market, Green Grocer, Beaudrys and our CSA pick ups as well as the 3 weekly farmers markets we attend. Thats alot of eggs! About 200 a day!!!!

We said goodbye to our market pigs and now we have just the group of pigs born in May that are in pasture. The boar and 4 sows are in a separate pasture enjoying the lazy days of summer with a nice cool mudpit!

We hosted Hen of the Wood chef Eric Weinstadt at our farm on Wednesday for an dinner with Vermont Fresh Network. 

IN THE GARDEN: Nothing new to report other than we can really see the changing of seasons. We’ve pulled out all the summer squash plants and cucumber plants. Its looking more like fall. The tomatoes are finally turning colors! Yum. Huge winter squash on on their way and the pumpkins are looking great.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Beets, Carrots, Leeks, Red Cabbage, Patty Pan squash, cucumber, a final melon and some loose greens and delicious arugula!

IN THE KITCHEN:

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

2 T vinegar

2 T brown sugar

2 T soy sauce

2 T orange marmalade

Chop cabbage into big pieces. Put oil in hot skillet or wok. Add some grated ginger then the cabbage and stir for 2 min. Garlic is optional at this point. Add the above 4 ingredients and cover for 2 min. Serve and stir in 1/2 t sesame oil or seeds.

CARROT AND BEET SALAD WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup minced shallot

2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup rice vinegar (available at Asian markets and some supermarkets)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil

 Tabasco to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cups finely shredded carrots

4 cups finely shredded peeled raw beets (about 3/4 pound)

 spinach leaves, washed thoroughly, for garnish if desired
In a blender purée shallot, ginger, and garlic with rice vinegar, soy sauce,
sesame oil, and Tabasco. With motor running add olive oil in a stream and blend
until smooth. In separate bowls toss carrots with half of the dressing and beets
with remaining half. Divide carrot salad and beet salad among 6 plates and garnish
with spinach leaves.

Gourmet April 1996

Happy Eating and enjoy the rest of August...

Beth

Lets enjoy some sun while we have it! What a week at Maple Wind… busy busy.

NOTEWORTHY: We’ll have eggs for sale at the pickup tomorrow! FRESH ORGANIC CHICKENS ARE IN RICHMOND AT THE PICKUP AS WELL.

Huntington folks, pickup again at Sara Janes but next week we’ll be back home here on Carse Rd.

Please dont forget your bags and return the maple syrup jars if you still have them. thank you.

VALLEY STAGE Bluegrass Festival in Huntington this Saturday from 12:30-8:30. Great lineup! We’ll be selling hamburgers, sausages, and maybe some of Nate’s Jambalaya! Also some fresh garden side salads. Come here great music! tickets available at the door.

ON THE FARM: Tuesday we (13 of us) processed another batch of our organic pastured chickens- 323 to be exact! Whew! Its quite the day so to everyone that helped, thank you and thank you again! Today, (Wed) Bruce hosted a beginning farmer workshop here at Maple Wind to 24 folks that were interested in finding out how we do things. Entiled Wire, Water and Wellness, Bruce and some other knowledgeable folks from UVM answered many questions about pasture management, animal health and setting up water and fence systems. Way to go Bruce!

IN THE GARDEN: Never say never…we saw him (or her). Shhhh! We did spot a woodchuck today in a far corner of the field but on the opposite side to the garden. I hope he doesnt find his way over and stays happy on his side… The garden is doing great. We really are so lucky to have come out of all this wet weather with no real ill affects other than crazy weeds and some lost greens. Ive been hearing news of some farms (some with CSAs) that have had to shut down for the season because of crop failure. I am truely blessed with well draining soils.

THIS WEEKS HARVEST: Cruisin into August…Great news!!!!! The tomatos are ripening and you will see a few this week. Just a tease maybe but be ready for the onslaught of summer tomatoes in weeks to come! Also enjoy, chard, red cabbage (more green in the fall), carrots, cucumbers, the tail end of summer squash, onions,  and a healthy dose of green beans!

IN THE KITCHEN:

An idea from member, Jared Katz, for some delicious kale:

I like to “julienne” the kale and saute it in a tsp of coconut oil until it starts to crisp, then add minced garlic, sliced sweet onions and some diced sweet potatoes. Salt and you have a meal

HELP! Id love to have more member recipies, please email me and Ill put them in upcoming blogs!

Enjoy your week and the fresh vegetables. Try your hand at some freezing if you cant finish your share.

Eat well,

Beth