CSA week #14

Our chestnut tree has been producing for us, some yummy chestnuts even raw... a little early for chestnuts roasting over an open fire though.








Fall has fallen
The transition into fall is always bittersweet for us. It is nice that we are not going to have to deal with sweltering weather, but is also a gentle reminder that the season is nearing an end. The farmer’s markets go through about the third week in October, which is typically when the first frost date is. Pretty crazy to think about huh?
With markers such as football season, and returning to school, we begin to reflect on the things that we have accomplished in the summer and thinking about what we are going to do through the winter. Our goal is to continue farming through the winter and making soap, and seeing how much the farm can support us without having to get other jobs.
Since I am going to school, it would be nice to be able to just do the farm for now and focus on school without having to work too. Last spring, I was taking classes full time, working full time, and trying to run a business which quickly became too much on my plate. Every year we have tested the waters a little bit more to see how much the business can sustain itself.
After the first year of farming, I quit my full time job as a social worker so we could farm full time in the summer. Slowly, Steve has worked little to none at the coffeeshop, with it first still being a couple days a week, then not through the summer, then last year barely any through the winter, and maybe this year not at all. And as for me, substituting is always an option, but my plan is to not start subbing until I need to.
Between the spinach and greens we will be growing in the winter, and all the soap making, maybe we won’t have to have outside jobs. It is crazy to think how much we have built the business up and kind of scary when your success lies totally on your own shoulders. But, I would much rather that then be working to make someone else’s business successful I suppose. But hopefully between our hard work and some good networking, we will continue to grow.




What’s included this week?
1. Pie pumpkin- great for pies or soup, see instructions below
2. Radishes
3. Lettuce mix
4. Sausage
5. Peppers- hot and sweet




Recipe of the Week
Cooking Fresh Pumpkin
A medium size pumpkin (4 lbs) yields around 1 ½ cups of pureed pumpkin (perfect for filling a pie). Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Place ½” water in a 13”x 9” baking dish and add the pumpkin, cut-side down. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until done. Allow to cool. Scoop out the flesh from the skin; place the flesh in a food processor, and puree. If your puree seems loose and wet, pour it into a fine sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth placed over a bowl to drain off some of the liquid. Then, you can either follow the recipe below which was given to me by a CSA member, or follow your favorite pumpkin pie recipe.




ZESTY PUMPKIN SOUP
¼ C. butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 t. curry powder
½ t. salt
¼ t. ground coriander
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 ¾ cups pumpkin



1 cup half and half
Sour cream – chives (optional)

Melt butter, sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add curry, salt, coriander and red pepper; cook 1 min. Add broth; boil gently, uncovered for 15 to 20 mins. Stir in pumpkin and half and half; cook another 5 mins. Pour mixture into blender, cover and blend until creamy. Garnish with sour cream and chives if desired. Makes: 6 cups

I personally enjoy the mixture of sweet and savory when it comes to the nutty flavors of fall, so I also added some chili powder and brown sugar, giving the soup another layer of flavor too.



Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve