Lacinato Kale and Cabbage are freshly weeded and coming along nicely
Announcements
Week 20 of 26! Just a month and a half left of fresh-from-the-farm salads.
Garlic is still for sale in bulk!
Only $8 per pound for CSA members ($12/lb for non-members)
Pay with cash or check (made out to CBF), or purchase on-line HERE. This link is for CSA members only.We have some bad news. The sweet potatoes are not sizing up the way they normally do. We've never seen a sweet potato crop that looks so healthy and (relatively) weed-free but isn't growing potatoes. Our best guess is that much of the growing season was overcast, and the 2 fields they are in are shaded part of the day by tall trees. Thank goodness we had such a surprising abundance of winter squash! They substitute for each other nicely. We will wait as long as we can to dig the potatoes. You can expect to see a few in the last or penultimate share (week 25 or 26).
This week's share
Garlic (2 heads)
Acorn squash (2)
Eggplant (1.5 pounds)
Sweet Peppers (3/4 pound)
White turnips & red radishes (a few)
Green Tomatoes (a few)
Choose one 6-ounce bag of greens: spicy mix (this week's mix is heavy on arugula), tokyo bekana (a mustard that looks and tastes like lettuce), red russian kale or collards
Wednesday and Thursday get a small bag of green, yellow and purple beans. Saturday members got their beans last week.
Optional: 1/4 pound okra
Optional: 1/2 pound mixed chilies
Recipes
Winter Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
Ingredients
1 head of garlic, top third cut off
Extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing
1 pound baking potatoes
One 2-pound butternut squash (or other winter squash)—peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 stick unsalted butter
10 sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, for serving
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375º. Place racks in the lower and middle thirds of the oven. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil, wrap it tightly in foil and roast on the bottom rack of the oven for 50 minutes. Lightly rub the potatoes with olive oil, prick them all over with a fork and bake on the lower rack for 45 minutes, until fork-tender. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Add the squash and rub with olive oil. Bake on the upper rack for about 30 minutes, stirring once, until soft.
Step 2
Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a small bowl and mash to a paste. Peel the hot potatoes and pass them through a ricer into a large bowl. Add the hot squash to the ricer and pass it into the bowl with the potatoes. Let cool slightly. Add the egg yolks, ricotta, parsley, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of the mashed roasted garlic (reserve any extra for another use). Stir until combined. Sprinkle on the 1 1/4 cups of flour and gently stir it in. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until smooth but still slightly sticky.
Step 3
Line a baking sheet with wax paper and dust with flour. Cut the gnocchi dough into 5 pieces and roll each piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut the ropes into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer the gnocchi to the baking sheet.
Step 4
Lightly oil another baking sheet. In a large, deep skillet of simmering salted water, cook half of the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, then simmer them for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.
Step 5
In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the sage and thyme and cook for 20 seconds. Add the gnocchi and cook for 1 minute, tossing gently. Season with salt and serve, passing the cheese shavings at the table.
Make Ahead
The gnocchi can be prepared through Step 3 and frozen on the baking sheet, then transferred to a resealable plastic bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Boil without defrosting.
A few more recipes for winter squash that we liked:
Black Lentil and Harissa-Roasted Veggie Bowl - I don't usually cook with black lentils, and found these delightful. If you can't find black lentils, try substituting with french lentils, which also stay relatively firm. I used a butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes and it worked beautifully. Also, I didn't have any fresh ripe tomatoes, so I threw some dried tomatoes into the lentils and that seemed like a good substitute. This recipe is vegan and grain-free.
Creamy Squash Risotto with Toasted Pepitas - This recipe takes a little while. I made the squash puree on one day and then the risotto on another, so it didn't seem like such a bear. I don't normally keep white miso paste around but it was definitely worth having for this dish--it gives the squash a complex, umami flavor. And don't leave out the pepitas with smoked paprika--they do a lot to boost the excitement of this dish.
Coming Soon
Still crossing our fingers for the first frost to hold off for as long as possible! For eggplant, peppers and okra, a hard frost will be their doom! Be sure to get your fill while they are still around.
While the cool weather slows down some crops, it gives a boost to the greens, turnips and radishes. Watermelon radishes, bok choi and tat soi are all coming in the next few weeks.
Thanks so much for all your smiling faces. It's certainly a relief to be part of a warm and inclusive community. Robust health to you and all the people you love!
The Clagett Farm Team