Fall CSA Newsletter, Week 7

Hello shareholders!

Full share CSA members and half share Group A will receive delivery this Friday (November 4) between 12-2, unless you've arranged otherwise. 

Extras offered this week, can be delivered with your CSA share, simply email me by 9 am Friday morning to order (you can leave a check in your cooler):

• Brown eggs from our free-range hens.  $3 per dozen, extra large size.  Special: $2 per dozen for medium-sized brown eggs from our new flock (they're just starting to lay).

• Beef - this is delicious and lean; the best beef I've ever had.  Beef prices & cuts available are listed on the farm web site here: http://wishfulacres.blogspot.com/2011/06/beef-prices.html

News:  I've been working on a new web site for the farm!  It's still not 100% complete, but you can view it online here: www.WishfulAcresFarm.com .  Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions on the web site; it's a work in progress.  What's been going on at the farm?  Well, thousands of  garlic cloves have been planted.  Now I'm shifting my focus into protecting the fall crops from the really cold temperatures that will be coming soon.  Most of the fall crops I have growing right now can withstand temperatures down into the mid-twenties and still bounce back and be fine.  However, much colder than that and they'll be history.  So I'm adding a layer of frost protection by installing mini-solar greenhouses (aka hoophouses / low tunnels).   It's hoops with a layer of clear plastic, very simple design, but it will keep the plants alive though the colder temperatures so we can extend the season until at least the end of November.  You can view pictures of my low tunnels on the web site blog here: http://all-natural-mama.blogspot.com/2011/10/low-tunnels-farm-picture.html ).  In other news, I visited a pastured chicken farm last weekend to view firsthand how to raise pastured meat chickens.  It was a great meeting and I took home a lot of information.  I'm hoping to offer natural chicken meat and turkeys in 2012.  Until then, you can purchase some of our farm's eggs or the organic beef we offer from a nearby farm.

In your share this week:

-Cabbage - the first harvest of the fall green cabbage.  Coleslaw, stir fry, soup... :-).   Refrigerate.

-Acorn Squash - I grew several varieties, you'll receive either orange, white, green, or striped / mottled.  Can be kept on counter for at least a few weeks. Recipes below

-Carrots - maybe.  I had hoped to provide the carrots sooner, but our Gourmet Deer have been eating off the green tops and as a result the carrots are growing more slowly. 

-Broccoli - maybe.  If there are enough to go around, you'll receive a bag of the smaller broccoli sideshoots (small florettes)

-Lettuce -   Refrigerate.

-Tot soi - these have grown so beautiful and large in the cool fall weather.  They look like a giant flower opening it's petals.  Hopefully I can fit them into a bag! Great in your Asian recipes.  Refrigerate.

-Radish - new crop!  Refrigerate.

- Mizuna - Asian green.  Try it along with the tot soi, cabbage, cilantro, and green onions in an Asian soup (recipe below).  Refrigerate.

-Cilantro - not only used in Mexican cuisine, but also Asian!  It seems that fall is the season for Asian greens, so why not try some cilantro in  your stir fry or Asian soup?  Refrigerate.

-Arugula - Slightly spicy smaller green leaves for your salads, sandwiches, pizza.  Refrigerate

-Mustard Greens - green mustard this week.  Have you tried the Mustard Greens chips recipe from the past newsletter?  Refrigerate.

-Green Onions - great on salads, on top of potatoes, stir fried, and more!  Refrigerate.

-Spinach - Can be used in a salad or try this week's quiche recipe (below).  Refrigerate.

-Garlic - We grew several varieties of gourmet garlic, you'll receive a bulb or two each week until it's gone.  It can be left out on your counter for several weeks.

-Brown Eggs (if you signed up for an egg share).


And here are some recipe ideas for all those delicious organic veggies!

Asian Chicken Vegetable Soup (makes a big batch, can cut in half, or leftovers will freeze)
8-10 cups chicken broth (depending upon how thick or thin you want the soup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped tot soi
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped Mizuna
1 cup chopped cabbage
salt to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer / low boil.  Add the thicker vegetables first - garlic & cabbage.  Let those cook for 10 minutes.  Then add the tender greens - green onions, tot soi, mizuna, and cilantro.  Cook until all vegetables are tender.  Add salt, a little at a time, tasting after each addition, until you reach your desired saltiness.
Optional additions:  noodles, eggs, radish, soy sauce.


Acorn Squash
Here is the link again from last week, so this week's half share members can also use it:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/10-ways-to-eat-an-acorn-squash-recipe-roundup-129731


Thanks everyone for your support!