Thanksgiving Day recipes & food from Wishful Acres Farm

Happy Thanksgiving from Wishful Acres Farm!  In this edition of our Farm Fresh newsletter, you'll find Thanksgiving recipes as well as items available from our farm.  We have plenty of fresh vegetables, eggs, meat, and some canned goods available to make your Local Foods Thanksgiving Meal special.  You can pick up any orders here at the farm, or have it delivered.  I'm trying a new delivery option: $2 charge for any sized delivery, or free delivery for orders over $20 (Freeport, Cedarville, Lena, Pecatonica, Winnebago).  To place an order, you can email wishfulacres@gmail.com or call Penny at 815-990-2380.

The new farm web site is now complete and you can view it at: www.WishfulAcresFarm.com .

Thanks so much, everyone, for your support of our small family farm!  Here are some products currently available from our farm:

• Brown eggs from our free-range hens.  $3 per dozen, extra large size.  Special: $2 per dozen for medium-sized brown eggs from our young flock.

• Sweet Dill Pickle Slices from our farm pantry.  $4.50 per pint sized jar.  Grown and made right here on the farm, all natural, and super delicious.  These pickles will make your Thanksgiving relish tray special!
  

• 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://www.WishfulAcresFarm.com

• Vegetables: - all vegetables are grown following Organic standards and are Certified Naturally Grown.
  

-Radishes - $1 / bunch, new crop of mild French Breakfast variety.  Great for your vegetable tray!

-Parsley- $1 / sandwich bag.  Freshly picked, curly parsley for your turkey day recipes.

-Salad Mix - $2.50, triple washed, per quarter pound bag.  A mix of greens, lettuce, and spinach. Perfect for your Thanksgiving salad!  Try with the salad dressing recipe below.

-Turnips - $1 per pound.  Delicious, ready for your recipes.  Try turnips in the Roasted Root Vegetable Stuffing recipe below.

-Rutabaga - $1 per pound.  Awesome.  I turned into a rutabaga fan when I grew them for the first time a couple of years ago.

-Carrots - $1.25, per 10 small to medium sized carrots with tops still attached.  Fall / winter carrots are the sweetest carrots you'll taste.

-Arugula - $2.50 / gallon bag or $1.50 per sandwich bag.  The largest, mildest arugula leaves are grown in the fall.  They're perfect right now!  Try the arugula pesto recipe below.

-Spinach - $2.50, gallon bag, at least a third pound.  Fall / winter spinach is something very unique - very large, thick leaves that are wonderful.

-Scallop Squash - 75 cents per pound.  A beautiful hard skinned squash for your winter squash cooking.  Please see recipe below for Apple Stuffed Scallop Squash.

-Garlic - gourmet varieties, 50 cents per garlic bulb.

-Mustard Greens - $2.50 / big bunch .  Green or red leaf, your choice. 

-Kale - Red Russian variety, $2.50 per big bunch (gallon bag, weighs about 1/2 pound)

-Green Onions - $1.50 / big bunch of 10.

Recipes!

Thanksgiving Stuffing with Roasted Root Vegetables
My husband's family is chock-full of good cooks.  Last year, one of his aunts made a stuffing that was chock full of roasted root vegetables.  I think I ate more than my share... it was delicious.  Here is a version I found on the web.

Roasting enhances the sweetness and deep flavor of autumn root vegetables. To save time, roast the vegetables the night before you make the stuffing. Don't be afraid to let the vegetables get nicely browned -- the caramelization will only enhance their taste. Use with turkey, chicken, or pork.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

2 large rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1 large turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large onion, cut into 6 wedges

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 pound firm whole wheat bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, dried overnight or in the oven (about 10 cups)

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 to 1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock, as needed

DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large roasting pan, drizzle the oil over the carrots, rutabaga, turnip, and onion and mix with your hands to coat the vegetables with the oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Roast, stirring the vegetables often, until they are tender and nicely browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. (The roasted vegetables can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Warm in a large nonstick skillet before using.) Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large bowl. Mix in the bread cubes, eggs, parsley, poultry seasoning, and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper. Gradually stir in about 1 cup broth, until the stuffing is evenly moistened but not soggy. Or place in a lightly buttered casserole, drizzle with 1/2 cup broth, cover, and bake as a side dish. Apple Stuffed Scallop Squash  -2 scallop winter squash -3 medium apples of your choice, cut into cubes -1/4 cup sugar -1/4 cup brown sugar -1/3 cup chopped walnuts -1/3 cup raisins or dried sweetened cranberries -1/4 cup melted butter -1 tablespoon cinnamon -1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut tops off squash.  Clean out seeds, being careful not to puncture the skin on the bottom or sides.  Place cut side down in a 9x13 inch pan filled with 1/4 inch water.  Cover with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  While the squash is baking, in a large bowl toss together all the other ingredients (apple, sugars, nuts, raisins/cranberries, butter, spices).  Remove squash from oven and drain water.  Place the squash cut side up in the pan and stuff with apple mixture.  Cover with foil and bake for another 30 minutes.  Creamy Italian Salad Dressing (one of my favorite dressings, not good for you but great as a special treat once in a while!  And, hey, if we're serving it on top of all these wonderful fall greens, it offsets the bad right?  In any case, it's better for you than bottled dressing!) -1/2 cup mayonnaise -1/4 cup white vinegar -1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil -4 tablespoons parmesan cheese (great 1/2 parmesan & 1/2 romano cheese too) -1/4 teaspoon garlic salt -1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning -4 Tablespoons sugar Combine all in a bowl and whisk together.  You can play around with the vinegar & sugar amounts if it's too tart or too sweet for your tastes.  Be careful not to eat the whole bowl, it's dangerously delicious!  Arugula Pesto -2 cups arugula -1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil -1/4 cup parmesan cheese -1 garlic clove, peeled (can use more if you like your pesto really full of garlic!) -salt to taste -1/4 cup walnuts (optional) Place all ingredients in a food processor & blend until smooth.  Enjoy as a dip for breads or vegetables, over pasta, etc.

To order, either email me at wishfulacres@gmail.com or call me at 815-990-2380.

Thanks again, everyone, for your support!
Hope to hear from you soon.

Penny Peterson
Wishful Acres Farm
http://www.WishfulAcresFarm.com


To unsubscribe, send an email to wishfulacres@gmail.com with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.