Here’s to hoping that the rain does make its way to us this week! We are dreaming of the cleansing and renewal that it will bring.
The great harvest of the storage crops has begun! We brought in big, beautiful beets yesterday and will start on the potatoes tomorrow. It is always a bit of a dance this time of year, trying to predict which crops should be harvested first, which are most sensitive to the changing weather conditions of heat, rain, and frost. Then we also have to guess how much bounty we will receive, where to put it all, and hope to not have to move it too many times in the shuffle. Mostly, we are just grateful for the abundance and for the cool mornings of fall.
This week’s pick list:
Eggs
German Butterball and Yellow Finn Potatoes
Rhonda Beets
Yaya Carrots
Cortland Yellow, Monastrell Red, and Sweet Ailsa Craig Onions
Solaris Fennel
Kolibri Kohlrabi
Summer Squash: Dark Star, Yellowfin, and Cocozelle
Cucumber: Sweet Marketmore, and Addis Pickle
Sweet Peppers
Evergreen Hardy Scallions
Calypso Celery
Ruby Red Chard
Champion Collards
Rainbow Lacinato and Old Growth Palm Kale
Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley
Hot Peppers: Bastan Poblano, Czech Black, Jalapeño, Aji Crystal, Serrano
Winter Sweet, Delicata, Sweet Reba Acorn, Burpee’s Butterbush, and Spaghetti Winter Squash
Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin
The pick your own crops are winding down but we do still have: jade and dragon langerie bush beans, padron and shishito peppers, ground cherries, cherry tomatoes, and tomatillos.
Along with the flowers, there are shiso, purple and thai basil in the annual field.
Saltonstall Olive Oil
Revolution Bread
Filigreen Farm Lakemont Table Grapes (green, seedless, and delicious!)
Soba Salad With Kabocha Squash & Toasted Pepitas From Sonoko Sakai, from food52.com
The recipe calls for 10 ounces of tender greens to be mixed into the salad but we do not have any this week. I suggest adding some cooked or slicing the kale very thinly and adding it raw.
We do have pepitas! The striped pumpkins outside have pepita seeds in them that are delicious! (However, the flesh of thses pumpkins are not tasty. We only grow them for the seeds.)
For the amakara (sweet and savory) shoyu tare & soba salad
2 tablespoons kokuto syrup
2 teaspoons shoyu tare or soy sauce
1 1/2 pounds (680 g) kabocha squash (about half of a medium squash), peeled and diced into ½-inch (12 mm) cubes
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon untoasted sesame oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (70 g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
8 ounces (230 g) dried or fresh soba noodles
For the pumpkin seed vinaigrette
1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons ginger juice
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil or other nut oil (such as almond, walnut, or pecan)
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil or untoasted sesame oil
1 pinch shichimi togarashi, plus more to taste
1 pinch flaky sea salt, plus more to taste
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the kokuto syrup and shoyu tare in a small saucepan.
To roast the squash for the salad, toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, basting with the shoyu tare after the squash has had a chance to roast for 7 minutes. Brush again after 5 minutes. Roast until the squash can be pierced with a fork but is still slightly firm and the bottom is slightly browned. There is no need to turn the squash. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C).
In a small bowl, toss the pepitas in the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven and toast until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice so they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and let cool.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Cook the soba noodles in a pot of boiling water until al dente. If you are using store-bought noodles, follow the instructions on the package. If you are using homemade noodles, the cooking time will depend on the thickness of your noodles; it will be anywhere from 1½ minutes for thin noodles to 3 to 4 minutes for thicker noodles. Vigorously rinse the cooked noodles under cold running water to remove the starch, then shock the noodles in a bowl of ice water for 3 seconds. Drain the noodles very well.
Arrange the greens and soba in a serving bowl and toss with the dressing. Top with pieces of the roasted squash and garnish with the pepitas. Add sea salt, shichimi togarashi, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
