Frost arrived at the farm last week, a light one at first, followed by several nights of fairly cold temperatures. This is actually one of the latest frosts we have had at the farm. All the summer crops are done in the fields! In the pick your own garden, you can see the hardy flowers that have survived so far, in comparison with those that those that died immediately. I often feel sad when the first frost hits, not quite ready to say goodbye to the summer crops. This year I felt lucky that they were here so late and grateful for the bounty that we had! The beauty of the frost is that the winter crops often taste sweeter afterwards. And now the forecasters are predicting an even harder frost this week. We are working to cover the lettuce and celery in the fields, and hoping it is not too cold!
We had a small taste of rain today. With the rain and frost here, we are clearing out the fields and getting cover crop planted. Thus we had to remove the strawberry plants! It is always hard to do as there were still berries on them but we need to prepare for next year. We will most likely mow the pick your own field next week. Here’s hoping to more on the way!
CSA barn hours:
Summer: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)
Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)
Pick List:
Eggs
Red Gold and La Ratte Fingerling Potatoes
Ailsa Sweet, Cipollini, and Red Long Onions
Leeks
Parade Scallions
Rhonda Beets
Yaya Carrots
Joan Rutabaga
Hakurei Turnips
Polaris Fennel
Calypso Celery
Primo and Caraflex Green Cabbage, Ruby King Red Cabbage
Kossack Kohlrabi
Gypsy Broccoli
Song Cauliflower
Hot Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Green Tomatoes
Russian Kale
Champion Collards
Ruby Red Chard
Bopak Pac Choy
Regiment Spinach
Frisee, Escarole, Radicchio, Sugarloaf, and Chioggia
Lettuce
Parsley and Cilantro
Spaghetti, Butternut, Candystick and Zeppelin Delicata, Tuffy and Gil’s Golden Acorn, Tetsukabota Winter Squash and Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin
Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries
Pick your own flowers and herbs
Pick your own raspberries?
Revolution Bread (Friday only)
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Celery-Leek Soup With Potato and Parsley, from nytimes.com
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 large leeks (about 10 ounces each), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise and cleaned (about 3 cups)
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound celery (about 1 large bunch), leaves reserved, stalks trimmed, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and roughly chopped
3 fresh bay leaves
1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup dry white wine
7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
Crème fraîche or heavy cream, for serving
In a large pot, heat the ¼ cup oil over medium. Add the leeks and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until meltingly tender, about 7 minutes.
Add the celery, potato, bay leaves and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze, then cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost dry, about 3 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to boil over high. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until all the vegetables are fully tender and soft, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves, then stir in 1 cup parsley leaves.
Working in two or three batches, transfer the soup to a blender and purée until smooth. (It’s almost always beneficial to let the soup blend for another minute or two past what seems necessary to emulsify as much as possible.) Season generously with salt and pepper.
Transfer to bowls. Drizzle with olive oil; garnish with reserved celery leaves and parsley, and sprinkle with pepper. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche or a drizzle of heavy cream.