As I write this, I'm in the barn in a makeshift office keeping one of our sheep company. She hurt her lip somehow and it's infected, so she has a posh pad in the barn and all her meals are hand-picked while she recovers. Her talking while I write this is really not the ideal office setting, but I can tell she appreciates the company, so I don't mind.
This week we said goodbye to a most excellent WWOOFer Manon from The Netherlands, and welcomed (equally excellent) Marguerite from Maine. We have enjoyed the most Willing of Workers on Organic Farms this year, and are glad for all the great help! With the hands of these very helpful gals the past couple of weeks we have: put plastic on our new greenhouse, started taking down the tomato trellising, removed plastic mulch from the field, cut down our massively tall sunchokes that were falling over, sorted and bagged onions for storage, prepped garlic for storage and planting, weeded, harvested all of our winter squash, et cetera. It's great to have help at the end of the season when we are all getting tired, and we have enjoyed keeping some different company and having someone to share our dinner table and wonderful harvest with!
(T) Manon at the Thursday Lunenburg Market; (B) Marguerite, who may have to take this cat with her, he loves her so much!
Just a reminder that the last week of delivery is next week, October 9th. After you cease to get a goodie bag every week, you can find us at the Lunenburg Farmer's Market every Thursday from 8-12.
We are considering doing a later add-on shipment on Tuesday, November 6th of some storage crops and (hopefully!) greens from the new greenhouse. Items that may be available at that time include: eggs, carrots, beets, sunchokes, kale, pumpkins, salad mix, and stir-fry mix. We also may have some organic stewing hens as we cull our flock for the winter months, provided we can get our girls in to an inspected facility by that time. I will send out a list about a week before with available items and a price list, and if we have enough interest we can come all the way to Halifax. Let me know if this is something you would be interested in!
The theme of your bag this week is "Thanksgiving", because that is the occasion that has so quickly come upon us. Thanksgiving (always the second Monday in October for us Canadians), is a time to celebrate the harvest and the blessings that the past year has bestowed upon us. And oh, what a bountiful harvest we have to be thankful for! You are one of 62 families that we have supplied every week for the past 16 weeks, and growing food for others is something truly special. The "C" in CSA stands for Community, and after seeing one in action this year I know that CSAs can be a huge part of building community. For us, who come to know your name (and even face) while we feed you from week to week, and for you, being connected to a farm and getting to meet others who are as well. So, this Thanksgiving, know that you are such an important part of Watershed Farm, and all of us on the farm are thankful for YOU!
Jon and I will not be staying next season on Watershed Farm, but it has been a true delight filling your tables with farm-fresh goodies this season. This year has shown us that we work very well together and are a great farming team, and one of our favourite parts of the farm was planning, managing, harvesting, and executing the CSA. Watershed Farm is a great place for new farmers to learn and get some hands-on experience, and so we know that the next farm managers will have a great opportunity in front of them. Whoever they are, I hope they have as much fun as we did, and that they have enough time every day to take a moment and realize how beautiful and bountiful this hilltop is. We're thankful that you were a part of the CSA as we went through this process, and hope that Watershed Farm can continue to fill your tables next season.
Having members stay on from year to year is a real opportunity to continue growing the relationship between farmer and customer, as well as reducing costs and efforts in advertising and recruiting new members. If you are interested in staying on for next year, Camelia is happy to offer you a discount, though the pricing and structure of next year's CSA is still being decided (and may not be fully decided until the new farm manager is in place). Different structure may mean different share sizes, longer delivery season, an option for late-season bulk deliveries, et cetera, but of course will take into consideration the needs and wants of the members, first. So, if you want to reserve your space for 2013 at an early-early-early-bird discounted rate, you can put down a $200 deposit by November 9th (via cheque for now and paypal once we have it set up), and you can really be a part of the whole process, from start to finish!
What's in your bag this week:
Green Tomatoes
This is the very end of our tomato harvest, and green tomatoes are something that you just can't get anywhere but a farm, or your own garden. My Mom says she slices them and frys them with onions and butter, and that they go great with bacon and eggs. We tried the recipe below the other day and the cornmeal was delicious against the tartness of the tomatoes. I substituted most things out of this recipe and it was still good! (wheat flour for sorghum flour, buttermilk for coconut milk with an egg mixed in, and different spices).
RECIPE: Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 pinch cayenne
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 large unripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices,ends removed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
hot pepper sauce, for serving
lemon wedge, for serving
Directions:
1 In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, and cayenne together.
2 Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3 Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk and then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well.
4 Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil.
5 When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes (in batches if necessary) until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
6 Carefully remove the tomatoes and drain on paper towels.
7 Serve with hot pepper sauce and lemon.
Pumpkins 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 pinch cayenne
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 large unripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices,ends removed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
hot pepper sauce, for serving
lemon wedge, for serving
Directions:
1 In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, and cayenne together.
2 Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3 Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk and then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well.
4 Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil.
5 When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes (in batches if necessary) until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
6 Carefully remove the tomatoes and drain on paper towels.
7 Serve with hot pepper sauce and lemon.
We wanted to make sure you had no excuse not to have a home-made pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving! You may have your own recipe, and what I've found is that the most important part is making sure you puree the pumpkin (with a food processor, blender, or immersion blender) after you cook it to make sure it's not stringy. It works best to slice it in half, remove the seeds (make sure you eat them!**) and roast in the oven face down in about an inch of water until soft. Here's my recipe:
RECIPE: Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (See note)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (See note)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (See note)
2 large eggs
1-3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 (12 ounce) can Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie pastry (I usually make my own with graham crakers instead of buying one)
whipped cream (optional)
Directions:
1 Note: Substitute 1-3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; the taste will be slightly different.
2 Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
3 Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in small bowl.
4 Beat eggs in large bowl.
5 Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.
6 Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
7 Pour mixture into pie shell.
8 Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
9 Reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
10 Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
11 Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.
12 Serve immediately or refrigerate.
13 Top with whipped cream before serving for best results!
14 Do not overcook; overcooking leads to pie cracking in the middle.
15 Try to bake the day you will serve the pie. Cooking in advance can make the crust soggy. If you have to bake a day before serving, pop the pie in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes and it should bring the crust back to life!
**The seeds inside your pumpkin should be mature and can be eaten as well. Remove them from inside, wash the strings and pulp off in cold water, toss in 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter (or oil) and spread out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt or whatever flavour you prefer, and roast about 40 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. You can also skip the butter and they are just as good!
I also caught wind of a chocolate pumpkin cake that one of our CSA members made for her son's birthday last week, here's a link to the recipe:
Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
Please note that you can substitute fresh, pureed pumpkin in any recipe that calls for a can of pumpkin (a can is usually about 1-3/4 cups). After all, pumpkin grows in the squash patch, not in a can!
Carrots
It definitely feels like time to make soup; in fact, we had an entire soup-themed week! We made: Cream of Sunchoke, Chicken Vegetable, Coconut Butternut, Haddock Chowder, Spicy Lentil, Split Pea, Borscht, and Mulligatawny... and we didn't even get sick of soup or exhaust our creativity! If we hold Soup Week II, this one is at the top of the list:
RECIPE: Carrot Ginger Soup with Lemon
Ingredients:
1/16-1/8 cup cup butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 lbs medium carrots, peeled,chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tomatoes, seeded,chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemons, rind of
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 small carrot, peeled, grated
Directions:
1 Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.
2 Add onion; sauté 4 minutes.
3 Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes.
4 Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; saute 1 minute.
5 Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil.
6 Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
7 Cool slightly.
8 Puree soup in batches in blender.
9 Return soup to pot.
10 Mix in lemon juice.
11 Season with salt and pepper.
12 Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired.
13 Ladle into bowls.
14 Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.
Parsnips
Parsnips are one of Jon's favourite vegetables. He served them tonight at supper mixed with carrots and sauteed in butter with fresh dill. They have a great mild spice flavour-- not spicy, but spice like warm pumpkin pie or cocoa on a cold day. They are a fabulous winter vegetable, and if this is your first meeting with them, I'm glad to have introduced you, and hope you have a fruitful relationship!
Chard
Our chard is still gorgeous and packed with nutrition and lots of vitamins. Do I need to say "Eat your greens"?!
Turkey Seasoning
Your turkey seasoning contains a few herbs that we think will make your turkey taste scrumptious! There's some thyme, sage, marjoram, and oregano, which are all very traditional flavours for turkey. Our turkeys will not yet be meeting their end for Thanksgiving, but you can bet we'll save some of these herbs for when they do!
Full-size shares also get:
Beans
Green, yellow, and purple bean casserole, anyone?
Basil
This herb loves the heat and is about to be done for the season as the nights get colder, so we harvested whole plants and are giving you big bunches to make pesto or something else delicious with. It is unwashed, as it keeps much better when dry, so plan to wash it before you use it.
Cabbage
When you lift your cabbage out of your bag, you must make sure to use both hands! I was at the front of the line packing this week loading them into the bags, and they are seriously huge. They are a beautiful savoy type, which are the best tasting in my opinion. When my Mom has cabbage in season, she blanches leaves that are appropriately sized for cabbage rolls and freezes them, so she doesn't have to buy cabbage from the store to make cabbage rolls for Christmas or Easter.
And finally, a card from the Turkeys (and the rest of us):
--
Teri Dillon
Watershed Farm
768 Allen Frausel Road
Baker Settlement, Nova Scotia
B4V 7H8
c. 902.212.2301 | p. 902.685.3901
WatershedFarm.org
Follow us on Facebook
Check out the new Watershed Farm blog!
Teri Dillon
Watershed Farm
768 Allen Frausel Road
Baker Settlement, Nova Scotia
B4V 7H8
c. 902.212.2301 | p. 902.685.3901
WatershedFarm.org
Follow us on Facebook
Check out the new Watershed Farm blog!
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