CSA 2019 - Week #18

Hurray for October!  This week marks 18 weeks from the start of the program and 7 more weeks to go.  Mark your calendars!  Our program runs for a total of 25 weeks, bringing us to the week before Thanksgiving for most groups.  It's at this time of the season that we begin to see a bit of light at the end of the farming season tunnel. We hope you'll make it to the farm on the 20th so we can show you around and you can connect with this land that has been feeding us all season long.  It's worth the trip!

SAVE THE DATE!
Our CSA Harvest Festival will take place on Sunday, October 20th from 11am-3pm here at the farm in Riverhead.  Hope to see you there!

Have a great week, friends!
XO Maggie for Farmer Matt, Kelly & the Crew

What's in the share?

Japanese Salad Turnips
They're back! Don't forget that the greens are arguably the best part! Always separate the roots from the greens before storing. I've included two recipes below that use both the roots and the greens.
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/Cooked When to use: Within 5 days.

Collards
The turnip greens recipes below will also work well with the collards. Just note that collards greens typically take longer to cook because they have a robust, thick leaf. Always remove the stem before cooking! Save for making stock or feeding to your pet rabbit.
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Cooked When to use: Within 7 days.

Red Batavian Lettuce
My favorite lettuce variety is back for the fall. Crunchy, yet sweet with a wonderful texture. You can't get lettuce like this in the stores. Enjoy!
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

Green Crisp Lettuce
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

Butternut Winter Squash
Feeling intimidated by winter squash? Check out the cooking tips below!
Storage: In a cool, dry spot. It's ok on the counter for up to a week. Uses: Cooked When to use: Within 7 days.

Red Tomatoes
We are nearing the end of the tomato season as we approach this first week of October. Are you tomatoed-out? Throw them whole in a ziplock bag (or jar) in the fridge. Pull out and use in soups or other cooked recipes all winter long.
Let them ripen on the counter until fully red
Storage: On the counter until they ripen to a uniform red color. Then eat right away. If you store your tomatoes in the fridge, they will become mealy. No good. Uses: Raw/Cooked When to use: Immediately once fully red.

Green or Red Long Peppers
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/Cooked When to use: Within 5 days.

*Mini* Bunch of Red Radishes
We're cleaning out the radish field and found that we have enough for everyone to get a mini bunch this week. Bonus!
Storage: Separate the roots from the greens and store in an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/Cooked When to use: Within 7 days.

Briermere Farm Fruit Share
1 mixed bag of Gala Apples, Cortland Apples & Bosc Pears*
*Pears are ripe when fully brown, yet still hard...they do not get soft!

Farmhouse Favorite Recipes

HOW TO COOK WINTER SQUASH!
There are lots of winter squash varieties, but they can be cooked the same way. After years of fumbling around with large knifes and hard squashes, I finally discovered roasting them whole (yes, whole!) with just a few knife slits to release steam. It works like a charm. The traditional method (below) is still my favorite way to cook smaller squash when I'm serving them sliced on a plate.
The traditional method (video!)
The "no-cut" cook it whole method!

Turnip Root & Greens Gratin
Simple, Classic Turnip Roots & Greens - Chef Vivian Howard
Risotto with Butternut Squash & Collard Greens

THANK YOU, CINDY!

Our thanks to Chef Cindy, for her photo we used in last week's e-mail.

Cindy has been a friend of our farm and a CSA member for over a decade. You can follow her on all of her culinary adventures on her new blog... www.ChefCindy.com