Weekly CSA Newsletter

Greetings from the Garden! This week the box has Italian Savoy Cabbage, winter squash, lettuce or endive, parsley, bok choy, carrots, leeks, garlic, and the first rutabagas and potatoes.

Field Notes. Last week we dug potatoes. Ken planted later than usual, but yields seem good. We dig potatoes later than many other farms as we more than fill the boxes with summer's bounty. We had beautiful weather to dig the potatoes, and this has made it a delight to work outside; last year October was rainy, grey and bone chilling. We are hoping for some rain, so digging goes more smoothly.

Ken moved the geese to the field yesterday. I regret I was focused on getting ready for the Amery market, so no photos of the big move. The geese are happy with the grass in the field, and we are happy to see the grass in the yard get a break as it grows more slowly and needs some recovery time. Geese will also weed areas of the field that have been harvested. This will make Ken's job of planting fall green manures easier.

Ken is still planting and transplanting, and planning more green manures as he takes out crops. He is thinking about next year's rotations for crops, and deciding where he will plant garlic this month.

From the Kitchen. POTATOES! RUTABAGAS! It must be fall. Rutabagas are another cousin in the brassica (cabbage) family. We usually boil rutabagas in soups and stews, but cooks use them raw in slaw, baked with cheese au gratin, mashed with or without potatoes, and in cream soup combos with other vegetables like carrots.. Rutabagas are high in vitamin A and C and calcium.

Potatoes and leeks conjure up potato leek soup. Saute leeks, add stock (I use chicken), add cooked peeled potatoes and process in a blender or food processor to a creamy texture. Add cream, milk, or yogurt and warm, but don't boil. I add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a garnish like parsley before serving. And there is always boiled potatoes with butter and parsley.

Fall is also a great time for cabbage as the cool weather sweetens all the brassicas. I make slaw by finely chopping cabbage, grating some carrot, diced onion, salting, mixing well, and letting it rest about a half hour. Then drain the liquid, rinse cabbage if it tastes too salty. My slaw dressing depends on what I have - usually my mayonnaise, or yogurt, or sour cream, a bit of honey, a bit of vinegar, a bit of pepper. We also add cabbage to soups and stews. I saute leeks, add chopped cabbage and stir to coat with oil, cook to wilt and add either a vinegary dressing or a creamy dressing depending on what else I am serving.
And with Octoberfest, one could serve pork with sweet and sour cabbage, and spaetzle.