CSA Newsletter

Greetings from the Garden! This week's box has watermelon, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, salad greens, braising greens, bok choy, mizuna, celery, onions, thyme, parsley, and winter squash.

Field Notes. Frost last week means certain plants are done, but frost mellows kale and other greens. The push is on now as days shorten and the weather cools down to move into fall crops like squash and roots.

This week is a historic one here at Keppers. The heavy equipment operator arrived Monday to pull stumps and level the field for the mobile high tunnel. Once he wraps up, we will split our focus between harvest and building the mobile high tunnel. If you want to be involved in building a mobile high tunnel, send us an email or call us. We can use help, and it promises to be an interesting project. We are so excited about the possibilities this structure presents for extended season vegetables. Here is a "before" photo of the future site.

From the Kitchen. Ah winter squash - Ken pulled a couple that had cracks, and baked them - such a sweet taste of fall. We rinse, set on the counter, cut a "Jack - o - Lantern" like cap, scoop the seeds, replace the cap, and bake. I usually serve with a bit or butter and salt and pepper. Left overs can be steamed or made into squash soup.

Ken has been cooking down tomatoes so we have juice and stewed tomatoes. I have been adding the tomatoes to sauteed onions or leeks, herbs, and pasta or rice topped with some grated cheese for suppers as a side dish. Ken heats the juice for a morning warm up.

It is Asian week. Mizuna and tatsoi are mild mustard that are good in salad, braises, added at the last to soups, and just anywhere you want some green. Bok choy is not just for stir fry. It is great in a morning or evening soup as a warm up on these cooler days. I add it to clear broths or miso soups - first the stalks for about a minute and then the greens just before serving.

Celery is another flexible vegetable. I usually dry the leaves by setting them in a dry spot out of the sunlight. I use them like a herb in winter stews and soups.

Our grapes and watermelons have seeds. We have found older and hardier varieties that do well in our climate have seeds, but also the flavor is better, and the seeds are actually healthy to eat! Enjoy!