This week your basket contains: cucumber, beans, onions, tomatoes, carrots, sweet corn, CABBAGE, POTATOES, beets, and sweet peppers.The next event we have planned is PUMPKIN PICK UP WEEKEND!  We look forward to this every year.  The weekend of Oct 22^nd & 23^rd is set aside for you to come out and choose your carving pumpkin (included in your subscription).  We will have the pizza oven fired up (you have to try pumpkin pie pizza!), we’ll be leading farm tours, and sharing a pot luck lunch.  As we have in past years, we will also be have the “guess the weight and win the pumpkin” contest for the largest pumpkins we grew this year (one each day).  Come out either day between 10:00 and 3:00 for what will be a fantastic event.

It is most definitely autumn now, and thus my mind immediately turns to THANKSGIVING.  As we do each year, your basket on the Friday or Tuesday  before Thanksgiving (11/18 or 11/22) will be a DOUBLE BASKET.  We will then SKIP DELIVERY November 25th & 29^th and resume normal delivery on Dec. 2nd & 6^th.  Please let us know if you have any question or concerns.

We are extremely happy with these early fall cabbages.  They are crisp, juicy and sweet; perfect for any way you like to serve them.  We often make a simple vinaigrette to dress a shredded cabbage salad.  With the other veggies in your basket this week, these recipes would be perfect for your cabbage.

RUSSIAN CABBAGE BORSCHT

2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 c. chopped onion or leek

4 c. stock or water

1 1/2 c. thinly sliced potato

2 tsp. salt

1 c. thinly sliced beets

black pepper

1 large sliced carrot

1/4 tsp. dill weed

1 stalk chopped celery (optional)

1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar

3 c. chopped cabbage

1 c. tomato puree

1 scant tsp. caraway seeds

sour cream for topping

Begin cooking onions or leek in butter in a large kettle. Add caraway seeds and salt and cook until translucent. Add celery, carrots, potatoes, beets and cabbage. Add water and simmer slowly for 45 minutes. About 15 minutes before serving add pepper, dill weed, vinegar, and tomato puree. Taste to correct seasoning. Serve topped with sour cream.  From the Moosewood Cookbook.

The recipe below is from the Moosewood Cookbook.  It is one of our favorite ways to use cabbage and potatoes together.  You can also use this recipe for a stovetop, one-pan version by simply topping the cabbage mix with the potatoes right in the pan you sautéed it in.

SOLYANKA

4 medium potatoes

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3 Tbs butter

1/2 tsp caraway seed

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dill weed

black pepper

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

paprika

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup yogurt

2 Tbs cider vinegar

Scrub (don’t peel) the potatoes, cut into small pieces and boil until mashable.  Drain and mash, while still hot, with cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt.  Sauté onions in butter with 1/2-tsp salt.  After five minutes add caraway, cabbage and remaining salt.  Sauté until cabbage is tender.  Combine with potato mixture, and add everything except 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds and paprika.  Spread into a deep buttered casserole.  Top with paprika and remaining sunflower seeds.  Bake at 350 degrees uncovered 35-40 minutes.

HOT PEPPERS ARE NOT IN A BAG THIS WEEK because we didn’t have loose greens to put in a bag.  At this point in the year, we figured that if you’ve been getting hot peppers from us you would be used to what they look like and will be able to distinguish them from the sweet peppers.

We’ve been keeping an eye on our fall broccoli and cauliflower crops.  They are not quite ready yet, but expect to have at least a few heads of broccoli next week (and many more shortly after that).  Cauliflower is a bit behind that, but they look good and we expect a nice harvest from them.