This week your basket contains: BUTTERNUT SQUASH, beans, CIPOLLINI ONIONS, GREEN TOMATOES, carrots, SPINACH, FRENCH SORREL, garlic, basil, sweet peppers, and BROCCOLI OR CAULIFLOWER (full shares only).

PUMPKIN PICK UP WEEKEND is this Saturday & Sunday Oct 22^nd & 23^rd!  We look forward to this every year.  The weekend 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.

Cipollini onions are a specialty type of onion that is valued by chefs and home cooks alike.  They are mild flavored and semi-sweet (i.e. sweeter than regular yellow onions but not as sweet as Walla Walla onions).  We particularly like the creamy texture they can impart when sautéed (if you have chanterelles try them with Cipollinis).

This soup has the consistency of cream of spinach soup with the unique lemony flavor of sorrel.  We serve this soup with a hearty, peasant style bread and hard cheese and fruit.

SORREL SOUP

3 cups chopped de-ribbed sorrel leaves

1 onion, chopped

3 cups stale bread, cubed

3-4 Tbs olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic

2-3 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

salt to taste

In a large heavy bottomed pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent.  Add stock and cover. Add the bread chunks and allow the soup to simmer until the bread is thoroughly soaked.  Add the sorrel and simmer for 1 minute.  Place the soup in a food processor and blend until smooth.  More stock can be added at this time if the soup is too thick.  Add salt and pepper to taste and reheat if necessary.

The recent stormy weather (we dodged the bullet this past weekend with no wind damage and no loss of power!) has all but ended tomato season except for green tomatoes.  Here are a couple of recipes to help you make best use of them.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

Fried green tomatoes are extremely easy to make.  On a plate or in a shallow bowl, beat 1-2 eggs.  Cut green tomatoes approx. ¼ to ½ inch thick, dip in egg, coat with bread crumbs and fry in a small amount of butter.  Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the fried slices and serve.

ZESTY GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

4 med. green tomatoes

3 Tbs. ghee or veg. oil

1 Tbs. minced hot peppers

½ tsp. black mustard seeds

8-10 curry leaves

1/8 tsp. saffron threads

2 Tbs. finely chopped candied ginger

½ cup diced under-ripe mango

½ tsp. salt

2 Tbs. coarsely chopped cilantro

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain and peel.  Cut each tomatoes in half, squeeze out as many seeds as possible and dice.  Heat the ghee or oil in a frying pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking.  Drop in mustard seeds and cook until they start to “pop”.  Add the curry leaves, and in seconds carefully add the tomatoes and saffron.  Stir and cook for 15 minutes over low heat.  Add the ginger, mango and salt.  Cook additional 15 minutes stirring often until thick.  Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cilantro and let cool.  Serve at room temperature.  From The Best Of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine by Yamuna Devi

The basil is not at its best, but is still quite flavorful.  We are making pesto cubes (freeze pesto in ice cube trays for easy portioning later) for use this winter.  You can also make a great pesto from sorrel.

SORREL PESTO

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh sorrel, ribs removed

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor or blender puree the sorrel, garlic, parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil.  If you are not going to use the pesto right away, transfer the pesto to a jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate it, for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.