This week your basket contains: summer squash, cucumber, rainbow carrots, onions, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, beans, basil, SPAGHETTI SQUASH, and sweet corn.

HAPPY AUTUMNAL EQUINOX!

Spaghetti squash has a bit of a PR problem.  In the kitchen it isn’t really a winter squash, and if you expect pasta, you’ll be disappointed.  However, as a thing of its own, it is a real winner.  We no longer grow the old variety that made football-sized squash as we find the smaller Small Wonder variety more manageable and better eating.  The fact it is higher in beta carotene is also a plus!  The recipe below is our favorite way to serve it.

ORIENTAL SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD

Flesh of one cooked spaghetti squash

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

4 Tbs toasted sesame seeds

2 Tbs lemon juice               

1 Tbs grated ginger

4 Tbs soy sauce

3 Tbs rice vinegar

1/4 cup veg. or sesame oil

hot pepper oil (optional)                                   

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and hot pepper to taste.  Stir in onions and sesame seeds.  Pour dressing over spaghetti squash, mix gently and serve.  This can be served as a warm salad, or refrigerated over night to allow greater melding of the flavors and served cold.

HOT WAX BEAN SALAD

For the mustard vinaigrette:

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 Tbs. lemon juice

6 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. vodka

For the salad:

½ Lb. wax or other beans trimmed and cut French style

1 small bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 scallion or 2 Tbs. onion, minced

1 clove garlic minced

¼ Lb. thinly sliced cooked smoked ham, cut into strips

1Tbs chopped fresh basil

2 cups roughly chopped cooked chicken

To make the vinaigrette: Whisk the mustard with the vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil, then the vodka.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to dress salad.  Cook the beans and bell pepper in boiling, salted water until crisp-tender (about 3 minutes).  Drain. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the scallion or onion and cook for 1 minute.  Add the garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes.  Add the beans and peppers, ham, chicken and basil and cook, tossing continually, until warmed through.  Transfer the salad to a serving dish, pour the chilled vinaigrette over the top and toss at the table before serving. From Greene on Greens and Grains.

It is almost October which means it is almost time for our annual Pumpkin Pick-up Weekend!  We’ve set aside October 23^rd and 24^th for you to come to the farm and select your carving pumpkin (and gourds and corn stalks etc.).  While we will have to scale back some of the activities we’ve enjoyed in the past we will be cooking pizzas for you (as we did at our subscriber day earlier this summer) including PUMPKIN PIE PIZZA.  As we get closer to the date we’ll have more details in your basket note.

We’ve started harvesting our storage potatoes and winter squash.  We are also looking forward to some of our fall/winter crops coming on.  Our fall broccoli looks quite good and only a week or two from the start of harvest.  Brussels sprouts and collards are also looking good. On the collard front we tried an heirloom variety called Old Timey Blue that looks interesting and is said to have great flavor. It is also the time of year we prepare to plant garlic and cover crops to enrich and protect our fields over the winter.  We’re also planting our hoop houses for winter harvest.  Lettuce, mustard greens, arugula, endive, and radicchio are all going in.  We’ll also be transplanting sweet onions (for harvest next June!)  All in all it is an exciting and busy time for us.