This week your basket contains: BROCCOLI, zucchini, beet thinnings, elephant garlic, cucumbers, FLORENCE FENNEL, eggplant, cherry tomatoes,basil, sweet peppers, and tomatoes.

We have set the date for our PUMPKIN PICK-UP WEEKEND!  October 22 & 23 from 11:00 to 3:00 will be the time to come to the farm, choose your CARVING PUMPKINS, get corn stalks and gourds for decorating, do some gleaning, and share a potluck lunch with us and other subscribers.  We will fire up the pizza oven for both savory pizzas and PUMPKIN PIE PIZZA.  This is our favorite event of the year and hope to see you all here.

It probably shouldn’t, but it always amazes me when the seasons change on the calendar and immediately the contents of your baskets reflect the change.  This week as soon as the sweet corn finished the fall broccoli and Florence fennel came on!  The recipe below is perfect for this week’s basket.

AUTUMN RAGU

1 onion

1 Florence fennel bulb, chopped

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs olive oil

1 zucchini

1 sweet pepper

4 medium tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Chop all vegetables (approx. ¼ inch).  Peel tomatoes, if desired.  Sauté onion  in butter and olive oil until translucent.  Add zucchini, sweet pepper, fennel, and garlic and sauté five minutes longer.  Add tomatoes, cover and cook twenty minutes.  Taste and add salt and pepper.  Serve over any pasta or firm white fish.  This recipe can be expanded with carrots, celery, beans or just about any other vegetable you like.

WIDE GREEN NOODLESAND BROCCOLI IN MUSTARD BUTTER

7 oz. fresh pasta noodles (spinach fettucine is ideal)

7 Tbs. soft butter

2 Tbs. strong Dijon mustard

3 green onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. parsley or a handful of arugula, chopped

1 c. bread crumbs

2 sun-dried tomatoes, cut in pieces

3-4 c. broccoli florets, in tiny pieces

thin strip lemon peel, finely slivered

salt

pepper

Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cream 4 Tbs. of the butter with the mustard, green onions, garlic, vinegar and parsley or arugula.  Melt the remaining butter, add the bread crumbs, and fry them until they are crisp and browned.  Melt the mustard butter over a low flame, add a little of the boiling pasta water and the sun-dried tomatoes.  Drop the broccoli and cauliflower florets into the boiling pasta water, return to a boil, and cook about 1 minute.  Scoop them out and add them to the mustard butter.

Next, cook the pasta; then add it with the lemon to the vegetables.  Toss well with a pair of tongs to mix, season with salt and pepper.  Serve on warm plates garnished with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.  Serves two to four.  Adapted from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with Edward Espe Brown. 

Our winter beets are looking good; so good we need to thin them.  That gives you a bag of beet greens (that include useful roots, too.)  I would chop the roots and include them in the recipe below.  I skip the sugar,

EASY BEET GREENS

1 pound beet greens

1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 cup of water

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/6 cup of cider vinegar

Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.  In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.  Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)