This week your basket contains: potatoes, winter squash, leeks (full shares), elephant garlic (half shares) carrots, spicy cooking greens (mustard greens, Swiss chard, and collards) and salad mix (arugula, kale, and miner’s lettuce)

Happy Equinox! The fact that we have both cooking greens and salad mix this week shows that, despite last month’s 16^o temperature, longer days and a few warm days can make a big difference!  The cooking greens would be perfect for a dish like the one below.

SPICED LENTILS WITH MUSHROOMS AND GREENS

½ cup brown or green lentils

3 Tbs. olive oil

½ pound Shiitake mushrooms, sliced

salt

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. turmeric

½ Lb. coarsely chopped greens

In a small saucepan, cover the lentils with 2 ½ cups water or broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook over low heat until lentils are tender, approx. 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, add mushrooms and season with salt.  Cover and cook over moderate heat stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and starting to brown, approx. 5 minutes.  Add the remaining olive oil along with the garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper and turmeric and cook stirring until fragrant, approx. 1 minute.  Add the greens and cook until wilted, approx. 5 minutes.  Add the lentils and their cooking liquid to the mushrooms and greens and cook for 3 minutes.  Add more liquid if the lentils are too dry.  Season with salt and ladle into bowls.  Adapted from Food and Wine February 2011.

Last night we made the dish described below.  Served with mashed potatoes and lamb chops they were fantastic!

ROASTED CARROTS WITH GARLIC AND THYME

1 ½  Lbs carrots, peeled

10 – 12 small garlic cloves

2 Tbs Olive oil

salt and pepper

thyme sprig

chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut carrots into 1-2 inch pieces, toss with oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Put them in a roomy baking dish with the unpeeled garlic and thyme sprig.  Add 2 Tbs of water, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until tender, 25-45 minutes.  Check at least twice to make sure there is moisture in the pan and stir the carrots gently.  Toward the end, remove foil and continue roasting until liquid is reduced and the carrots are browned.  Serve garnished with parsley.  Note:  The unpeeled garlic cloves can be squeezed to remove the creamy garlic, which can be used as a spread on bread or mixed with the carrots for a stronger garlic flavor.  Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

EGGS are also available again.  The hens are just starting to ramp up their laying, so we are allocating them as best we can.  Our youngest hens (ie the baby chicks you saw on our pumpkin pick up weekend in October) should be starting to lay soon so our supply will improve.  We have had to increase the price of eggs to $7.20 per doz ($3.60 for a ½ doz ; $1.80 for ¼ doz) to help cover the feed costs that have almost doubled in the past year.  Just email to order.

GARDEN STARTS are also getting ready.  You can purchase them for delivery with your veggies from our online store (PumpkinRidgeGardens.square.site).  Right now we have limited quantities of cool weather crops available.  We will update our stock as more items are ready, so check back often.  Please note that the web site says that these starts are available for pick up, but WE WILL DELIVER THEM TO YOU unless you insist on coming to the farm for them!

Flowers are also available.  Starting with daffodils and tulips and moving through the spring and summer, Polly with be making beautiful mixed bouquets that can be delivered with your basket for $10.  You can order occasionally or as a standing order.  Just email to let us know!