THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and/or cherry tomatoes, leeks, BEET THINNINGS, BROCCOLI, basil, and sweet peppers

SAVE THE DATE: THIS YEAR’S PUMPKIN PICK UP WEEKEND WILL BE OCTOBER 18 & 19.  This is the time we set aside for you to come choose a carving pumpkin (which is included with your subscription), meet other subscribers, tour the farm, and enjoy a pot luck lunch topped off with PUMPKIN PIE PIZZA!  You don’t want to miss this. 

This year, BIG BARN ORGANICS IN HOOD RIVER (who we have partnered with for a few years now) IS OFFERING ORGANIC PEARS THAT YOU CAN PICK UP AT OUR PUMPKIN WEEKEND.  Jen is offering BARTLETT, ABATE FETEL, AND GEM PEARS, AS WELL AS HOSUI ASIAN PEARS.  Full details and pricing can be found on our web site in the blog post section.  This year ALL ORDERS NEED TO GO TO JEN AT JEN@BIGBARNORGANICS.COM.  Payments (cash or checks) should be made when you pick up your order.  TIME IS VERY SHORT TO ORDER . . . ALL ORDERS MUST BE MADE WITH JEN BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 13^TH . We will also be partnering with Jen for delivery of pears with your Thanksgiving baskets.  She will be offering a wider variety of products including canned and dried pears as well as the very popular 5# sampler of different pear varieties.

After our pathetic summer crop of broccoli, we are extremely pleased (and relieved) to have a great crop of fall broccoli!  We prefer to keep our broccoli dishes simple, and the recipe below is both easy and delicious.

BROCCOLI AND SWEET PEPPER SAUTÉ

A quick and tasty side dish can be made by slicing one red pepper into strips and sautéing it in 1 Tbs. olive oil and 1 Tbs. butter with a clove of minced garlic.  After five minutes, add a head of broccoli florets and thinly sliced broccoli stems.  Sprinkle with 1 Tbs. of Balsamic vinegar, cover and steam until broccoli is dark green.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Beet greens can be used in any recipe for Swiss chard or even spinach (to which they are closely related).  Today’s thinnings have roots of various sizes still attached and I would simply chop them along with the greens in the recipe below.

EASY BEET GREENS

While this recipe calls for discarding the stems, if you want you can use them too if they aren’t too woody. Just cut them into 1-inch segments and add them to the onions after the onions have been cooking for a minute.

1 pound beet greens

1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a tablespoon of bacon fat)

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.)

LEEK RISOTTO

4 c chicken broth

2 Tbs.. extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, cleaned and sliced cross-wise

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 ½ c Arborio rice

½ c dry white wine, at room temp.

½ c sun-dried tomatoes, julienned

1 tbsp butter

salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Keep your broth warm and nearby for ladling into the risotto.  In a large, heavy bottomed pot or large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook leeks and bell pepper until softened. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the veggies to a bowl and keep warm. Add the rice to the same pan and stir until each grain has some oil. If you need to add a bit more, go on ahead. Toast rice for a few minutes and add the wine. Stir until completely absorbed. Add the broth, one cup or ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after adding. Make sure the liquid is totally absorbed before adding the next bit of broth. Never let your rice become dry. After about 20 min, your rice should be tender and creamy. Add the leek mixture and sun-dried tomatoes. Heat through and remove from heat. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.  From TheJollyFox.com