- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Fresh Dill
- Salad Greens
- Red or Green Cabbage
- Pie Pumpkin (grown at Vicki Westerhoff's farm in St. Anne, IL)
- Tatsoi
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Potato Sampler Bag (fingerlings, russets & sweet potatoes)
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Tomatoes continue to ripen, slowly but steadily, in our hoophouses. The tomatoes we are harvesting this week are ripe, but most of them are still very much on the firm side. I recommend letting them sit on a counter or windowsill for several days before using them.
Our hoophouse tomatoes were planted in early May. I can easily see over the tops of the field tomatoes, but most of the plants in the hoophouse are so tall that some of the ripe fruit is out of my reach! The kids haven't been too interested in helping with the harvest this week, but they have sure enjoyed playing hide-and-seek among the rows.
Matt, in contrast, has been more than happy to harvest tomatoes, as it is one of the few jobs he can manage right now. He is recovering from hand surgery after an accident earlier this week. The prognosis is good, and we'll do our best to get him back in a tractor seat as soon as possible. There's not a lot of pressure, though, since much of the fall field work that requires a tractor has already been accomplished. Once the fields dry out a bit we'll continue planting garlic and removing tomato stakes from the field. Other than that, our main focus will be on harvesting, packing and delivering. In particular, I'm looking forward to sweet potatoes, more carrots, more winter squash, and more beautiful spinach!
This week's pie pumpkins look like your average jack-o-lantern types, but they are much sweeter and more flavorful than carving pumpkins. If you’ve never done so, try making pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup from scratch. All you need to do is cut the pumpkin in half or in wedges, scoop out the seeds, and bake it in the oven just like you would any member of the squash family. Scrape the flesh from the shell and –voila!—just like the canned stuff, only better. Another idea is to hollow out a pumpkin and fill it with cheese, bread cubes, and a bit of cream, broth or white wine. Then bake it until the pumpkin flesh is soft and the filling is warm and bubbly. Served with crusty bread and a crisp green salad, this makes a divine fall meal!
See how happy Travis looks? He's thinking about pumpkin pie...
Dill is one of my favorite fresh herbs because it's relatively easy to grow and it pairs so beautifully with many of fall's flavors, including cabbage, beets and broccoli. At the end of the growing season I dry some in my food dehydrator for use throughout the winter. Another technique is to dry it in the microwave. I don't have a microwave myself, but I've read that you can do it in the following way: Spread the dill in a single layer on a paper towel and microwave on high for 3 minutes. After microwaving, remove and discard the hard stems, crumble the leaves, and store in an airtight container protected from light.
Dill continues to thrive even though soil temperatures are pretty cold.
Tatsoi is an Asian green related to bok choy that has dark green spoon-shaped leaves. Like dill, it grows well in the cool weather of October and November. It has a delicate texture and can be eaten either raw, quickly blanched, or lightly stir-fried. The sesame-ginger tatsoi recipe below would go well with broiled fish or marinated tofu.
This Week's Recipes
Chicken, Lemon and Dill with Orzo
Baked Pumpkin with Spinach and White Beans
Low-Fat Pumpkin Bread
Swedish Cabbage Rolls
Chilled Sesame-Ginger Tatsoi
Braised Cabbage Strudel with Cherry Glaze
Next Week's Vegetable Harvest (our best guess)... carrots, spinach, rutabaga, salad mix, leeks, tomatoes, beets, red potatoes and more!
