update plus PUMPKIN and SQUASH ID

The air is changing.  There is a distinct dampness in the fields these days, even in moments of sun, which shifts to clouds, and back to sun. The wind is up often and the days are shortening rapidly.  Bob said around 3 minutes of light are lost daily.  Hard not to notice that.  That said, the hot crops are on their way out.  The solanaceae family (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes), don't put on continued growth in these conditions.  Our nighttime temps are dipping.  Would it were that we had conditions like India where eggplants are a perennial and reach heights of 7 feet.

Now we have the chance to enjoy the various asian greens and the brassicas.  Our brocolli aren't sizing up, but we'll include the smaller more delicate side shoots in the harvest whenever we can.  The cauliflower DID NOTHING.  They are not crops we rely on since they are finicky (especially open-pollinated types). Their fresh deliciousness keeps us planting them in hope of a good crop though.    

***

Over the next distribution days we'll be harvesting the 7 varieties of squash and 3 varieties of pumpkins that were planted this season.  All have storage capabilities.  We tended towards smaller ones that individuals or families can eat in a single sitting, though there are a couple with more bulk.  Some sweeten with age (like marina di chioggia) and others deteriorate (like delicata).  You can eat them now or save them for the leaner months. We keep them in a visible spot and monitor them somewhat closely.  We eat the fruits that are beginning to develop soft spots, which can be cut out.  They are alive, thus ever changing in color, texture and flavor.

The skin is edible. Nothing has been sprayed on the plants or fruits at any time of their growth.

TYPES

new england pie pumpkin:  these are popular for their size and flavor in cooking.  they produce reliably well in our climate. p.s. very tasty pies can be made out of many varieties including the buttercup and marinas.

jack o' Lantern pumpkin: description needed?  We've got a range of sizes with a few beasts that will likely be given out to the whole shares. 

lumina pumpkin: white! You can do a Halloween painting on them and then cook the edible flesh.

uchiki Kuri: big plump raindrop shape.  the flesh is dry and there's usually around 3 pounds of it. 

thelma sanders sweet potato squash: new for us this year from seed savers exchange.  they're a cream colored acorn and the plants pumped out lots of fruit. couple pounds apiece; well suited to single or double servings.

buttercup: this squash has set the benchmark over the years for all other small winter squash. Fruits have a thin hard dark green rind. Usually around 3-5 pounds. Sweet orange flesh. They're a medium length keeper. 

kikuza: another new one from Seed Savers.  This is what they have to say, "A Japanese heirloom pumpkin, introduced in the United States by the Oriental Seed Company of San Francisco in 1927. Orange cinnamon rind is ribbed and somewhat wrinkled; flesh is thick, sweet, rather spicy, and tender. The small size (4-7 pounds) makes it ideal for baking and roasting" 

delicata: a crowd pleaser.  Between the size, rapid baking and the light sweet flesh- they're great.  We've found that though they can hang around on the shelf through the New Year, their flavor is best within a couple months of harvest.  They're the basis of 'squash boats,' at our dinner table.  We cook up savory fillings and eat the squash loaded with stuffings (often including melted cheese).

Guatemalan blue banana: grown for some handsome unusual-ness about the garden.  Rings can be cut off of it for roasting of baking.  

marina di Chioggia (foto coming soon): a large drier fleshed squash, well suited for soups and making into pasta.  Hails from Italy.  Keeps very well and the flavor continues to improve.  The biggest squash we grew this year.

If you have any questions...

Flip

last tomato hurrah? yes, indeed.

So here we are.  made it to late September with a healthy batch of tomatoes.  We have sandwiched, juiced, roasted and sauced for weeks. There are a couple favorite varieties for me, prolly the main one being green zebra.  When the shoulders are full-on yellow, the taste is very very cool.

ANYHOW, looks as if our plants are dying off fast.  Likely blight.  Which is not unusual at this point in the season, especially with the rain we've had lately.   During this Friday's harvest, we'll be stripping down the plants of both ripe fruit and mature green fruit.  Whoever wants some can pick up a box of them Friday afternoon.  Lay them out in your house or some spot that won't drop below 50 degrees. The ripening process will likely take a couple weeks.  The warmer the spot, that faster that process will happen.  This goes for fresh slicing tomatoes as well as paste tomatoes.  Checking them regularly will allow you to eat them as they ripen and cull any that have begun to spoil.

I don't have much cooking experience with green tomatoes, but many cuisines use them. You've got your fried green, some salsas, jams, and green tomato pie.  Some searching around will yield lots of ideas.

You can also make salsa or sauce and freeze it instead of canning.

E-mail us if you want a share of these.  

Anyone want to come by in the morning Friday and help pick?  That'd be great.  

adios for now, flip

this coming weekend: festival then potluck

just finished batch of tempeh

Evening everyone,

This Saturday morning we're pedaling over to the cooperative extension learning farm to give a tempeh making workshop.  It is part of the Sustainability festival.  Our thing is at 10a. I'm looking forward to hearing Shannon Hayes speak at 11a.  Her newest book is called, 'Radical Homemakers.' It's very sharp.  There are a couple copies at the SLU library or through ILL at the public library.

-excerpt

In chapter one I mentioned that the Radical Homemakers seemed to be on a three-stage path.  In the first stage, Renouncing, most of them were still leading conventional lives, but were becoming increasingly aware of the illusory happiness of a consumer society.  As a result of deep introspection, they would ultimately make the choice to step off their current path and become a homemaker.  In the second stage, Reclaiming, the homemakers entered a period where they worked to recover many of the lost domestic skills that would enable their family to live without outside income.  I observed that, depending on the individual, this phase could take years (especially if small children were at home) or a lifetime.  As we saw in chapter six, it is an exciting an deeply fulfilling period.  However, if homemakers dwell in this phase for too long, a few of them admitted to manifesting symptoms of Freidan's "Housewife Syndrome," including a sense of aimlessness, despair about the rest of the world, cynicism, or sporadic bouts with depression.  Those homemakers who were truly fulfilled had moved into a third phase, what I've dubbed Rebuilding, in which they work to expand their creative energies outward.  Their homes had become more sustainable and meaningful places, and now they were applying their talents and skills to bring their communities and society along with them.                                                                                                                   

She's explains how folks around the country have begun to shift from an extractive economy to a life-serving economy.  It addresses the scope of destruction in our corporate-based culture.  (In 2008, Wal-Mart recorded $45 million/hour in sales.  How many people along the line are truly profiting from that?)  

Here's her link as well as the one for the fair:

www.radicalhomemakers.com

www.sustainablelivingproject.net/local-living-festival 

*****
POTLUCK AT LAURIE'S

-reckon you saw her e-mail.  looking forward to doing some good eating. 3p. i'm hoping for warm temps as her back porch is excellent.

see you all soon,

flip

misc check in and tomatillo recipes

good evening crew.

man, this soggy labor day weekend managed to come and go quick.  has autumn swooped in on us?  if we have a long warm september as we did last year, that would be a pleasant close to a damn nice gardening season.

leah battling on the botticelli front

well done on last weekend's workday to everyone who made it.  we accomplished a lot in a short time.  we cleaned up several areas and booted out the weeds. I'm glad we could cap it off with a swim.  that wouldn't have flown if we'd been meeting this past saturday. keep your eyes peeled for another group workday.  though the Saturdays are filling up fast we'll do out best to find an open one.  if not this month, then DEFINITELY next month.

stripping the bines of the flowering heads (hops)

With the help of Andrew once and Wes once, the hops harvest was smooth and productive.  This year we'll have the chance to malt our barley and use the hops from our garden too.   In other words, come over this winter for some homebrew!

GardenShare, a local food advocacy non-profit, is having a group picnic on Saturday the 18th at Sugar Hill farm in DeKalb.  We'll likely attend.  more info:  http://www.gardenshare.org/content/events-calendar

lea (my sis) pulling the canning basket from water bath

we've been in the kitchen busy with canning tomatoes, making peach preserves and coming around the bend is tomatillos, for salsa verde.  everyone will receive these little gems at least once this month.  enough to make a fresh batch to enjoy immediately or freeze.  the year round shares have the option of  getting a larger portion of the harvest to can or freeze salsa.

*****
Pickled Tomatillos
-1 QT worth-


1 lb husked green tomatillos- halved if small, quartered if large
2 sweet or mild peppers-cut into 1 in strips
2 or 3 hot peppers- seeded and sliced into rings
3 garlic cloves- sliced
3 oregano sprigs
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water
2 tsp pickling salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

In a QT jar, combine first five ingred.  Bring the rest to a boil in a saucepan, and pour the hot liquid over the vegetables.  Let it cool down.

Close the jar and refrigerate for at least a week before tasting.  Will keep well for 2+ mos in fridge since vinegar is a preservative.

*****
 Salsa Verde
-makes 3 pints-

2 1/2 lbs tomatillos- halved if you blend them or smaller chop for a chunky salsa
1/2 lb roasted, peeled, and seeded chile peppers (or chop in a mild pepper of your choice)
2 cups chopped onions
6 garlic cloves- chopped
3/4 cup lime juice
2 1/2 tsp pickling salt
1 tsp ground cumin (optional)

Cook tomatillos until tender, around 10 minutes.  Cool slightly and blend now if you want to go that road.
Return to pot.

Add in the rest.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

IF CANNING then ladle salsa into pint or half pint hot jars to within 1/2 inch from the top.  Wipe clean the rim of the jar and put on the two piece caps.  Process for 15 minutes in boiling water bath.  Store jars in cool, dark spot.

Otherwise pop in the fridge and enjoy within a couple weeks.  It's edible after this, but may have some (fermented) zing to it.

I love it on scrambled eggs. Also as a condiment with rice or the classic dip and chip routine.
*****

nipper! new addition to the crew

with love, flip