It was another beautiful harvest day here at the farm with the sun shining full force and a light breeze. The veggies are holding on and the CSA baskets were above value yet again. This week everyone gets a nice big pumpkin so you can either save it for a jack-o-lantern or slice it up for a nice Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. I've been told that pie-pumpkins are the preferred pumpkin for a pie but jack-o-lanterns are fine as long as you add a bit more sugar and its a bit of a grainyer texture so try putting it through a food processor first to smooth it out.
This weeks large share includes: arugula, radish, carrots, parsnips, beets, a rutabaga, pint of cherry tomatoes, 6 large slicing tomatoes, onions, leeks and a choice between a butternut, buttercup, blue hubbard and bush delicta winter squash. The grab box had lettuce mix, cilantro, parsley, swiss chard, cabbage and lots of the above mentioned veggies.
Check out the two recipes below sent in by two CSA members.
Squash Casserole
Ingredients:
1 box stuffing mix (don't use one with bits of rice in it)
1/2 cup butter
1 squash
1 small onion
250 mL sour cream
1 tin cream of chicken soup
Melt butter and use it to moisten stuffing mix. Put this on bottom layer of casserole dish.
Dice and boil squash, mash. Cut onion into small pieces and mix with mashed squash. Put this on top of the stuffing layer. Mix sour cream and soup together. Pour on top of casserole.
Bake for approx, 20-25 minutes at 375. You'll know it's done as the top will be starting to boil.
**Thanks to Carolyn for sending this along**
Veggie Drawer Root Vegetable Clean-out:
It's very forgiving, and very adaptable:
Find all the root vegetables lurking in your fridge: beets, turnip, parsnips, carrots, etc. and potatoes if you need more veggies
Flavorable things like: onions, peppers, fennel bulb, mushrooms, garlic cloves
Olive oil, salt and pepper, any herbs you like.
Orange juice -- optional
Get out a really large roasting pan or a few smaller ones like 9x13inch
Quickly wash and peel the root veggies, cut everything into chunks -- maybe 2cm by 2cm by 3cm -- and throw in pan. Peel onion and quarter, slice fennel, leave garlic cloves and mushrooms whole. Drizzle with a decent amount of olive oil and add salt and pepper, and toss with hands to coat thoroughly.
Cover pan with tight lid or with foil, can cook at 350 for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. You can adjust the temperature down if you are baking something else.
Stir (making sure things aren't sticking) and add some orange juice, if desired, after an hour or so. Test for doneness towards the end (be careful of steam when opening foil).
Serves four generous servings.
This is very basic, but if you feel like you can't bear to open your crisper because of the root vegetables taking space, this will use up a lot and is pretty tasty. Leftovers can be added to soup or a stirfry. It goes well with a salad and meat, or a salad and a grain dish.
**Thanks to Chris for sending this along today**
Pumpkin
Variety of winter squash
The barn now has the trusses attached and is about 75% strapped. The steel arrived Friday night and I was hoping that progress would have been greater to actually start putting the steel on Sunday but Derek was still strapping the roof so that job will have to wait for awhile yet. It seems pretty straight forward but I think there are probably a million little odd jobs that need to be done before its actually time for the steel. Its starting to really look like something. Derek's brothers Ronnie and John came out last week to help out which was great.
Waiting in the fog for the trusses to arrive.
The crane setting the trusses in place
Derek's brother John came out to help
Inside the barn
The front side of the roof strapped
Ben & Jake enjoying the wheel barrow
So serious - hair cut anyone?
Jake rocking the pink rubber boots
A friend of ours was taking a hike through the hills and took this great shot of the farm. Thanks Greg
If your in need of a chicken for Thanksgiving Barnyard Organics will be selling their organic chickens (and lamb) from the freezer on their truck this Thursday from 4-5:30pm near the Harbour Quay building which is right across the confederation trail from our CSA pick-up. How convenient!!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and we hope your long weekend is filled with family and farm fresh veggies.
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