We finished spreading compost and planting the winter cover crop just as the rains began to fall last week. We were blessed with 9″ of rain, most of which soaked right in to this thirsty land. As we continued preparing this ground for spring and summer planting next year, our fall garden remains very productive.
Here’s what we expect to harvest for Fall CSA farm shares this week:
Full Share: Cucumbers, Kale (double portion), Butternut squash, Summer squash, Mizuna (double portion), Sweet potatoes, Spaghetti squash, Winter luxury pie Pumpkin, Black Futsu pumpkin, Beans
Half Share: Cucumbers, Kale, 2 Acorn Squash, Summer squash, Mizuna, Sweet potatoes, 2 Mini Pumpkins
Mid-Season Share: Cucumbers, Kale (double portion), Summer squash, Mizuna (double portion), Sweet potatoes, Spaghetti squash, 2 mini pumpkins, Winter luxury pie Pumpkin
Fall Season CSA – Week 9 Full Farm Share
We’ve been enjoying our sweet potatoes this week. Two of our favorite things to make with them are sweet potato fries and chips. There are many different ways to make them and season them, from frying to baking, tossing in brown sugar and cinnamon, smothering in cheddar or Parmesan cheese or simply salting. They are delicious every time!
Remember that your winter squash and pumpkins can be stored for weeks. Our shares have a lot of large vegetables this time of year. Don’t feel pressured to use them all this week – we hope you’ll keep some for later. Even after the CSA season ends later in November, you can enjoy our naturally grown, healthy vegetables throughout the winter. There are many ideas on the web for storing winter vegetables – here’s one.
Recipe
Here’s a delicious pumpkin pie recipe that I tried with my mini pumpkins this week! You can make it with about 3 mini pumpkins, your Long Island cheese pumpkin or winter luxury pumpkin. It’s also great made with butternut squash instead of or in addition to pumpkin! This was my first try at making pumpkin pie and it was so easy! If you’re short on time you can use a refrigerated or frozen pie crust instead of homemade – it’ll still be great. One thing I will change next time will be to use less sugar. Just 1 cup rather than the 1 1/4 the recipe calls for. Your pumpkin adds some natural sweetness and less sugar will bring out the pumpkin flavor. I hope you enjoy making this simple pie like I did!