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The Season of Gratitude: The final week of Fall Shares

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The Season of Gratitude: The final week of Fall Shares

 

Farm News for the week of November 14   

Announcements & Reminders

  • This week, weekly Fall Vegetable Share members pick-up. This is the last week of fall shares. 
  • Winter Shares begin the week of December 5th.
  • Early Registration discount is available until November 20th!  We are offering 5% off discount to all members through November 20th and can be applied to the Spring/Summer/Fall Vegetable Package Share and/or the Summer Fruit Package Share. Please use discount code renew at checkout.  Additional details are available on our Farm Share page and feel free to contact Jen with any questions. Sharing healthy, honest food with our community is at the heart of our farm. Your ongoing membership allows us to grow a diversity of fresh food year round. We welcome the opportunity to share the harvest with you!  ~ The Miller Family

  This Week's Vegetable Harvest

  • Carrots

  • Curly Green Kale

  • Spinach

  • Leeks

  • Cilantro

  • Head Lettuce

  • Red Cabbage

  • Russet Potatoes - from Igl Farms in Antigo, WI

  • Rutabaga

  • Garlic

  • Storage Kohlrabi  

Farm Journal Good sunny morning from the farm! 

 

During our last week of the field farming season, we finish up the remaining projects that will prepare us for winter. The crew brings in the last of the field harvests including popcorn, which involves them walking through the dried corn stalks, finding and cleaning cobs, and tucking the golden yellow ears into their harvest sacks. 

 

The ears will continue dry until the corn kernels are hard and ready to pop! The popcorn should be ready later this winter or in the spring.   

 

Our indoor preparations continue as we weed and tend to our winter plantings. Each evening, we cover them in additional layers of cover that will provide the crops with extra warmth for their continued, slow cool weather growth. 

 

We also take time away from the farm to reflect on our season and plan for the next.  This past weekend, Jeff and I escaped to Michigan to do just that.

    

We enjoyed long walks through the forest, down the stairwells to the shores of Lake Michigan. The long walks provided us with an opportunity to ponder, talk, plan and appreciate the calm nature surrounding us.   

 

After returning to the farm, we were ready for some good old fashioned fun with our farm crew. On Monday, we hosted our fourth annual crew pie eating contest and potluck. This collage shows pictures from all four years of end of season celebration. As we say goodbye to our farm crew this week, we return to a quieter winter season and we do so with a proud heart.

We thank you for being a part of our 11th growing season and allowing us the honor of growing your food and being your farmers.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! 
~ Jeff, Jen & the farm crew   

Making the most of your share 

 

Cilantro belongs to the same family as celery, carrots and parsley and shares many of the same health benefits. We use cilantro in everything from chili, tacos and salsa to salads, sandwiches and flavored butters. 

 

Russet potatoes come to us from the Igl family, at Igl Farms in Antigo, Wisconsin. Our Farm Manager, Tyler, demonstrated how he uses potatoes in the pot roast he brought to the farm potluck, recipe below. We love the Igl's russets as they store extremely well.  Place your potatoes into a dark, dry (low-humidity), cool (45-50 degrees) environment and they store for months.  

 

Carrots are one of our most popular features at the farmers markets, and we've included them in several of the last CSA shares because they store so well for winter. If you don't plan to use your carrots right away, remove the tops and store in plastic for snacking in the winter. Here are some ideas for how to best use the carrot greens in recipes...think, chimichurri to top a winter steak!   

Farm Kitchen Recipes

Tyler's Slow Cooker Pot Roast 
- This is the pot roast pictured above. Its a wonderfully warming lunch for a group of hungry farmers or family members!
3-5# Chuck Roast
1 Leek or Yellow Onion
1/2# Mushrooms (chopped or sliced)
1# Carrots (sliced)
2-3# Russet Potatoes (sliced into smaller cubes, skin optional depending on potato)
4 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
2-3 Cups Beef Broth
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Flour (for gravy)
2-4 Cups Beef Broth
Chopped celery (optional)

Sear all sides of Chuck Roast in pan with 1 cup of beef and minced garlic. Slice onion and mushrooms and place in bottom of slow cooker. (also add chopped celery if you choose to). Put roast on top of onion and mushrooms along with all liquid in searing pan. Chop carrots and cube potatoes and place around/on top of roast. Add more beef broth (1-2 cups, the more you add the more gravy you will have in the end, add less for a dryer roast). Salt, Pepper, and Season to taste. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (start the night before for a VERY juicy roast). When finished cooking drain 2/3 of liquid in slow cooker into a pot.  Add small amount of flour and stir over low heat until it thickens to your liking.  Add more salt, pepper or seasonings to your taste. Pour back over roast and veggies, stir in and allow to heat for up to 1 hour. Enjoy!

Charlotte's Red Cabbage & Kale Slaw with Walnuts and Dried Cherries -Another delicious recipe care of our Assistant Farm Manager, Charlotte.

4 cups stemmed, slivered curly kale
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups finely sliced or shredded red cabbage
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons vinegar (any variety will work)
2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard (to taste)
Dollop of honey (optional)
1 small garlic clove, minced (optional)
¼ cup plain yogurt
 Freshly ground pepper
Handful of dried cherries
 
Place the slivered kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss together and massage the leaves with your hands for about 3 minutes. The kale will lose some volume.
Add the cabbage and walnuts to the kale and toss together.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the rice vinegar, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, optional garlic, oil, yogurt and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together and toss with the salad. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer before serving. Toss in cherries, stir and serve.

Roasted Carrots with Avocado & Yogurt
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and cooled if you have the patience, ground will work here as well
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and cooled if you have the patience, ground will work here as well
2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt, plus more to taste
Red chile flakes, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 pounds thin-to-medium carrots, scrubbed, not peeled; mixed colors are prettier here but not essential
TO FINISH
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice (from about 1/4 orange)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
1 large or 2 medium firm-ripe avocados, cut in thin slices
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 cups radish sprouts, other sprouts or light salad greens of your choice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons roasted hulled pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds or a mix thereof
 
Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cover 1 large (half-sheet) or 2 smaller (quarter-sheet) roasting pans with foil for easy cleanup. Pour 1/4 cup water in bottom of pan (or divide between both).
 
Make your spice paste by either pounding the cumin, coriander, thyme, salt and peppers in a mortar and pestle until roughly ground, using an electric spice grinder (i.e. a coffee grinder you don’t mind smelling like spices) or small food processor to do the same, or, if using ground spices, just combining them in the bottom of the large bowl you’re about to use. In the bottom of a very large bowl, combine prepared spices, salt and pepper, garlic, vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil and whisk to blend. Add carrots and toss to coat.
 
Spread carrots, drizzling with any extra marinade, in prepared pans and cover tightly with foil. Roast for 25 minutes covered then remove the foil and roast for 35 minutes more, until the carrots are lightly browned and tender but not falling apart.

Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, orange and lemon juices in a small dish with salt and pepper. When carrots are done, scatter with avocado and sprouts then drizzle with this citrus dressing all over. Dollop yogurt over the top and sprinkle with seeds. 
(smitthenkitchen.com)

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