Week 17 newsletter

Threshing Table Farm
Week 17 A October 5th, 2017

In this week’s box:

Acorn Squash                           Butter Nut Squash                         Onions                               Sage
Thyme                                      Radishes                                         Cauliflower/broccoli              Bell Peppers
Leeks                                       Potatoes                                          Jalapenos                          Lettuce
Celery root                              Popcorn                                            Carrots

 

Hello Farm Members!
Another wet week here on the farm. I checked the rain guage this morning and found 2 ½ inches of rain and a tiny frog! He was swimming for his life and was glad to be set free. Did it actually rain frogs? It might have- that was one intense storm! We have never moved into October and not had a fall frost. I would actually like it to come as the broccoli is really more wonderful after a frost. We usually really enjoy a bountiful fall broccoli harvest, but this year it is pretty pokey. I think cooler temps would help a lot. This batch of cauliflower is also pretty pokey, so you will get either cauliflower or broccoli this week.

This is the final week for our “A” half share members. We thank you for being a farm member this year! We hope you enjoyed eating your produce as much as we enjoyed growing it for you. Thanks for supporting our family, our farm practices and all the benefits that come from it. Please sign up for a 2018 share at www.threshingtablefarm.org any time.
January 1st we will open the sign up to non-members as well.

Mike and I had a wonderful meal catered by Table 65 this evening through a United Way event. It was a beautiful farm to table meal that highlighted our produce, Bifrost farm’s cheese and Phil’s raspberries among others. The dinner was a celebration of the work United Way has been doing in the area, including feeding the hungry through the food pantries. We have been enjoying the opportunity to donate food to both the New Richmond 5 loaves food pantry and the Somerset Food Pantry. The Somerset food pantry bought 4 shares to ensure a variety of fresh produce was available each week at the food pantry. If you asked us to donate your share, it went to one of these local food pantries. It is great to know that through the help of these resources, our food is reaching more people. Thank you for helping us to feed those most in need.

Bifrost Goat Cheese This is the final week to order Bifrost Goat cheese. Please go to www.bifrostfarms.com to order. Orders will be delivered next week.

Phil’s Raspberries As I write this, I am not sure how his berries are doing through all the rain, but if you’d like some, let me know and I’ll see what I can do. $4 a pint.

Maple Syrup- Stock up for winter, we still have some left. $15 a quart/$8 a pint.

 

Storage tips

Celery Root: Crisper drawer. Celery root is awesome! Peel the outer layer off. Dice and use in soups, stews or salads. Raw or cooked. Tastes like celery! Great steamed or roasted like potatoes and very low carb!
Lettuce: salad spinner and covered bowl
Radishes: Remove leaves, and place those in the salad spinner/bowl with other greens. Radishes do great in the fridge in a bowl with a little water.
Carrots: Put in plastic bag in the refrigerator
Cauliflower: Crisper drawer. Cauliflower bruises easily, (like an apple). Handle with care!
Leeks, Peppers and broccoli- crisper drawer
All others- kitchen counter

PoPcorn -The popcorn is not quite ready yet. It needs to continue drying. Please leave it in a kitchen cabinet or somewhere else warm and dry. You can also hang it as a decoration indoors while it dries. Sometime after Thanksgiving, try popping it. If it does not pop well, wait another few weeks for it to dry some more and try again.
To pop: Remove kernels from cob by twisting the cob in your hands. Pop as you would normally pop popcorn.
OR
Place the whole cob (without leaves) into a paper bag. Close the bag. Place in the microwave and microwave on the popcorn setting until the popping slows down. (Just like with store bought microwave popcorn.)

Are those onions piling up? Try this!

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

 

7 small onions, cut in half and thinly sliced (about 7 cups)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

1 tablespoons sugar

2 dried bay leaves

1 ½ pounds beef stew meat

3 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) condensed beef consommé

¼ cup dry sherry or apple juice

1 cup apple juice

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

8 slices ( 1/2 inch thick) French bread, toasted

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 ounces)
Toss onions, butter and sugar in 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with bay leaves and beef.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 9 to 10 hours or until onions are deep brown.

Stir in beef consommé, sherry, apple juice and thyme. Increase heat setting to high. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until hot. Remove bay leaves.

To serve, spoon into ovenproof soup bowls and top each serving with slice of toast and 1/4 cup cheese. If desired, broil with tops 6 inches from heat 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.

Roasted Radishes and Leeks
Radishes, washed with the tops removed
Leeks, trimmed, use only the white and very light green sections. Wash well, slice.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400. Toss radishes and leeks with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet, stirring once, until slightly tender and browned, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with lemon juice.

Moroccan Carrot Salad
4 carrots, cut into wedges
1 handful, black olives
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic chopped
¼ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 parsley sprig, chopped
1 fresh lemon, squeezed
¼ cup olive oil
Bring a pan of water to boil. Add the carrots and cook until tender and then rinse them with cold water. Drain the carrots and mix with the olives and radishes. Mix the rest of the ingredients, including the chopped parsley and garlic, to create marinade. Pour the marinade over the carrots, olives and radishes and serve.
Have a great week! Happy Eating-
Your farmers, Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas lenz