Week 16 B

Sept 27th, 2018

Dear Threshing Table Farm Members,

Happy Fall!

In this week’s box:

Celery Root and leaves     Potatoes       Onions           Garlic                   Buttercup Squash

Kabocha Squash              Carnival Squash               Cilantro          Parsley

Spinach                         Peppers                    Broccoli             Lettuce

Cabbage                 Tomatoes

This week’s been beautiful and summer like. It’s also been cold, dreary and deep-fall like. We try to make the most of the sunny, dry days and grit our teeth and make our way through the wet ones. Several changes of clothing really help.

We are getting ready for the frost that is predicted at the end of this week. We are  picking all the squash and peppers, trying to store what we can for a bit, until we can get them all out. We are saying goodbye to some things like tomatoes and eggplant.  (Honestly, the tomatoes have been saying goodbye to us the past few weeks and we’ve been hanging on as hard as we can!)  With other things, we rejoice about the frost because it actually improves the flavor. Broccoli, Brussel’s Sprouts (You’ll see those next week!) and cabbage should be a bit sweeter.  Doodle the cat, will get an insulated box to make into a warmer home for him. The goldfish will move back into the house after a long summer in the spacious pond, “Horse Water Tank”. And a sure sign of the season’s change- I’ve broken out the long underwear.

Fall is here and with it comes Celery Root! We love celery root in soups, stews, salads or roasted with other veggies.  It tastes like fall. The leaves are great to use fresh or dried in any food you would use celery in. All the flavor without the stringy- celery texture! Store the root in the crisper drawer and hang the leaves to dry.

We only have 2 more weeks left in the season! This is a great time to look around for any white farm boxes that you “accidentally” took home or  bean bags that didn’t make it back to your pick-up sites. Drop them off at your pick up site or the farm. No questions asked! We’re just glad to get everything gathered up and tucked away before the snow flies.

Time to Stock Up!!
(Christmas is coming too!)

Mike’s Maple Syrup  $15/quart  $8/pint

Jensen’s Cattle Company:  Contact Dave for Beef or Pork!   Dave Jensen at 612-685-0155.

Heather Flashinski, Farm Sweet Farm- Grass Fed Beef  715-289-4896

Coffee!   Contact Tim Scanlan directly to order up your freshly roasted beans and handle payment. Learn more at: facebook.com/birchbarkcoffee/ or give him a call 715-690-4986. Beans run $12-$14/lb.

Thanks for supporting local farmers and businesses!

Potato Celery Root Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 fresh onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
5 potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 celery root, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup milk or cream (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Cider Vinegar, 1-2 Tbsp.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or your soup pot over low heat. Add the chopped onions and minced garlic. Sauté slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have begun to caramelize, but are not yet browned.
Stir in the potatoes and celery root. Add the stock and turn the heat up. As soon as the stock boils, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potato and celery root cubes are completely tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor in batches and puree until smooth. An immersion blender is easier and will also work. Add the milk or cream to the soup if you prefer a creamier soup. Season with salt and pepper and the cider vinegar to taste.

Butternut Squash Cake

2/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup maple syrup (use local, or real! Do NOT use fake pancake syrup)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 tablespoon nutmeg
1 cup butternut squash cooked and mashed(or can of pumpkin puree)

Turn the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the oil and syrup together.
Add eggs and yogurt, beat well.
Stir the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in. Stir gently.
Add spices and squash. Stir just until mixed.
Spray (or line with parchment paper) a 9inch pan.
Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake 40 minutes. When cool, frost with cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Spinach Smoothie (There are a TON to choose from! Search the internet, and you will find one that works for you!)

Serves 2
– 1 mango
– 2 ripe bananas
– 2 cups of spinach
– 1/2 a cup of cashew nuts
– 2 cups of almond milk, coconut water or water
– 1 lime
Optional: a tablespoon of chia seeds
Optional: Soak cashews in a glass of water overnight, then in the morning drain them and add them to your blender once you’re ready to make your smoothie. If you don’t have time don’t worry though, if you have a strong blender it should still be able to blend the cashews into a smooth, creamy deliciousness!
Once you’re ready to make your smoothie, peel the mango and then add it’s flesh (discarding the stone) to your blender with the banana, spinach, cashews and lime juice.
Blend until smooth and creamy.

September 20th, Week 15 A

Hello Members!

In this week’s box:

Lettuce     Leeks          Broccoli           Potatoes              Onions            Carnival Squash

Summer Squash          Acorn Squash    Kabocha squash (The orange one)       Beets     Tomatoes

Something purple       Garlic                   Dill                          Spinach           Cilantro

Something Purple?? We have lots of eggplant, but not quite enough. We also have some lovely purple cauliflower that is just starting to come in. So you will enjoy one or the other. We’ll try to keep track of which sites get what and hopefully as more purple things come in, we will be able to balance things out.

The chickens are keeping us busy this week. I’ve slowly been noticing a decrease in the number of hens I have. Along with that, is a huge decrease in the number of eggs. I’m assuming a hawk or eagle is to blame for the missing birds. There is little sign of a struggle or missing feathers. It could be a super fast fox, but I don’t know. I’m moving the chickens back to their “winter” coop which is near the house so that I can keep an eye on them a little better. Mike moved the moveable coop up to the winter coop and this morning I opened the door so they could be out for the day. We opened up the winter coop and assumed they’d put themselves in there at the end of the day. (They tried getting in there for a month after we moved them into  their summer coop.) Worst case, they’d enter back into the summer coop which we left parked near the winter coop.  Instead, they wandered back to the field behind the silos and sat there, wondering where their home was. Bird Brains.  Mike drove the moveable coop back there, waited for them to go in and settle for the night, and then moved the coop back over to the winter coop. There we moved them one at a time over to the winter coop where we locked them in for the night. I’ll keep them locked in for a day or two, so they learn that this is “home” and they will know where their food and water is. Then, we’ll open the door and they should have forgotten all about the summer coop.  Maybe?

Things are continuing to look good in the field. We’re excited about the spinach, beautiful broccoli and more winter squash that is in the boxes this week. The last of the weeding was officially done this week (Yeah!!!) and we’re looking forward to the rain.

With the slowing down of some of the farm chores, I am starting to scratch the surface of my housework. Luckily, my mother -in-law and mother stopped by to help in that area a few times this summer. It really does take a village!

Jensen Cattle Company Pork and Beef for SALE!!!!

The pigs on our farm will be moving on to freezers in our community in October. If you would like some pork for your freezer, please contact Dave Jensen at 612-685-0155.  Whole and half hogs are available. NOW is the time to order.  Check in with him about beef too!

Potatoes, Spinach and Dill

2 pounds extra-small potatoes
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
5 ounces fresh spinach, well-washed
2 T. dried parsley
2/3 cup fresh dill, fronds only and loosely packed
1 onion, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt the water generously. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are quite tender and creamy. Slit each potato in half and return them to the pot.In a measuring cup whisk together the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, and sugar. Whisk until well-combined — it will be thick and opaque yellow. Pour over the hot potatoes and stir gently until the potatoes are coated with dressing.
Slice the spinach leaves into thin ribbons. Mince the parsley leaves (discarding the stems) and the dill fronds as well. Add the spinach, parsley, dill, and shallots to the potatoes, and toss gently. The spinach and herbs will wilt as they are combined with the hot potatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve hot, warm, or cold.

Roasted Broccoli

2 pounds broccoli
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim 1 inch from stems of broccoli. Using a vegetable peeler, peel outer layer of stems; cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Separate florets into bite-size pieces.
2. In a large bowl, toss florets and stems with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; roast, turning broccoli halfway through, until tender, about 15 minutes.

Kabocha Squash Dip  (The orange squash)

1 kabocha squash (2 1/2 pounds), halved, seeded, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (6 cups) (Add any kind of winter squash as needed).
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons hot curry powder
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 jalapeño, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 450°. On a large baking sheet, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the curry powder and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is lightly golden and tender. Let cool to room temperature.

Scrape the squash into a medium bowl. Fold in the jalapeño, onion, lime juice, cilantro and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

The dip can be refrigerated for 3 days.
Serve With
Thick-cut tortilla chips or pita chips.

Have a great week and Happy Eating!!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas Lenz

Week 14B

Sept. 13th, 2018

Hello Threshing Table farm Members!

We are Back!!!!!!

In this week’s box:

Tomatoes                 Bell Pepper                Onions          Garlic                         Carrots

Carnival Squash       Acorn or Delicata Squash                   Sage                     Potatoes

Leeks               Savoy Cabbage           Ground Cherries                  Swiss Chard

We are back. The hail knocked us down for a good two weeks. We’re grateful we were able to put as much into the boxes as we did, but it was a struggle for much of it. The hail damage will likely be with us for the remainder of the season in one way or another. The peppers are still struggling and you can see many of the greens show damage. But it will still taste good and much of the time you are shredding for slicing or cooking the greens, so the damage won’t be noticeable then.

We’re happy to have a nice amount of tomatoes this week too. They’re on a down hill slide as far as production goes, but we’ll put them in the boxes as long as we have them.

Despite the difficulties in the field, this was one of the most memorable weeks of the farming season.  Friday night was a lot of fun! Pack Shed Party #4!  We had a great crowd with lots of fun people! Thanks to those of you who came out! The food was delicious and plentiful! It’s always a fun pot luck as the food just keeps on coming through out the evening. And Gravel Road was once again- amazing!!  We are so blessed to have such a great group of musicians who love to come and play each year! Thanks to Farm Member Scott Herron and the rest of the band!

Saturday started with the 4am arrival of 3 Taher Chefs to start the hog roast.  They got right to work. (I assume, I didn’t get out to see them  until around 7.)  With the hog on the rack over an open fire, we got ready for 20+ volunteers from Excel energy who came out to glean food for United Way. United Way will be sharing this food with the local food pantries. They were hard workers and a lot of fun. Squash and potatoes were picked. (Thank goodness the fields had finally dried out!) Lots of Cherry tomatoes were picked and onions were boxed up. After the Excel volunteers left, it was clean up time in the pack shed again, to get ready for the dinner.

The chefs did an AWESOME job! What an experience!!  Appetizers through dessert- absolutely perfection. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed meeting new people as well as catching up with some old friends. There were 8 chefs on hand and a few other helpers as well.  We are humbled by the kindness and talent of these people. If you haven’t made it out for a farm dinner yet, put it on your 2019 bucket list.

On to the vegetables!!

Squash:  Leave squash on your kitchen counter. Watch for any soft spots. If you spot some spots- cook as soon as possible, cutting out any soft areas.  Easy way to make all squash: Slice in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place squash cut-side down in a cake pan. Add 1-2 inches of water. Bake at 350 for 45min-1 hour or until soft. Have a lot of squash piling up? Bake them all at once. Scoop out any left-over squash and put into a freezer container. Freeze until you want to heat up for a meal.

Tomatoes- leave on your counter and watch for spots on those too!

Ground Cherries:  On the counter. Eat the ones with brown papery coverings. Leave the yellow/green ones for a few days and they will ripen.

Potatoes, Onions and Garlic- dark, dry place like a cabinet is best.

Everything else- Crisper drawer!

Recipes

Chard and Squash

2 acorn squash, halved crosswise and seeded (Any other Squash will work too.)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for the skillet
1 large leek (white and light green parts only), halved and sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 c. fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 c. raisins
3 tbsp. pine nuts
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Place squash, cut side down, in prepared skillet. Cover with foil and bake until tender, 34 to 36 minutes. Remove to a plate; reserve skillet.
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in chard and garlic and cook, stirring, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts, and Feta. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill squash with chard mixture, dividing evenly. Place squash, cut side up, in skillet and bake until tops are golden brown 15 to 20 minutes.

Squash and Sage Biscuits

1 medium-small delicata squash ( or 1/2 cup other squash purée)
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. cane sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled
1 small bunch of fresh sage (1 1/2 tsp. chopped and 10 whole leaves for garnish)
3/4 cup heavy cream
For the egg wash:
1 small egg
1 Tbsp. milk

Slice the delicata squash in half, lengthwise. Remove all the seeds and stringy pulp around the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side facing down on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes or until a knife pierces the flesh like soft butter. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Scoop out the roasted flesh and discard the skins. Mash by hand with a potato masher, or if you wish, purée with a hand blender until smooth. Measure out 1/2 cup of squash purée. Chill the purée in the fridge.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Place this mixture in the freezer while you prepare the wet ingredients (about 5 to 10 minutes).
In another bowl, mix the chilled cream, squash purée, and finely chopped sage. Whisk together until smooth. In another smaller bowl, make the egg wash by beating the egg and 1 Tbsp. of milk together.
Remove the dry ingredients from the freezer. With a pastry cutter or your hands, make sure the grated butter is fully incorporated into the flour (it should look like bread crumbs). Gently add the squash and cream mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough starts to come together. Using your hands, lightly knead the dough in the bowl, until uniform, but avoiding overhandling it.
Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and either roll or simply press the dough out to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round or square cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. Brush the tops with egg wash and gently press a whole sage leaf on top of each biscuit. Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 400F oven, until golden on top. Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack and serve warm.

Carrots, Garlic and potatoes

5 large carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices
4 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 medium onion, cut into eighths
2 cloves garlic, diced
6 tablespoons butter, melted
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine carrots, potatoes, onion and garlic with melted butter in 8×8″ square glass pan.
Season generously with salt and pepper, toss.
Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Uncover, stir and continue baking for another 30 minutes (or until browned to your satisfaction), stirring occasionally to lift bottom portions to top to allow to brown and crisp.

Happy Eating!!!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm, and Jonas

Week 13 A

September 6, 2018

Dear members,

In your box this week:

Garlic                         Onions                                Acorn Squash                   Delicata Squash

Arugula                     Bell Peppers                         Jalapeno Peppers            Ground Cherries

Tomatoes                  Sage                                   Dill                                      Parsley

Broccoli

This has definitely been one of the tougher weeks of farming. The hail we got a week and a half ago is still affecting our produce. That, combined with too much rain and humidity, is making our produce tough to harvest. It’s also done enough damage that some of our crops are a loss. Some things, like potatoes and carrots are just waiting for dryer days. Other things like the peppers and many of our greens are going through a “growing out” phase of the damage. Still others, like the tomatoes, are dying. We hope to have tomatoes next week, but I don’t think we’ll have them much after that. For every 1 pepper I pick to keep, I throw 5 out that are rotten. You may have a few spots on your peppers. Cut them off if they are soft and use them soon. If they’ve lasted this long without getting rotten, I decided they deserved a spot in the box.

Remember when I was lamenting the dry weather and wishing we got some rain? Ahhh… those were the days!  The thing about water… You can always add more, but you can’t take it out. We’re doing our best to harvest what we can but are frustrated by the things that should be in the box but are not. We are really looking forward to some dry and sunny days!

Enough of that! On to the good news!

Winter Squash is here!! We have 2 varieties this week: Acorn and Delicata! Delicata are great for slicing thin and sautéing or roasting. No need to peel! Super yummy! The Acorn is great for cutting in half, placing cut side down in a pan with an inch of water and baking for 45 minutes, until tender. Add some of Mike’s Maple syrup and you are good to go! We have a lot more squash varieties out in the field that you will see in the coming weeks.

Ground Cherries are also in the box this week! They are a favorite in our family. If you’ve never had them before, just slip the papery outside off of them and pop the berry in your mouth. Yum! You can find recipes to use them, but we just enjoy eating them as they are. The ground cherries are ripe when the papery part is brown. If they are green or yellow, just let them sit a few days until they brown up. Leaving them on your counter is the best way to store them. No need to refrigerate.

Claudia had a great time at the State Fair. The calf she showed won the Junior Champion for the Guernsey breed. She had a great time and learned a lot!  All 3 kids are now in school, making for much quieter days around the farm. I miss their energy and help, but in some ways, it does simplify my life. Our mornings are a bit more hectic, but we’re getting it done. (I can say that with confidence as we have now completed day 1 of all 3 leaving for school.)  🙂  Ask me how it’s going in a couple of weeks!

PACK SHED PARTY!!!!

THIS FRIDAY!!!!!!

After all this hard and frustrating farming the past 2 weeks, it’s nice to have a time to celebrate!! Please join us!   6:30 pot luck. Bring a dish to pass, chairs and beverages.

Gravel Road will be playing for the evening so bring your dancing shoes!!! It’s a great time for everyone!

Saturday, we are going to continue celebrating with the Taher Farm Dinner!! Can’t wait! If you would like tickets, send me an e-mail. I might be able to get a few yet. $65 per person.

Delicata Squash and onions

1 medium Delicata squash , halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 medium red onions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch rings
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
4 fresh Parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons maple syrup
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F degrees. Place the squash, red onion, garlic, Parsley and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
Spread vegetables evenly onto two large, rimmed baking sheets. Bake the squash on the upper and lower racks of the oven, tossing, rotating, and switching the pan positions half way through cooking, until tender and browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Taste and season again with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Fresh Tomato Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups water
4-6 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In a large saucepan, cook onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour to form a smooth paste. Gradually add water, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the tomatoes, parsley, salt, sugar, thyme, bay leaf and pepper; bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Discard bay leaf.

Happy Eating and hope to see you Friday!

Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas