CSA Newsletter // Week 14

Greetings All! I hope ya'll are having a great weekend! We got 'one last' heat wave, accompanied by a lot of rain these past few days! Man it's been a few hot days around here hauling all this heavy produce. This time of year is dominated by winter squashes, root crops like potatoes and onions, bins full of apples, SO MUCH good stuff to share with you over the next couple weeks here, I am super excited to tell ya'll about this!!

We got our Apples from our orchard delivered!!!! This is so exciting- we wait for it all season long. We put apples INTO your CSA Shares and plan on getting you apples for both of the next two weeks. This week we'll focus on SweeTango Apples and the final week of the season we'll get you guys Honey Crisps!!

***APPLE SHARES WILL BE DELIVERED THIS WEEK!!! *For those of you getting Apple Shares, Fall Shares or Honey Shares, we do appreciate getting the boxes back so we can use them again in the future. That's what we do with all of the returned boxes at the end of the year, we sort them and use those boxes for harvesting or packing orders in future seasons. SweeTango Apples are very sweet but they're a little softer when compared to the honey crisps. These are great for making into apple sauce or cooking apples for pies. Some of ya'll will even make apple pie filling to process/can, more power to you! If you've never made apple sauce (and even if you're just eating it fresh/ not canning it), I want to share how Grandma Brown taught me to make mine. We used the peeler and got all the skins off, cut off any undesirable bits and cores, and then put them in a pan with some water. When I asked how much water to add- she said, 'just a little bit' to cover the bottom. I was surprised it turned out so well because I had never made it before but that's exactly what I did. We cooked it on low heat at first for a while, and then turned it up to medium heat when the apples started breaking down and looking more like apple sauce. Keep cooking until it's the right consistency and that's it! I know we can't all be the instagram worthy trad moms (haha!) but if you haven't made apple sauce before, it's really that easy. Clean them up, add some water so they don't burn, and cook it down. I didn't even add sugar to mine and it turned out great. I'd sprinkle in cinnamon when I was eating it but I originally made all that apple sauce for my babies at the time :) What I thought was overly complicated and easy to screw up, turned out to be the exact opposite. Give it a try!!

We have 2nds for the Honey Crisps online already and I'm adding the SweeTango seconds here soon too so you can grab those in the store. We're going to sell those for $25 a box, they're already on the store! Honey Crisps are $40 for a box. (Seconds mean that they are imperfect, ideal for processing or eating soon, not great for long term storage like the Honey Crisp Apple Shares are).

For those of you who haven't made it on the website yet to order your extra add-ons, I wanted to share that we have the weights off to the side of the product. So if you're wondering how much you get for the prices, it's on the product description for all these additional boxes of goodies! The most popular in the store right now is the mixed potatoes and onions. We originally just sold boxes of reds, russets, and gold potatoes. Then one of our fantastic customers suggested a mixed box of all 3, so we thought, let's give it a try and see if anyone likes those mixed boxes. Last year we sold more of the mixed boxes than any of the other options on the website!!! We try to listen to what folks want because ultimately that is our ONLY GOAL! Make sure you have what you need during the season, and thereafter. And now that you're all experts on the starches in potatoes and what potatoes to use in different dishes, maybe that's the right option for you too?! For potatoes, I store mine in a bin in the basement. I have a little fan going down there all the time because we live in a 1930's farm house, which I love for many reasons, but there is no air exchange in the basement. So the fan helps circulate air and with all the stored crops in the basement it's worth having that little fan running to keep things nice for the winter. I put my potatoes in a bin with wood shavings, I'm sure there are so many other ways to store them you might even have a method already, but just sharing what I do. I use all natural wood shavings and layer in all 3 kinds of potatoes. My onions are kept in a cardboard box separate from the potatoes (with no shavings on the onions), and we use so many of those that I freeze some too so they're ready to get popped into my stir frys, added to taco meat, chili, sloppy joes, etc! Sometimes you just want fresh though- so that's why I store them both ways.

I wanted to mention that I am going to leave the options on the website through next weekend on Sunday for those of you who would like to purchase some produce above and beyond. I had one Member say she was waiting for the Fall Sale, which is great, too! We host hundreds of people here over that weekend and we're looking forward to having some really nice produce, bulk sales and discounts, freshly harvested honey, our heritage hog pork products, and more available here that weekend of Oct 11th and 12th. If you missed it last week in the newsletter- it's 9am-5pm both days. And on our FB page, too!

SHOP | Brown Family Farm

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT THIS WEEK:

Jumbo & Family Shares: Spaghetti Squash, Eggplant, Brussel Sprouts, Hot Peppers, SweeTango Apples, & Grape Tomatoes!

Single Shares: Spaghetti Squash, Acorn Squash, Brussel Sprouts, Jalapenos & SweeTango Apples!

Spaghetti Squash is back for this week!!! I am bummed we were only able to get it to ya'll once this season so we were happy to harvest the rest of the patch this week and we found we had more than we expected out there, which is always fantastic!! So we'll have these beauties for you this week in all of the CSA Share sizes. Remember that these are the only squash with this texture. There is no other variety out there that has this stringy texture after it's cooked, so make sure to embrace it and try something new & fun!!

I've been seeing a lot of videos lately online about adding feta to the center (after you take out the seeds), sliced grape tomatoes, and italian seasonings and then just cooking it all together, mixing it as it comes out of the oven and it's a cheesy mess with those nice tomatoes in there!! There are a ton of recipe variations circulating online but that's the one that got my attention- I'd love to try it!!

Acorn Squash! Single Shares are getting Acorns this week! These are the third most popular squash that we sell I would guess. It's really a tie between buttercups, butternuts and acorns. These are named for their shape and they have an incredible holding capacity because they have a lower water content, they're a bit more dry than most other squashes we grow. Remember- if you aren't going to get to these this week put them in a bowl on the kitchen table and call it a decoration ;P I have some Members put the squash on their steps outside as decor- some folks eat them the first night they get them because they've been waiting all year for it- to each their own!!

BRUSSEL SPROUTS We weren't ablet to give these to our Members last year because of the cold, wet season. We actually start these in the greenhouse before the tomatoes! They're always the first thing that we seed because they take longer to produce than anything else on the farm. Pretty incredible that Farmer Ben plans in March for something we all get to enjoy in September :) He's gifted with his growing, that's for sure!

We actually grew A LOT of brussel sprouts because so many folks really enjoy them and they're so special to this time of year. Not to mention, you'll never get them on the stalk at the grocery store, I'll explain more.

So most placed break the sprouts off the stalks and send them like that, but they get beat up and weathered. So we keep out stalks intact. We cut the greenery off and give it to the hogs, because that's not the desirable part of the plant. Not to mention, it'd be about 2 feet wide if we sent the whole plants, lol! So we trim them up and then cut each stalk into two halves. Over the years we've fine tuned this; but if you cut the stalks in half then you can fit them into the boxes easier. TO USE: Snap off sprouts from the main stalk and remove the tough bottom of the sprout and the two outermost leaves (which you will notice they will be discolored, that’s natural). They can be eaten raw. Slice them in half and include them on your veggie tray with dip. They can also be enjoyed cooked- my new favorite way to eat them is caramelized brussel sprouts. I'll add a recipe to the blog this week! You can also add them to stir frys and cook them until they're tender-crisp! You could simply steam them with a little fresh lemon juice (that's my go-to at least), there are a million recipes you could try with these but I would just suggest eating them within the week. As you know, everything is super fresh. We won't be cutting and trimming these plants until Monday morning, but we still suggest for best flavor to eat within a week or so.

TO STORE: They will come on the stalk intact (but we often have to cut the stalk to fit it diagonally in the box). Brussels sprouts keep longer if they are left attached to the stalk, but if there's not enough refrigerator room you can snap them off and store them unwashed in a closed plastic bag in the veggie bin for a few days (they will develop a strong flavor). The flavor is sweetest right after harvest, so try to use them sooner than later.

SWEETANGO APPLES

Since we haven't had as many treats for our Members this year as we intended, we invested in a few extra gaylords of apples for ya'll!! A gaylord is a unit of measurement, they're the size of the pumpkin bins at the store. We use them to store our squash too. I'm not sure who came up with the name but that's just what it's called.

SweeTango apples are actually a cross between the ever popular honey crisp and zestar! apples. It doesn't have the best holding capacity like honey crisps do for example, but what it lacks in storage, it gains in flavor. We are happy to have gotten these from our orchard and I'm happy to send home some treats with your CSAs this week!

***Reminder that the Single Shares get just as much fruit as the Jumbo & Family Shares :)

Eggplant is a close relative of tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. They are smooth-skinned, oval to elongated, and range in color from purple to black. Eggplant requires the right kind of preparation; otherwise it can be unpleasantly bitter, rubbery, or watery.

To store: Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel (not plastic) to absorb any moisture, and keep it in the veggie drawer of your refrigerator. Or store unrefrigerated at a cool room temperature. Use within a week and it should still be fresh and mild. It’s suggested to be used in the first 3-4 days for the best culinary experience.

Handling: Eggplant is usually peeled. The flesh will brown when exposed to air. Kind of like apples though- it doesn't mean it's bad when you're cutting it, but if the coloration bothers you, coat it in lemon juice or submerge it in water until you're cooking.

Rinse eggplant in cool water and cut off the stem. The shape of the eggplant can help determine how to prepare it: cut straight narrow eggplant into strips for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir- fries. To remove bitter flavors and excess moisture, lightly salt slices of eggplant and allow them to sit in a colander for 10-15 minutes. Gently squeeze out any liquid. Eggplant will now soak up less oil and need less salt in preparation. This tip is the difference between liking eggplant and not liking eggplant, it improves flavor and texture. LAST BIT: Hot Peppers! Our Single Shares will get all jalapenos- I wanted you guys to get enough to use them for something fun like poppers or if you don't have a plan, you could chop them up and freeze them to add into chili or pasta sauce later. The heat is in the seeds and membranes, so remember if you don't like it so hot, feel free to cut that part away and use the flesh for the flavor. (Side note- part of the reason I love jalapenos is because they have a FLAVOR. Some hot peppers are so hot they taste like heat- but there is no flavor). Anaheims are getting mixed in for the Jumbo & Family Shares this week- not sure how many are out there but we're going to mix them into your bags of jalapenos so you have a variety pack of hot peppers. Anaheims are sometimes called italian hot peppers; meaning they do have a good heat but they're not blinding heat like some of the peppers folks are growing now-a-days. Not trying to shame the hot peppers, but for our CSA Members we never grow reapers/ ghost peppers etc. because no one really wants those super hot (like dangerously hot) in their CSAs.

WRAPPING UP: I apologize that it's Saturday afternoon already. I meant to carve out my office time on Fridays like normal but Ben has a hernia and it caused him a ton of trouble yesterday! Sorry TMI for some of ya'll... But I had to go down to the farm stand and get it set up for him while I was also trying to convince him to go into the ER. He reminded me we only have like 3 weeks until the end of the season and if he can avoid surgery for 3 more weeks, that's what he wants to do. (Even though I reminded him that emergency surgeries are necessary, that's why they're emergency surgeries!)

Well he got the hernia back in and started feeling better in the afternoon so I left the stand and came home to get started here. The point I'm making is even though every minute of every day is planned, all of our careful calculations on how to spend our time can be tossed up in the air in a split second. Transitions and 'making it work' are apart of our daily vocabulary. It's ok- we make it work because we always do, but sometimes it adds more stress when we feel pressure to get it all done. Then I remind myself we're only human- we do everything we can to make sure ya'll have a good experience and that we're growing the best quality, fresh and nutritious produce for our community!

It's a circus over here, but we're thankful for our circus and all who can see, learn, or laugh, from what we're doing here. It takes a village to support a farm ;) Thank you for joining us this season and tagging along with our newsletters <3

It feels unreal that we only have a couple weeks left, but we have a lot more to fit into the season so I better get on my way ;)

Eat Good & Be Well, ~The Farmer's Wife