Fall must be starting when the gourds and pumpkins are ready for harvest.
Fall harvest is upon us and the many fall colors are exploding from the garden. This weekend we tried out the potato digger and were able to dig out a lot of potatoes in a short time. We also stared harvesting winter squash, gourds and pumpkins.
We look forward to you enjoying the beautiful colors and joys that the fall will bring as we harvest the crops.
Boxes of Produce
This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – The last crop of lettuce is coming in. It should love this cold weather. Some of the crops are ran under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating. A new crop should be in next week.
Red Salad Bowl Lettuce – New crop – Beautiful color.
Spinach – New crop – Mix together with the above lettuces for a beautiful colored salad.
Purple Beans – Check out this recipe, and how green beans are raised in other areas of the U.S. on America’s Heartland. A few of you have some purple beans mixed in with the green beans.
Purple Vienna Kohlrabi – Try these ideas from Martha Stewart.
Detroit Dark Red Beets – Some of our shareholders enjoy eating them raw in their salads.
Green Bell Peppers – Learn how to make stuffed peppers here.
Banana Pepper – I have been cutting up and freezing the peppers with the intent to use them for recipes throughout the season.
Cherry Stuffer Hybrid sweet peppers – These are the small, round red peppers.
Onion – Wondering what to do with all of your onions? I cut mine up using my Pampered Chef chopper, place in Ziploc bags and place in the freezer. That way, my onions are always handy for recipes throughout the year.
Tomatoes – If you are considering canning quantities or wanting to freeze some for this winter, let us know. For the record we harvest 245 pounds this week.
Cucumbers – A new crop of a smaller variety of cucumbers is coming in. Maybe you want to can some or are interested in refrigerator pickles.
Carrots – See how carrots are grown in Georgia on America’s Heartland.
Red Kabocha Squash
Red Kabocha Squash – This winter squash tastes similar to sweet potatoes.
Carnival Squash
Carnival Squash – Carnival squash is a hybrid of the sweet dumpling squash and the acorn squash. The color variance in the rind of the Carnival squash is the result of seasonal temperature variations. Warmer temperatures produce Carnival squash with slightly more pronounced green stripes. The squash’s flavor is nutty and sweet.
Peter Pan, Scallop Squash – This squash is a circular scalloped summer squash. Distinctive, delicious, and sweet flavor. It is not necessary to peel this squash before eating it. Cut it up like you would zucchini to grill it.
Summer Squash, Golden Egg Hybrid – Are you wondering how to use this summer squash – see how to cut it up here. Golden Egg’s a picture-perfect gourmet sensation-with succulent flavor and texture.
Zucchini – This crop is coming to an end. Shred and mix up your favorite zucchini bread recipe – freeze the dough, and you are ready for a quick breakfast treat on a chilly Fall day.
Sweet Corn – Thank you to our neighbors, the Peterson family, for contributing the sweet corn in this week’s box. Quick Tip: If you don’t eat all the sweet corn you have cooked, cut it off the cob and freeze it in a container. Reheat your frozen corn for your vegetable at another meal or use in a hot dish or a soup.
Keith was busy harvesting potatoes this weekend. We are starting to clear some of these crops out – one of which was the potatoes.
Kennebec – Excellent for baked potatoes.
Just love the variety of shapes and colors of the gourds.
Flowers – a variety of gourds
Recipe of the Week
Tomato Juice – the boys are selling tomato juice and salsa. Let us know if you are interested.
Tomato Juice
The tomato juice you received this week is a blend of all the tomatoes we are growing in the garden. I use this as my base for making pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce. Below is my recipe.
Spaghetti Sauce and Pizza Sauce
1 quart of tomato juice
1 can 32 ounces
1 small onion
1 garlic clove crushed
Herbs to taste
Place above ingredients in a pan on the stove. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Pour on pizza crust or spaghetti and enjoy.
