The fall weather is upon us. The crops are changing colors, and the smells of fall are in the air. Where has the time gone? There is one week left in the CSA with a bonus week the following week. Because there is a ton of harvesting to be done, it will be a busy weekend at our place.

This past weekend, 99% of the pumpkins, gourds and winter squash were harvested. A few needed a bit of extra time on the vine. Several started growing after the nice shot of rain that we received late summer. So now that they are out, we need to dive into the task of harvesting everything else!

So take a deep breath, there’s one more week left of this year’s CSA. Carve out some time and preserve your produce. Thank you to the Tracy family for sharing their favorite tomato soup recipe with us which is this week’s featured recipe.

Garden Science

Learn more from the Farmer’s Almanac on the Hummingbird moth.

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.

Spinach/Black Seeded Simpson/Red Oak Leaf Mix – You will notice that there has been insect pressure on the spinach eating small holes in some of the leaves. The last crop of these plants are ready to be harvested.

Dark Red Beets – Learn more about the health benefits of eating beats from the Mayo Clinic. This is an interesting resource from NDSU Extension.

Eggplant – Learn how to use this vegetable here.

Kohlrabi – Here are a few ways to use kohlrabi from Martha Stewart.

Carrots –You may notice a few carrots where the potato fork may have broken them off in digging. Here are some ways to use your carrots from Martha Stewart.

Cucumbers – Let us know if you would like to make pickles and would like dill. Here are cucumber recipes from Martha Stewart.

Dragon Tongue Beans – Last week of beans. Think about ways to preserve them so your family can enjoy them this winter. Perhaps you don’t have time to can … maybe make them in a soup and freeze the soup for a quick meal.

Peppers – A variety from sweet to mild to hot! The variety of peppers this week primarily are yummy pepper, carnival blend and jungle pepper. The hot ones are marked as such and are only in a few boxes for those that have indicated that they like hot peppers.

Potatoes – Yukon Gold and a few Masquerade potatoes this week. Learn more about these potatoes here. Check out this week’s recipe below for potato bread.

Sweet Potatoes – Yum! Our favorite way to prepare them is to make sweet potato fries. Enjoy!

Pumpkins – A few pumpkins for decorating.

Onion – Cut up and freeze your onion to add quickly to a meal that you are making. I think the dry weather affected their size this year.

Summer Squash – Check out these recipes from Farm Flavor.

Winter Squash – A variety to choose from: butternut, kuri, carnival and spaghetti squash.

Tomatoes – Fourth of July, yellow and Sun Gold Hybrid cherry tomatoes this week. Let us know if you would like some for canning.

Zucchini – So many wonderful ways to use Zucchini. Check out these interesting facts about this vegetable on LiveStrong. Try this pasta primavera recipe from Martha Stewart.

Fresh cut arrangement – Hydrangeas and Sedum

Recipe of the Week

Thank you to the Tracy family for sharing one of their favorite recipes with us. Make in bulk in store for a quick meal in the winter.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

3 tablespoons good olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)

2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish

3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream Croutons, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that’s left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

Source: Ina Garten on Food Network