Week 16: Just a little Frost on the Pumpkin this morning....

So I saw it this morning with a sinking heart- the fog rolling down the through the hills and settling on the tomatoes, beans, peppers and eggplant- and there was just enough bite in the air at dawn that I knew. The thermometer in the house said 39 degrees Fahrenheit but I could just tell....the fog rolling down was colder. And I could practically see it settle and stiffen on the blades of grass and leaves of vegetables as I walked through the field to get the goats just before dawn. It happens every year, but our tomatoes have been just so good that it actually breaks my heart a little to feel that time coming. Looking at the damage after the sun hit them it seems like we lost the tops of most of the plants- which means that we will still have tomatoes for a little while longer, but they may not be as pretty. And the lower nighttime temps might mean that some will lose that creamy softness that we've all come to adore. If, however, the temps climb above 50 at night, we will continue on with our delicious tomatoes for a while.  I still need a little time to see if our peppers and eggplant made it through. The beans got hit pretty hard- the beans will be fine, but the plants are done. This will be the last week of picking them.

Kirsten is off to New Zealand for the winter by way of Texas to pick up her dad and then Australia where they will go on a birding safari until the beginning of November. She has been AWESOME and will be much missed this winter, but she is planning on coming back for next season so unless she can't drag herself away

from the beauty of NZ we will look forward to seeing her again!

Fall Harvest Fest in two weeks!!!!!!The extra pumpkins have arrived via Brookdale Fruit Farm in NH. Apples are coming next week. T-shirts are in the works (and yes, they will have goats on them again). The excitement and anticipation mounts. We have a full line up of musicians and live theatre, food and fun. Put October 9th on your calendars and don't miss the action.

Rumors of Meat CSA! Our livestock manager here at the Trustees has been putting together the logistics of making a Meat CSA happen here at CHF. There will be more information forthcoming- look for them to set up an info booth at CSA sometime in the very near future.Until then- that's all I got for you.


This week's share (maybe):
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Baby Bok Choi
Spicy Salad/Mesclun/Braising Mustard Greens
Arugula
Winter Squash-Carnival/Acorn
Escarole
Green Cabbage (a little closer the size it is supposed to be)
Celery
Eggplant/Peppers (depends on the frost damage!!!)
Broccoli- alright! it's beautiful and we did our best but we can't guarantee that it is free of caterpillars- SOAK YOUR BROCCOLI IN SALTED WATER FOR 15 MINUTES- SHAKE IT UNDERWATER, RINSE AND MOST OF THE NUISANCES SHOULD BE DEAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN.
The broccoli will taste AMAZING so please don't let the heebeejeebees get the better of you enjoying this gorgeous fall veggie.

PYO:
We still have herbs such as parsley and sage, thyme and lavendar out in the field. Cherry tomatoes are

holding on and there are still chilies for the time being (though I may have to pull a bunch of them if they lost foliage last night).

Recipes:
Tis the start of comfort food season. It is finally just cool enough to turn on the oven for extended periods of time and I dream of creamy sauces and chunky hunks of crusty bread. A shareholder mentioned this recipe in passing and my mouth started watering immediately.

Broccoli-Chicken Casserole (originally from myrecipes.com but heavily modified to be yummier)

Ingredients

3/4lb  broccoli florets

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk (whole is best or 1/2 & 1/2, but you could use low fat as well)

3/4 lb chicken breast (about 3 cups), chopped

1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

1/4 cup canola mayonnaise

Optional (a tbsp of sherry)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Prepare broccoli by steaming lightly for 5 minutes until bright green and tender.

3. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic and mushrooms; cook 12 minutes or until mushrooms brown and liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken and cook for another 5-7 minutes until cooked through. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in optional sherry then stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Stir in broccoli; cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat. Stir in yogurt, mayonnaise, pepper, and salt. Top evenly with cheeses; broil 2 minutes.

Serve with rice or cous cous, crusty bread.

Those mustard greens (spicy salad) and arugula don't have to just be salad, raw or sauteed. Think about pesto! Just take your favorite pesto recipe/ingredients and substitute the greens for the basil. This is awesome as sauce for pasta, fish, chicken with an earthy, spicy twist that is just wonderful.