Week 15: Winter CSA!!!!! and Fay Farmers' Market and Get out and Hike Your Town Southborough!!!

 We encourage you to come and visit us at the Fay School Farmers' Market. It is a great time for the whole family! Discover new locally produced treats, buy some extra veggies to tide you over until the next CSA pick-up, try a new bakery delight, or buy a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. There are new and interesting vendors coming every week and there are lots of fun lawn games and activities for kids as well. It is every Saturday morning from 9a-12p so come and see us!

Our Winter CSA now has a live link for sign-up OR you can sign up in the farmstand during distribution hours!!!! www.thetrustees.org/chestnuthillwinter Check it out and sign up soon!!!! The CSA fun does not have to end as soon as it has in the past (and yes, brussels sprouts). The shares will be larger than a typical weekly share and will contain storage veggies such as potatoes, onions and winter squashes along with fresh greens and more from the fields (don’t worry, we will have prep and storage guides at distribution for you!)

There will be 3 pickups: November 17^th (yep, the Friday before Thanksgiving!!); December 1 and December 15^th. The farmstore will also be open for additional purchases! 3-6pm. 

Welcome to Victoria Blumenfeld who has joined the farm crew part-time for the next few weeks. She will be helping us harvest CSA veggies and working in the farm store on and off, so be sure and welcome her to Southborough!

What’s in Your Share this Week (maybe):

• ·         Cherry tomatoes (PYO, take a quart first planting is looking pretty done, but the second is still going strong)
• ·         Hot peppers (PYO)
• ·         Tomatillos (hiding under all the huge growth-they should be bursting out of their paper
  
  skins)
• ·         Chard
• ·         Cabbage, tendersweet
• ·         Radishes
• ·         Onions
• ·         Summer squash
• ·         Broccoli
• ·         Rapini (also called Spring Raab or Broccoli Raab
• ·         Kale
• ·         Salad Turnips
• ·         Chinese Cabbage (napa cabbage) Green and RED!!!!
• ·         Tomatoes
• ·         Peppers!!!!

Upcoming Events: September is SUPER BUSY and LOTS of FUN! 

September 23^rd- Hike Southborough Day!!!! Two enterprising Girl Scouts are starting a new Community tradition and leading hikes to explore beautiful places in Southborough. There will be guided hikes at Chestnut Hill Farm (2:30pm), the Beals Preserve (9:30a and 6pm), the Sudbury Reservoir and more. The event is free and open to the public! Meeting place and kickoff point (also…bathroom) is at 9am here at Chestnut Hill Farm.

 HARVEST FEST is just around the corner!!!! Coming up on October 8^th (the day before Heritage Day here in Southboro) we will hold our 3^rd annual celebration of the harvest and the farm! It is a fun time full of local music, pumpkin carving, our fantabulous hay maze, crafts, food and more. Put in on your calendar!!!!

·         We have a call for artisans for Harvest Fest! Have a trade, a skill to demo, craft and art to sell and want to be a part of the fun at the festival? We still have some booth space open and would love to have you join us! Please contact Kira at kbaker@thetrustees.org or talk to Desiree during pickup for details.

·         Our Preschool Farm Explorer Program Series is happening during October. The Fall has a lot of fun to offer on the farm- see how big our goat kids have gotten! Milk a goat! Romp through the farm fields eating a cherry tomato or picking flowers with Kira, explore the fields, the forest and the hills, meet the cows. We have spaces available! Sign up online or email kbaker@thetrustees.org to get in on the fun. (Program is meant for 2.9-6 year olds, with a caregiver).

·         Farmstand: 

      We have APPLES & PEARS from Cider Hill this week in the farmstand. Apples include varieties: Paula Reds, Red Free, Zestar, Cortlands and Macs (red ripe from the tree!!!!)

Tomato Puree back in stock!! Our first round of tomatoes went to Appalachian Naturals last week and has come back as delicious, no nonsense added puree. It is perfect for all your tomato base needs- turn it into pasta sauce, creamy tomato soup, and more. It’s summer in a jar so stock up now before they are gone! Price has gone up a little this year due to higher production costs (ain’t that always the case?) to $5/jar. Still a bargain for this beautiful product. I have from a CSA member that it makes the most delicious tomato soup with the addition of some sautéed onion, some spices, salt and a little good chicken stock (partner that with a grilled cheese on sourdough bread and I’m thinking of the perfect lunch!)

·         Wolf’s Neck Mozzarella- fresh and hand-stretched, this mozz is made from Appleton Farm cow milk so it is creamy and delicious with a lot of grass in it from those lush rolling fields. There is a slight skin on each roll, and the inside is creamy and tender. Perfect for those last precious few Caprese salads of summer.

·         For those who missed it on Tuesday- Anna Banana’s Homemade Goodness joined us for distribution with her full array of chocolates and marshmallow and caramel apple incredulousness.  And if you did miss it- she has restocked our fridge with her delicacies, including her seasonal special caramel apples. Trust me- these glorious confections are worth every bite and are meant to be shared.
     We also have a bunch of new Chestnut Hill Farm shwag!!! Gorgeous totes with our Goat logo on it are only $20 and these were made in the US and printed locally! We also have cozy warm hoodie sweatshirts just in time for fall's cooler temps! Come get them while they last- $40/each.

      Veggie of the Week : So I found a recipe site that I love- of course it is associated with a CSA (albeit a delivered share site from NJ, but they had loads of recipes with simple, easy ingredients and it was incredible what I found there- like these little gems below). Check out JustFarmed.com for more recipes using all the crazy different veggies i send your way.

Orzo Salad with Radish, Fennel and Scallion

Orzo Salad with Radish, Fennel and Scallion
Lemony dressing and fresh mint add vibrant flavor to this myrecipes.com pasta salad. Serve chilled or at room temperature, and garnish with pretty mint leaves, if desired
INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups diced fennel (about 1 bulb)
• 1/2 cup chopped radish
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 3 tablespoons minced red or white scallions
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

DIRECTIONS

Cook orzo pasta with 1 tablespoon kosher salt according to the package directions, omitting additional fat. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well.

Combine lemon juice and next 3 ingredients (through pepper) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add orzo, fennel, and the next 4 ingredients (through 1/2 teaspoon salt); toss well to coat. Cover and chill. Top with nuts before serving

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
INGREDIENTS:

• Kosher salt
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, tough, non-leafy stems removed
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well salted ice water. Drop the broccoli rabe into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the boiling water and plunge immediately into the ice water. Once cool remove from the ice water and let dry. It can be used right away or held for future use. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the smashed garlic and crushed red pepper and bring to medium heat. Once the garlic is brown and aromatic, remove it from the pan and discard. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the broccoli rabe and toss around in the oil to heat up and season. Remember the broccoli is already cooked. Add more oil, if needed and season with salt if needed
Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 fennel bulbs, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved (recipe can be halved)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly oil the bottom of a 9 x 9 or 13 x 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 2 teaspoons, then sprinkle over the roasted fennel and serve.