Week 13/14: Fall greens are in and summer fruits are headed out

The first of the fall greens are starting to come in, but the unseasonable humidity of the last couple weeks of summer has also wrecked fungal havoc in our summer fruits such as the squashes, tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant. As you must have noticed in the pick your own cherry tomatoes, the fungal disease has killed the plants off in an almost staggering speed. This is caused by the high levels of humidity keeping dew and moisture on the plants for much longer and the dampness spreads the disease. We mow to keep down weeds between the beds, space plants wider in the beds, trellis and try to stay out of the fields when the plants are wet whenever we can, but we can only do so much to ward off the inevitable. And so, our tomato season will be shorter than usual this year. It is never a favorite thing...I usually like to give out tomatoes right up until frost, but the plants just don't have it in them this year. We will put in one last planting of cucumbers in hopes of a couple more harvests before frost, but it is always a little dicey at this time of year.
Our fall greens and brassicas are doing really well out in the field! After a dismal droughty beginning of the summer killing off our early cabbage and broccoli, we are so excited to see gorgeous plants starting to size up in the field. New chard and kale plantings are doing great and we anticipate the return of radishes and salad turnips, along with fall carrots and other roots. Winter squashes are also coming, but will need to be harvested and cured before they are worth eating.

Farmers at Outstanding dinner!

Jesse and I were invited to attend the Outstanding in the Field farm dinner at Powisset Farm last
weekend and I have to tell you all...it was amazing. This touring group is renowned for its US and worldwide dinner tours of farms. I had to dust off one of my cocktail dresses and find some shoes that were younger than a decade to wear. Our dinner was over the top incredible- appetizers and wines while we mingled with guests from everywhere, farm tours and then the wander out to a long table set in the middle of one of Powisset's gorgeous back pastures. We ate course after course of gorgeous food- the sauces from the first melding perfectly with the sauce from the next- in our case, a green goddess dressing on a green salad to a roasted romanesco seafood and veggie dish to end perfectly complimenting the paella for the last course. The wines were all lovely, mostly light and crisp, even the red blend was soft and light. Dessert was a heavenly concoction of cream, berries and biscuit crowned with a white chocolate crisp. It was a master's dinner. All beautiful and totally decadent, ending with a glorious gloaming walk from the field. We are hoping to host one of these dinners next summer here at Chestnut.....(oh my, yes PLEASE!)

What's in Your Share this week (maybe):

Kale/Chard
Arugula
Spicy Salad/Mixed Greens
Potatoes (thanks Appleton!!!!)
Napa Cabbage
Onions- Ailsa Craig (these won't last all winter- eat them soonish)
Peppers, sweet
Tomatoes, sauce mostly
Leeks

Pick Your Own:
Cherry tomatoes (winding down :( but there are still some out there the orange varieties are particularly tasty)
Okra
Chilies (there are a few ripening sweet habaneros- these are a mild chili that looks like a habanero and has all the flavor, but won't make you cry).
Parsley
Sage/oregano/thyme

Events:

Chestnut Hill Farm Fall Trail Race (part of the Barn to Run racing series) is happening here on September 22nd! Register at SunMultisports website.

In a month our FALL FESTIVAL is happening!!!! Come to the farm on Sunday October 7th for a full, fun day of craft, activities, food, music, hayrides, vendors and more. We are also still looking for more vendors so if you know anyone who would like to show off their wares, food or craft- send them our way.

We are planning a CSA/farm supporter/volunteer dinner potluck on October 13th starting at 6p. Come join us for a celebration of a season of delicious local food and community. Our grills will be hot and we will be grilling some delicious local meats and veggies. Bring a dish to share and also BYOB and BYOM (some of our farm crew will be playing and we invite you to join them!)

Recipe of the Week:

EAT YOUR GREENS!
So those crazy mixed up greens that you are ignoring on the CSA bench- they sometimes say 'spicy salad, braising greens or mustards'- those are incredible. They are the anti-oxidant, cyano-rich, nutrient dense power house greens that are the cure for what ails you. Anything you do with kale, arugula or chard, you can sub these greens in and they will be awesome. They do have more kick than kale, similar to arugula, so if that bothers you, simply cook them and that bite eases off. Mix these into your smoothies, make pestos or puree, wilt them and stick them in the freezer to add to soups, pizza and tomato sauces in the winter time to keep the nutrients rich in your diet until next spring. The mix includes: Red Giant, Green Wave & Mizuna mustards, Hon Tsai Thai, Tat soi, Red Russian kale, Arugula, and a sprinkle of other fun greens that we love.