BGF NEWS - October 18, 2022 - VOL. XLVIII, NO. 20

In this week’s box:

Cabbage: Farao

Chard

Garlic
Head Lettuce: asst.
Scallions

Sweet Peppers: asst.
Sweet Potatoes 

Tomatoes: asst.

and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Broccoli Florets (with edible leaves)

Cauliflower 

Herb It! option: Sorrel, Garlic Chives, Rosemary
Bread Share: Korean Milk Bread

Featured Recipes:

Coconut Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Greens

Rice & Smothered Cabbage Soup
Tatsoi Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.10"

Well, here it is, the final delivery of the 2022 CSA season. It's mindboggling to me that 20 weeks have gone by, seemingly in the blink of an eye! CSA veterans will probably recognize that I say this every year at the last delivery, but it never fails to amaze me. Thank you for joining us on this veggie adventure, we couldn't do it without you!

The weather however has announced that it is definitely the end of the outdoor growing season this week! We are forecast to have near record lows for a couple of days. This is NOT the weather we were hoping for to round out October, but nature rarely asks what we would prefer, so onward we go. In fact we were hoping to send out tatsoi in today's delivery but it froze solid last night, even under the row cover, so we had to pull it from the list this morning. Drat!

We spent quite a bit of time this past week preparing for the cold turn in temperature. We've put row cover over all the fall crops that we can and have harvested (or bid a fond farewell) to tender crops that can't abide the cold regardless of a cover. Now all we can do is hope that most of the crops make it through. 

On some of the cooler mornings we spent the start of the work day in the packing barn cleaning onions and garlic. We've gotten all the garlic trimmed and sorted. Now we are all set to clove out about 200 lbs of seed garlic to be planted in the next couple of weeks. 

Once the temps warmed up a bit we continued our task of clearing spent crops in the field including the tomatoes, one of the biggest clean-up chores. There is a LOT of hardware involved in growing and trellising more than 700 tomato plants and it all has to be installed at the top of the season and cleared when it's season is done. The plants and all the 300+ steel posts are done but we still have to clean up and clear more than 2,000 feet of fabric the tomatoes are grown on. It was good timing as many of those steel posts are not helping hold our row covers in place. Even though a number of crops are wrapping up, we still have plenty to do.

You'll see on the box list this week we are including sweet potatoes in the delivery. We used to grow them, but had near total crop failure year after year. So we finally got smart. These are beautiful, chemical-free roots from our Amish neighbor to the south. We started working with them years ago as our organic potting mix supplier and then last year we contracted with them to grow sweet potatoes for us. It's a win-win!  We hope you enjoy this end of the season treat. If you like them as much as I do, you will be happy to find them on our VegEmail offerings over the winter.

Final Delivery Note: In case you missed it above, today is the final delivery of the 2022 CSA season. Thank you for joining us on this Veggie Adventure. We hope you have enjoyed the journey! Special thanks to our delivery hosts, Peace Tree Brewing Co. and the Grand Theater for giving us a home away from home. Starting in November, we will publish a monthly newsletter updating you on the current goings-on around the farm. We will start sign-ups for the 2023 CSA season in early December. 

VegEmail Sales:  Don't worry that with the end of the CSA season you'll be stuck with grocery store eggs and produce, we continue to do weekly Saturday VegEmail sales (along with Ebersole Cattle Co, Lost Lake Farm and Cottagescapes Bakery) until the end of October. Starting in November we will move to bi-weekly Tuesday evening delivery. You should continue to get the VegEmail announcements throughout the winter. If you see things you would like to purchase, just fill out the order form and then meet us that following Tuesday at Peace Tree in DM or the Grand Theater in Knox. 

Important Dates Ahead:

Tuesday, Oct 18, Final 2022 CSA delivery
Saturday, Oct 29, final Saturday weekly VegEmail delivery
Saturday, Oct 29, Makers, Bakers & Boos @ Peace Tree DM
Tuesday, Nov 8, first bi-weekly winter VegEmail delivery
Thursday, Dec 1, CSA 2023 sign up begins!

A little detail on your produce this week:

Broccoli & Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If you soak broccoli or cauliflower in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.)

Cabbage: Store dry, unwashed cabbage in the refrigerator, preferably in the vegetable bin. The outer leaves may eventually get floppy or yellowish, but you can remove and discard them to reveal fresh inner leaves. Cabbage can keep for more than a month. Once it’s cut, seal it in a plastic bag and continue to refrigerate for several weeks. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water just before use. Peel away a few of the outer leaves, then cut the cabbage according to your needs with a big, sharp knife, and then chop, sliver, or grate.

Peppers: Place whole, unwashed peppers in a plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate for a week or more. Rinse peppers just before use. For sweet peppers, cut around the stem with a small knife and lift out the core. Slice down the side to open it up and then cut out the inner membranes. Store unused portions in a sealed bag or container in the refrigerator.

Scallions (green onions): are best kept upright in a glass with about 1" of water in it, more like flowers than vegetables. Loosely cover the tops with plastic and store in the refrigerator and you will be amazed at how long they will keep. We like to throw a handful of chopped scallions into nearly any savory dish, right near the end of the cooking time.

Sweet Potatoes: Keep unwashed sweet potatoes in a cool, dark place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard or cool basement, and use them within two to three months. Do not store in the refrigerator; cold temperatures can darken sweet potatoes and adversely affect their taste. Scrub sweet potatoes gently before cooking. Peeling is a matter of preference. If you will be puréeing or mashing sweet potatoes, bake or boil them whole and then remove the skins. Our favorite way to eat them is the simplest, just bake until soft, split open and top with butter, cinnamon, honey and a pinch of salt. Delightful!

Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..." These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time. We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item. On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.

That's about it for now.
If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)

Sky, Wallace & Gromit

BGF NEWS - October 11, 2022 - VOL. XLVIII, NO. 19

In this week’s box:

Arugula
Cherry Tomatoes: Jubilee Mix (see description on 8/2)

Head Lettuce: asst.
Onions: Patterson (yellow)

Pac Choi: Joi

Potatoes: Carola  

Sweet Peppers: asst.
Tomatoes-Slicers: asst. (see description on 8/2)

Turnips: Hakurei

and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Broccoli and/or Cauliflower Florets (with edible leaves)

Herb It! option: Orange thyme, lovage, lemon balm
Bread Share: Apple Bread

Featured Recipes:
Sauteed Bok Choy and Hakurei Turnips

Potato and Arugula Soup

Potato and Arugula Skillet Frittata

Choy and Sweet Peppers

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.05"

Well, the freezing temperatures held off until 2 days before out "First Average Frost Date" but early Saturday morning, we did hit 32° with heavy frost, which brought a quick end to summer vegetable season. The tomatoes and peppers are the most dramatic losses, along with the malabar spinach and many of our flower. Surprisingly, the blackberries (pictured bottom right) just shook it off. 

But the low temps were the trigger to move us into high gear for some field "house cleaning". Over the past week we've cleared the peppers, basil, flowers and the oldest cabbage and broccoli. We also mowed down the popcorn patch and the broom corn.

Never fear, though, not all is lost! The cool weather crops are putting on a great show right now, especially the greens! We did take the opportunity right before the real cold hit to harvest nearly all the daikon radish. 

Normally radishes are quite cold hardy, but many of ours had gotten so big that they were sticking out of the ground where a freeze could damage them, so out of the ground and into the walk-in cooler they went. The turnips, watermelon radish and kohlrabi will be the next to follow the daikon into cold storage.

We also spent a significant amount of time and energy last week getting all of the popcorn shelled. It's a big (and somewhat monotonous) job but we were able to get all of it shelled, mixed and stored in the cooler where it will keep the daikon company until we package it for sale.

It is definitely a season of change on the farm! Just a reminder that next week is the final CSA delivery of the season. But don't worry, we won't leave you stranded without fresh produce, you can always join us for VegEmail throughout the winter and until the start of the 2023 CSA season in June. 

Important Dates Ahead:

Tuesday, Oct 18, Final 2022 CSA delivery
Saturday, Oct 29, final Saturday weekly VegEmail delivery
Saturday, Oct 29, Makers, Bakers & Boos @ Peace Tree DM
Tuesday, Nov 8, first bi-weekly winter VegEmail delivery
Thursday, Dec 1, CSA 2023 sign up begins!

A little detail on your produce this week:

Broccoli & Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If you soak broccoli or cauliflower in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.)

Choi (a.k.a. - pac choi, bok choy or pok choy) is a structural-looking leafy-green vegetable. It is a member of the cabbage family and is a traditional Asian stir-fry vegetable. Both the stems and leaves of choi can be used and are especially tasty in cooked recipes. If cooking them, separate the leaves and stems, and begin cooking stems first to avoid overcooking the more tender greens. You can also use the leaves like any green-leafy vegetable and the stems like celery. We tend to use choi leaves as a sandwich wrap, or just roughly chop the whole thing and sauté with garlic and/or onion. Cook until stems are tender and dress with a little seasoned rice vinegar. Store choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your produce drawer.

Onions: can be stored on the countertop for quick use or in a mesh bag in a dark spot with good air circulation for longer storage.

Peppers: Place whole, unwashed peppers in a plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate for a week or more. Rinse peppers just before use. For sweet peppers, cut around the stem with a small knife and lift out the core. Slice down the side to open it up and then cut out the inner membranes. Store unused portions in a sealed bag or container in the refrigerator.

Potatoes: Keep unwashed potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard. They will keep for weeks at room temperature, longer if you can provide their ideal temperature of 40 to 50 degrees. Beware: the low temperature of your refrigerator will convert the starch to sugars. So refrigerated potatoes should be brought to room temperature for at least 24 hours before using. Moisture causes potatoes to spoil, light turns them green, and proximity to onions causes them to sprout. (You can still use a potato that has sprouted, however; simply cut off the “eyes” before use.) Scrub potatoes well and cut off any sprouts or green skin. (Clean delicate new potatoes gently.) Peeling is a matter of preference. Cut potatoes according to your recipe. If baking a whole potato, be sure to prick the skin in at least two places to allow steam to escape.

Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Turnips: keep best if separated from their greens. Greens are stored in a plastic bag and can be cooked like mustard or collard greens (you can add them in with your Braising Greens Mix). Trimmed roots can go into a lidded container or zip-close bag. These aren't your grandma's turnips. These are a sweet, Japanese salad variety that is particularly tasty for fresh eating. They will still work great in cooked dishes, but we love to eat them raw, often right out of hand, like an apple. One of the farm crew's favorite mid-field snacks.

A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.


** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..." These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time. We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item. On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.

That's about it for now.
If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)

Sky, Wallace & Gromit

BGF NEWS - October 4, 2022 - VOL. XLVIII, NO. 18

In this week’s box:

Baby Cabbage: Farao (green) and/or Omero (purple)

Carrots: Rainbow Mix

Cherry Tomatoes: Jubilee Mix (see description on 8/2)

Choi: Beijing Express (use like choi or romaine lettuce)

Head Lettuce: asst.

Shallots: Ambition (tan) and/or Camelot (purple)

Sweet Peppers: asst.
Tomatoes-Slicers: asst. (see description on 8/2)

and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)

Broccoli and/or Cauliflower Florets (with edible leaves)

Beans: Provider (green) & Carson (yellow) Mix

Herb It! option: Pink celery, sweet basil, chives

Jam It! option: Ginger Pear & Black Raspberry Jam
Spice It Up! option: Pesto Pepper

Bread Share: Tavern Fare

Featured Recipes:  

Sausage Egg Roll in a Bowl *BGF favorite*

Roasted Red Pepper and Shallot Spread

Sautéed Baby Cabbage *BGF favorite* see recipe below

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.00"

The seasonal changes continue to push forward on the farm. Clearing spent/cold sensitive crops in the high tunnels was a focus this past week. We cleared basil and peppers and replanted with cold weather greens.  

High Tunnel #1, September 28th

Five Days Later (10/3)

High Tunnel #2, October 3

Honestly, clearing basil and tomatoes are two of the tasks I dread every fall as they are some of my favorite things to grow(and eat). The tomatoes are still in place but given the forecast for low 30's this weekend, this is likely the last week for them and for the field peppers as well. We cleared the final sowing of beans today, as last week's cold temps burned them and this week's colder forecast will do them in.

We are getting ready to clear all the spent crops from our El Sur plot and that includes some of our early cabbage. Many of the main cabbage heads were harvested earlier in the season, but cabbage will often set side shoots that produce mini heads if conditions are right. So before clearing those plants we harvested off any usable heads. Many of them are the size of brussels sprouts and can be used exactly that way. Others are a bit bigger and we love to leaf them out (pull them apart) and sauté in butter. They are so sweet and tender that way! They are a little silly, as far as cabbages go, but we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Important Dates Ahead:

Tuesday, Oct 18, Final 2022 CSA delivery

Saturday, Oct 29, final Saturday weekly VegEmail delivery

Saturday, Oct 29, Makers, Bakers & Boos @ Peace Tree DM

Tuesday, Nov 8, first bi-weekly winter VegEmail delivery

Thursday, Dec 1, CSA 2023 sign up begins!

A little detail on your produce this week:

Beans: Fresh beans are an easy "store." Just leave them in their plastic bag and keep them in the produce drawer. Can last up to 2 weeks.

Broccoli & Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If you soak broccoli or cauliflower in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.)

Cabbage: Store dry, unwashed cabbage in the refrigerator, preferably in the vegetable bin. The outer leaves may eventually get floppy or yellowish, but you can remove and discard them to reveal fresh inner leaves. Cabbage can keep for more than a month. Once it’s cut, seal it in a plastic bag and continue to refrigerate for several weeks. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water just before use. Peel away a few of the outer leaves, then cut the cabbage according to your needs with a big, sharp knife, and then chop, sliver, or grate.

Carrots: These "mid-season" carrots are a little different than the candy-sweet gems of cool weather carrots. They are a little more strongly flavored, a little earthy. This makes them perfect for cooking and more complicated recipes, as some might not love them for fresh eating. Remove the leafy green tops, leaving about an inch of stems. Refrigerate dry, unwashed carrots in a plastic bag for two weeks or longer. Peel carrots or scrub carrots well with a stiff brush just before using. Trim off any green spots, which can taste bitter. When slicing or chopping carrots for cooking, be sure to make all the pieces relatively the same size; this will ensure an evenly cooked dish. Greens can be added to soup stock for flavor.

Peppers: 

Place whole, unwashed peppers in a plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate for a week or more. Rinse peppers just before use. For sweet peppers, cut around the stem with a small knife and lift out the core. Slice down the side to open it up and then cut out the inner membranes. Store unused portions in a sealed bag or container in the refrigerator.

Shallots: A "high-brow" member of the onion family, shallots have a smooth, rich onion-y flavor that is perfect with egg, vegetable and salad dressing recipes. Cured shallots are stored like a cured onion or garlic (at room temp) for many months. If your shallots have green tops, please hang and store at room temperature until the greens have dried, then trim and store like onions. Once you cut into a shallot bulb, store the remainder in a sealed container in the fridge.

Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.  

** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..."  These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time.  We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item.  On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.

That's about it for now.

If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.

Best from the farm,

Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)

Sky, Wallace & Gromit

Sautéed Baby Cabbage

2-4 baby cabbages (depending on size), including outer leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
If the cabbages are more the size of giant Brussels sprouts, just pull the leaves off, whole. If larger cabbage is used, cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible around the core, as though you were making coleslaw. Discard the core.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Season, to taste, and serve warm.

Based on a recipe by Ina Garten 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties