Hello from the farm!
It is pretty quiet out here on the dreary day, save for folks stopping by to pick up all of their holiday fixins'. Most of the farmers have left on holiday though Karen is out planting bulbs as fast as she possibly can.
If you are in town this weekend or have folks visiting, we'll have Carabella Vineyards (our farmer Elise's husband is the winemaker) out for a Thanksgiving tasting ($10 if you aren't a Carabella member) Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Details here. A great stop on your wait out to other wineries!
We've made a pretty simple and straightforward Thanksgiving share this week! It is HEAVY though, averaging about 14lbs of produce. It was just Karen and I yesterday (though thankfully we had some friend farmers stop by to help - thanks Gareth and Drew) but we managed to do it!
In your share this week: Brussels sprout stalks, scarlet squeen turnips, garlic, onion, sugar dumpling squash, Thelma Sanders sweet potato acorn squash, yukon gold and russet potatoes and spigariello.
POTATOES FOR MASHED POTATOES OK so I've done a lot of different research on what potatoes are the best for the traditional and necessary mashed potato dish. There is always an argument on starch vs flavor. High-starch, thick-skinned potatoes, like russets, fall apart during the cooking process, mash up light and fluffy, and absorb butter and cream like a dream. Mashing the other types of potatoes will result in a gummy, gluey texture. Mid-starch or waxy potatoes (least amount of starch) are much more flavorful than the classic russet. SO I've sent you guys both russets AND yukon golds so you can get the best of both worlds!
BRUSSELS SPROUTS Apparently these guys are the cauliflower of last year on the hot-ness factor. You can't go anywhere without seeing them on menu! There are many ways to cook brussels including roasting, shaving raw for a salad, or in a dry pan. The NY Times recipe for Garlic Brussels Sprouts is great, just as is Bon Appetit's Simple Pan-fry or Lemony-Bacon Brussels Sprouts. Also, if there is a little black or aphid action just peel off the outer leaves and you'll be good to go!
THELMA SANDERS SWEET POTATO SQUASH is one of my favorite squash we've grown, super great flavor and texture. Cooks just like an acorn! We also sent the sugar dumpling hoping it would be enough to serve a squash dish. (I'll be making a squash and spigariello galette with gruyere).
Hope you all have a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving!!
Jen + the OTC farmers
It is pretty quiet out here on the dreary day, save for folks stopping by to pick up all of their holiday fixins'. Most of the farmers have left on holiday though Karen is out planting bulbs as fast as she possibly can.
If you are in town this weekend or have folks visiting, we'll have Carabella Vineyards (our farmer Elise's husband is the winemaker) out for a Thanksgiving tasting ($10 if you aren't a Carabella member) Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Details here. A great stop on your wait out to other wineries!
We've made a pretty simple and straightforward Thanksgiving share this week! It is HEAVY though, averaging about 14lbs of produce. It was just Karen and I yesterday (though thankfully we had some friend farmers stop by to help - thanks Gareth and Drew) but we managed to do it!
In your share this week: Brussels sprout stalks, scarlet squeen turnips, garlic, onion, sugar dumpling squash, Thelma Sanders sweet potato acorn squash, yukon gold and russet potatoes and spigariello.
POTATOES FOR MASHED POTATOES OK so I've done a lot of different research on what potatoes are the best for the traditional and necessary mashed potato dish. There is always an argument on starch vs flavor. High-starch, thick-skinned potatoes, like russets, fall apart during the cooking process, mash up light and fluffy, and absorb butter and cream like a dream. Mashing the other types of potatoes will result in a gummy, gluey texture. Mid-starch or waxy potatoes (least amount of starch) are much more flavorful than the classic russet. SO I've sent you guys both russets AND yukon golds so you can get the best of both worlds!
BRUSSELS SPROUTS Apparently these guys are the cauliflower of last year on the hot-ness factor. You can't go anywhere without seeing them on menu! There are many ways to cook brussels including roasting, shaving raw for a salad, or in a dry pan. The NY Times recipe for Garlic Brussels Sprouts is great, just as is Bon Appetit's Simple Pan-fry or Lemony-Bacon Brussels Sprouts. Also, if there is a little black or aphid action just peel off the outer leaves and you'll be good to go!
THELMA SANDERS SWEET POTATO SQUASH is one of my favorite squash we've grown, super great flavor and texture. Cooks just like an acorn! We also sent the sugar dumpling hoping it would be enough to serve a squash dish. (I'll be making a squash and spigariello galette with gruyere).
Hope you all have a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving!!
Jen + the OTC farmers
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