This is the time of year when we really appreciate the time our plants get to soak up sunshine. It starts to be at a premium. We don’t have a lot of serious growth days remaining in the season but we have vegetables that we recently transplanted. So soak it up and grow!
We are also using the sun to melt beeswax. Comb that has been removed from hives can have the wax melted and filtered out and then used to make candles, herbal salves, lip balm, etc. This is the solar wax melt-and-filter rig that Janet’s Dad designed and built.
The early frost that hit us a couple of weeks ago left its mark on plenty of our Tuscan kale:
Ouch. This is why we diversify. Overplant. Grow three types of kale. Plant in high tunnels. Invite our community members to become shareholders. Thank you for eating the food we grow!
MARKET INFO: This Saturday is the last day of the season for our two main markets: Brandermill and South of the James. Starting November 7th, find us at St. Stephen’s Farmers Market on Grove Avenue, from 9-12 each Saturday. We also are continuing to stock the self-serve farmstand – right here on our farm! – which is open every day from 9 am until dusk. Our bread is for sale in the farmstand on Wednesdays. Visit us at one or both locations in November and beyond!
This Sunday’s Farm Share (picked up at First UU) will most likely include:
Arugula, Broccoli, Hearty Greens Mix, Sweet White Turnips, Sweet Peppers, Scallions, Radishes (Watermelon variety if harvest allows…see below), Lettuce, and a Tomato if we are lucky.
This week’s Harvest includes:
Arugula, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Chard, Hearty Mix, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Microgreens, Sweet Peppers, Radish, Salad, Scallions, Sweet White Turnips…and our Organic Naturally Leavened Bread.
Recipe Suggestions: see these and others cataloged on our Recipe Page
Watermelon Radishes are the likely unfamiliar item in this week’s share. We grow these radishes because the flesh is remarkably sweet and also a beautiful, vibrant pink. See this page for a great primer/sales pitch about their wonderful qualities. The peel is remarkably spicy and fortunately separates easily from the inner flesh. We slice them and then remove the outer skin with our fingers. We prefer to eat them raw as vegetable slices in dip or as a salad topping. To get fancier, try Radish Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette from Williams Sonoma, or Kale Salad with Quick Pickled Watermelon Radish. For a simple roast see Roasted Watermelon Radishes. Different food is fun, delicious, and nutritious! Radishes are a very good source of anti-oxidants, electrolytes, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. The world wide web tells us that “Radish, like other cruciferous and Brassica family vegetables, contains isothiocyanate anti-oxidant compound called sulforaphane. Studies suggest that sulforaphane has proven role against prostate, breast, colon and ovarian cancers by virtue of its cancer-cell growth inhibition, and cyto-toxic effects on cancer cells.”
Arugula – Also super nutritious, high in Vitamin A, folates, and other necessary nutrition, Arugula is wonderful in salad, soup, or on top of pizza. Try Potato Salad with Arugula and Dill, or make Roasted Sweet Potato, Arugula, Goat Cheese Sandwiches.
Sweet White Turnips – We diced and then simmered them in broth this weekend and served them soft and warm and broth-saturated for dinner. Our baby, as well as the older eaters, was thrilled. Super simple and delicious. (We aim for more root vegetable diversity in the fall Farm Shares but our carrots are later than usual due to crop failure [our first two plantings failed in August…our third planting was finally successful] and our beets were fairly well ruined after the late Sept heavy rains. Thank you for enjoying the abundance of these sweet turnips while carrots finish growing!)
Scallions and Bok Choy/Hearty Greens Mix – We highly recommend preparing the scallions in a saute pan with butter and salt. Simmer the cooking greens in broth, Serve the greens topped with the sauteed scallions and a protein of your choice. We love this dish! OR – we really love Bok Choy Kimchi. This is for the more adventurous culinaries, we know. As soon as our barn kitchen is completed, we will lead a class to help you make this. It’s worth it.
Sweet Peppers – Most of them are green at this point, rather than the sweeter, riper red. Still, we love them roasted, grilled, or blistered in a pan on the stovetop. This charring, combined with olive oil or butter, plus salt, is really delicious and works for the miniature (lunchbox) peppers or the long bullhorn shape peppers (Carmen variety).
Lettuce – We are in a delightful salad dressing rut enjoying a Citrus Vinaigrette.
2015 Market Share CSA Members: Reserve your selection online to pick up on Saturday, October 31 at our farm, the Brandermill Green Market, or the South of the James market.
Vegetables not ordered by our Market Share CSA members will join us at the Brandermill Green Market or the South of the James market this Saturday. Anyone may order available goods from us through Fall Line Farms, Richmond’s online farmers’ market. You can use discount code “broadfork” to earn a complimentary 6 month subscription.
Enjoy ~
Janet, Dan, and the whole Broadfork crew
