Stone Soup
The Newsletter of Stearns Farm CSA
October 2, 2010 Volume 11, Number 18
In This Issue:
| ON THE STAND THIS WEEK: Head lettuce, salad greens, spinach, bok choy, radishes, carrots, beets, onions, leeks, potatoes, sweet peppers, celery, green cabbage, remaining tomatoes. PYO: Green and pole beans, tomatillos, hot peppers, culinary and tea herbs, edible flowers, a bouquet of flowers. Gleaning from our raspberry and cherry tomato patches. COMING UP: parsnips, celeriac, sweet potatoes. |
From the Field: The Autumn Equinox, A Time for Harvesting the Bounty/Kathy Huckins
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Last Wednesday a group of ten guys from the Bridge House helped us harvest the last of our potato crop, as well as over 2,500 cobs of popcorn. They were an enthusiastic and energetic group, appreciative of the soups Esther Heimberg made for them after their mornings' work. Thanks also to Emilee Manders for the bread and cheese she donated.
The last few weeks we have been harvesting the winter squash and pumpkins. Our squash crop has been meager. The transplants were put out the middle of June and watered in, but the drought hit them at a vulnerable time and they produced very few fruit for the effort. We featured the butternut squash last week. A few weeks ago we put the rest out for our pickup. That's it.
But don't fret. Our tomatoes have been a welcome treat this season. We have lots of onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, leeks, eventually celeriac, parsnips and sweet potatoes for our remaining summer share weeks. We also have lots of greens, including bok choy and spinach. We have not gone hungry this summer season.
Now on to the winter:
When we are not harvesting we have been planning for the winter share. We are wrapping up enrollment now. Kale, chard, collards, bok choy and lettuce have been transplanted recently in four beds designated to be covered for the November and December pickups. We also seeded salad greens and cilantro for that same time frame. For some of these crops we will put up short hoops and cover them with reemay and plastic to protect them until harvest.
But for the crops we will need in January, February and March, we will be erecting a new portable high tunnel greenhouse, 17 feet wide, 96 feet long and about 9 feet high. It will allow us to easily access and tend the crops, and will be strong enough to withstand the snow loads of New England.
Harvesting kale in the snow, winter 2009
This will be our third year growing in the cathedral greenhouse during the winter. This past week we have worked up the seven beds up front, applied compost and transplanted one of the beds in spinach. We also seeded the next progression of spinach in our permanent greenhouse. It will be transplanted in late October along with the seeding of our salad greens that will grow there for our 2011 winter pickups. On October 27th we will be moving the greenhouse to the front of the field over our crops so they will be protected during the dead of winter.
In the meantime, we are starting to fill the root cellar with the crops that we have harvested for our winter share. In the stationary greenhouse we are storing the onions and sweet potatoes and the winter share of butternut squash.
How do we determine which crops are for the summer share and which for the winter share? That is done in January when we put together the crop plan for both. Some of the winter share crops you will be receiving need to be planted in the spring along with the summer share crops. When we plan for onions, for instance, we plan for our summer bed needs and then add the beds that we will need for our winter share. At harvest time we keep track of the beds the crops come from to determine their destination. We do a lot of math this time of year.
We have three more weeks to take home the bounty of our fall season. Then we welcome many of you back for our winter share. We are privileged to be able to offer a Winter Share. Over years of gathering information, attending workshops and conferences about winter growing, after erecting a root cellar financed by our sharers, and the cathedral greenhouse given to us by John Blanchard, we are able to offer our 3rd year of winter growing. We are proud that we can extend the winter season for five months, from November until March. What a joy to eat fresh greens, picked that day, in the dead of winter. What a treat to weigh out roots that we grew here at Stearns during the summer season. It just makes you want to pop some popcorn and have a party. We are a lucky lot.
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Vegetable Showcase: Butternut Squash/Donna Savastio
Photo courtesy Johnny's Selected Seeds
There truly is a wealth of nourishment supplied by the mildly sweet flavored and finely textured winter squash, a vegetable that was once so important to the diet of the Native Americans that they buried it along with the dead to provide them nourishment on their final journey. Winter squash, members of the Cucurbitaceae family and relatives of both the melon and the cucumber, come in many different varieties. While each type varies in shape, color, size and flavor, they all have hard protective skins that are difficult to pierce that gives them a long storage life of up to six months and a hollow inner seed containing cavity. A farm favorite, Butternut squash is shaped like a large pear with a cream-colored skin, deep orange-colored flesh and a sweet flavor. It’s thin skin makes it possible to peel, unlike many other winter squashes.
Winter squash is always served cooked, so after washing cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and fibrous material in the cavity. It is wonderful halved and roasted in the oven or mashed with butter, cinnamon and maple syrup and makes a very hearty and satisfying side dish. Since the Butternut variety can be peeled it can be cut into cubes before steaming or roasting and tossed with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, fresh sage and pasta. Add it to your winter soups and stews or simply puree it with a bit of butter and cream. One of the best ways to bring out the sweetness of the butternut squash is to roast it. Simply peel the skin with a vegetable peeler and cut the squash into one-inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes. You can toss the roasted squash with fresh chopped herbs, like sage or oregano, and serve as a side dish or you can put the squash in a food processor or blender with cream or stock to make a hearty soup.
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Winter Squash: What's On the Outside Counts Too/Jenny Jones
I try to squeeze out every bit of nutrition I can from my Stearns Farm vegis, especially since I know that cooking will remove some of the good stuff, but I always just assumed that winter squash skin was inedible. This year, after correcting that misperception, I thought, I really ought to try it, but I don't want to make something really good only to include the skin and have what should have been a treat turn into a tragedy. So when we had a haul of seconds sunshine squashes, I knew my ship had come in.
I roasted four rather pimply, somewhat warty, slightly withered sunshine squashes with a few clear bad spots after removing the stems and seeds—which I also roasted (much thicker than pumpkin seeds but with a little salt and chipotle, they were a fantastic crunchy treat)—and aforementioned "imperfections." I was assuming a future of experiment gone awry, so I cooked them, put them in the fridge and kept thinking about it.
A few days later, I got up the nerve. I wasn't starving and a science experiment this large was taking up too much room in my fridge. Now was the time. So, I took one final sweep to remove any bits and pieces that I thought would bring bad taste or harsh texture, then did the following: pureed 12 soaked, pitted dates and a handful of pecans along with all the squashes, skin and all Then I took a taste and texture test. A teeny, tiny bit like chunky peanut butter with a wonderful, but very subtle sweet flavor. Then, I added a teaspoon of pumpkin spice, 1/16 of a teaspoon of stevia extract, and 4 eggs and re-blended the whole thing. I put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. It wasn't like that solid, gelatin-like consistency of classic store-bought pumpkin pie. It was lighter, mushier and had a really great flavor and mouth feel. When a few friends came over, a few slices turned into an empty pan in one sitting. I'm sad that it's gone, but I've learned my lesson—skin is great!
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Fun in the Sun: Snapshots from the Harvest Festival/Leslea Linebarger
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
If you missed it, you missed a real celebration of the season! It felt like a family reunion, uniting farm staff, volunteers and sharers who don’t often get time to sit and catch up on both farm and family news.
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
After the potluck, Scott Cleveland gave a warm welcome to everyone from the Board of Directors. He introduced each of the new board candidates, a vote was taken, and new members elected.
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Then we were treated to a delightful poetry reading by Brian Huckins, who exhibited his usual eclectic taste in poetry. Interspersed between the whimsical—Shel Silverstein and Lewis Jenkins—we heard “Divorce” by Billy Collins:
- Once, two spoons in bed,
- now tined forks
- across a granite table
- and with the knives they have hired.
There were poems by Stanley Kunitz, including "The Snakes of September," and, as always, poems by poet-farmer Wendell Berry, whose "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" gave us lots of food for thought while we rested in the shade of the apple trees.
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Meanwhile, Lauren Rota and her team of volunteers had the Children’s Garden covered,
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Rounding out the afternoon’s entertainment, we enjoyed music from John Fraize and the Messy Fergusons.
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
The Harvest Festival represents the culmination of our farm season and it really is a labor of love. We owe a big Thank You to everyone who helped make this a fun day of community and celebration. First and foremost, the staff: Kathy, Trish, Susan, and Casey who set up, cleaned up, painted faces, drove tractors, and generally kept the event running smoothly. In addition, Diane Kelzer helped with set up, clean up, and overall support, as did Sara Abramovitz. Brian Huckins provided poetry reading and overall support; Scott Cleveland and Tom Yelton kept the parking running smoothly; Mark Kelly tended the fire; Nadine Salisch ran the herb tea event;
Lauren Rota planned and ran the children's activities with wreath making help from Kathy Hawkins,
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
and
Photo by Claudia Gustafson
Fabulous music was provided by John Fraize and the Messy Fergusons! Claudia Gustafson took all the pictures, and the delicious apple crisp was assembled by Gudrun Baubock, Kathy, Diane Kelzer, Trish, David, and Mark Kelly, at Gudrun’s house.
Thanks to one and all who helped make this year’s Harvest Festival such a big success!
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Flower Garden Spotlight: Amaranth/Kathy Powers
Photo by Kathy Powers
These tall bushy plants are located in the last flower bed near the sunflowers. We have two varieties, Opopeo with bright red burgundy spikes of flowers, and Hot Biscuits, which has cinnamon colored flowers. These are in the same family as the smaller celosia and the name comes from the Greek amaranthos, which means never fading, so it is no surprise that these are excellent for drying. The leaves are particularly striking: notice the red veins.
Volunteers: Thank You!
Many thanks to those who gave us extra help in September: Esther Heimberg, who made Stone Soup lunch for the Bridge House crew, and Emilee Manders who contributed to their meal. Beth Ackroyd and Brenda Dostie, who took our surplus food to area shelters—a big job to do on a Saturday morning.
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Upcoming Events
| October 12 | Last pick-up: Tuesday Alternate 1 shares |
| October 15 | Last pick-up: Friday Alternate 1 shares |
| October 16 | Garlic Planting for 2011 season |
| October 19 | Last pick-up: Tuesday Full shares and Alternate 2 shares |
| October 22 | Last pick-up: Friday Full shares and Alternate 2 shares |
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Our Mission
To preserve the historic Stearns farm as a sustainable all-natural garden, providing locally grown food in partnership between the land, the farmer, and the community
- by using the CSA model
- by providing fair compensation, adequate working conditions, and support to the farmer
- by practicing good stewardship
- by donating excess food to the needy
- by encouraging the community to actively participate in the farming process
- by providing learning opportunities
- by fostering relationships between the CSA and the wider community and
- by providing a beautiful place that is nourishing to body and soul.
Contact Us
Stearns Farm CSA862 Edmands Road
Framingham, MA 01701
(508) 371-4310
| Name | Position | Contact Information | |
| Stearns Farm | Main phone | contact stearnsfarmcsa.org | 508-371-4310 |
| Trish Stefanko | Farm Manager | t8588hotmail.com | 508-887-5649 |
| Rachael Potts | Assistant Farm Manager | vintage.greens.farmgmail.com | |
| Cathy Briasco | Administration | stearnsfarmbriasco.org | 508-358-4167 |
| Sara Abramovitz | Volunteer Coord. | saralarryverizon.net | 978-443-9747 |
| Aliya Ewing | Children's Garden | aliya.ewinggmail.com | |
| Tom Yelton | Webmaster | webmasterstearnsfarmcsa.org | 978-443-5138 |
See Also Public/Staff and Public/Volunteers to contact a specific person.
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Recipes: Butternut Squash
This is the one we all look forward to! This buff-skinned squash has a long straight, solid neck and a rounder bottom where its seeds are located. Not only does it have exceptional flavor but butternut squash is also easy to peel, making it ideal for gratins, roasting, steaming and baking.
And as a bonus, we have a recipe for braised radishes from sharer Leslea Linebarger, who says that these are delicious! Happy eating!
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Butternut Squash Lasagne
Adapted from EverdayItalian.com, recipe by Giada De LaurentisServes 8 to 10
You could make this with fresh pasta too, or you can look for fresh lasagne sheets in the refrigerated section of specialty markets. The no-boil lasagne noodles make this a much faster dinner! This traditional Tuscan lasagna utilizes a white sauce called a béchamel which is very easy to make. When blending hot liquids remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving
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Roasted Butternut Squash
Adapted from yumsugar.comMany cold-weather vegetables cannot be enjoyed raw and Butternut squash is one of those vegetables. However, once you know the simple steps to roasting butternut squash you can put it to use in just about anything! The roasted chunks can be tossed with arugula and white beans. You can also blitz the squash in a food processor and use the puree to make lasagna. Not only are there unlimited ways to cook with roasted squash, there are also plenty of ways to season it. Fresh sage, thyme, or rosemary add an earthiness to the squash, while honey or maple syrup caramelizes the flesh. Go ahead and start experimenting with different flavorings and preparations.
1 butternut squash
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, or sage (optional)
Honey or maple syrup for drizzling (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Slice the stem off of the top of the squash and remove the bottom. With a strong vegetable peeler, remove and discard the squash's skin. Cut the squash in half down the middle. Remove and discard the seeds. Slice the flesh into 1/4-inch dice and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Liberally drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. If desired, sprinkle with the herbs and drizzle with the honey or syrup. Toss to combine.
If using the squash for a salad or a side dish, roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes (tossing once to rotate) until the squash is tender. If you plan on pureeing the squash, roast for 40-50 minutes until its very soft and beginning to brown.
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Butternut Squash Muffins
Recipe adapted from 101cookbooks, recipe by Michel Nischan from his book Homegrown Pure and SimpleMakes 12 muffins
If you are looking for a leisurely weekend recipe to lose yourself in, this should do the trick. It’s a bit complicated but well worth the effort.
Flavorless vegetable oil spray (or grapeseed or rice oil in a mister or spray bottle), optional
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small cubes (about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
8 black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 cups freshly pressed apple juice (or apple cider)
1 cup raw cane sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup organic applesauce
1/4 cup grapeseed, rice oil or clarified butter at room temperature
4 large egg whites
2 cups spelt flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with the oil, or put paper liners in the cups. Spray a rimmed baking sheet as well, or line with parchment paper.
Toss the squash with the coarse sea salt and spread in a single layer ion the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is cooked through and tender,
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and coriander over medium-high heat and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the coriander begins to smell like oranges. Remove from the heat. Let sit for 30 seconds, and then add the apple juice. Return to the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until reduced to 1/4 cup and thick. Pour the apple juice through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the whole spices and push the reduced juice through the sieve with the back of a spoon, if necessary. Set aside.
Transfer the squash and reduced juice to a food processor and process until smooth.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and egg yolks on high speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the applesauce, oil, and butternut squash puree just until blended. Transfer to a large bowl.
Fit the mixer with the whip attachment and clean and dry the bowl. Add the egg whites to the bowl and beat on medium-high speed until very foamy, but not quite soft peaks.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the fine sea salt. Add to the batter and stir just until mixed, then fold in the egg whites just until blended. There will be some white streaks in the batter, which is fine.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each one about three-fourths full. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
9. Let the muffins cool in the tin on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the tin and let cool completely on the rack before serving.
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Braised Radishes
Leslea Linebarger, a work-for-share here at Stearns, submitted this recipe. She says she hates radishes but since we grow them on the farm she went looking for a recipe for them. She has made these several times and her whole family loves them. Thanks for sharing your recipe Leslea!
1-2 bunches radishes, greens and tails removed, diced
1 lg. shallot or small onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and add diced radishes and shallots. Add vinegars, salt, pepper and sugar, stirring to coat. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, stir and cook 20 more minutes, until soft.
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The purpose of this recipe page is to share ideas for enjoying Stearns Farm produce. This year we are going to focus on combinations that use as much as possible of the current week’s ingredients. The arrival of each vegetable, fruit or herb adds to our options for fresh, truly seasonal meals. One of the pleasures of this kind of eating is the chance to flex our creativity and combine our discoveries to keep things interesting and have fun as we prepare and preserve the harvest.
What do you do with your Stearns Farm produce? Please share your recipes, vegetarian and vegan options, family favorites and seasonal menu ideas. Send recipes, questions, tips on storage and food preservation, and other suggestions to dsavastio
verizon.net. Thanks!back to top
Revision 1. Last edited Fri 1 Oct 2010 8:25pm by NaomiSofer