CSA Week 10, So Long Summer Members

Vegetable List

Oh Boy! Beets!
Savoy Cabbage
Fairy Tale Eggplant
Mediterranean Eggplant
Lacinato Kale
Lincoln Leeks
Muir Lettuce
New Red Fire Lettuce
Ailsa Craig Sweet Onions
Bell Peppers
Hotties! Aji Amarillo, Poblano, Green Chile, and Jalapenos
Conservor Shallots
San Marzanos
Sungolds
Tomatoes
Winter Squash! Delicata
PYO Herbs
PYO Flowers

Notes from the Farm

And just like that the Summer Membership Season has come to a close.
Nothing tastes as good as nostalgia feels, and I'll tell you right now, the agriculture gastronomy crossover makes for a cozy little nexus to watch the world spin by...
Some folks come here for food... food is fuel and it's that simple. But more folks come by for the connection, for the experience, for the culture... we can see it in their eyes, hear it in the stories they tell about their connections through farming over the years, their nostalgic love of corn.
And I'm good with that, honestly, I'm great with that... it's why we farm the way we do. We only wholesale to one restaurant (or two really, but one of them comes to market to get stuff, so it's not a dedicated relationship) and no stores. Distributing food widely is heroic, and helps meet the needs of a region... but we don't do that.
We're providing food, yes, but we're doing so very locally, and really the food is just a medium for experience... and it's partially (largely) selfish. I love seeing they eyes of folks on a food adventure, of kids swiping sungolds off the farmstand table, of people taking tractor rides and telling stories of picking cucumbers 60 years ago and only getting paid a quarter for a full bushel... I love it all, selfishly.
For me, the emphasis is on the Culture part of agriculture... its about the people, the relationships, the laughs and tears and births and deaths...
It's about you. And I'm forever grateful for the support and interest and willingness to slog through our nonsense.


Recipes


Brown Butter Squash Tacos with Salsa Macha

1 medium squash (I like using delicata here)
1/4 cup fresh goat cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
A few tablespoons salsa macha
Salt
1 to 2 tablespoons cilantro for garnish
Warm corn tortillas

Wrap each half of squash in plastic wrap and poke a few holes. Microwave at 100 percent power for about 7-8 minutes or until soft. In a small (7- to 8-inch) skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. As the foaming begins to subside, pay close attention: when the butter has turned nut brown and foaming has subsided, remove the skillet from the heat.
Cut the delicata into ½-inch cubes, skin and all. Add the squash and salsa macha to the pan, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a brisk simmer. Cook until the butternut is fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about ½ teaspoon.
Scoop the mixture into warm tortillas and finish with a generous sprinkling of the goat cheese and cilantro.



Salsa Macha

1 1/2 cups olive oil
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup or 1 large head) peeled garlic cloves
2 ounces raw peanuts (if you have roasted ones, add them along with the sesame)
2 Aji Amarillo Peppers, chopped finely
2 to 3 tablespoons untoasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons vinegar (I prefer balsamic here)
Salt

Cook the garlic and peanuts. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium to medium-low.  Add the garlic and peanuts.  Cook gently (it’s more a gentle confit than frying), stirring from time to time, until the garlic is just softening and the peanuts are slightly golden, about 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of your oil.
Add the chiles and sesame. Stir until they release a toasty aroma—a minute or two—then add the vinegar, ¼ cup water and scant teaspoon salt.  Stir for a minute or so, then remove from the heat and let cool.
Blend the salsa. Pour everything into a blender jar (or you can use an immersion blender.) Start at low speed to get all the ingredients moving through the blade uniformly. Slowly increase the speed to medium. Check the consistency and blend only until the chiles and peanuts are in small pieces.  It should not be puréed, but should be the texture of the chile oil you see on the tables of Chinese restaurants. For long storage, scrape it into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator.



Creamy Squash, Corn, & Roasted Poblano Tacos
For the rajas
4 (about 1 pound total) medium fresh poblano chiles
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 large white onions, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped


For the taco filling
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 Delicata squash, cut into cubes a little smaller than 1/2 inch thick
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese such as feta or goat cheese
3/4 cup Mexican crema , crème fraîche or heavy cream
Salt
12 warm corn tortillas
Make the rajas: Roast the poblanos on an open flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly until the skin is evenly blistered and blackened, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for the broiler. Be careful not to char the flesh—only the skin. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Rub off the blackened skin, then pull or cut out the stems and the seed pods. Tear the chiles open and quickly rinse to remove stray seeds and most bits of skin. Cut into ¼-inch-wide strips about 2 inches long.
In a very large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is richly browned but still a little crunchy, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and oregano. After a minute or so, when the garlic is fragrant, remove from heat and set aside.
For the taco filling: In a very large (12-inch) skillet set over medium-high, heat the oil. When really hot, add the squash, stirring and turning the pieces frequently, until they are richly browned all over. Add the poblano strips, corn, and caramelized onions, then scoop in the crema.
When the cream has thickened enough to coat the mixture nicely—that takes only a couple of minutes over the medium-high heat, though it needs to be stirred nearly constantly—taste the mixture and season it with salt, usually about ½ teaspoon.
When everything comes to a simmer over medium heat, add a couple more tablespoons of crema if I think the mixture needs it. Taste the dish for salt and scoop into warm tortillas. Though it’s not absolutely necessary, the mixture is delicious sprinkled with queso fresco.