CSA Week 11

Vegetable List

Some Kind of Cabbage
Mokum Carrots
Rainbow Chard
Champion Collards
Fairy Tale Eggplant
Lacinato Kale
Red Russian Kale
Bell Peppers
Hot Peppers
Carla Rosa Potatoes
Sungolds
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Some Kind of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
Delicata Winter Squash
Butternut Winter Squash
PYO Herbs, Flowers (last week), & Husk Cherries

Notes from the Farm

Change is an amazing thing... it gets me every time.
The season feels like it's made up of a few different eternities... the greenhouse eternity; there is the planting and tending eternity; there is the early food but waiting for the main season crop eternity; the corn and heavy harvest eternity; and the cleanup eternity... whenever we're in a particular mode, it feels like that's the only thing that ever has been or ever will be... and that's not the reality, but feelings are real and experience has a way of beautifully warping space and time.
Nearly all the food is out of the field at this point. We still have tons of tomatoes and peppers, greens and brassicas, but the corn is gone, the sunflowers are gone, the bulk of the fields are done... it all happened so quickly and so efficiently that I almost can't remember the eternities we've lived so far.
And with an amazing crew, amazing magic is created. This crew this year is magic.
I joke about being tired, and I am... I joke about my Give-An-Eff-O'Meter hovering around zero, and it is... but this year, like last year, like the year before, I don't feel burnt out... I'm exhausted, we earned it, but not burnt out... we're on an extremely fortunate winning streak these last three years.
The farm seems to be becoming sentient and emotionally sustainable in a way I could only dream of... There were a lot of years that I wasn't sure this would happen... there were a lot of years where I needed a good 3 month break from farming to get myself psyched up enough to farm again... I don't feel that anymore... I feel like I want a nap, but the pressure of farming doesn't seem to be squeezing juice like it once did... and that's a good thing... probably.\

Recipes

Syracuse Salt Potatoes (lobster potatoes)

2 pounds new potatoes
¾ cup fine salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Gather the ingredients. Wash potatoes and set aside.
Fill a large pot with water; stir in salt until fully dissolved and no salt sinks to the bottom of the pot. Place potatoes in the pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain; cover to keep hot and let the salt crust develop.
While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in a small pan over medium-high heat, or in the microwave. Drizzle over hot potatoes.

Sausage Casserole With Cheesy Rice and Squash

2 delicata squash (2 pounds total), halved crosswise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing, crumbled (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (2 cups)
1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted, diced tomatoes
3 cups cooked white rice
12 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, such as Polly-O, cut into small cubes (2 cups)

Preheat oven; roast squash:Preheat oven to 400˚F. On a rimmed baking sheet, lightly drizzle squash with oil and season; spread into a single layer. Roast, flipping once, until tender and wrinkling at the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cook sausage and vegetables:Meanwhile, heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet, such as cast iron, over medium. Add sausage, onion, bell pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add seasoning, stir in rice and tomatoes:Add Italian seasoning and pepper flakes; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and rice and continue cooking until heated through, about 2 minutes more.
Fold in half squash and 2/3 of cheese; top with remaining squash and cheese:Remove from heat, gently fold in half of the squash and about 2/3 of the cheese. Top with remaining squash and cheese.
Reduce oven temp and bake:Reduce oven to 350˚. Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted and golden in a few places, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before serving.

Squash and Chocolate Spice Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

For the Cake
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
1 pound wedge Calabaza squash, peeled and seeded
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal)
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla paste or extract
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
For the Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven and prep pan:Preheat oven to 350˚F. Brush an 8-by-8-inch cake pan with oil, line bottom and two sides with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on sides, and brush parchment with oil.
Grate squash and squeeze to remove moisture:Coarsely grate the squash on the large holes of a box grater (you should have 3 cups). Wrap squash in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.
Combine dry ingredients; mix wet ingredients together:In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, five-spice, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, eggs, butter, oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla. .
Add wet ingredients to dry; fold in squash and chocolate:Gently stir wet mixture into flour mixture just to combine but some bits of dry flour remain (do not overmix). Fold grated squash and chocolate into batter to evenly distribute.
Transfer batter to pan and bake:Transfer to prepared pan and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.
Cool:Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan using parchment overhangs and let cool completely on rack.
Make frosting and spread on cake:In a bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over top of cake and cut into squares to serve.