CSA Week 13... last before the last.

Vegetable List
Mac or Cortland Apples
Carrots By The Bunch
Rainbow Chard
Beatrice Eggplant
German Extra Hearty Garlic
Lincoln Leeks
Bell Peppers
Watermelon Radishes
Delicata Squash

Notes from the Farm
The passing of summer is kind of a multi-stage affair.
I, intellectually, mark the First of September as the ceremonial beginning of Fall... with September comes changes in light, evening air, moisture... it's just different.
Celestial Fall is coming this week, on Friday the 22nd, marking the evenness of light and dark... and the day everyone tries to balance eggs.
Both of those are totally fine beginnings of Fall, but a life guided by math and the brain is far too sterile a life for me... true Fall is much more of a moving target.
In my heart of hearts, the Fall of the year is not a season, but moments in time. True fall appears when I'm picking apples with my kids, sweater draped, cool air, bright sun and hillsides of colors. True fall is roast squash dinner on the side porch... hand in hand with my wife at the fair... daily staring at the back trees as they turn and drop their leaves... true Fall is quiet joy.
Nostalgia is a beautiful thing... but it ain't what it used to be...
I love everything about nostalgia. I love it when I'm nostalgic, I love it when others are nostalgic... it's just a cool thing... love, longing and appreciation... the good nostalgia, the one that's used for building something positive. The Fall of the year, for me, is the most nostalgic time, the most actively introspective, the time when I am most attentively appreciative. In the Fall of the year, time becomes all time, and I become calm.
I love the Fall.


Recipes
Sauteed Swiss Chard with Orange

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 bunches Swiss chard (large stems removed), leaves cut into 1-inch strips
Zest from 1 orange, cut into wide strips, plus juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add Swiss chard and orange zest. Cook, tossing frequently, until chard wilts, about 4 minutes. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper, then add juice of the orange; toss to coat.

Radish Dip

1 pound radishes (about 25), julienned, plus whole radishes, for serving
1 1/4 cups sour cream
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

Combine julienned radishes, sour cream, feta, lemon zest and juice, salt, and dill. Serve with toasts and whole radishes.
Delicata Squash with Caramelized Seeds

2 delicata squash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon packed dark-brown sugar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Halve squash, and scoop out seeds and stringy fibers; reserve seeds. Cut each squash half in half again, and slice into 1 1/2-inch-thick half-moons. Place in a large saucepan, and set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add seeds; cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sugar, and cook until seeds are browned and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Season reserved squash with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Add 1 cup water, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, and simmer until squash is fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain; transfer to a serving platter. Serve immediately, garnished with seeds.
Roasted Delicata Squashes and Apples

2 delicata squashes (1 1/2 pounds total), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, seeds removed
6 apples (1 1/2 pounds), cut in half
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
6 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then cut crosswise into lardons (1/2 inch wide)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together squashes, apples, oil, sugar, bacon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until golden on bottom, about 50 minutes. Flip squashes and apples over, and roast until tender, about 5 minutes more. Sprinkle thyme over mixture, and serve immediately.