CSA Week 14, Thanks and See You Around!

Vegetable List

Oh boy, Beets!
Mokum Carrots
Swiss Chard
Some kind of Eggplant... probably
Vates Kale
Some kind of Bell Pepper... likely
An assortment of Hot Peppers
And ALL the Winter Squash

Notes from the Farm

And just like that, we're done... and I mean done done.
As of writing this, the last of the plastic has been pulled, the wash station has been cleaned up, the barn is organized(ish) and we're done.
I'm not sure I've ever finished such a productive season this quickly... The Hancock Family Farm was a hot burning star this summer. We produced as much, or more, food than we've ever produced... and I don't' really know how... we just did.
The weather was perfect, from handle to spout. The crew leaned hard against the wheel. And the plants just produced.
This was a fun one... I mean, they're always fun... but some of them are fun for obvious reasons, some of them are fun for hysterical reasons. Last year was hysterical... this year was obvious. And with all the gifts of good weather and great farmers, came a tremendous responsibility for me to not fuck it up... all in all, I'm happy with what happened, we definitely left some opportunities on the table, but we also squeezed a huge amount of food out of such a short, short season.
Thank you folks for coming along for the ride. Thank you for the support and encouragement. Thank you for the smiles and the laughs.
Thanks for being the best, showing up and ensuring that, for at least one more year, I won't have to get a real job.
We hope all you all have a wonderful winter. We hope you had some fun this summer. And we hope to see you around the bend in one way or another in the future.
Thanks for everything.

Recipes

Butternut-Squash Roast with Pistachio Yogurt and Grain Relish

1 medium butternut squash (2 pounds, 4 ounces), halved, seeds removed
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 small shallots (2 ounces total), 1 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup farro
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon Aleppo-style pepper
⅓ cup pomegranate arils
¼ cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
½ cup raw pistachios
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange squash, cut-sides up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, sprinkle with sliced shallot and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until thickest part of flesh is easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add farro and cook until tender but still slightly chewy, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain.
In a bowl, whisk together remaining 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and Aleppo-style pepper until well combined. Stir in warm farro, pomegranate arils, parsley, capers, and chopped shallot. Season with salt and pepper.
In a food processor, purée pistachios with yogurt until mostly smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spread pistachio-yogurt mixture on a platter and arrange squash on top. Top with farro relish; drizzle with more oil and serve.


Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna

3 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
½ cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
1 ¼ cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
Fresh Lasagna Noodles, (you will need only 1/2 of the batch), cut into 4-by-13-inch strips and cooked, or store-bought dried noodles, cooked
4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 ¼ cups)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Bake until light gold and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt.
Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add sage, and cook until light gold and slightly crisp at edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other 1/2 in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and stock. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture in a 9-cup baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta). Sprinkle Parmesan over ricotta mixture.
Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.



Butternut Squash Quesadilla

1 cup mashed roasted butternut squash
½ cup crumbled goat cheese (about 2 ounces)
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
½ cup chopped pickled jalapenos
2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella, such as Polly-O (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pico de gallo, for serving

In a medium bowl, mix together squash and goat cheese.
For each quesadilla, spread one tortilla with one-quarter of squash mixture (about 1/3 cup), then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons jalapenos and 1/2 cup mozzarella.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium until bubbling. Add prepared tortilla to skillet, cheese side facing up. Top with second tortilla. Cook, flipping once, until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cut into wedges; serve immediately, with pico de gallo.