So, we did have a frost last week.  Then another one and another one and probably another one tonight.  They’ve all been very light and haven’t killed anything, but the cold, cold night temperatures have slowed the growth of most crops to a stand still.  (You’ll note that there are no cukes or zukes this week, and fewer tomatoes than we’ve had recently.)  Heat loving crops will creep along for a little while longer, but a hard frost will spell the end for things like zukes, tomatoes and basil.

We tasted a Delicata winter squash yesterday and it was delicious.  I was all ready to put some into the share this week but then there was so much other good stuff that we decided not to.  Winter squash stores quite well, so we’ll keep emphasizing crops that will soon be gone before we start giving out a lot of stuff that will be here to stay for most of the winter.  This year, I’m in no rush to get to winter.

Two weekends ago, we had a big oven building party (for which I totally forgot to invite you all) and got the bulk of Kendra’s new wood-fired, clay oven built.  After we take care of the last, insulating layer and a few final details, we’re planning on firing it up and inviting you all out for a shareholder pizza party.  We’ve been planning to have a farm party for a while, but … you know how it goes.  Anyway, to tide you over until then, you’ll find a beet and fennel pizza recipe (shared by one of your fellow shareholders) in this week’s post.

All shares contain:

• Fennel
• Beets (and Beet Greens)
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Leeks
• Apples

“Full” shares also contain:

• more Apples
• Salad Turnips (and Turnip Greens)
• Celery
• Tomatoes

Veggie Notes

Fennel – Remember what I said about fennel last week?  Well, here’s the new stuff.  It’s probably some of the most beautiful fennel we’ve ever grown.

Apples – The orchard here at the farm is bearing well this year, even though we’ve done pretty much nothing to help it out.  We’re planning on picking a lot of it and giving out some of the best of it.  We’re still learning about growing apples and about the traits of these particular trees.  Expect to find a few worms and maybe a few apples that are under- or over-mature.  Please let us know what you think about the apples; this will help us learn about them.

We’re still trying to pin down the variety name of the apple in this week’s share, though the leading candidate at the moment is Liberty.  We have found it to be pretty good for out of hand eating, though we recommend that you slice them to be sure that there are no worms.  (You just can’t tell from the outside!)  Liberty also makes great pies.

Salad Turnips – Crisp, sweet and a little spicy, these are best when eaten raw.  The tops can be sauted with garlic for a simple side dish.

Recipe Ideas

White Pizza with Fennel and Beets

Our friend and shareholder Annette Messier shared this recipe with us the last time we had beets and fennel in the share.  She wrote:

We chopped the beets and fennel and roasted them until browned. We cooled these slighty once they were done.  On fresh pizza dough we spread a little olive oil, then put on sliced fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, fresh oregano, basil, and chopped garlic. We then spread the roasted fennel and beets on top, drizzled a little more olive oil on it and baked it until done. We have been doing that with roasted brussel sprouts for years, but this was the first time we tried it with beets and fennel and it was delicious. I hope you get to try it and enjoy!

Yum!

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.

We hope you enjoy the share!