October 21, 2018 | Volume 9 | FALL Week 1
FALL CSA: Week 1

Week 18 Share:
(** see note, below )
Beets
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce
Radish: Beauty Heart 
Squash: Butternut  

Dear Members of Turtle Creek Gardens,
Autumn greetings to our Fall CSA subscribers! As we move into colder temperatures, warming soups, stews, and roasted vegetables fill out our recipe selection. Enjoy.

Fall CSA Delivery Schedule:
  • Week 1: Wed. October 24th/Thurs. October 25th
  • Week 2: Wed. November 7th/Thurs. November 8th
  • Week 3: **Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, all deliveries will take place on Wednesday, November 21st
** NOTE: Pack list is subject to change due to weather or harvest conditions.
Fall Farm Update
We woke this morning to winter temperatures here in the 3rd week of October and I’m figuring that the remainder of our lettuce and kale was damaged by such cold temperatures. We will find out in the morning at harvest. The front blew in like a demon as winds gusted to 50 miles/hr. It ripped our tarp off our greenhouse, which is our shade for our drying hemp, and scattered our empty harvest crates like leaves into cars and clear across the road and into the field. We had good intentions of harvesting some greens to save them from the frigid temperatures to come, but by the time we got to the field the damage had already been done and the wind was so fierce that we felt defeated by any effort to conduct such a feat.
Our crew, now wearing their winter attire, has been busy with our much-needed reprieve from the Summer CSA to harvest our remaining crops and remove black plastic mulch from the field. They got a pretty good dent in things but still have plenty to go to wrap up the field so Steve can come in behind and spread manure, till and plant the winter hardy rye for a cover. These cold mornings bring great appreciation for the dedication our crew has to bear the weather.

I always say you have to have grit to do this work. The elements are unforgiving as we move from season to season, like a mailman through rain, sleet and snow: the mail must get delivered and so do the vegetables need to get harvested, washed, and packed.
These past few weeks we have been blessed by one of our workershares who has been cooking a Monday lunch for us. It’s been a dream of mine to have a cook for our crew. I have even found some time to contribute some food preparation, to serve those who have served the farm all these months. 

I look forward to the quiet of winter despite the cold, but we all are ready to embrace the sanctity of putting the season to bed at last, slowing the pace, and taking a breath. 
7 Things to Do With Beauty Heart Radishes
Beauty Heart Radishes (aka Watermelon Radish) may be eaten raw or cooked, peeled or unpeeled. With their peels left on, they have slightly more of a radishy tang.
  1. Add to roasted root vegetable medley.
  2. Thinly slice and cut into small pie-shaped wedges, add to lettuce salad.
  3. Cut into julienne strips for dipping
  4. Replace all or part of the grated carrot in any coleslaw recipe.
  5. Make this Beauty Heart Radish Risotto from Driftless Organics, one of our partner farms.
  6. Make Quick Pickles.
  7. Substitute for other types of radish in any recipe.
Butternut-Leek Lasagne
Ingredients:
10 oz lasagna noodles
2 t. unsalted butter
4 large or 5 medium leeks, pale green and white parts only, thinly sliced and washed thoroughly (about 6 c.)
½ c. all-purpose flour
4 c. milk
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. salt
¾ t. freshly grated nutmeg
½ t. freshly ground pepper
3-4 LB butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and grated using the large-hole side of a box grater
6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated using the large-hole side of a box grater
¼ c. toasted pine nuts*

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles until not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain; return noodles to the pot and cover with cool water.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle flour over leeks; stir well. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk in a slow stream and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in thyme, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Remove from heat.

Assemble lasagna in prepared baking dish by layering one-third of the noodles, one-third of the sauce, half the squash, one-third of the cheese, half the remaining noodles, half the remaining sauce, all the pine nuts, all the remaining squash, half the remaining cheese, all the remaining noodles, all the remaining sauce and all the remaining cheese. Cover with parchment paper then foil.

Bake 50 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbling and lightly browned, 30 to 45 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving (or follow make-ahead instructions).

Make Ahead Tip: Bake, let cool for 1 hour, cover with parchment paper then foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat, covered, at 350°F for 1 hour, then uncovered for 30 minutes more.

* To toast pine nuts: cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Maple-Bacon Carrots & Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
4 c. Brussels sprouts (whole)
4 c. carrots (cut in chunks about same size as prepared sprouts)
2 T. cooking fat (lard, tallow, butter, olive oil)
4 slices bacon, diced
sea salt
black pepper
2 T. maple syrup

Method:
Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare Brussels sprouts by slicing ¼ inch off the bottom and peeling off the outer few layers. Leaves should be bright green and tightly packed. Slice in half from top to bottom. Place in pan.

Add carrots to pan and drizzle with cooking fat; season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Spread diced bacon on top of vegetable mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times for even cooking. Drizzle with maple syrup and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings
Borscht with Boiled Potatoes
Ingredients:
4 medium to large beets (1½-2 LB)
1 onion
4 c. vegetable broth, chicken broth, beef broth, or water
4 small-medium potatoes
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream
Dill weed--fresh or dried, for garnish

Method:
Peel and grate the beets and onions in a food processor or by hand.

Combine beets, onions, and broth in a saucepan. Broth should just barely cover the vegetables. Add additional broth or water if needed. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to simmer; cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Boil gently until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

To simmered beets, add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes, until beets are fully tender and the flavors have blended.

To serve, put a potato in each bowl. Break up the potato with a fork or potato masher, but do not mash. Ladle hot soup over the potato in each bowl and top with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle dill over the sour cream and serve at once.

Yield: 4 servings
Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained 
4 medium potatoes, cut into ½" pieces 
4 medium stalks celery, cut into ½" pieces (2 c.)
3 medium carrots, cut into ½" pieces (1½ c.) 
1 c. diced Beauty Heart Radish, parsnip, or turnip
2 medium leeks, cut into ½" pieces
1¾ c. (about 14 oz) vegetable or chicken broth 
½ t. salt
½ t. dried thyme leaves
½ t. dried rosemary leaves
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. cold water 

Method:
In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, place all ingredients except cornstarch and water. Cover; cook on LOW heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

In small bowl, mix cornstarch and water; gradually stir into stew until blended. Increase heat setting to High; cover and cook about 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Yield: 8 servings
Roasted Chicken & Beets
with Yogurt Sauce & Couscous
Ingredients:
2¼ LB chicken drumsticks and thighs (4 of each)
1½ t. ground cumin
1½ t. paprika 
3 T. olive oil, divided
Salt and black pepper 
2 LB beets, peeled and cut into ½" wedges 
1 c. couscous 
¾ c. plain yogurt 
1 T. fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Method:
Heat oven to 425° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss chicken with cumin, paprika, 1 T. of the oil, ½ t. salt, and ¼ t. pepper. 

On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beets with the remaining oil and ¼ t. each salt and pepper. Roast, stirring beets once, until the beets are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook couscous according to the package directions.

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, lime juice, and cilantro. Serve chicken with the couscous, beets, yogurt sauce, and lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings
Turtle Creek Gardens, LLC | 262-441-0520 |
Janet Gamble, Farm Manager: farmmanager@turtlecreekgardenscsa.com
Christi Ehler, Newsletter Editor: newsletter@turtlecreekgardenscsa.com