Turtle Times
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Vol. 14, No. 19, Sept. 22, ‘09 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: None
In the Box . . .
Sweet potatoes ‘Beauregaard’
Winter squash ‘Sunshine’ Kabocha or Spaghetti squash or Butternut
Garlic ‘German Extra Hardy’
Braising greens
Pac choi ‘Mei Qing’
Raspberries ‘Autumn Bliss’ (some sites)
Green beans ‘Jumbo’, ‘Maxibel’, ‘Fortex’, ‘Aunt Ada’s’
Tomatoes ‘Green Zebra’ ‘Celebrity’
Peppers ‘Ace’ , ‘Orion’ (green), jalapeno, ‘Tiberon’ ancho, ‘Saigon’, ‘Sunray’, ‘Franks’, ‘Sweet Tolli’s’, ‘Lipstick’, ‘Sweet Chocolate, ‘Yummy’
Ala carte options: chocolate mint, rosemary, lavender, parsley, tarragon, thyme ($1 ea.),
Free to those requesting it: sage, basil bouquet, golden beet greens
If you want any of these free or ala carte items email angela@turtle-farm.com; Friday delivery requests sent after Tuesday, email Ben at grizzdover@gmail.com
Farm Update
Heads up everyone! Things are changing fast at the farm. This week you are getting half your sweet potatoes, the second half of your German Extra Hardy garlic, and some fall greens (remember to cure the sweet potatoes in a warm room for at least another week and don’t wash them until you are ready to use them). The tomatoes have taken a nose dive, so we are opening them up to picking by anyone who might want some end of the season remains. This excludes a row of ‘Celebrity’ which is up the hill, and maybe the ‘Green Zebras”. Also we cannot pick all the green beans so the Maxibel green beans are also open for anyone who might want some. These are the ones near the highway on the right when you come in the driveway. The catalog says they do not freeze well, but I know some people who have fully cooked them rather than blanching them and then frozen them. Be sure to only save/use the smaller tender ones.
The bulk and weight of the winter squash can be a delivery challenge. We often put them in crates at the site, but some of you are overlooking them or perhaps did not want them. If you wanted a winter squash last week but overlooked them, let us know and we will try to get one to you. Please watch for these crates and signs indicating that you may take one per box.
I will be unavailable to take any ala carte or free orders that come in after Tuesday this week. So if you forget to email it to me by then, please send it to Ben as noted above (grizzdover@gmail.com). Also, next week’s online newsletter will be late, not arriving until Monday evening, making it a bit tricky for any Tuesday orders. (You can call 577-9208 by noon on the day of delivery if you need to.)
Keep the date: Fall potluck Oct. 4, 4 pm at the farm. Bring a generous dish to share, your own service, and a chair might be helpful, too. Drinks provided. We may use this opportunity for the October share customers who come to select their pumpkin.
Reminder: The regular season ends soon. For your last box pickup, bring a bag to put your veggies in and bring and leave all your boxes behind. That happens this week for the “A” week half shares.
Recipes
At the end of last year, I tried the following pizza recipe and wound up making variations of it all winter. While it calls for butternut squash, I’m sure you could use any larger winter squash, or possibly even sweet potatoes. One variation that I tried since I did not have fresh sage all winter was to use several tablespoons of the Walnut Sage pesto recipe below spread on the pizza crust with the olive oil and garlic and deleting the parsley and sage called for in the pizza recipe.
Butternut Squash Pizza (from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters)
1 butternut squash (or other similar) ¼ c. grated mozzarella cheese
Olive oil ¼ c. grated Gruyere cheese
Salt and Pepper 12 sprigs parsley
2 cloves garlic 20 sage leaves
Pizza dough for 1 pizza ½ lemon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the butternut crosswise just above the bulge. Cut off the top about ½ below the stem and the bottom as well. Peel the two squash pieces. Cut both pieces lengthwise and then cut ¼ inch slices (after removing seeds from bottom half). You will have half moons for the upper part, and elongated C shapes from the bottom half. Brush the slices with olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast about 30 minutes or until the slices are lightly browned and tender to the touch.
Meanwhile, peel and chop fine the garlic and add to about ¼ c. olive oil. When the squash slices are done, remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 450 to 500 degrees. Brush the prepared pizza crust with the olive oil and garlic, and sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella and Gruyere. Arrange the slices of cooked squash over the cheese. Bake the pizza for about 10 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheeses have melted. While the pizza is baking, chop the parsley leaves. Fry the sage leaves briefly in hot olive oil, then drain them on an absorbent towel. When the pizza is done, garnish with the sage leaves, the chopped parsley, and a squeeze of lemon.
Walnut Sage Pesto (from The Compleat Squash by Amy Goldman)
¾ c. walnuts ½ c. chopped parsley
½ c. pine nuts 3 to 4 T. chopped fresh sage leaves
2 cloves garlic ½ c. olive oil
1 tsp. salt ½ c. grated parmesan cheese
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the walnuts, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown and become fragrant, about 5 min. Toast the pine nuts separately, since they take a shorter time to brown (about 2 minutes) and will burn if toasted with the walnuts. Remove the nuts from the heat and allow to cool.
Put the garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse to chop. Add the parsley and sage and process until blended; add the toasted nuts and pulse until finely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube with the motor running. Then turn off the motor, add the cheese, and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep (covered with ¼ inch olive oil) in the refrigerator for several weeks, or in the freezer up to one year.