Turtle Times
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Vol. 14, No. 21, Oct. 6, ‘09 7260 NW 58th St., Johnston 50131 278-4522 (577-9208)
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Rain: 10/2, 1.4”
In the Box . . .
Pumpkin ‘Amish pie’ or ‘Winter Luxury’
Cabbage ‘Late Flat Dutch’ or ‘Storage #4’
Turnips ‘Hakurei’
Leeks ‘King Richard’ or ‘Bandit’
Lettuce mix
Ala carte options: mint, chocolate mint, rosemary, lavender, parsley ($1 ea.),
Free to those requesting it: sage
If you want any of these free or ala carte items email angela@turtle-farm.com
Farm Update
A light frost touched the farm Saturday night. It nipped the warm weather crops, browning the basil, even putting a tinge on some of the pumpkins. By design the October crops are frost tolerant or resistant, in fact, we hope for some frost to sweeten the Brussels sprouts. However, the cooler weather can be a challenge for the farm crew, especially when it’s wet like last week for several days without a break to do our outdoor harvesting. And then there’s the cleaning and washing of the crops as well. When the water feels warmer than the air, you know it’s chilly.
For some reason some of the fall crops just seem to grow larger as you may have noticed with last week’s Lutz beets. Part of it may be that we are growing larger varieties such as the Amish pie pumpkin and the late flat Dutch cabbage. They are amazing. If you get a large Amish pie pumpkin, they can be hard to cut open to seed and bake. Last year I actually put a whole pumpkin in the oven to bake it first and then cut it open and seeded it after it was cooked and the flesh was soft. For this week’s box, you may have more vegetable outside the box than we can fit inside.
Somehow we managed to pick the best day of the week for the fall potluck Sunday. About 25 people enjoyed great food and conversation, pumpkin selection, and a little gleaning from the summer crops. Anyone is welcome to pick remaining tomatoes, peppers, green beans, summer squash, and eggplant that weren’t damaged by frost. Other crops will not be open for picking until after the October share is over.
Delivery fee: Just as there was a $2 weekly charge for box delivery for the regular share, likewise, it also applies for the four weeks of October for those to whom Ben delivers. He will put an envelope in your box as a reminder for that charge.
Recipes (over)
Both recipes this week come from The Compleat Squash by Amy Goldman. Both sound great for the chilly weather. The soup is a main course soup from the Bordeaux region of France, with the pumpkin/squash taking the place of the usual white beans. And while it calls for duck ingredients, I’m planning to use chicken.
Pumpkin-Apple Butter
2 qr. Applesauce
2 qt. homemade pumpkin puree
Sugar
Lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the applesauce and pumpkin puree until well blended to make a vivid orange sauce. Fill a roasting pan with the mixture and bake for 6 or more hours, stirring it at least once an hour. When the consistency is to your liking, remove the pan from the oven. Discard any burned particles and mash the mixture with potato masher to break up any remnants of hard crust. Add sugar and lemon juice to taste and mix well. Pumpkin-apple butter will keep in the refrigerator for months and in the freezer for a year or more.
Garbure (serves 8)
2 leeks, trimmed, well rinsed, and cut into thin rings
1 large onion, but into medium dice
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, cut into medium dice
2 T. duck fat
5 qr. homemade duck or chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (2 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, tied in a bundle with string)
1 small cabbage, cored and chopped into large pieces
Duck confit (with 4 legs)
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into large cubes
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes
Sweat the leeks, onion, garlic, and celery in duck fat over medium-low heat in a sturdy 2-gallon stockpot until the vegetables are fragrant and cooked through. Add the stock and bouquet garni to the pot and bring to a boil. Skim off any impurities and then reduce the heat to a summer. Add the cabbage, duck confit, turnips, and potatoes. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer for 1 hour over low heat, skimming off the melted duck fat as it rises to the surface. The potatoes and turnips will break down, adding body to the soup. Carefully remove the duck legs from the soup; the meat will be meltingly tender. Separate and add the meat to the soup, discarding the skin and bones. Add water to the soup if too much of the broth has evaporated. Add the cubed pumpkin to the soup and return to a simmer. Continue cooking until the pumpkin is soft, approximately 15 minutes. Take out the bouquet garni and add the duck meat to the soup. Season with salt and pepper.