Frost

Well, it's the middle of October and the first frost is right on queue. This weekend will get down into the 20's which means our more fragile crops will not survive for next week. So we are busy picking lettuce, covering the greens and digging sweet potatoes. The days leading to the first frost are full of hustle and questioning. How cold will it really get? What do we need to harvest all of? What will survive a touch of frost? How soon until the big freeze? It is a real beginning of the end and a harsh reminder of all the vegetables we still need to get from the fields. The days of lazy fall farming are over and the rush to winter is on. Here's to frost and the promise of a full root cellar.

Scenes from the farm: more cleaned up fields seeded in cover crop for the winter; our latest invention: a funnel made of old bins to empty crates of onions into burlap sacks for storage; radicchio and napa in the wash tub; greenhouse seeded for the winter.

In the share:

head lettuce

arugula

specialty greens

cabbage

napa cabbage

radicchio

fennel

broccoli

spinach

beets

carrots

potatoes

parsnips

celery root

radishes

turnips

onions

garlic

sweet peppers

hot peppers

collard greens

kale

swiss chard

herbs

pie pumpkin

winter squash

Grilled "Tricolore" Salad with Radicchio, Fennel and Parsley

Kristin Donnelly Epicurious May 2014

Ingredients

    • 1 small heads radicchio (about 3/4 pound), cut into 6 wedges through the core
    • 1 large fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise 1/3 inch thick
    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more, for brushing
    • Salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 cup parsley leaves, half left whole and half roughly chopped
    • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon mustard
    • 1/2 teaspoon honey
    • Pecorino cheese, for shaving

Preparation

    1. Light a grill and preheat for at least 10 minutes or preheat a grill pan. Brush the cut sides of the radicchio and fennel with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the radicchio with one of the cut sides down and the fennel over moderately high heat until the radicchio is charred and the fennel has dark brown grill marks, about 2 minutes. Turn the radicchio so the other cut sides are down and flip the fennel and grill for about 2 minutes longer.
    2. Transfer the radicchio and fennel to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Thinly slice the radicchio crosswise, discarding the core. Slice the fennel lengthwise 1/3 inch thick and discard the core.
    3. In a bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard and honey. Gradually add the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a thin stream, whisking. Add the radicchio, fennel and parsley leaves to the dressing and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the salads to plates. Using a vegetable peeler, shave some pecorino on top, then serve.

Tuscan-Kale-and-Squash Minestra

Minestra is a light, brothy Italian soup with vegetables. "In this version, I sauté Tuscan kale and butternut squash with onion, garlic and rosemary, then simmer them in chicken stock with pasta and white beans," Grace Parisi says.

  • Total Time: 45 MIN
  • Servings: Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped

  • One 2-pound butternut squash, neck only, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

  • 1 pound Tuscan kale, stemmed and leaves coarsely chopped

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 1/2 cup ditalini or tubettini pasta

  • 1 cup drained canned navy beans

  • Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and garlic toasts, for serving

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the squash, cover and cook, stirring, until lightly browned in spots but not tender, 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the kale and cook, stirring, until wilted, 5 minutes. Add the stock, cover and simmer until the kale and squash are just tender, 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta.
  3. Add the pasta and navy beans to the soup and simmer until the soup is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Ladle the soup into deep bowls and garnish with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve with garlic toasts.

 

Malaika SpencerComment