We have 3 weeks left of our main season CSA. It always goes faster than we think it will! We have decided not to do a winter share this year, for oh so many reasons. But please stay tuned for CSA renewal for 2021 and possible bonus shares later in the fall. Our farm has shifted to be a mainly CSA farm (from doing farmer’s markets and wholesale) and we are loving it. We love that we can give our members the best produce every week and focus on the shares completely. But being a CSA farm can be hard since year to year it is difficult to predict membership. Having members return year after year is the easiest and best way we can predict our farm’s income and focus on what we love doing which is growing produce. Please start to consider if you’d like to join us next season. We will be sending out a member survey this week so that we can integrate your feedback into next year’s plans and will be offering a returning member discount. Thank you so much for your incredible support in this totally bonkers year and we hope that the veggies that came from our farm created some comfort and inspiration for you.

Scenes: radicchio in all it’s glory, boxes in all their glory, truck all packed up, Tammy with the fennel fronds, cover crop growing and building soil.

For this week:

garlic (1 bulb)

specialty greens (red and green baby mustard and baby kale) (bag)

salad mix (bag) limit 1

spinach (bag) limit 1

carrots (5-6 carrots) limit 1

swiss chard (bunch)

beets (1 pint)

Sweet peppers (4 peppers)

Shishito peppers (1 quart)

Mixed herb bunch

White potatoes (1 quart)

Red Potatoes (1 quart)

Hot peppers: 1 pint jalapeno, 1 quart mixed hot chilis

jimmy nardello frying peppers (1 quart)

broccoli raab (1 bunch)

arugula (1 bag) Limit 1

head lettuce (1 head) limit 1

red radish (1 bunch)

watermelon radish (1 bunch) limit 1

purple daikon radish (1 bunch)

hakurei turnip (1 bunch)

Unripe green tomatoes (2 lbs) limit 1

Escarole (1 head)

Red Radicchio (1 head)

Pan di Zucchero Radicchio (1 head)

Tatsoi (1 head)

Fennel (1 large bulb)

Kale: curly and toscano (1 Bunch)

Purple Kohlrabi (3 bulbs)

winter squash: delicata squash (2 squash) or butternut squash (1 squash) limit 1

napa cabbage (1 head)

Potato-Fennel Gratin (updated)

2 fennel bulbs, stalks removed
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled (4 large potatoes)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
2 ½ cups grated Gruyère cheese, divided (½ pound)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 x 15 x 2-inch (10 cup) baking dish.

Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise and slice them crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Put the olive oil and butter in a medium (10-inch) sauté pan and sauté the fennel and onions together over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender.

Thinly slice the potatoes by hand or with a mandoline. Place them in a large bowl with the 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the fennel and onion mixture and mix well.

Pour the potato mixture into the prepared baking dish. Press down lightly to smooth the top. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and ½ cup of Gruyère and sprinkle evenly on the top. Bake for between 1 and 1¼ hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot.

Pickup #20

Potato-Fennel Gratin (updated)

Roots to River Farm