The “Tell” – Springdell Summer CSA Pickup #14


Hi everyone, Jess here.  As I sit here, I feel the cool crisp autumn air overtaking the last heatwaves of the summer. To me, it feels like September just flew, but exciting times await! With the fall comes apples, squashes, brassicas and root veggies. Cranberries and celery usually come when things cool off just a bit more (and if you haven’t tried Springdell’s celery, you are in for a treat!) I’m getting a little ahead of myself, so let’s get back to this week’s Tell of the Springdell Show and Tell
As the shares get heavier, it becomes more difficult to finish the veggies in one week’s time, however, with many veggies from this part of the season, you don’t have to eat them all at once! The winter squashes and apples usually can be stored for longer than a week if stored properly.  Read here to learn more about storing squashes for the winter, as well as for other recipes and ideas! Please note that this week’s squashes were a little effected by some of the plant ailments of the season (perhaps powdery mildew, which I saw run rampant through the Community Garden this summer) so they will not store as well as usual, try to keep an eye on the integrity of the squash skin and eat them more promptly.  

  • Gala Apples
    • Enjoyed as-is (these are a favorite snacking apple in this house)
  • McIntosh Apples
    • Slow Cooker Applesauce
    • A couple in breakfast smoothies

  • Lettuce
    • Salads and Wraps for Egg Salad

These flowers were so beautiful on the table all week, and really brightened our days (especially Nan’s!)

All other veggie scraps composted unless otherwise noted.

This week was a short and sweet one recipe-wise at the Anderson household.

Meatless Monday consisted of a BBQ Seitan lettuce wrap with quick pickled veggies (the brine for the veggies was a sprinkle of sugar into some rice vinegar). Blanched corn on the cob made a quick appearance, the corn that was not eaten was cut off the cob for freezing. (If you feel inundated with corn now, cut some off the cob and pop it in the freezer. Trust me, your winter-self will thank you!)

This curry was made in the slow cooker using an adaptation of this Pumpkin Massaman Curry recipe.  Included as veggies were a couple of fingerling eggplants from the swap box, a pepper, and an onion.  

I can’t believe I didn’t grab a better photo of this dish. It’s creamy and stewy with a subtle spiciness (muted by the coconut milk) and just tastes very autumn to me. Though the skin is edible on the buttercup squash, I’d recommend peeling the buttercup cubes for this recipe. The skin has a little bit of a distracting taste in this dish and the skinless batch was much tastier.  

Photo by Helen J.

To break up Curryfest, my friend Helen had spiralized some noodles with our last zucchini of the season, and then tossed them with a simple cream sauce and cherry tomatoes.  

Photo by Helen J.

If you don’t have a spiralizer, now might be a good time to pick one up!  Winter squashes spiralize beautifully into noodles. You can get a small hand held spiralizer for short money, or opt for a fancier model, such as this one that attaches to the Kitchen Aid.  

Photo by Helen J.

 

Check this out!

These little brown saucers are shiitake mushrooms growing on a log in my yard! A couple of years ago, I had planted a mushroom garden (which involves drilling holes into hardwood logs, and then hammering plugs of mushroom spores into the holes). The mushroom garden was a time consuming experiment but the payoff is finally here!  I’ll be making a dish with these puppies soon, so stay tuned!

Photo by Jamie Cruz

Did you see Farmer Jamie’s apple this week?  This stuffed Cortland apple was gutted and steamed for an hour before being filled with oatmeal (sweetened with a dash of sugar and mixed with candied pecans).  Heavy whipped cream, ice cream and honey topped this delicious fruit!

Don’t forget to swing by Briar’s Sunflower patch when you next visit the farmstand, it is nature’s therapy. Also, if you see Farmer Jamie, be sure to wish her a Happy Birthday!Another friendly reminder that Springdell is having a Scarecrow Decorating contest! This coming weekend, Friday September 28 (4-dusk), Saturday, September 29(8-6), and Sunday September 30 (9-3), you can come to the farm with your recycled clothes and other scarecrow decor (Springdell will provide the hay) and make your best scarecrow.  Prizes include a 100 dollar gift card to the ‘Dell, a family grill package, or a full 2019 Summer CSA! Stop by the farmstand for details!

See you back here soon for the 15th “Show” of the Springdell Show and Tell! 


About Jess

Jess Anderson is the creator of CSA|365 and is passionate about the local food movement. A long time member of Springdell and a busy mother of two, Jess loves keeping her family fed by honest local food.

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