The farm rhythm feels like it is starting to slow. All the crops are planted and all of the large harvests are finished. We have started cover cropping fields for the winter (the oats and peas that we seeded before last Monday’s rain are germinating well), packing seed crops, and preparing for things like first frost (which still seems a long way off, although it shouldn’t be). It is always a welcome shift: more time to spend together. Evan Shea and I spent the morning yesterday at the Union Books, one of his favorite indoor spaces.
This week’s share will include: pumpkin/winter squash, garlic, leeks, choice of greens (we will have mustards and turnips by Saturday), lettuce, arugula or mesclun mix, red radishes, pink and white turnips (like the ones above), beets, eggplant (looks like production will drop next week), sweet peppers (may be last week we pick these), jalapeños, okra, and cherry tomatoes. We will have herbs and slicing tomatoes for Sustaining Members. Fennel is ready. We usually wait to harvest it until there is an impending frost, but we will probably harvest next week. Bok choy is “ready” but has struggled to size up well with lack of rain. We may wait a couple of weeks still. Broccoli and cabbage is not far behind.
Turnip ideas? My favorite way is still in roasted mixed root veggies. I also like them mixed with potatoes (either mashed or roasted), raw in salads, and in soups. If you don’t love the taste, try them in something like this gratin: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013440-root-vegetable-gratin
