CSA Week 16

The weather has officially announced that it is fall with wind, rain, and cooler temperatures! We still haven't received our first frost (the average first frost here is September 17) so we continue to enjoy some of the warmer season crops until this happens. But cooler temperatures actually help some of our late season crops. Vegetables like brussel sprouts, kale, some cabbage, and rhutabaga actually improve in flavour with a frost. 

It's hard to believe that we only have 5 weeks, including this week, until our 2016 season is over! We are in the thick of planning for 2017 and have a few exciting additions and changes to share with you. I'm going to save the details for a later post but I will hint that these changes might involve a home delivery option, and more share customization options, and more eggs, and more payment options!

With only one month left with Thomas' help, we are trying to knock off all the winter prep tasks as well as some last minute building projects. We need to redo the insulation on our walk-in cooler, build new wash tables, pack up all the drip tape, row cover, and landscape fabric in the fields, and possibly build more tables for the greenhouse. And October is also garlic planting month so we will be busy prepping the beds and getting the garlic in the ground before the weather turns too cold. We will be nearly doubling our garlic crop for 2017 as this is a crop we hope to grow not only for our share members but also for bulk sale at garlic festivals and local stores. 

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This week you are receiving a pie pumpkin in your shares. Pumpkins are in the same family as winter squash and can be prepared in very similar ways. While not quite as sweet as squash, they still lend themselves to both sweet and savory dishes. For those that love pumpkin pie you are all set! For those that would rather not bake a pie, the next best thing is pumpkin soup! Here is one of my favourite pumpkin soup recipes:

Spiced Pumpkin Soup
(this makes a very large batch but can be easily cut in half or more)
2 -3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 - 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
4 - 5 large carrots, chopped
4 - 5 stalks celery, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, chopped
10 cups water, vegetable or chicken stock
8 cups pie pumpkin puree
2 - 3 cups white beans 
2 - 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
3 - 4 tsp Herbamare or sea salt
​1/2 - 1 tsp ground black pepper

Heat an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the oil, then add onion; saute for about 5 minutes. Then add ginger, carrots, celery and apples; saute for 5 - 10 minutes more. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, covered. 

Puree soup in batches or with an immersion blender. Garnish each bowl with a swirl of coconut milk or cilantro, if desired. 

Taken from Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre