Farmer John Writes…
Greetings from Angelic Organics!

Vegetable of the Week: Butternut Squash
From page 308 in our cookbook: Butternut Squash has tan skin and a shape reminiscent of a peanut. They have bright orange flesh and are sweet and moist. Without anyone knowing the difference, butternut squash can be substituted for part or all of the pumpkin in pumpkin pie.

Try the Indian Squash and Split Peas recipe on pg 311. The greens you are receiving this week will pair well with this dish.

You will be receiving winter squash each week from now until the end of the season. Many of our shareholders welcome this comfort food, rich with sunlight and warmth stored up during the long summer days. Familiarize yourself with winter squash, starting on pg 307 in our cookbook.

About the pie pumpkins we have been sending you: many people choose to use the pie pumpkins as fall decorations. Therefore, we left the stems on the last batch we sent out, which makes for nicer pumpkin decor.  It’s a bit more time consuming to handle pumpkins in the field with stems on, since the stem can mark neighboring pumpkins in our harvest bins, but we wanted to give you pumpkins that are ideal for eating or display.

Lots of butternut & acorn squash

Crop Update
A fairly hard frost arrived this last weekend. We were well positioned for it: our squash was all harvested (be prepared for lots of squash from now until the end of the season!); we harvested the remaining eggplant; we covered our head lettuce and direct seeded baby lettuce with Reemay. No panic…no drama…just taking care of your vegetables so they go into the boxes, not into the compost pile and not plowed back into the field.

Think about your vegetables that still remain in the field: kale, chard, baby greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage…Imagine the winds, rains and frosts that become more frequent during October. Imagine our crew out there, sometimes in rain gear, heavy jackets, and rubber boots, harvesting crops for you.

From A Shareholder

Shelly,
A word about those tiny sweet peppers a few weeks ago, the miniature ones that were a mistake. Chopped raw in a salad they had such amazing flavor, they were almost like olives, or even something I’d never tasted before.  I know the harvesting was labor intensive so we probably won’t see them next season, but they sure were a treat.  Thanks!
– Susan

Extended Season Shares
We’ve had many requests from shareholders who still want to sign up for extended season shares. It’s hard to judge just how much crop we will have as we approach season’s end, so we’re holding off on making more shares available. We’ll let everyone know by Week 19. If you’ve already signed up for an extended season share, it will be there for you.

Is Home Delivery for You?
We’re excited to be partnering with Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks on home delivery. We love the idea of our vegetables arriving conveniently at your doorstep, protected from weather. Consider signing up with them for home delivery in 2012. Sign up will only be needed a few weeks before our season begins.

Thanks!
I just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed the service from Fresh Picks. Its been great.
Janet 

Hi Shelly– wanted to let you know that the home delivery is going well. I love having it come to my doorstep, and I love that it comes on a weekday. The Sat pickup was hard to fit in– and I hated having to go through all the veggies on the weekend. I’d rather get my veggies during the week, so I can plan my weekend meals ahead of time. 
Best,
Katie 

Upcoming Programs at the Angelic Organics Learning Center

Farm Dreams, October 16 Have you ever dreamed of starting your own farm? In this interactive workshop, we’ll learn about types of sustainable farming careers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, take part in a series of self-assessments, and be better prepared to decide whether to pursue a farming business…

Cornbread from the Ground Up:
A Family Workshop, October 22, 2011 2:00 pm – 4:30pm 
Starting with ears of dried corn and eggs from our chickens, we’ll cook up a feast of tasty cornbread.  Family members of all ages are welcome to take turns as we shuck, shell, winnow and grind the corn. Learn about the long history of corn, and receive a recipe and tips about seeds to bring home.

Please register at least 1 week in advance at www.learngrowconnect.org or (815) 389-8455.

The following link takes you to the Learning Center October calendar:  http://www.learngrowconnect.org/event

warmly,
Farmer John

Please Note: this summary is written before you receive your box—please be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.

 
Herbs –Anise or Oregano
Fruiting Crops – Eggplant, Butternut squash, maybe a pie pumpkin or maybe an acorn squash
Brassicas – either a Cauliflower, cabbage or Broccoli
Alliums – a Leek
Cooking Greens – Tatsoi, bunched kale
Salad Greens –a head of Lettuce,
Root Crops – Celeriac, 5# of potatoes- mixed varieties