Week #12 - 2014 FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Final Treats

Well, twelve weeks have rolled by and we find ourselves on the last week of our CSA share for 2014. We have enjoyed feeding you all, new customers and old (or should I say returning :). Its been a growing season of extremes.. wet start and wet finished sandwiched between a very dry spell. As usual some plants enjoyed the season and others didn't. We hope that despite any of the challenges that you ate well, learned something new and expanded your eating experience. 

The final box will bring a few final treats: 

• Eggplant - this purple people pleaser is yummy fall treat. Slice it up and roast or fry it or make our favorite baba ghanoush - a Mediterranean dip.  
• Tomatillo - you will find these gems inside the paper bag. This is the best way to store them. Tomatillos are often referred to as the Mexican tomato and grow with a papery husk around them that you remove. (similiar to ground cherries). A tomatillo is the main ingredient in many salsas such as salsa verde.
• Spaghetti Squash - as many of you know our squash experiment using straw bales did not do as well as we would hope. Between this new growing technique and the weather conditions this growing season, most of our squash are delayed and are not yet ready. We have tucked in a special treat from our friends from Almost Urban Farm who had some spaghetti squash to share. Please be assured that they too grow their veggies in a natural, sustainable manner with no pesticides or herbicides. A huge thank to them for helping us out! 
• Pumpkin - Fall would not be fall if it didn't have pumpkins! This year we grew both the traditional orange pumpkins as well as a yellowish "ghost" pumpkin variety. We wanted to be sure that you all got your pumpkin before the end of the CSA so we have tucked them in the box. If your pumpkin is still green, do not fear it will ripen up over the next few weeks in time for carving or eating - whatever your pleasure! 
• Finally, we've also tucked in a small potted cilantro plant for your windowsill. May the fresh, fragant smell of this yummy herb extend your summer just a little. 

So... What's all in the Box this week?

• Swiss Chard
• Romaine Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Spaghetti Squash - New!
• Tomatoes
• Eggplant - New!
• Beans
• Tomatillos - New!
• Ground Cherries
• Melons 
• Kale
• Carrots
• Peppers - Hot and Sweet
• Onion
• Leeks
• Potatoes
• Rhubarb
• Pumpkin - New!
• Dried Basil - for full shares only
• Potted cilantro plant - New!

Please keep in touch! As you may know we sell eggs, meats and selected other products all year round so check back here regularly for updates. We are gearing up for Open Farm Day this Sunday from 11-4 when we, along with many other farms, open our farms to the public. As always you are welcome to come for a visit, either on Sunday or any other day. Just let us know. Thank you so much for your confidence and trust in our products... we look forward to feeding you in the future. 

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Week #12 - FFF CSA Blog - To everything there is a season...

This week marks the last of our CSA shareholder boxes :(  It is always a time of year that I greet with mixed feelings. I will miss the weekly routine and opportunity to meet our customers and share our the bounty of our labours.

However, I would be lying if I wasn't looking forward to a bit of slower pace and less pressing deadlines. But as some famous playwright said... to everything there is a season.

Now we turn our attention to preparing for the coming winter - harvesting, preserving, storing and building and preparing new winter homes for some of our animals. And of course - more time for the best thing we've ever produced - our three wonderful children.

A big thank you for those that came out during Open Farm Day! We had over 200 visitors on Sunday and loved being able to show off our operation and teach a bit about what we do!

This week our customers will enjoy (among other things) a lovely watermelon, several different varieties of squash and some tomatillos. A tomatillo is also known as a mexican tomato or tomato verde (green tomato). It grows on a plant that is similar to a tomato but a papery husk forms around the tomato (a lot like the ground cherries). Many people have not eaten a tomatillo before and therefore I've put a few links below to some ideas of what you can do with them. My favorite is making Salsa Verde (green salsa) - absolutely love the stuff. A trick I use is to make the sauce - blend it and then pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Then I place in a ziplock bag and whenever I need a bit of Salsa Verde to add to recipe or put on my taco - I can take out as little as a tablespoon or as much as a cup just by selecting the number of ice cubes I need!

http://www.canadiangardening.com/food-and-entertaining/in-season/five-things-to-do-with-your-tomatillos/a/37287

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/tomatillos/

What's in the Box this week?

Peppers
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Honeydew melon
Tomatoes
Squash - several varieties
Tomatillos
Leeks
Beets
Watermelon
Ground Cherries
Ground Coriander
(Cilantro when it goes to seed becomes Coriander - we've ground it up and provided it to you in a little bag. Fresh coriander is the best!)

So to our shareholders we bid farewell for now and promise to check in regularly when we have something new to share or sell. Let's hope for a quick, mild winter followed by a glorious spring! Hoping we will see you all back again for veggies share next year! Bye for now! Take good care!