• Red Meat Radish
• Cauliflower
• Salad Mix
• Garlic
• Lacinato Kale
• Delicata  Squash
• Onions
• Eggplant
• Peppers

News from the Farm
By Rebecca Claypool

 It’s the last week of September already, and I can’t believe how fast this season has passed by. It’s a bit strange heading into October after a September that was on average warmer than June, July or August. The fall is a busy time at Featherstone. We grow a lot of cool weather crops for store accounts, and there is always a massive amount of cleanup and field preparation for next year. This week we have some large store orders and due to the threat of frost we are also focusing on harvesting the remainder of our winter squash. I wish Featherstone had a digital camera so we could include pictures, because the process of harvesting winter squash is worth it. Last year we picked squash by loading large wooden bins on the back of the flatbed truck, cut the squash into piles in the field, and then tossed the squash up to someone on the truck to load into the bins. This year we have a veggivator to expedite the process. First we load bins onto a trailer pulled by a tractor. Between the tractor and trailer the veggivator is connected and extends away from the trailer over the bed of squash. We can control the height of the veggivator over the bed as well as the speed of the belt. The veggivator works just like a treadmill. We turn on the belt, drive forward slowly, and folks behind the veggivator cut squash, put in on the belt which carries the squash to the end where someone else picks it up and places it in a bin on the trailer. It works superbly.

By Rebecca Claypool

Red Meat Radish: These are a specialty radish with green skin and a dark pink flesh. They are very sweet with great flavor.

Cauliflower: This will probably be the only week of cauliflower so enjoy it. The heads are gorgeous. You might notice a little yellowing on some of the larger heads. Exposure to the sun causes the plant to yellow; so many people tie the large leaves over the developing heads to maintain the whiteness.

Garlic: Here is some Red German hard neck garlic. We didn’t have time to clean the garlic last week, so if you couldn’t find it in your box that’s okay, because it wasn’t there.

 Lacinato Kale: This Kale is also known as Dino kale. It goes great in so many dishes, soups, stews, stir fries, quiches, eggs, casserole and more! Yum Yum

Delicata  Squash: This squash is in the pepo group of squash as are most squash with stripes. It is sweet, has edible skin, it’s meant to be eaten early (now and for the next month or two), and requires no curing before storage.

Onions: Here are some more sweet onions.

Eggplant: Some more Globe eggplant. Keep it in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator, and eat it sooner than later. I made some terrific baba ganoush last week.  

Peppers: Here are some more bell peppers of all colors.

Eggplant Fritada
Adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by The Moosewood Collective

• 2 medium eggplants
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 1⁄2 cups cheddar cheese
• 1⁄2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1⁄4 cup bread crumbs or matzo meal
• 2 tbl olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Freshly grated nutmeg

Cut eggplants into eights, including skins.  Simmer in a covered pan for 15 minutes, until pulp is tender.  Drain and set aside to cool.  Separate pulp from skins, careful not to tear skins.  Reserve skins.

Puree eggplant pulp with garlic in food processor or blender.  Add eggs, 2 cups cheddar, 1⁄2 cup Romano and 1 cup cottage cheese.  Combine thoroughly.  Add breadcrumbs if mixture needs thickening. 

Line a 9x13 inch oiled baking dish with eggplant skins, shiny side down.  Pour the mixture over the skins.  Sprinkle the top with reserved 1⁄2 cup cheddar and a dusting of nutmeg.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour until golden brown.  Cut into squares and serve as an appetizer or an entrée.  Pairs nicely with green salad and tomatoes vinaigrette.

Linguine with Cauliflower, Broccoli and Bell Peppers

• 3 tbl olive oil
• 2 cups diced onion
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 2 cups chopped cauliflower
• 2 medium bell peppers, diced (red or orange are nice for color)
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• Pepper
• 1 lb linguine
• 1⁄2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1⁄2 cup minced fresh basil
• Grated parmesan

Put up a large pot of water to boil.  Add onion and salt, sauté 5 minutes until just tender.  Add cauliflower and broccoli, stir and cook 5 minutes until just tender.  Add bell pepper, stir and cook 2 more minutes.  Stir in garlic and pepper to taste, adjust salt and set aside.

Cook pasta al dente.  Drain, transfer to a large bowl and add the sauté.  Toss and sprinkle in parsley, basil and parmesan.  Serve right away.   

Cauliflower in Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms and Garlic

• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 tsp ea dried oregano, basil, thyme, ground rosemary
• 1 1⁄2 tsp salt
• Pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1⁄2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 10 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 4 tbl tomato paste
• 2 medium heads of cauliflower, cut or broken into 1 inch florets (1 head will suffice)
• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• Grated parmesan
• Minced fresh parsley
• Minced fresh basil

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Add onion, dried herbs, salt, pepper, bay leaves and mushrooms and sauté 8-10 minutes until onions are clear. 
2. Add garlic, vinegar, water and tomato paste and whisk until blended.  Add cauliflower and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes until cauliflower is just tender.  Set aside.
3. Cook macaroni al dente.  Drain and add to sauce.  Mix well and spoon into a serving bowl. 
4. Serve garnished with lots of Parmesan plus fresh parsley and basil.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Szechwan Tofu Triangles in Triple Pepper Sauce with Garlic

• 1 1⁄2 lbs firm tofu
• 5 tbl peanut oil
• 1⁄2 cup rice wine
• 1⁄4 cup tamari
• 1 3⁄4 cups water
• 4 tbl rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbl honey
• 8 large cloves garlic1 tbl dry mustard
• 4 tbl cornstarch
• 3 cups coarsely chopped onion
• 1 yellow bell pepper, in strips
• 1 red bell pepper, instrips
• 1 1/2tsp salt
• Crushed red pepper
• Black pepper
• 6 scallions, minced
• 2 cups rice, cooked

1. Cut tofu into triangles and fry in a wok or skillet with peanut oil until crisp. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine rice wine, tamari, water, rice wine vinegar, honey and dry mustard. Heat almost to boiling then remove from heat.  Place cornstarch in a bowl, add hot liquid and whisk until blended.  Add to saucepan.  Set aside.
3. Heat wok again and add remaining 1 tbl peanut oil and cook onion over high heat for 2 minutes.  Add bell peppers, salt, red and black pepper and cook 2 minutes.  Add tofu triangles.
4. Whisk the sauce from saucepan to re blend cornstarch, add to wok.  Cook over high heat for 8 minutes.  Garnish with scallions and serve over rice.

Kale and Potato Gratin

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker

• 4 medium Yukon Gold or other potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
• 2 small onions, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
• 1 large bunch kale, stemmed and washed
• 1 tbl butter, cut into pieces
• 1⁄2 tsp minced fresh tarragon, or 1⁄2 tsp dried
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 1⁄2 cups milk or half & half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 2 quart baking dish.  Steam kale until almost tender, 8-10 minutes.  Drain and let cool.  Press out excess water and coarsely chop.  In the baking dish build up alternating layers of potatoes, onions and kale, beginning and ending with potatoes.  Dot each onion layer with 1 tbl butter, tarragon, salt & pepper.  Pour milk over the layers. Cover and bake 30-45 minutes.  Broil the top to brown, if desired.

Kale with Bacon
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker

• 1 large bunch of kale, leaves stripped from stems and coarsely chopped
• 1-2 slices of bacon, fried until crisp, diced and set aside, 1 tbl fat reserved in pan
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Salt
• 1 tbl red wine vinegar

Add olive oil, garlic and onion to bacon fat ad cook until golden brown, then add as much kale as will fit and sprinkle with salt. When the kale cooks down, add the rest.  Cover and cook until kale is tender, 15-20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and toss with reserved bacon and red wine vinegar.