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Curried Winter Squash Soup |
From Angelic Organics Kitchen (adapted from Greene on Greens).
Serves 6 to 8
3 T unsalted butter
1 cup chopped scallions (about 6 scallions)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
2 pounds butternut squash (about 1/2 large squash), peeled, seeded, cubed
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, or 2 cups
peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes
12 whole fresh curry leaves (optional)
1/2 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground mace
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 t curry powder
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions; sauté until soft and wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, jalapeño, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Add the squash and toss to coat it with the scallion mixture. Add the stock, tomatoes, curry leaves, allspice, mace, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is very tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor; purée.
4. Transfer the soup back to the pot. Stir in the curry powder and add salt and pepper to taste. Return the soup to a simmer to heat through. Garnish with parsley just before serving.
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Third Sunday Gatherings
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Third Sunday Gatherings are back this season! For those of you who are new to the
farm or to Third Sunday Gatherings, they are a great opportunity to meet fellow
shareholders and learn about various topics related to our mission. Each
time, we will start with a farm-fresh potluck at five o'clock followed by a
guest speaker.
October 21st - ***TBD*** November 18th
- Harvest Potluck - Details to follow.
December 16th
- Winter Solstice - Details to follow. January 20th, 2008 - CFO Annual Meeting - details to follow.
For more information...
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| Welcome to the 2007 Harvest Season! |
Share pickups at the farm are:
- Tuesday, September 18, 3-7:30 PM
- Thursday, September 20, 3-7:30 PM
- Sunday, September 23, 3-7:30 PM
Share pickups in Somerville are Tuesday September 18 from 5-7 PM.
If you have a fruit share (from Autumn Hills Orchard) please remember to pick yours up at your regular vegetable distribution.
Bring bags for pickup if you have them.  Bring your own household compost if you don't mind the walk to the compost piles. Thanks to everyone who has brought compost!
Many thanks to Eric Wlodyka who has contributed to the newsletter photos this week. |
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What's in the shares
this week
Please
note: this list is prepared the week before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is
involved: some things may be in the share that are not on the
list, and some listed things may not be in the share.
 Winter Squash- Potatoes
- Lettuce
- Salad Greens (may include spinach, arugula, or greens mix)
- Choice of collards or kale
- Eggplant
- Leeks
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Pick your own crops this week
- Hot peppers
- Basil
- Beans
- Parsley
- Dill
- Cilantro
- Perennial Herbs
CSA
shareholders can visit the farm to pick your own Sunday through Thursday
during daylight hours. Visit the red pick-your-own kiosk in the fields for a list of available crops and picking
supplies. Please also feel free to harvest our experimental bed of okra if you have a great recipe! There is not enough to officially put it on our pick-your-own list, but let us know whether you'd like to see it in the future.
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Crop updates
 Rejoice in the mud and the rain! All of our prayers and rain dances finally came to fruition last week with a beautiful, soaking, 1 1/2 inch rain on Tuesday. Baby greens and cover crop seeds sprouted like crazy and dry crops heaved a sigh of relief. Wilting leaves regained their former energy. Carrots and basil put out new shoots. By Thursday, a hatch of new insects was filling the golden evening air with a millions wings. It felt like the farm had come back to life. On Saturday morning, we got another another 1/3 of an inch of light rain to soak it all in again. We slept in this weekend; no need to irrigate.
 Now comes the real fall harvest, complete with winter squash, cabbage, root crops and greens. The following guide to the winter squash is intended to help you decide which ones to eat first and which to hold on to. Here's a link with pictures to help you identify which are which.
Spaghetti squash are the beautiful, orange footballs that you picked up at the distributions last week. You should eat them soon and not expect them to store for very long. The flesh of spaghettis separates into long strands (look here for a picture and a how-to) that can substitute for pasta or be served like any other winter squash.
Sweet dumpling and delicata squashes, which will be in the shares this week, are among the tastier winter squash varieties. Delicata has a delicious flavor that is similar to sweet potatoes, while sweet dumpling is a slightly drier squash that is perfect for a single serving. Both these squashes are "short storage" squashes that should be eaten within six weeks.
You'll see acorn, cream acorn and golden acorn squashes the week of September 24, along with one select butternut (more butternuts will follow in October). Acorns are decent storers, and can keep 2-3 months if stored at 50-55 degrees. Each squash makes about two servings. Butternuts are great storage squash (one might be lurking in my house even now from last season) and their flavor improves as they age, but they are also delicious now.
Winter squash are incredibly versatile, shining in souffles, soups, frittatas and stews where they can be spiced many different ways (check out epicurious for a few mouth-watering ideas) -- and, of course, you can always bake them with butter and brown sugar for a delicious dish on one of these chilly nights.
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Comings and goings on the farm
Thank you to Temple Beth El for their help harvesting collards last weekend!
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Warmly,
From all the staff at Waltham Fields Community Farm:
Meg Coward, Executive Director
Amanda Cather, Farm Manager
Andy Scherer, Assistant Farm Manager
Kate Darakjy and Martin Lemos, Assistant Growers
Josh Levin, Vincent Errico, Anna Wei, and Sara Franklin, Interns
Mark Walter, Children's Learning Garden Coordinator
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