2017 CSA Newsletter – Week #20    

Notes from the Farm

The final week of our 2017 CSA is here.  We’ll send you off with butternut squash, potatoes, garlic, carrots and french breakfast radishes, all of which can keep well for weeks or even months.  Leave the soil on the carrots and cut the greens from the radishes to extend their storage capability; dry and dark storage conditions work best for squash, potatoes and garlic, and though garlic will be comfortable at room temperature, squash and potatoes prefer cooler conditions (45-50 degrees) if you plan to store them for a couple months.  In addition to these long lasting crops we have a great harvest of greens, including lettuce, arugula, kale, salad/braising mix, plus more eggplant or peppers, and either sprouting broccoli or chard.
So what will you do next week? Don’t worry, you can still get great produce from us each week!  We are offering a 3-week November CSA for a limited number of subscribers (details below), and we’ll continue to be at the Farmers’ Markets until mid December on Saturday mornings, 9am-1pm at Wooster Square, and Sunday mornings from 10am-1pm at Edgewood Park.  We hope to continue to see you over the next couple of months, but if we don’t, we hope to see you back with the CSA next year. Thanks for your continued support of Massaro Farm!

Best,

Farmer Steve and our Farmers: Adam, Alyssa, Ariana, Kayla, Nikki, Sara, Shannon, TW and Tyler
  • We are offering 3-week November CSA extension for a limited number of subscriptions, with pickup at the farm on Fridays, 2:30-6:30pm (no Tuesday farm pickup); or at the New Haven farmers’ markets we attend: Wooster Square on Saturdays, 9am-1pm; at Edgewood Park on Sundays market 10am-1pm.  Price: $90 credit card/paypal, $85 check/cash discount.  To sign up, please email [email protected] or simply bring payment to the farm. Crops you can expect in the November CSA extension include lettuce, kale, salad/braising greens mix, spinach, arugula, chard, carrots, beets, radishes, salad turnips, garlic, potatoes, broccoli, kohlrabi, bok choi and dandelion greens.   Pickup dates will be as follows:
    • on the farm, Fridays, November 3, 10 and 17; 2:30pm-6:30pm
    • at Wooster Square, Saturdays, November 4, 11 and 18; 9am-1pm
    • at Edgewood Park, Sundays, November 5, 12 and 19; 10am-1pm
  • Registration for our 2018 CSA is now open!  CSA registration forms will be available at the farm or you can download, fill them out and bring them to the farm or mail them on. You can also sign up online at our website.  Note that there is a discounted rate for paying by check/cash and a special discounted rate if you pay in full by December 1st, and if you pay in full before the end this year’s CSA, we’ll also give you free jar of our Green Tomato Salsa!  We are offering you this to thank you for the commitment you have made to your community farm, and because it is extremely helpful to us when you sign up early for the CSA.  When you sign up early for our CSA it allows us to focus on the farm in the spring having already completed a heavy load of marketing, paperwork and administrative tasks over the winter months.  With that in mind, in the weeks ahead please consider making a deposit, full payment or payment of any amount towards next year’s CSA.

In This Week’s Distribution

Our Harvest:  Butternut Squash, Potatoes, Carrots, Arugula, Salad Mix/Braising Greens, Kale, Radishes, Garlic, Lettuce, Eggplant or Peppers, Sprouting Broccoli or Chard
U-Pick: Closed for the season
Fruit Option: Finished for the season

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

 
Grilled Butternut Squash with Fresh Ricotta, Pine Nuts and Sage
from www.seriouseats.com
 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Place pine nuts in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Toast until fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer pine nuts to a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Place squash in a medium bowl and toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place squash on cool side of grill, close to, but not directly over, the coals. Cover and cook until tender all the way through, about 30 minutes, flipping squash after 15 minutes for even cooking. Move squash to hot side of grill and cook until lightly charred on all sides, about 1 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter.
  4. Top squash with dollops of fresh ricotta, pine nuts, and sage. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.
 
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