Mesclun Salad Mix
Golden Ball Turnips
Cushaw Squash or Seminole Pumpkin
Lusia, Brente Precoce, or Pallo Rossa Radicchio
Broccoli Raab or Swiss Chard
Fennel
Dill
The farm is still super busy even though we are headed towards Winter, as the days grow shorter we are hustling to get everything done and look forward to the natural slowing of the cool seasons. We have had an actual Fall here in Virginia, with cool and temperate weather although a bit too wet, overall it has meant a lot of our cool season crops have grown well and are more abundant than in other years. The next month means a lot of large harvest days putting up storage crops for the Winter. Most people think of storage crops as root vegetables; but other heading crops store well too. In November and December, we harvest and store cabbage, fennel, radicchio, escarole, frisee, and kohlrabi, as they cannot endure too heavy of a frost but will store for 1-3 months depending on the crop.
We are excited to have radicchio in this week’s share, it is one of our favorite crops to grow, harvest, and eat here at Tomten. The varieties you will receive this week are the quicker growing and more tender types, excellent for salads. If you struggle with bitter, we encourage you to soak the torn or cut leaves in cold water for 20-30 minutes before spinning and drying. Then salt the leaves and toss prior to dressing. You should use a dressing with both salty (anchovy, hard cheese, olives) and acidic (citrus or vinegar) elements to balance the bitterness. We have a few ideas below. The first of the Winter squash is included this week too. We have added a few savory and sweet options. The rich squash pie recipe is a personal favorite for the Cushaw squash, the custard like filling goes well with the natural cuashw texture.
Roasted Fennel Salad With Apple And Radicchio
Swiss Chard, Leek, Herb and Ricotta Crostata from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden
Roasted Squash With Yogurt, Walnuts, And Spiced Green Sauce from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden
Rich Squash Pie – The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
Basic Pastry Dough for a 9” pie shell
1 cup pureed cooked winter squash
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3 Tbls brandy
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp powdered ginger
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp mace
Preheat the oven to 425. Line a 9” pie pan with pastry dough. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and beat until smooth and well blended. Pour into the lined pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 and bake for 45-60 minutes more or until the filling is firm.