Farm share, week 18 (the squash-free edition)

[magid]

I was surprised at how much wasn't root vegetables and the like.

• three parsnips
  
• ten carrots (white, yellow, orange, and purple)
  
• three red onions
  
• a head of lettuce (I got red leaf.)
  
• a bag of mesclun
  
• a bag of 'mixed greens' (I took arugula, tat soi, and mizuna, but no spinach (it looked old enough to need cooking, while the others didn't).)
  
• an eggplant (I got a regular one, not violet or white.)
  
• two fennel
  
• three peppers (I got a long red one, and an orange and a yellow bell.)
  
  
• fruit share: eight Cortland apples

All those salad greens! I didn't get chicken breasts at Trader Joe's, assuming I wouldn't get the makings of a good main-course salad, but it's appealing just now (especially with the heat).

I signed on for the winter share, which will be every other week for a couple of months (through December, I think). The only tricky part: pickup is likely 3-5 on Fridays. The earliest Shabbat starts is 3:50; it could get tight. There were also end of year surveys (I'm impressed with how much we got given the weather this year) and forms to re-up for next year (I plan to).

Boston Organics, small box, part fruit.

• a head of cauliflower
  
• two zucchini
  
• a 1.5-pound bag of red-skinned fingerling potatoes
  
• a cucumber
  
• three medium sweet potatoes
  
• a bag of crimini mushrooms
  
• a carnival squash (local)
  
• a mango
  
• four plums

Thoughts for yom tov meals include roasting the fennel with eggplant and onion (and tomato, if I buy some), possibly putting all that in meatloaf. Definitely some kind of soup with (last week's) collards, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Possibly roasted zucchini and white potatoes. The mushrooms and some onions may end up in a vegetable pie (read: cheese-less quiche-like object). I'll likely be making some rice and some spicy nut noodles, too. Plus cranberry relish. And maybe slices of butternut squash baked on puff pastry with sage and rosemary. Possibly a plum pie or plums with dumplings. And maybe chocolate cake with homemade maraschino cherries.

Comments

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

can you tell me more about your farm share? I like Parker farm, but I'll be looking for other options, and your take seems to be really good and variable.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Sure. It's Red Fire Farm (note: slow-loading page), out in Granby, MA (which is why I manage actually getting to the farm only once or twice a season). I've been very pleased with what we get, especially because there's a bit of flexibility built in most weeks (what kind of lettuce, or winter squash, or color of carrots, etc). I'm not sure whether I'll do the fruit share again next year or not; it was nice, but not as essential, given that I could get equivalent things in the farmer's markets around here. Pickup is in the parking lot by Harvest Co-op in Central Square (or the one in JP, but I'm assuming that's inconvenient), Wednesdays after work (I'm sure the actual hours are listed somewhere; I just don't remember). I don't remember exactly how much a share was, but it seemed in line with other share prices.

Anything else you'd like to know?

Oh, and Yagagriswold also has a share through them, if you want another opinion.

PS

[magid.livejournal.com]

More poking around the website netted the fruit share being $180 (and it was an innovation this year). I should look at how much produce it was, in the end.

[theora.livejournal.com]

So the winter share is definitely a go, then? I got a reply from him last week saying he'd put my name on the list in case it happened, but I haven't heard anything since.

Do you mind saying how much it costs?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Well, there was a sheet that we were to sign only if we were serious about the winter share, and there were about 30 people on the list when I swung through (they'd said they needed at least 50 people to commit), so it looks like it. I'll try to get confirmation at next week's distribution.

Cost: er, I don't remember, actually. The number floating through my head is $100, but I don't think that can be right, and the web site doesn't seem to have that information. I'll get back to you once I know.

PS

[magid.livejournal.com]

Pretty icon.

[magid.livejournal.com]

According to the woman at the distribution point, the winter share is a go in Cambridge (decided on Tuesday). I haven't got any more information about sending money or which week pickups are or anything, though.