Maysie's FarmMaysie's Farm Newsletter: Fresh from the Fields
October 2007

October 27, 2007
Greetings!

Here are some more details about the turkeys from Ben Stoltzfus: first of all, he's still taking orders. The turkeys are expected to be between 15-18 pounds (they're still running around and growing!). He will be delivering them FROZEN to Maysie's Farm on YOUR LAST PICK UP DAY. So if you are a Friday person, you will pick your turkey up on November 16; Monday people will pick it up on November 19. The cost is $3.00/lb., and you can pay when you pick it up. If you'd like to order, simply reply to this email, and tell me if you'll be picking up on Friday or Monday. (And since they 're frozen, you don't necessarily have to use them for Thanksgiving!)

You CSA members may be interested in the special events that are taking place from November 9 through December 8 at The Arts Scene (530 E. Union St., West Chester), as part of the Down To Earth Exhibit. The events celebrate the connections between functional art, local food, and community. Proceeds benefit PASA's Buy Fresh Buy Local Southeast PA chapter.

Special Events:

November 9 - Opening Reception, lectures, light catered fare, wine and beer tasting, music.
November 17 - Mugs, Microbrew, Music, and Movies - Featuring Hoots and Hellmouth, arrive early to get your mug!
November 26 - "Slow Burn" Chef's Tasting - Featuring Restaurant Alba's Chef and owner Sean Weinburg, "Slow Clay" potter Willi Singleton, and Slow Food Philadelphia.
December 8 - "Empty Bowls" Community POTluck Closing Reception - cook off competition, silent auction bidding ends, 100% sales of donated bowls goes to Community Gardens of Chester County, www.gardenscc.org.

Visit www.downtoearthexhibit.org for more details about events and participating artists.

The following squash recipes come to us from Cooking for Real with Denise and Yvonne:

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH (from Simply in Season)

2-3 large acorn squash or other winter squash

Cut squash in half and remove seeds and strings (to make this easier, pierce squash with a knife and microwave a minute or two.) Place cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet with sides. Bake at 350 until almost soft but not mushy, 40-50 minutes (or cook in the microwave for about 10 min. covered). This step may be done ahead and various stuffings added later.

Apple stuffing:

2-3 tart apples, diced
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted
Combine. Stuff into cooked squash, cover, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Mushroom stuffing:

1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon sage and salt
Dash pepper

In a large frying pan sautŽ onion, mushrooms, and garlic until soft. Add remaining ingredients and stuff into cooked squash. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

WINTER SQUASH BARS

2 cups winter squash or pumpkin (cooked, pureed)
1 1/2 cups raw sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat first six ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add in remaining ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 11x17-inch jelly roll pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes until knife comes out clean.

See you at the farm!

~ Colleen

October 27, 2007
POTLUCK CANCELLED

Well, we sure need the rain, but it's unfortunate timing! Due to the heavy rains and extremely wet conditions, we have to cancel the Full Moon Potluck scheduled for tonight, Saturday 10/27.

~ Colleen

October 21, 2007
Greetings!

Next Saturday (10/27) is the Full Moon Potluck Dinner, our last social event of the season. There's a sign up sheet in the barn. Bring your family and a potluck dish to share! We'll be serving dinner at 6pm (because it's getting dark so early now) but we'll also have a bonfire and live music by our former intern Michael McShane. We're also inviting interns and farmers from the SAITA program, which is wrapping up for the year. SAITA (Sustainable Agriculture Internship Training Alliance) is a program that Maysie's Farm started several years ago to add to the educational experience of interns on sustainable farms in southeastern PA. From May through October interns spend 2-3 Saturdays per month visiting other farming operations and attending seminars on subjects like soil science and entomology. It's a great opportunity for them to get ideas for what they may want to do in their future. We welcome SAITA participants, as well as all of our members and friends, to our Potluck on Saturday.

Friday people received fennel last week, as will Monday people tomorrow. Do you know what to do with it? The bulb can be thinly sliced and eaten like celery; the greens are edible in soups and salads or as a garnish. This recipe comes from www.seedsofknowledge.com:

OVEN POTATOES WITH FENNEL

20 oz. potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium fennel bulb trimmed and cut into 1-inch slices
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced finely
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; toss gently until well coated. Arrange mixture in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake, turning occasionally, until potatoes are crisp on all sides, 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately.

And this recipe comes from member Mishra Keller. It's in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition cookbook:

SQUASH SOUP WITH GINGER

1 medium butternut squash (or other squash or root)
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root
Filtered water or vegetable stock Sea salt

Cut, peel and remove seeds from squash. Cut into cubes. Heat olive oil in a large, deep saucepan or stockpot. Add onion and saute until transparent. Add squash and enough water to stock to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft, about 35 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender, masher or whisk to desired consistency (you can also use a regular blender). Grate fresh ginger into soup and add sea salt to taste. Experiment with spices - cinnamon, curry, garam masala - to your taste!

If anyone else has a winter squash recipe to share, I'd love to use it!

See you at the farm!

~ Colleen

October 11, 2007
Greetings!

The much-needed rain has arrived, along with some fall temperatures!

I forgot to mention last week that there are cornstalks available outside the barn for you to take for decorating.

Our LAST social event of the season is coming up on Saturday, October 27 — a Full Moon Potluck dinner. We'll also have a bonfire and music by former intern Michael McShane. Because it will be getting dark early, we'll start eating at 6pm. Bring family and friends and a potluck dish to share. There will be a sign-up sheet in the barn so we can get an idea of how many people to expect.

Our end of season is approaching too — the last pick up for Friday is November 16 and the last Monday pick up is November 19. Ben's raw milk and meat products will be available all winter, as will the salmon.

Are you interested in purchasing a pasture-raised turkey from Ben for Thanksgiving? I heard from several of you a few weeks ago, but there's still time to order. Simply reply to this email if you'd like one (no need to reply again if you already did).

Does anyone have a good winter squash recipe you'd like to share? You'll be getting squash from now until the end of the season, so I'd like to supply you with some good recipes. This one comes from the cookbook Vegetarian Cooking:

WINTER SQUASH WITH APPLES (6 servings)

1 pound (about 4 cups) winter squash (acorn, butternut, banana, or Hubbard), seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Melt butter in a wide frying pan over medium high heat. Add squash, apple, water, and lemon juice. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender and liquid is absorbed (4 to 5 minutes). Stir in brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Garnish with almonds just before serving.

See you at the farm!

~ Colleen

October 5, 2007
Greetings!

It sure doesn't feel like fall yet, but we're right at our average frost date so the cooler weather should be moving in soon. That means you have to pick your own flowers, tomatoes, and basil now before the frost kills them! Get them while you can!!

Since there are still questions about this...salmon IS available in our freezer — no pre-order is required. The prices are marked on each package. Fill out the half-sheet order form with what you're buying and pay by cash or check made out to Maysie's Farm

If you're picking our chestnuts (and we hope you are!) please be advised that you have to either cook them or freeze them soon after you get them home. There is a tiny wasp that lays its egg in the chestnut flower and it hatches in the nut. If you don't use the chestnuts soon after picking, you'll likely notice a little larva emerging from the nut (cooking/freezing kills it). And here is some chestnut advice from our ex-intern Amanda:

"Really all you need to do is make a single cut in the shell. Even cutting them in half is fine! It is so much easier than making the delicate, difficult,time-consuming (traditonal and decorative) X cut."

"If you just want to eat the nuts: Put a cut in the shell anywhere (I mean anywhere, I put them so they sit flat on a cutting board and use a large chef knife to lever down onto them without holding onto the nut). Place the nuts in a single layer on a tray and roast them in a toaster oven or an oven at a high temp (350 and up). Bake until they are soft and delicious. I never timed it, but they get sweeter and softer the more they bake..."

And thanks for member Kristy Deischer-Eddy for the following sweet potato recipe. It's from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant. It appeared in Ladies Home Journal in November 1993.

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Serves 8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cooking time: 30-35 min.

You will need:

3 # sweet potatoes, cooked*
1/4 c. butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3 T rum (optional, but highly recommended!)
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt

Prick sweet potatoes with fork. Arrange in baking dish & microwave on high 18-22 min. until tender. Cut potatoes in half & scoop out insides.

Grease shallow baking dish. Beat potatoes in mixer until smooth. Beat in butter/margarine until melted. Beat in remaining ingredients. Spread in prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes until firm & golden. Enjoy!

See you at the farm!

~ Colleen

 
CSA memberships for the 2007 season are going fast! Spread the word about Maysie's Farm to anyone you think may be interested in joining, and register BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Wish List
Looking to get rid of any of the following items? Maysie's Farm will put them to good use! The first three needs are for our new "office," which is (still) under construction in the old "staff room":

• Wooden file cabinets
• Small electric range/oven
• Sink base, under-counter cabinets, wall cabinets and a short length of countertop material
• Picnic table(s)
• Large outdoor canopy
• Solar powered walkway lights (ideally to match the two donated by Martha Thomae)
• Straw bale chopper (for mulching large areas)
• Assistance building a bio-diesel production system or a compost tea brewing system
• Diesel station wagon or delivery vehicle for use as our produce hauler (for the Farmers Market and our Farm and School partnership) that we could run on bio-diesel or vegetable oil
• Housing for potential Farm Manager
Please contact Sam at (610) 458-8129 if you can donate any of these items.

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