Turkeys foraging in the cherry orchard (which is So Very Green right now, thanks to the Miracle of Irrigation).
Happy Fall, everyone! Have I mentioned yet how very excited we are for fall’s arrival? So very excited. So, so, so very excited — for so, so, so many reasons. Here are just a few:
Oat stubble from our earlier harvest.
Perhaps first and foremost — the hope of rain! Wow, the west coast is dry right now. California and Southern Oregon deeply so, but here in the Willamette Valley we are also at the end of our usual seasonal drought and anything that hasn’t been irrigated is dry. The air is dusty and smoky and ready for some cleansing fall air. I realize that at some point in the winter, us Oregonians will feel soggy through and through again, but not right now. I see signs of drought stress everywhere, and of course there are wildfires ablaze here in the valley too. We can see plumes from the farm — of both the Estacada fire and the Scoggins Creek fire. And here in Yamhill County this summer, there have been several scary brush fires. So, rain. It is coming. The forecast shows it! (Now hopefully our neighbor can quickly harvest the last of our oats before it gets really wet!)
This photo shows less than half of our total potatoes (all of which have been harvested now!).
But, also very exciting, the turning of the season is also bringing us a whole slew of new CSA members (and a few ones returning after a pause). A few weeks ago, we looked around our fields and saw abundance. Among other things, we started bringing in the potatoes for storage and realized there were lots of them (this is an understatement, check out the photo from today). So, we decided to put out a call for more folks to help us eat this fall bounty. I put a little ad on Facebook and had astounding results — we have many of you joining us this week, and we are so glad to have you! We hope that our CSA becomes a wonderful part of your household’s rhythms this fall and that you will join us again in 2015!
New sweaters for fall!
And, then, there’s all the other goodness in this season — those little markers that signal cooling weather and hunkering down. I knitted the kids new sweaters for the fall, and although this weekend felt like summer (i.e. blazing hot!), it was cool enough this morning for them to wear the sweaters out and about. My mind has turned to fall baking projects (new recipes to try!). The flowers are winding down in our garden. Our family went out to pick up hazelnuts in our young orchard — just a few from each tree so far, but they were delicious. Sunset comes earlier and earlier each day. Even the leaves on the trees have begun to turn, although it is hard to distinguish between drought stress and true autumnal foliage color changes (perhaps in Oregon, the difference is unimportant since drought stress and end of the summer always occur together!).
So, a welcome turning in the year, as always. How we love and cherish all these different seasons and the gifts they bring to our tables and lives. This week’s share is glorious, as September’s must be, featuring the best of summer and fall both. Again, welcome to newcomers and thank you to our continued community of eaters. Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
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Parking lot safety note! And, speaking of fall harvests, the wine grape harvest is on! Since our McMinnville CSA pick-up site is surrounded on all sides by wineries, crush complicates the situation for several weeks each fall. Please be aware that when you arrive there will likely be a lot of activity: trucks, forklifts, etc. If you cannot park immediately in front of our pick-up area, please do not park blocking an adjacent business. Instead, please use the parking spots that are in the lot and walk carefully across to get your veggies. Thank you for your awareness and cooperation during this brief, intense period in the lives of our treasured county winemakers!!!!
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Meet this week’s vegetables:
- Sweet peppers — For me, fall used to be all about pumpkins and potatoes, but now I’ve come to associate sweet peppers with this season too. Because all these delicious peppers take their time to color up and sweeten. Little known fact: did you know that green peppers are unripe? True! When a pepper matures and ripens, it will turn a different color, such as all those delicious (and expensive) red, yellow and orange bell peppers available in the stores. In our house, we enjoy both kinds of peppers (green peppers have their place! especially since they are ready earlier!), but those mature sweet peppers are pretty darn awesome for their sweetness. We add these peppers to all kinds of dishes. They’re wonderful chopped raw as a salad topping. I add them to any and all cooked vegetable dishes that I might make. I like to add the chopped peppers with the onions to sauté together before I add other veggies. And, of course, I should mention that our children just eat these. Just raw, like a carrot or something.
- Tomatoes
- Cut lettuce mix
- Cauliflower — Casey said this week’s cauliflower are big and that perhaps I should add some guidance. Yes! First of all, this is one of those vegetables that I honestly used to not care for. My experiences with cauliflower growing up were mostly those uninspiring but ubiquitous “veggie platters” that show up on buffet tables. Raw cauliflower still doesn’t much float my boat, although that’s the only way my father will eat it (preferably dipped in something yummy). But years ago a CSA member introduced Casey and me to the joy of roasted cauliflower and broccoli. My world was changed forever. We love roasted cauliflower so much that we eat it at breakfast when cauliflower is abundant. Yes, at breakfast. With our eggs. In my experience, roasting cauliflower works best with florets that are cut rather smallish. I like to use liberal amounts of butter and roast at 425° until the cauliflower is soft and starting to brown. I usually stir once. As with all roasting scenarios, be careful not to overload the pan, or the veggies will steam rather than actually roast. We also find that having a “seasoned” (i.e. black from lots of use) roasting tray helps with getting really yummy crispy bits.
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Cucumbers
- Summer squash & zucchini
- Potatoes
New to the CSA and to vegetable eating in general? Wanting more ideas and pointers for your veggies? Have no fear! Each week I try to cover a few items in depth, but I don’t always have time or space to write about every veggie every week … which is why I have begun working on a FARM COOKBOOK to be published for next year! It will contain all our farm’s most classic, simple, delicious preparations for each season vegetable. I’ll still write about them here too each week, but then you’ll have that reference in your kitchen too for other ideas as needed. For now, you can always look at older newsletters or ask Casey at pick-up (if you pick up in Mac)!!!!!
