Friday, October 31, 2014

Market Menu for November 1, 2014

Candy carrots with great flavor and sweetness. We have had several hard frosts and that is just what the doctor ordered to turn normally sweet carrots into something magical. We will have a few bags of juicing carrots each week during the late fall and winter.

The watermelon have been late this year so we still have several left.

We will have 10 large European pie pumpkins and a bunch of smaller pumpkins at market this week.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins. We have about a 70 pie pumpkins left, but they are going fast.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula,  Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale and lettuce. A new bed of cilantro too.

Gralic. Best harvest this year. Photo Credit: Reed Petersen
Wonderful Garlic Crop This Year
Reed took this picture of garlic a few weeks ago, and it's one of the best tasting crops we've had! I guess those minerals in the compost bring out the exceptional flavor and quality. The heads are nice and big, with cloves about the size of your thumb. As always, organic and fresh. Reed planted the garlic for next year during MEA break. If you haven't planted your's yet there is still time.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, November 1, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Friday, October 24, 2014

Market Menu for October 25, 2014

Candy carrots with great flavor and sweetness. We have had several hard frosts and that is just what the doctor ordered to turn normally sweet carrots into something magical. We will have a few bags of juicing carrots each week during the late fall and winter.

The watermelon have been late this year so we still have lots left.  We have 6 different varieties.


We will have 10 large 50 + pound pumpkins and a bunch of smaller pumpkins at market this week. They are gorgeous with heavy duty handles. If you are decorating your porch these would make a great center piece.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins. We have about a hundred pie pumpkins left, but they are going fast.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula,  Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale and lettuce. A new bed of cilantro too.

Gralic. Best harvest this year. Photo Credit: Reed Petersen
Wonderful Garlic Crop This Year
Reed took this picture of garlic a few weeks ago, and it's one of the best tasting crops we've had! I guess those minerals in the compost bring out the exceptional flavor and quality. The heads are nice and big, with cloves about the size of your thumb. As always, organic and fresh. Reed planted the garlic for next year during MEA break. If you haven't planted your's yet there is still time.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 25, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Monday, October 20, 2014

Storage Cabbage

Reed picked 120 heads of storage cabbage after school yesterday. We had been picking about 8-10 per week for the last month but with the extreme cold predicted for Halloween we decided to get them inside.

Here is how you store cabbage...


Friday, October 17, 2014

Market Menu October 18, 2014

The watermelon have been late this year so we still have lots left. Check them out at our stand. We have 6 different varities.


We will have 20 large 50 + pound pumpkins at market this week. They are gorgeous with heavy duty handles. If you are decorating your porch these would make a great center piece.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula, wild arugula, Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, lettuce, and beet greens. A new bed of cilantro too.


Reed took this picture of our Onion display at market last week. We will have baskets of Red, Sweet Spanish, Cipollini, and maybe some Walla Walla Sweet left. They make a great soup and Caramelize very well.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 18, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Monday, October 13, 2014

Exotic Cheesy Acorn Squash and Leek Dip

Lisa created a great dip for using acorn squash (or the squash of your choice) and leeks. The ingredients can be used with chips or grilled baguette slices.

I normally suggest people cook their squash whole, but in this case it is beneficial to cut then in half and remove the seeds.

We served this when we had company the other night to rave reviews.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Market Menu for October 11, 2014

The watermelon have been late this year so we still have lots left. Check them out at our stand. We have 6 different varities.

I made some really good pepper relish this week. Making your own is amazing in terms of the flavor. I did everything with organic ingredients and spices.

Here is the recipe for pickles.

We will have 20 large 50 + pound pumpkins at market this week. They are gorgeous with heavy duty handles. If you are decorating your porch these would make a great center piece.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula, wild arugula, Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, lettuce, and beet greens. A new bed of cilantro too.


Reed took this picture of our Onion display at market last week. We will have baskets of Red, Sweet Spanish, Cipollini, and maybe some Walla Walla Sweet left. They make a great soup and Caramelize very well.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 11, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Monday, October 6, 2014

Healthy Mac 'n' Cheese with Butternut Squash and Spinach

The flavors of fall can be blended in many ways. Macaroni and Cheese is a perennial favorite. The addition of squash and spinach adds a delightful twist to this old standby.


Friday, October 3, 2014

Market Menu for October 4, 2014

We picked about 20 baskets of not quite perfect tomatoes for canning this week. I have been canning some salsa my self and have about 70 pints so far. The recipe is on our web site.

I made some really good bread and butter sweet pickles last week. I like B&B Pickles from the store. Making your own is amazing in terms of the flavor. I did everything with organic ingredients and spices.

Here is the recipe for pickles.

I picked 50 large 50 + pound pumpkins this week. They are gorgeous with heavy duty handles. If you are decorating your porch these would make a great center piece.

The squash varieties available this week:  Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicatta, Confetti, Spagetti, Orange Hubbard, Kubotcha, Honey Nut and Pie Pumpkins.

The fall greens are wonderful. We are picking from new beds of spinach, arugula, wild arugula, Kale, Red Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, lettuce, and beet greens. A new bed of cilantro too.

Cherry Tomatoes, Fre$h! Credit: Reed Petersen

Reed took this picture of our cherry tomato display at market last week. We will have about a hundred boxes of cherry tomatoes this week. Sun Gold, Grape, Black Cherry, and Yellow Pear. Reed and Christopher pick a whole bunch after school.

If you like tomatillos, I picked three bushels this week.

We will have the following items at the Farmers Market for Saturday, October 4, 2014 (New items are in Bold Print)

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

The title of this post is the line from a children's nursery rhyme, Both of our daughters were home for the beautiful weather last weekend. We had a mini-family reunion at the farmers market. With everyone converging there around 10:00.

Both girls gathered up a pile of fresh vegetables to take back to school. Winter squash and carrots were the favorites.

Andrea is studying Music Education at Northwestern University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Jenna is studying Kinesiology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Honey Nut Squash

It was the strangest thing. I had been harvesting squash from the middle of the field and I switched to the other side. There was a new variety that I hadn't found in a month of harvesting.

It was a miniature sized butter nut squash that was a beautiful gold and green. They were 1 to 1.5 pound size.

My daughter Andrea had planted the squash and I wasn't even sure what she had planted. I finally found it in one of my seed catalogs.

We had two for supper tonight and they are very smooth and flavorful.

They are good for eating but I think they would make excellent pie as well.