2020 CSA Share ~ Week #21

October 30, 2020

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

No matter what your affiliation, or your desire for the outcome, please take advantage of your privilege to vote, and make a difference!

RESERVE OUR CSA SHARE FOR THE 2021 SEASON! We are reserving shares for 2021 season with a $25 deposit. Just call/email the farm to ask us to reserve the share, and then you can send a check to the farm for the deposit or call/email with card info.

HALLOWEEN/SAMHAIN is also known as All Souls Night, Feast of the Dead, Festival of Remembrance, Feast of Apples, & New Year…

Samhain is one of the major festivals of the Wheel of the Year, and for many who follow these traditions, the most important festival of all. It is the third and final harvest festival of nuts and berries and a fire festival. All the harvest is in, all is complete, it is the end of the cycle of birth and growth, it is the point of death. The seeds of the harvest have fallen deep into the dark earth, they are unseen, dormant, and thus apparently lifeless. 

Traditions held that the Sun King is sacrificed back to the land with the seed until the Winter Solstice, and the Goddess, now as Crone, mourns Him until His rebirth at Yule. He travels the Underworld learning its wisdom. This is the time of the descent into darkness, of pre-conception, out of which new life, new ideas, will eventually emerge.

Traditionally the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest now. Boundaries dissolve and all is laid bare. It is time to honor, and offer hospitality to, our ancestors. Many create food in honor of their loved ones favorites, bury Apples, and light candles around memorabilia of their loved ones. This year we are especially graced with a Full Moon, also a Blue Moon, which is signified by the second full moon in a month.

At Samhain/Halloween the dark half of the year commences. It is a truly magical time. Death is always followed by rebirth and while this is the end of the old year, it is the beginning of the new year. For the Celts the day did not begin at dawn, it began at sunset, it began with darkness. Light is always born out of darkness, they are inseparable, interdependent, and necessary. Darkness is fertile with ‘all potential’. With the beginning of this dark phase comes the opportunity to rest and reflect on the past and to dream of new beginnings. The seed now hidden in the earth will germinate in its season. Look for the seeds in yourself!

WHAT’S IN YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK:

  • Pears ~ Cascade (Comice & Red Bartlett blend)
  • Kale ~ Lacinato
  • Potatoes
  • Leeks
  • Green Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Onion
  • Pie Pumpkin
  • Acorn Squash

RECIPES:

Goat Cheese & Balsamic Stuffed Acorn Squash

Autumn Arugula Salad w/Caramelized Squash & Pomegranate Ginger Vinaigrette

Potato Leek Soup

Grilled Leek Potato Salad

Cottage Pie

Weeknight Cabbage Rolls

Chocolate Pear Cake

Misty fall morning on the farm….

The past week has been just beautiful here on the farm. Cold, yes….frosty, definitely, but the sun came out to warm our hands and spirits every day, and for that we were all grateful. The summer veggies are done for the season, their blackened, withered vines and stems dotting the fields. The cover crops have lodged and will now create a blanket for the soil beneath, nourishing and protecting, and readying the ground for the new season.

We’re excited to share the next few weeks with you, as we harvest these cherished fall crops that will carry us through the long, cold months ahead. There is a sense of urgency, a disquiet within, as the unknown of what is to come this winter approaches. Let us all be hopeful, and continue to believe that we can all work together to keep ourselves, and our families, and community safe, and healthy. We’ll work hard to provide the food, as that is what we do! Thank you all for supporting us in our efforts, with your kind words and thoughts sent our way daily. You have no idea how those simple expressions of your appreciation inspire us, and give us the strength and determination to get ourselves out there each and every day. We’re all in this together, and together we’ll each take that next step forward, each and every day.

ACORN SQUASH is one of my very favorite winter squashes. I love it cooked in a savory way, or sweetened with maple syrup or brown sugar. Served as the main dish, filled with sautéed veggies or ground beef, or as a side dish to compliment, this squash never seems to disappoint. If you’ve got a special recipe to prepare this squash, please share it with us!

With the election day on Tuesday, the next time we share this Blog the world could have changed dramatically, one way or the other. We hope that you all stay safe, and healthy, and are able to find joy in whatever fills your heart and days. We’ll continue to offer to you the simple things….good food for your table and nourishment!

Linda and all of our Winter Green Farmers