2017 CSA ~ Week 16
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
LATE SEASON! I’m beginning to prepare the mailing to members who are participating in the Late Season this year…..please let me know if you have moved since you signed up so I can get your corrected address into our database before I send out the mailing.
If you have not reserved a Late Season share (5 extended weeks of delivery after the Standard Season, beginning October 20th and continuing up to the week before Thanksgiving) and you would like to do so, just call/email the farm office.
PEARS! You will find Pears in your share this week…either Red or Green Bartlett. These will need to sit on your counter or windowsill for a couple of days (or be placed in a paper sack) to reach full maturity. The pear should yield to gentle pressure if it is fully ripe and ready to eat.
WHAT’S IN YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK:
- Red Kuri Squash
- Swiss Chard
- Sweet Peppers
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Eggplant
- Red Onion
- Yellow Onion
- Pears – Red or Green Bartlett
SOME SITES ONLY
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
RECIPES:
Sweet & Spicy Red Kuri Squash Bowl
Maple Cheesecake w/Roasted Pears
Grilled Eggplant and Greens w/Spiced Yogurt
Welcome to Week 16 of your CSA Season! These last 4 weeks of the Standard Season will begin to show that Fall is upon us….as if the cool rains today aren’t indication enough! While we welcome the rains for so many reasons, we will surely be saying goodbye to the warmth loving veggies that do not flourish in cool wet climates. Tomatoes will surely decline, as they absorb the moisture and begin to split and burst….other crops will begin to decline as well, such as the zucchini, cucumbers and eggplant. Our Strawberries should keep producing for a while longer. Hopefully they can withstand the moisture.
We will have lots of new goodies to fill your boxes with though! Winter Squash will begin to make their appearance, as will turnips and parsnips, more potatoes, fennel, celeriac….and this week Pears!
We are working once again with Mt. Hood Organics, an organic, biodynamic farm in Mt. Hood. In this weeks share you will find either Red or Green Bartlett’s or a mixture of them. Pears are typically harvested unripe and then will need to ripen off the tree. A pear ripens from the inside out, so you can check for ripeness at the thinner stem end. The flesh should yield to gentle pressure. When completely ripe, store in the refrigerator and eat within 2-3 days.
You will also see the first of your Winter Squash…..a Red Kuri variety. The Red Kuri squash, botanically classified as part of the Cucurbita maxima family, is also known as Climbing Onion squash, Hokkaido squash, Uchiki Kuri squash in its place of origin (Japan), and Potimarron squash in France. It is a hubbard type squash and sometimes is also referred to as a baby red hubbard type since its appearance is like that of a petite hubbard. The word “kuru” translates to mean chestnut in Japanese, the main flavor profile found in the Red Kuri squash. Red Kuri squash is a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C as well as potassium and iron.
This week will also bring our Autumnal Equinox on Friday, set to occur at 1:02 pm on September 22nd, officially the first day of Autumn. Unlike an event such as New Year’s midnight, which follows the clock around the time zones, equinoxes happen at the same moment everywhere. While the September equinox usually occurs on September 22 or 23, it can very rarely fall on September 21 or September 24. A September 21 equinox has not happened since 1000 CE. (Thanks to Treehugger.com for the info!)
However, in the 21st century, it will happen twice – in 2092 and 2096. The last September 24 equinox occurred in 1931, the next one will take place in 2303. The equinox dates vary because of the difference between how the Gregorian calendar defines a year (365 days) and the time it actually takes for Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun (about 365 and 1/4 days).
This means that each September equinox occurs about 6 hours later than the previous year’s September Equinox. This eventually moves the date by a day.
The autumnal equinox happens the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator, which is an imaginary line in the sky that corresponds to Earth’s equator. (Old Farmer’s Almanac describes it as a plane of Earth’s equator projected out onto the sphere.) Every year this occurs on September 22, 23, or 24 in the northern hemisphere.
From hereon, nights are longer than days and days continue to get shorter until December, when the light will begin its slow climb back to long summer days. Winter solstice is technically the shortest day of the year, while the summer solstice in June boasts the most sunlight. Hence, the four seasons, as illustrated below.
Because it takes the Earth around 365.25 days to orbit the Sun – and why we have a leap year every 4 years – the precise time of the equinoxes varies from year to year, usually happening around six hours later on successive years. On leap years, the date jumps back an entire day.
“Equinox” comes from the Latin words “equi” meaning “equal” and “nox” meaning “night.” This implies that there will be equal amounts of daylight and darkness, however such is not exactly the case.
As for the other celestial orb we obsess on, the full moon near the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon, for the luminosity that affords farmers the ability to work late. It’s also been called the Full Corn Moon (see: Full moon names and what they mean). The Harvest Moon is usually associated with the September full moon, but this year, the September full moon occurred September 5-6. Since the October full moon does her magic on October 5, it will be closer to the equinox and thus officially takes the Harvest Moon title.
Hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the celestial happenings….and of course your veggies!
Linda and all of your Winter Green Farmers