Farm News October 8, 2024

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NEW FALL HOURS:

CLOSED FRIDAYS,

with reduced hours on the remaining open days

(See below):

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(PYO & Farmstand Hours):

Tuesday & Thursday: 2 - 5:30 PM

Saturday: 9 am - 12:30 pm

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This week, it seems like Fall weather is displacing the long run of warm days we had in September.  We will have our first brushes with frost this week, which is always a challenging time on the farm.  Last week, we changed to a 5-day, Tuesday through Saturday work week, and right on schedule the first really cold night of the fall was predicted for Monday.  Luckily Elliott, Matt, James, and Nick were available to come in on short notice and help us set up frost blankets for the lettuce, bok choy, fennel, chard, radishes and ginger.  The blankets help keep the ground heat from migrating off into the universe and are surprisingly effective at protecting tender crops

Kolade and Dana rejoice in the fennel patch in celebration of what has become the Year of Fennel.

We will also do our best to keep the dahlias going.  They are in full, glorious bloom but the show can be short lived if we get an early frost.  We put a line of pipe in the flower patch, and if the nighttime temps go below 36F we will get the water going.  In a twist of physics, as water freezes, it releases a little heat, which can get crops when temps drop to 32F. 

Paul snapped a pic of me in a rare moment of us bunching greens together. These collards are insanely beautiful this year!

Otherwise, we are in full squirrel mode.  We still have many hundreds of pounds of carrots, beets, and potatoes to dig from the field, and always looming in the distance is the strawberry patch weeding we have had to put on hold until we get the harvest under control. We hope to finish digging the last of the sweet potatoes as well.  The first tubers we dug a few weeks ago have been basking in a warm greenhouse and are sweetened up and ready to bake.  Ditto for the honeynut, koginut (round like a pumpkin), and butternut squash.   

We hope to see you at the farm or a farmers’ market soon,

Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm crew

Featured veg:

Butternut squash:  We are pleased with the Butternut crop this year– a New England classic and hands down the favorite winter squash of many. Like all winter squash, prepare by cutting in half, scooping out the seeds, oiling the cut edges, and putting face down on a sheet pan lined with parchment or in a baking pan with a quarter inch of water in it.  Bake at 375F until a fork slides in easily, let cool a bit, and enjoy.  Serve with butter.  Or peel and cube, toss in olive oil, and roast in the oven with other fall roots. Don't forget to roast the seeds too! It should store for many weeks in a dry place between 55F and 65F.

Bok Choy: We are starting to harvest a prolific fall crop of Choy. Bok choy is great for stir fry, or a quick sauté in oil and tamari sauce. We especially love it raw in the Chinese Cabbage Salad recipe on our website (where it replaces its Chinese cabbage cousin). We also give it a quick sauté and then add it to ramen for a super easy yet nutritious dinner.

Also available:

Head lettuce; salad mix; pea shoots; curly and lacinato kale; rainbow & ruby chard; purple, red and French Breakfast radish; cilantro, parsley, red beets, chioggia beets and gold beets; red and green cabbage; Chinese cabbage; (limited); heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes; Sungold, artisanal, and red cherry tomatoes (at the farmstand); fall carrots; limited broccoli, sprouting broccoli and romanesco; German Extra Hardy garlic; red and yellow storage onions; jalapeño, cayenne, poblano and shishito peppers; red bell peppers: Sweet Red Italian and orange snacking peppers; Classic Italian, Graffiti, and Rosa Bianca eggplant (farmstand only); Dark Red Norland, Magic Molly, LaRatte Gold and Pinto Gold fingerlings, Kennebec, and and Satina Gold potatoes; leeks; celery; fall fennel; collard greens; escarole; radicchio; fresh ginger; and Jester delicata squash; celeriac; Brussels sprouts greens; sweet potatoes; Koginut squash

Coming Soon:

Brussels sprouts

Pick Your Own:

Perennial Herbs:

There are HERB RINGS provided to establish the bunch size.

Chives and Oregano: trim long lengths from the base of the plant, leaving 1” behind

Sage: clip 4 - 6 inches from the largest stems

Thyme: clip 4-6 from the perimeter of the plant

Flowers:

We will irrigate the patch to protect it from frost; we hope you come and enjoy them now! Be sure to use the flower ring provided to establish the bunch size.

Recipes

Suggested by Rebecca Batchie

Not into this particular recipe? For more recipes outlined by crop, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database.

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Butternut Mascarpone Gnocchi

By John Mitzewich via Allrecipes

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound butternut squash

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese

• ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

• ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh sage leaves

• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Trim stem and cut butternut squash in half lengthwise. Place in a microwave-safe dish, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave until tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to cool. Discard skin and set squash aside.

2. Whisk mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, eggs, salt, and black pepper in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in butternut squash until blended.

3. Whisk in 1/2 cup flour until just incorporated. Whisk in remaining 1/2 cup flour, stirring until flour just disappears. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

5. Melt about 1/3 of the butter in large nonstick skillet; remove from heat.

6. Scoop out approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of the butternut squash dough with a spoon. Using a second spoon, push the dough off the first spoon and into the boiling water. Repeat with remaining dough, working in batches of 12 to 15 gnocchi at a time. When a gnocchi rise to the surface, cook for 1 additional minute, then transfer with a slotted spoon to the melted butter in the skillet.

7. Place the skillet over medium-high heat; cook gnocchi until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Turn gnocchi over and stir in sage leaves. Cook until second side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to plate and drizzle with browned butter from the skillet. Garnish with 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and serve.

Tips

Chef's Note:

To make these ahead of time, remove them from the boiling water as they're cooked, drain well, and place on a plastic-wrapped sheet pan to cool. Once cooled to room temperature, they can be carefully wrapped up (in a single layer), and stored in the refrigerator for at least a day, until you are ready to crisp them up in butter.

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