Farm News October 4, 2022
Please note our Fall Farmstand Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 2 - 5:30 PM (closing an hour earlier)
Saturday: 9 am - 12:30 pm (opening 1 hour later)
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Seems like summer slammed on the brakes a week ago and we moved right into late fall temperatures. While many crops are close to done, high temperatures in the 60’s are slowing growth way down in the field. Luckily, we have a few tricks up our sleeves to heat things up a bit. We use row covers, the big white “sheets” you can see out in the field, to trap some heat around the plants. We are also busy turning over our greenhouses from summer crops to lettuce and spinach for late fall and early winter.
Luca and CJ pull banana-like clusters of sweet potatoes from the soil. We made a mechanical adjustment this year, which cut down on the treacherous hand pulling of vines we’ve always done.
And we are always keeping a fall frost on our radar. We’ve been spoiled in recent years by some very warm fall weather. First frosts used to reliably occur in early October, but that date has been shifted to mid- to late-October, and some years into November. We are betting the first frost will occur this weekend and are getting ready to save what tender crops we can with frost blankets and irrigation.
The big news this week is that the sweet potatoes and butternut squash are ready! These crops take a bit of curing in a warm greenhouse to really sweeten up. They are loaded with vitamins (sweet potatoes have 769% of your daily Vitamin A need!) and antioxidants, which help protect your bodies cells from damage. They are also just plain delicious, and they store for months at room temperature.
Calin and CJ gently lower the uncured sweet potatoes into a bin- off to the greenhouse for curing!
Last week we said goodbye to some of the great helpers we had this summer. Mother/daughter team Janna and Elle helped us out with the early week crunch of planting, weeding, and harvesting, and came on board early in the season, when we were very short on help. This was their first year on the farm, and it was very fun to watch their enthusiastic response to their new tasks. Thanks Janna and Elle!
Janna and Elle made a great team!
Luckily we still have a very dedicated and talented group of folks to help us bring in the fall harvest. We are taking it a bit easier these days (two days off a week! Woo hoo!), by quitting a bit earlier, and the days become shorter and cooler. If you shop at the farm, please note our new fall hours. Our farmers’ markets continue at the same schedule. Don’t let the cool weather fool you, we still have months of great produce ahead, from both the fields and the greenhouses.
We hope you enjoy the harvest,
Paul, Rebecca, and the Fort Hill Farm Crew
Paul makes sure the sweet potato vines don’t clog, while Calin keeps the tractor on track.
Fort Hill Farm Store Feature:
With Elliott taking the lead, we’ve ramped up our Farm Store offerings this year. We’ve sourced a number of local delicacies that are otherwise out of reach. We hope these specialty crafted items are adding joy and value to the fresh produce you pick up at the farm.
Oui Charcuterie
On their farm in Woodbridge, CT, a passion for raising pigs and culinary sass led Phoebe and Matthew Browning to experiment with their old family recipes for cured meats. This work culminated in the perfected handmade, small batch, traditional, dry cured salamis that Oui Charcuterie creates today. We carry their three types of salami - Amour, hot and spicy , Vida, medium spicy, and Dulce, mild and sweet. We are very excited to add Oui Charcuterie salami to our selection of local artisanal products and hope you enjoy them.
Check them out at their website - https://www.ouicharcuterie.com/
Featured veg:
Sweet potatoes: last week (after about a week of curing) we gave a few of these a test roast, and the sweet potato starches had not yet fully converted into sugar. They were only grocery store-sweet, so we held off for a week. Well, now they are sugared up and ready to go! Just hold off washing them until you are ready to use, and never expose them to temperatures below 55F. Try them baked whole, cubed and roasted, mashed, or my favorite, sweet potato pie (or see delicious recipe below).
Butternut squash: A New England classic and hands down the favorite winter squash of many. Our crop is smaller this year, but there’s still plenty to go around. Like all winter squash, prepare by cutting in half, scooping out the seeds, oiling the cut edges, and putting face down 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.
Also available:
Head lettuce, arugula, salad mix (limited), pea shoots, carrots, red and French Breakfast radishes, curly and lacinato kale, rainbow chard, escarole, radicchio, cilantro, parsley, chives, rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, red, Chioggia, and gold beets, scallions, red and yellow storage onions (farmstand only), red cabbage and purple Chinese cabbage, garlic, jalapeño, poblano, & shishito peppers, limited eggplant, Lunchbox, red, yellow Italian, and orange snacking peppers, heirloom beefsteak tomatoes (limited), cherry tomatoes, Kennebec, Red Gold, Blue Gold, Dark Red Norland, and Satina Gold, Magic Molly blue fingerlings, & gold fingerling potatoes, Carnival and Starry Night winter squash (at farmstand), leeks, Brussels sprout greens, fresh ginger
Coming Soon:
parsnips
Pick Your Own:
~Perennial Herbs:
chives, oregano, sage, and thyme
~Flowers:
We may get our first frost on Saturday night, so carpe diem! The dahlias are particularly fetching!
Recipes
Suggested by Rebecca Batchie
For more recipes, check out the Fort Hill Farm Recipe Database
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos & Lime-Marinated Kale Salad
From CookieandKate
INGREDIENTS
Roasted sweet potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes (3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if sensitive to spice)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Spicy black beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped
Fine sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked black beans)
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Avocado-pepita dip
2 avocados, pitted
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves, some small stems are ok)
1/2 cup pepitas
1 small jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped, or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (go easy if sensitive to spice)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime) or 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Everything else
8 to 10 small corn tortillas
Crumbled feta
Suggested garnishes: Pickled jalapeños or pickled radishes or pickled red onions, torn cilantro, hot sauce, etc.
INSTRUCTIONS
Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Toss the prepared sweet potatoes with the olive oil, cayenne pepper (if using) and salt. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway, until the sweet potatoes are tender and caramelizing at the edges.
Prepare the black beans: Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the cumin and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds while stirring. Pour in the beans and water. Stir, cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and use a potato masher or a fork to mash up at least half of the beans. Remove from heat, stir in the vinegar, season with salt (I added over 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper, and cover until you’re ready to serve.
Make the avocado dip: First, toast the pepitas in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they are fragrant and starting to make little popping noises, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Scoop the avocado flesh into a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, water and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor/blender as necessary. Add almost all of the pepitas (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish) and process just until the pepitas are chopped into small pieces (some remaining texture is desirable). Taste, and add more salt if necessary. Transfer the dip to a small bowl for serving.
To warm the tortillas, heat a large skillet over medium heat and warm the tortillas in batches, flipping to warm each side. Alternatively, you can warm them directly over a low flame on a gas range. Stack the warmed tortillas on a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.
To assemble the tacos, spread black beans down the middle of each tortilla, then top with some sweet potatoes and avocado-pepita dip. Garnish with feta, pepitas, and anything else that strikes your fancy. Repeat with remaining tortillas and serve.
Lime-Marinated Kale Salad
1 bunch curly kale, ribs removed and chopped into small, bite-sized pieces
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, chopped jalapeño, cumin and salt. Toss the chopped kale with the lime marinade in a mixing bowl.