CSA Harvest # 26~ Last One!!

We made it!! You managed to eat your way through 26 weeks of Big Lick Farm produce! Pat yourselves on the back (and the tummy!)
We still have quite a few more things out in the field so if you are still excited to face more fresh produce each week you can respond to our weekly emails after Thanksgiving week is over. We will be sending out an availability list every Monday and you can email us back and let us know what you'd like from the list. We would like to have $10 minimum orders to make it worthwhile. We will have things like carrots, beets, red and green cabbage, kale, chard, cauliflower, butternut squash, delicata squash, and eggs. We will put together orders and wait for your pick up at Bi-Mart in Roseburg, pick up at farm or in Myrtle Creek for those of you in the south county. Winter is always a challenging time financially for a farmer so we are going to see if this idea helps us out at all.. and helps you and your family to keep eating in season and locally!

As Thanksgiving approaches we want to let you know how thankful we are here at Big Lick for all the support we've had these last two years. From our awesome volunteer trio, to other farmers in the area who have taken us under their wing (Scott and Cindy Phillips and Norm and Cinda Lehne) and to each of you for your support! We do look forward to 2010 with renewed energy and dreams on how we can make our CSA program even more successful. One large step we will be taking this coming spring will be to put in over 2,000 strawberry plants. We know they'll be a favorite CSA item and also we can hopefully do well on them at farmers market.

We hope you will all stay with us in 2010 as we continue to grow!

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Suzie, Asinete, MA, Violet, and Robin~

The Last Week's Harvest Includes:

Lehne Leeks

Nantes Carrots

Bulls Blood Beets

Kale OR Rainbow Chard

Butternut Squash

Delicata Squash

Shallots

Cabbage (may include Chinese, red or green)

Lehne Italian Parsley

Sage and Thyme for your Thanksgiving seasoning!


Some Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas for your goodies:

Italian Chard Stuffing from Sunset Magazine (tried and true! Friends and family loved it!)

Time: 1 1/2 hours. If we could have only one other dish besides turkey for Thanksgiving, this would be it: Hunks of juicy sausage, good bread, and lots of chard—a stuffing that works as a side dish too. Former Sunset food editor Jerry Anne Di Vecchio got it from her mother-in-law, and it's just as appealing now as it was 42 years ago.

Yield: Serves 16 (makes 12 cups)
Ingredients

* 3/4 loaf (3/4 lb.) French bread
* 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
* 2 pounds Italian sausages
* 1 cup chopped parsley
* 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
* 1 1/2 pounds green Swiss chard, stem ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
* 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
* 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
* Salt

Preparation

1. Cut bread into 1/2-in. slices. Place slices in a large bowl and add milk. Mix gently with a spoon to saturate with milk and let stand about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, place a 6- to 8-qt. pot over high heat. Squeeze sausages from casings into pot. Discard casings. Cook meat, stirring often to crumble, until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes; discard fat. Add parsley, garlic, onion, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chard and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 5 minutes.

3. With your hands, squeeze bread slices to break them into tiny pieces. Add cooked meat mixture, parmesan, basil, sage, and rosemary. Season with salt to taste.

4. Preheat oven to 325° or 350° (use temperature turkey requires; see Note below). Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3-qt. (9- by 13-in.) casserole. For moist stuffing, cover with foil; for crusty stuffing, do not cover. Bake until hot (at least 150° in center) or lightly browned, at least 30 minutes.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day ahead, make stuffing, put in casserole, cover, and chill. Allow about 1 hour to bake.

Note: For turkeys 10-13 lbs., oven/bbq temperature should be 350°; for turkeys 14 lbs. and over, oven/bbq temperature should be 325°.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per 3/4-cup serving.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
318 (59% from fat)
Protein:
15g
Fat:
21g (sat 8.3)
Carbohydrate:
16g
Fiber:
1.6g
Sodium:
815mg
Cholesterol:
51mg


Butternut Ravioli with Sage-Brown Butter Sauce (next on the must try list!)


Prep Time:
20 Min
Cook Time:
1 Hr
Ready In:
1 Hr 20 Min


Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients

* 1 large butternut squash - halved lengthwise, peeled and seeded
* 2 teaspoons butter
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon allspice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
* 50 wonton wrappers
* 1 teaspoon egg white, lightly beaten
* Sauce
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
* salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the squash cut side up on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon butter in the hollow of each half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the squash with a sheet of aluminum foil tucking in the edges.
3. Bake squash in preheated oven until tender and easily pierced with a fork, 45 to 65 minutes.
4. Scoop the cooked squash into a bowl, and mash until smooth. Mix in the allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and Parmesan cheese until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Fill a deep pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil.
6. To make the ravioli, place a wonton wrapper on a clean, flat surface. Brush edges with the egg white. Place about 1 tablespoon of the squash mixture in the middle of the wonton. Cover with a second wonton wrapper. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers and squash mixture until all have been used.
7. Drop the ravioli into the boiling water, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove, drain, and keep warm until sauce is prepared.
8. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sage. Continue to cook and stir until the sage is crispy but not browned. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place 6 to 8 raviolis on serving plates, and drizzle with sauce.


Gingered Butternut Squash Pie~ from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Serves 10

* FOR THE CRUST
* 24 ginger snaps (6 ounces)
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
* FOR THE FILLING
* 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
* 3 large eggs
* 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 1/2 cup half-and-half
* 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* FOR THE GARNISH
* Crystallized ginger, cut into matchsticks

Directions

1. For the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine gingersnaps and sugar; process until finely ground. Add oil and pulse until crumbs are moistened. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press into bottom and up sides. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. For the filling, set a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and fill with 1 inch of water; bring to a boil. Place squash in pan, cover, and steam until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
3. Place squash in food processor and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add eggs, brown sugar, half-and-half, fresh ginger, salt, and nutmeg; process until smooth. Place cooled crust on a rimmed baking sheet and pour filling into crust. Bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerate to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Garnish with crystallized ginger.

From Body+Soul, November 2008


For all you fellow pesto lovers try whipping up a batch of pesto with your Italian Parsley bunch:

Parsley Pesto:

Most people imagine Basil when they hear the word pesto. But you can make pesto with other herbs as well. Parsley has a bit more kick, offsetting heavy flavors with a bit more excitement than the subtle sweetness of basil

1 cup De-stemmed Italian Parsley
2 tbsps. Lemon Juice
0.25 cups Pine Nuts, toasted
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. Olive Oil
0.25 tsp. Sea Salt

1) Heat pine nuts in a dry pan on medium heat until browned, being careful not to burn. Cool on a plate.

2) Remove parsley leaves from stems.

3) Once pine nuts have cooled, combine all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

4) Serve.


Honey Glazed Baby Carrots

2-3 cups small baby carrots (pre-peeled)
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
fresh minced parsley and/or chives

In a medium skillet, melt butter. Add brown sugar, honey, nutmeg and cinnamon; mix together. Add Carrots. Cover; cook on medium low to medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When finished cooking, the carrots should be firm, not mushy.

Remove from skillet and sprinkle with fresh parsley and/or chives. Serve.