Kretschmann Farm Sept. 30, 2008
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
The
“fall shift” is on--before our very eyes.
The cole crops of broccoli and cauliflower are
poised to be the stars of the lineup as the tomatoes wane. One by one, as fields are finishing up for
the season, cover
crops replace them for the next six months. We’re seeing tiny sprouts again of
all those sexy mesclun greens in neat little
three-row beds. Roots are back with a vengeance—in addition to a beautiful
field of carrots and beets, there are also radishes and turnips! And the greens return for an encore. By the week’s end we’ll be delayed getting to
work outside, not just by darkness but also by cold. The predicted low Saturday
morning is just 39 deg. Hands just don’t
work well in the frost.
Because it’s been so dry and we haven’t had
any rain days to keep us inside, we seem to be keeping up with the work
load. Most of the apples are picked. We’ve
been keeping up with the tomatoes.
Thursday or Friday, we’ll likely be scrambling madly to get a bunch of
tender things picked before risking them to a damaging frost—predicted low of
39 deg. on Saturday morning—brrr. Or if
it’s to be really cold, we will be back to spreading the row covers over
lettuce to protect and speed the growth.
Enjoy likely the last planting of green
beans. Who would have thought the best would be the last? It’s a variety called EZ Pik. They have the curious habit of breaking off
right where the stem connects to the plant.
Also, they are the absolute favorite of the Mexican bean beetles. Good taste, those bugs.
Hoping you are enjoying the first days of
the fall of ‘08,
we are
---- Don, Becky, & The Crew
Reminder: Next week is cheese as well as coffee week.
Veggie
ID: If you have a multicolored squash which is
shaped like an acorn, it’s a Carnival sweet dumpling winter squash. It’s a lot like acorn squash, but
richer. An orange squash is a small
version of orange hubbard. It’s like a rich butternut or buttercup
squash. It will also make a great
pumpkin pie.
Dilly Beans: Cook or steam trimmed beans 3-5
min. Drain when beans are still bright
green and just tender. Stir 2 Tbs. fresh
chopped dill into warm beans. Combine
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/3 c. cider vinegar, 2 lg. cloves pressed garlic, and 1/2 tsp honey in
saucepan and bring quickly to boil.
Simmer 2 min., pour over green beans and mix well. Add 1 tbs vegetable
oil if desired. Serve hot or chilled.
String Bean Salad: Boil or steam 1 lb. string beans. Combine 1/4 c. olive oil, 1/4 c. vinegar, 1
clove mince garlic, salt an pepper. Pour
over bean. Add 2 sliced tomatoes and 1 sliced onion.
If you aren’t in the mood to
fool with pie dough, try using shortbread for a crust. Press it with a rubber
spatula or your oiled fingers into shape in the pan.
Apples on Shortcake: Cut up apples as you would
for apple pie, adding honey or sugar and raisins if desired, plus a little
cider if apples aren't too juicy.
Shortbread: Sift 2c. flour, 3 tsp. baking
powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 tbs. sugar. Mix
in 1/2 c. oil well, until evenly absorbed. Then mix in 5/8 c. milk and one beaten
egg. Spread this shortcake dough into
the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Spread layer of apples on top and bake @
350 deg. about 45 min. or until apples are cooked. For a special treat, try using butter for
half the oil. If using a smaller pan,
adjust the amounts.
Cauliflower&Carrot
Antipasto: Saute' 4 c. cauliflower flowerets & 3 med carrots cut
into 1 1/2" strips 8-1- min until tender, stirring in 2 cloves minced
garlic in last few minutes. Transfer to bowl & add 1-3 tbs.balsamic
vinegar and salt & pepper to taste. (fresh basil
or oregano also)
Cauliflower-Cheese Soup:
Put aside 2 c. cauliflower flowerets of large head. Cut up the remainder and boil in 1 qt.water with 1 large diced potato, 1 medium diced carrot,
and 1 1/2 c. chopped onion until all veggies are very tender. Puree in blender and transfer to large
pot. Steam reserved cauliflower until
just tender. Add to puree with 2 c.
grated ceddar, 3/4 c. milk, 1 tsp. dill 1/2 tsp.
caraway, salt and pepper to taste. Heat
gently and top w/ a little xtra cheese. (The puree
can be frozen for later use.)
Special Orders: ½ bu. beets or potatoes--$25 Cabbage for sauerkraut-- $25 50# box.
Chickens: If you get
chickens, for your convenience, we’ve posted the schedule
of deliveries for all days, and the grower addresses on our website with
the 2008 newsletters.