Week 18 of eating local!
We're deep(ish) into fall now and we've got all the fixings of October eating in Maine. Frost sweetened greens, winter squash, juicy carrots and more! PLUS MORE APPLES for add-ons AND PEARS. The nights are definitely getting colder here on the farm, and we've been getting lots of rain, which contributes greatly to the moodiness and chilliness of October. Rain this time of year is annoying. Plants love and need water obviously, but they don't love damp and cold, which is a recipe for plant disease (it's also a recipe for worker grumpiness:). So while the water can still help things grow as long as it's above freezing, extended cold, damp days like these also quickly contribute to the decay of fall. We're not in any dire straights as our soils are generally well drained and we've been getting intermittent days of sun, but it's safe to say most of summer's growth is done, now we cross our fingers and hope for things to hold in the cold before we harvest. We've been chipping away at bulk harvests since August, but soon we'll begin more in earnest. Much of our winter storage is passively cooled, so it can't be cooled enough to hold cold storage veggies until the nights hover around freezing. We're almost there. Soon we'll be pulling carrots out by the 50 lb bag and packing them (and much more) away to feed us AND YOU all winter long!
Add-ons this week:
- Macoun Apples - $5.00/3 lb. bag. Macouns real staple by way of local apples and while not technically an heirloom, they are an older variety that has a shorter harvest window and can be tricky for growers. These apples are all purpose, they are crisp and sweet and great for fresh eating, but also hold their shape and firmness when cooked!
- Local Pears - $4.75/quart (around 2 lbs) Harvested sweet, but still firm, these pears will keep for up to a month in the crisper, but will be ready to eat when you give them a day or two on the counter. Perfect for snacks as you want them. Why are pears picked green? Our pear farmers say that pears ripen and then go by so quickly that harvesting them ripe leads to lots of waste and then in your home, and if picked while green, but the sugars have started to develop they'll ripen perfectly when you want them too, rather than too many at once.
Both add-ons this week are grown by farmer Steven Meyerhan of The Apple Farm in Fairfield, Maine. They are not certified organic, but grown using Integrated Pest Management methods, meaning spraying is kept to an absolute minimum and used only when facing pests at a threshold high enough to warrant significant economic loss.
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Continue to Eat Local With Us through the Fall and Winter!
Our Autumn and Deep Winter Sign-ups are in full swing, and creeping closer! Now is the time to secure your spot with us through and get the same local food through the winter in customizable shares!
Autumn Shares - $105 for the season of 5 weeks of deliveries deliveries October through Thanksgiving
Winter Shares - $325 for 16 weeks of bi-weekly deliveries December through March
Want to know what's in season in the fall and winter??
Farmer Hack Stir Fry Recipe
I find that one of the tricks in our house to eating more veggies, or cleaning out the veggies that have accumulated in the fridge is a recipe that can basically be filled with any vegetable. I also get bored easily so I'm often looking for new flavors and new recipes - that's when I found this stir fry sauce recipe that has me super excited to be stir frying these days!
You can put in any veggies you want - bok choy, carrots, spinach, chinese cabbage, salad turnips, radishes, kohlrabi - anything that you might put in a stir fry.
Step 1: Make the noodles or rice in advance. In cooking this recipe, I've started using rice noodles, which are not normally in my diet and are fun and fast. But you can use whatever you want, white rice, brown rice, soba noodles, whatever.
Step 2: Prepare THIS sauce, here's the recipe:
1 small onion, very thinly sliced
Kosher salt
thinly sliced green onions, plus more for serving
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onions and season with salt. Cook until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer onions to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add sesame oil to skillet. When sesame oil is fragrant, stir in green onions and garlic and cook for one minute. Add soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes (if using). Simmer until sauce has reduced slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 3: Stir fry alllllll the veggies the way you like. If you'r not super familiar with stir frying, here is a good primer: https://www.wikihow.com/Stir-Fry-Vegetables
Step 4: Toss noodles, veggies, and sauce together so that it is all well coated. Top with extra scallions and the crispy onions you fried first. Serve hot!
