View from the Tractor
Happy Fall. The past few days of rain have really made my heart sing. Actually needing to wear a jacket for some of the day has been so dang refreshing. You can even feel the plants exhaling in the fields as life for all of us is getting a little bit easier. I may even be able to get some more sleep.
Now that we are transitioning into shorter days, the crops are going to start slowing down their growth and really focus their energy on finishing. This means all of the summer fruits are getting incredibly sweet and amazing. Now is the best time of year to chop up a few extra red bell or Italian peppers and freeze them for a splash of summer in a sauté on any cold, dark day that lies ahead of us. We are also just starting to see the first little broccoli heads pop up. Hopefully we will soon be harvesting our broccoli, purple cabbage, red Napa cabbage and radicchios in the weeks ahead. Not to mention fall carrots, turnips, arugula and radishes are right around the corner.
Over the next few weeks we will start clearing our fields and getting the farm ready for winter. This means lots of dirty, hard work-- but it helps insure that the farm is in a good position for the next season and the soil is healthy and ready for new life. We'll be doing soil testing followed by coming up with plans for what amendments need to go on the fields this fall. After the fields are clear and amended we will plant a cover crop to make sure the winter winds don't blow away the soil we have worked so hard to build. So much goes into growing our food and now I have time to put all of this into play so that next years food is even better. Each year this is what we strive for, and we couldn't do it without your support.
Thanks for being a part of our farm.
- Michael and all of the farmers of Kilt Farm
Product Highlights
Collard Greens
Collard greens are one of our favorite bunched greens on the table. With so much versatility in the kitchen, these hardy greens are quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Collard greens share the amazing quality that all of our organic veggies have to offer: they are jam-packed with nutrition! But to distinguish them from other traditional bunched greens, collards stand out in that they are particularly good for gut health and combatting inflammation in the body. As the seasons shift and our bodies adjust to new (and exciting) foods, adding collards to the table is a great way to boost not only flavor in a meal, but also add a generous boost of health benefits.
So often folks look at collard greens and think, what do I even do with these?
Collards are one of the oldest greens in the brassica family, and there are endless possibilities for utilizing collards in the kitchen! Of course, there is the staple collards green dishes that come from traditional southern cooking-- arriving in America in the 1600s and used in the south, particularly by those in enslavement. Slow-cooked collard greens soon became a staple dish that provided warmth, flavor, and nutrition, and was soon adopted by the rest of the nation following the civil war.
Our favorite ways to prepare collards:
- A dish typically slow cooked with smoked ham hock or bacon, broth, garlic, and red pepper flakes, Southern collard greens burst with flavor that can't be found in most other slow cooked greens. This Collard Greens 101 from Divas Cook provides a lot of insight into how to make the perfect Southern collards.
- Step aside, tortillas-- Collards are also a wonderful vessel for veggie wraps. Simply massage the collard greens to soften them to the perfect wrapping texture and fill with your favorite vegetables with a dipping sauce.
Looking for more ways to cook these tasty greens? This list of collard green recipes from the Vegan Atlas (feel free to add your favorite cooked meats, of course) offers a wide variety of ways to prepare your collards ranging from soups to stir fries!
Fennel
Most of us are familiar with fennel seed, which is a staple in every grocery store herb isle. But what about fennel itself?
This bright, aromatic, and bulbous vegetable is a member of the carrot family, but is not a root veggie (plot twist!). It's incredibly rich in dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin c, and is flavorful to-boot! Sometimes called "the candy of vegetables", fennel bursts with anise flavor-- so for all of you licorice lovers out there, this is the veg for you.
Here are a few ways we like to prepare fennel:
- Slice thin with a mandoline and add brighten up your salad with fresh diced tomato dried apricots, roasted beets, goat cheese (or any soft cheese of your choosing), pine nuts or pistachio, and a citrus vinaigrette
- Roast the bulb with garlic and herbs (we love this recipe from Every Last Bite-- but now add some roasted tomato to bring in even more color and flavor!)
- Blend your fennel raw and make a bright and refreshing Fennel & Watermelon Gazpacho
- Use the fronds as an aromatic garnish for... well, anything! These feather-like fronds are a beautiful addition to any dish and add the subtle herbaceous flavor fennel has to offer.
Fruit Share
This week, the fruit share will be 3 lbs of Bartlett Pears and 5 lbs of O'Henry Peaches.
Wrapping up peach season: This will be the last week we offer peaches as the orchard offerings transition to apple and pear season.
Storing your pears properly:
Unlike most other fruits, pears ripen from the inside out and are picked off the trees before ripening. It's important to store your pears properly to avoid any mealiness or change in flavor. Before putting your pears in the fridge, be sure to let them ripen at room temperature first.
Bartletts will change in color as they ripen and should reach a solid beautiful green before being stored in the crisper drawer of your fridge (we recommend using an already-used plastic bag once in the fridge to keep them fresh and help them last longer). You will notice they become less hard and more soft to the touch (but don't let them get too soft!!). If you want to speed up the ripening process, place your pears next to bananas or avocado so they absorb some of the ethylene which helps promote ripening in fruits.
Once you feel your pear is ripe, throw in the crisper of your fridge, bake them in your pies, or eat them on the go!
Last Call for Peaches and Peach cases!
Don't forget, if you want to stock up on fresh peaches picked right from the trees of the Western Slopes, now is your last chance to order a 20 lb boxes of O'Henry peaches!
Our peaches will also be offered as a 3lb bag add-on.
Add-ons and Extras
Extras Feature: Fresh Herb & Co Bouquets!
Bring some color to your home or surprise a loved one with a gorgeous bouquet of Fresh Herb Co flowers. These beautiful bunches are the perfect gift or table centerpiece! Grown right down the street from our little farm in Niwot, the farmers of Fresh Herb and Co have dedicated themselves to growing fresh herbs and flowers with sustainable methods. These flowers are absolutely gorgeous and will last much longer than a typical bouquet you might find in the grocery store-- If you haven't brought home one of these amazing flower bunches yet, this is your sign to give them a go!
And as always, we have a many other amazing add-ons we encourage you to check out:
- Use some Kilt Farm Raw Honey in your marinades, drizzle over yogurt or morning müesli, or eat straight from the jar.
- Throw some plums in your Pueblo Seed cereals or check out their cookies for a fun & healthy snack! We are also still offering their out-of-this-world green & red chilé powders and garlic powder.
- Sauté a delicious mushroom side with some Hazel Dell Mushrooms
- Make a rich Ragù Bolognese for your heirloom Pastificio pasta (our selection of veggies this week are perfect for an amazing pasta sauce!)
- Sauce tomatoes: We are still offering 15 lb flats of sauce tomatoes for those of you looking to can some fresh-from-the-farm tomatoes for the winter. Not only is preserving tomatoes fun (and delicious, of course!), but it's a great way to combat food waste and put some "seconds" produce to use.
- Make a pie, crumble, or amazing fruit salad with some Elephant Heart plums, O'Henry peaches, or Bartlett pears!
- If you're feeling adventurous, remember this is the last week to order a case of peaches for canning!
We hope you enjoy this week's CSA. Wishing you a wonderful weekend as we enter fall.
