September 14

Farm Notes

I know it’s been a little quiet over here, but I’m back and all is well! I was without a computer for most of last week after accidentally spilling an entire bottle of water all over my laptop (yikes!) but thank goodness for laptop warranties and kind folks at the Apple store, who helped get me back up and running.

The plants and I are still soaking up this cooler and less humid September weather! This week will still be on the warm side, but it’s nothing compared to the crazy heat and humidity that we experienced back in August. Almost every bed on the farm is planted with fall veggies, and we are now in the process of beginning to “flip” our caterpillar tunnels from summer tomatoes/peppers to more fall greens.

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Speaking of fall… last Thursday we kicked off Week 1 of our Fall CSA! Right now we’re in an especially abundant seasonal sweet spot when summer veggies like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, etc are still going strong, while cooler weather crops like radishes, turnips, and leafy greens are making their fall debut… so it’s really the best of both worlds.

I’m so thankful to our CSA members (and the entire Farmbelly Club community!) for the continued support, especially in this season full of lots of exciting new adventures for our family. Speaking of which, I’ll be sure to keep y’all posted with any baby updates! This little dude could really arrive any day now (or it could still be 2 weeks from now..) and we are so excited to meet him. :)

Kitchen Notes

Over the weekend, I was feeling inspired by all of our sweet + nutty fall winter squash, so I whipped up a hearty, colorful, and nourishing autumnal dish that I’m excited to share with y’all! I just made this salad up as I went, so feel free to add/substitute ingredients based on what you have on hand. I love making salads with a grain base using quinoa, rice, or lentils because they are packed with protein, and they store well in your fridge so you can enjoy leftovers for days. A note that if you don’t have delicata squash, you can substitute with any other kind of winter squash or sweet potatoes.

QUINOA & KALE Salad with Delicata Squash, Apples & Apple Cider-Maple Vinaigrette

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INGREDIENTS

For the Salad

  • 3-4 cups cooked quinoa (or other grain like brown rice, lentils, etc)

  • 2 delicata squash (or any other winter squash or sweet potatoes), halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2" thick half moons

  • Olive oil

  • 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped

  • 1-2 apples, diced

  • 1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

For the Vinaigrette

  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 2-3 tablespoons dijon mustard

  • 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.

  2. Slice the delicata squash (or whatever winter squash you’re using) in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the squash in 1/2” thick half moons and toss together on a rimmed baking sheet with a few tablespoons of olive oil and some salt + pepper. Roast until tender and beginning to brown, about 20-30 minutes, tossing the squash at least once halfway through baking. When the squash is fully cooked and delicious, remove from oven and set aside.

  3. While the squash is roasting, cook your quinoa (basic quinoa cooking tips here) and add 3-4 cups of your cooked quinoa to a large salad bowl (note that I usually start with 2 cups of uncooked quinoa for this dish).

  4. Make the vinaigrette by adding all your ingredients into a jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. TASTE the vinaigrette and make adjustments as needed (you want to have a good balance between salt, sour, and sweet).

  5. Next add your de-stemmed and chopped kale to the salad bowl with your cooked quinoa, and add a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette on top of the kale and use your hands to gently massage the kale with the vinaigrette (this helps break down the kale a bit). Now add the roasted delicata squash, chopped apples, almonds, mint, and parsley to the salad bowl, pour in more of your vinaigrette and toss everything together. NOTE that you may not need to use all of the vinaigrette that you made - it’s up to you how much you want to use!

  6. TASTE and adjust seasoning to the salad as needed – you may want to add more salt or apple cider vinegar to give the salad a bit more punch.

Today’s Stats

  • Low temp: 67F

  • High temp: 89F

  • Sunrise: 6:59am

  • Sunset: 7:25pm

  • Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous

  • Additional notes: Sunny and warm