Farm Notes
We’ve officially hit a major milestone in our growing season.. the first frost has arrived! After wrapping up our CSA boxes on Tuesday, I spent the rest of the day hustling around the farm, frantically preparing for the first frost of the season that evening. There were peppers and hibiscus to be harvested, tunnels to close up, hose/irrigation lines to empty, and row after row of veggies that needed to be tucked in with frost cover. I was outside long after the sun had set, scurrying around until it was so dark that I couldn’t see anymore, but I got it all done! When I woke up on Wednesday morning, everything was calm, quiet, frost-covered and sparkling in the morning sunlight.
Thankfully, all of our veggies fared well after two nights of hard frost, and even some of the rows that didn’t get covered that I was a bit worried about did just fine! For example – I wasn’t able to cover our fennel because it had gotten so big and tall, that I literally didn’t have frost cover that was wide enough to cover it… so I just said a little prayer and wished it good luck, and wouldn’t you know it did great. It goes to show that quite often, plants are far more resilient than I give them credit for, and if anything these chilly temps will make them even sweeter.
As our growing season winds down, this week I spent a lot of time reflecting on just how far we’ve come… it was about 10 years ago that I first began dreaming of having my own farm-based cooking school, and it’s been a long and winding and exhausting and wonderful journey to get where we are today.
The past few weekends I’ve been hosting cooking workshops here at the farm, and I’ve been overwhelmed with happiness seeing folks in the garden, helping to harvest fresh herbs and veggies that we’ll use to cook vibrant and nourishing dishes that we sit down and enjoy together. Seeing this crazy dream of mine finally coming to fruition after 10+ years has been pretty wild, and I could not be more grateful for all the support that I’ve received along the way. I’m especially thankful for this community of Farmbelly Club members – thank you for being here and for continuing to support and cheer me on! PS – If you want a glimpse behind the scenes of my journey the past 10 years, I made a reel on instagram that you can watch here.
One of the things I’m especially excited to offer more in the coming season is hands-on gardening / farming workshops. Thank you for the awesome response to my new Beginning Market Gardener Workshop on November 19th… the feedback has been amazing, and there is only one spot left! And while this workshop is geared more towards folks who are looking to take their growing to the next level (and potentially sell their produce), in Spring 2023 I will definitely be offering hands-on workshops focused more on small-scale home gardens in raised beds and pots.. so stay tuned!
And stay tuned for next week, when I’ll be digging into the nitty gritty of planting your own garlic.. I can’t believe it’s already time to get garlic in the ground, but here we are! Be well and stay warm everyone, have a delicious weekend. :)
PS – I took y’all on a virtual farm walk this morning, with lots of new veggies to see + helpful gardening info for you! For a full tour of the farm + tips for your own gardens, here’s the link to watch!
Kitchen Notes
Every year when the weather cools down, I crank up my oven and make this soup on repeat. By roasting the butternut squash, leeks + apples to bring out their natural sweetness and blending the sweet veggies and fruit with warming fall spices (plus a touch of apple cider vinegar), the end result is a luscious (and super simple) soup I highly recommend enjoying while cozied up in your PJ’s. Keep scrolling for the full recipe, which was inspired by and adapted from Sara Britton and her blog My New Roots.
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, LEEK & APPLE SOUP
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, sliced into thin rounds and rinsed
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 large butternut squash (2-3lbs), peeled and diced
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
4 – 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Apple cider vinegar, to taste (start with 2 tsp up to 2 Tbsp)
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare the vegetables into a large bowl: slice and rinse the leeks, dice the onion, peel garlic (but leave it whole), peel the butternut squash and dice into 1/2-inch cubes, peel and dice the apple. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt to the vegetables in the bowl and toss gently to coat.
Pour the prepared vegetables out evenly onto two rimmed baking sheets. Set the trays in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes until tender and beginning to brown, stirring halfway through and making sure the leeks don’t burn.
While the veggies are roasting, pour 4-6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth into a saucepan along with the salt, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar. Cover and bring to a low simmer.
When the vegetables are roasted, blend the soup in batches by transferring a few cups of roasted vegetables into a standing blender, along with a few cups of the warmed broth, blending on high until completely smooth. As you work in batches, transfer the blended soup into a stockpot. Alternatively, you can combine the vegetable and broth in a stockpot and blend with an immersion blender.
Once all the soup has been blended, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add additional stock if you prefer a thinner soup. This soup is delicious topped with toasted nuts or seeds, creme fraiche, and caramelized onions or leeks.
Today’s Stats
Low temp: 36F
High temp: 65F
Sunrise: 7:29am
Sunset: 6:33pm
Moon phase: Waning crescent
Additional notes: Clear skies and beautiful