Summer, AKA Autumn, Squash---My pal, Megan, suggested we should now be calling this Autumn Squash and I think she’s right. You know what to do: make one last quesadilla, shred and add an egg and saute up some nice fritters, steam and eat, add to some pasta, boil some up, drain, mash in some shredded cheese. I know you will miss it when it’s gone.
Onion---One largish onion that we hope can last you a week. After you cut it, store with the cut side down on a plate either in the fridge or on the counter, depending on your clutter threshold. These onions are SWEET when cooked up and aren’t half bad thinly sliced for a sandwich.
Lettuce---I hope you get a variety of colors to make a few salads. You could add a bit of finely chopped onion to a salad with tomato and a slice or two of fennel and rutabaga.
Cauliflower Blend---The spiky one is Romaneca. Some florets to steam or saute with or without tomatoes. Pasta or rice comes to mind as a bedding for the sauteed beauties.
Tomatoes---Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. We still have them coming and as I have said before, should, before it freezes. We don’t want a freeze yet, but we could use some rain, so let’s hope we get some the end of this week.
Fennel---Wonderful shaved or shredded and added to or used for a salad, terrific braised. It’s popular in Italy, where it can be thinly sliced and eaten plain or as part of a vegetable platter. You can slice it and serve it with just a bit of olive oil and salt. The tough stalks can be used to make soup stock. There are a couple of official recipes below.
Rutabaga---Nice, sweet, root vegetable. Great roasted or sliced thinly for salads. Try Roxie’s tried and true recipe: Cube the “Rutababy” and roll and add a little olive oil. Broil for about 20 minutes, turning and watching until they are brown and crunchy on outside (and creamy on inside). Add a bit of butter, salt and pepper. A Hit!

Braised Fennel
from Epicurious.com--- originally from a November, 2004 Gourmet magazine

2 fennel bulbs (sometimes called anise; 10 to 12 oz each) with fronds

1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup water

Cut off and discard stalks from fennel bulbs, reserving fronds. Chop 1 tablespoon fronds and discard remainder.
Cut bulbs lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, leaving core intact.
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown fennel slices
well, turning over once, 3 to 4 minutes total.
Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle fennel with salt and pepper, then add broth and water. Cook, covered, until fennel is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with fennel fronds.

Fennel Baked with Parmesan Cheese from: Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book
taken from the Mariquita Farms website

Jane Grigson's note about this recipe: "My favourite fennel dish, the best one of all by far. The simple additions of butter and parmesan - no other cheese will do - show off the fennel flavour perfectly. The point to watch, when the dish is in the oven, is the browning of the cheese. Do not let it go beyond a rich golden-brown."
Julia's note: this dish can be halved or made even smaller for just two people with one or two large heads of fennel.
Recipe:
6 heads fennel, trimmed, quartered, butter, pepper, 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Cook the fennel in salted water until it is tender. It is important to get this right: the fennel should not still be crisp, on the other hand it should not be floppy either. Drain it well and arrange in a generously buttered gratin dish. Be generous, too, with the pepper mill. Sprinkle on the cheese. Put into the oven at 400 degrees, until the cheese is golden brown and the fennel is bubbling vigorously in buttery juices.

Remember the Bean Extravaganza and Blazing Pumpkins on Halloween afternoon. Bean contest, tasting of all entered bean dishes, cookbook signing, smoozing, pumpkin carving. Fun for the entire family with time to go trick-or-treating after. Call or e-mail me if you have questions.









l

RECIPES: Please send me any seasonal recipes you may want to see in the Menu!






Gift Certificates/ Other Gifts: We will have Gift Certificates available for both the Farm Stand and CSA if you are interested for all
your gift-giving needs. We also have gorgeous wool scarves and blankets as well as beautiful chile vinegar to name a few items.


Wool Products: We have some gorgeous hand woven scarves and blankets/ throws from the WE Tierra Shetland Sheep. Stop in the Farm Stand for a look-see.









Come visit: Please all of you who pick up at drop off locations, come visit. We are open Saturdays from 11 to 6 and you are all more than welcome to come take a walk in the field and visit with your vegetables/ fruits.

HONEY: We’ve got honey from the field: Tierra Vegetables Estate Honey. It is really sweet and flavorful. Scott, our beekeeper at Nelson Family Apiary, is using it for his honey of the month! We can put it in your box. We’ve got two sizes: 10 oz for $8.50 and 20 oz for $12.00. Let me know.



PLASTIC BAGS; We need lots of CLEAN plastic bags, please. We go through a lot and are not ordering any more until we can get the non-GMO biodegradable ones.










PICK UP POLICY NOTE: We are experiencing an issue with boxes not being picked up at various locations, including the Farm Stand, on a timely manner. We understand that sometimes you forget or something comes up that you can’t get your box of vegetables. If this happens, please call me at 696-8148 and we will bag it up for those picking up at the farm or hold it at the drop off locations. Otherwise, boxes left over 24 hours will be donated or used by our hosts. Thank you.

Reminder: The Farm Stand is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 to 6:00.

VISIT THE FARM: Please come on in for a visit whenever you can and bring the kids!


.


EGGS---Our chickens are starting to lay their eggs! Hooray. These beautiful and delicious eggs are available at the Farm Stand. Better watch out, though: the customers at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market would take them all if we'd let them. You all get priority! Come check them out and see what a really fresh egg looks and tastes like.




Calling all loyal CSA members. We would love to put your recipes in the Menu. If you have anything that you'd like to share, please e-mail me at evie@tierravegetables.com and most likely your recipe (or comment) will make its way to this little Menu.

Regular Season starts May 29th. If you want to sign up and you haven’t yet, please call or e-mail.

Reminder: The Farm Stand is now open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 to about 5:30. Come on in. Bring the kids!