Fennel---Fennel is so delicious. We love it both slivered raw for salad and also cooked up. A simple way is to saute/ braise until tender. This produces a subtle, absolutely delicious treat. If you want a more “official” recipe, try the one below that Lisa G. gave to us and is trying this week. Sounds good and easy.
Broccoli---Violet Queen. A beautiful broccoli for steaming, making soup, sautéing, adding to salads. Try blanching quickly, then storing in the fridge for afternoon snacks. Healthy!
Carrots---Yum. Eat for snack or cook up. There is a recipe below for Carrot-Fennel soup, thanks to Lisa G. Shealso makes a carrot soup that her family loves: steam the carrots until tender and blend up with milk and a little butter. Could that be any easier?
Delicata Winter Squash---Very sweet, soft squash. Cut in half, bake with cut side down (a bit of oil) and water if you like, at 350 until tender (about 45 mins). Add butter and eat. That’s it!
Celery---For snacks or soup or even roasting. Put a bit of peanut butter or cream cheese on a few pieces for fun. Try the celery soup recipe below.
Onions---Keep eating your onions! Roast some up with the other vegetables.
Parsnips---A relative of the carrot family, these are delicious roasted up. Wash and chop into equal size pieces. Put on baking sheet or other pan with bit of oil and bake until tender, stirring around every so often. Add some chopped up carrots, broccoli and onions for a more complete meal

Carrot-Fennel Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 med fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly slice; fronds reserved and chopped
1 1/2 lbs carrots, sliced into 1/4 in rounds
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 - 5 cups vegetable broth
3/4 tsp salt or to taste

1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp creme fraîche, or more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
In a large, heavy saucepan, warm oil over medium heat. Add the fennel slices, and cook, stirring, until softened.  Add the carrots and garlic and cook for another minute or two. Pour in 4 cups* vegetable broth and season with salt.
Simmer, covered, until carrots and fennel are very tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove soup from heat, stir in orange juice and reserved fennel fronds. Use immersion blender or food processor/ blender and puree until smooth. Stir in creme fraîche. Taste and season to tasted.
*Add final cup after pureeing if you want a thinner soup.

Cream of Celery Soup
From the Joy of Cooking
1 Tbsp butter ,

2 cups milk, divided
1 cup (or more) chopped celery with leaves
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch,

1/3 cup thinly sliced onions
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley,

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Melt butter in saucepan. Add celery and onion and sauté 2 minutes. Add stock. Simmer 10 minutes. Strain or puree soup. Return to heat, add 1 1/2 cups milk and bring to boil. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup milk. Stir gradually into hot soup. Bring to boil again; stir and cook about 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 cups.

Glazed Carrots with Orange and Ginger
adapted from recipe by Mark Bittman from New York Times
1 lb carrots, trimmed and peeled if necessary

2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp minced or grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup orange juice

1 tsp lemon juice
Garnishes of herbs of choice
Combine all ingredients except garnishes in saucepan no more than 6 inches across. Bring to boil, cover, lower heat and simmer. Cook, more or less undisturbed, until carrots are tender and liquid is almost gone, 10 to 20 mins. Un-cover and boil off remaining liquid, then add lemon juice.



Blazing Pumpkins Returns: Once again we will host a Blazing Pumpkins event. On Wednesday, Halloween evening, come by the Farm Stand and carve up a few Jack-O-Lanterns. Bring carving implements and votive candles if you have them. We will put the carved “Jacks” along Airport Blvd for a beautiful display. Come on by and help out or have a look!
Remember we’re open, Rain or Shine!

The Weekly Boxes continue until December 20. We still have more than two months of vegetable boxes!!

VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED: We could really use some help with winnowing the beans. It is a low key, rather relaxing experience consisting of helping to clean the beans as they are pushed over the “wind” of a fan. If
you’d like to check it out, call or come by the Farm Stand and we’ll show you how it’s done.




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.



PICKLE NEWS: PICKLES! We have pickles! For those of you who remember from last year, we have great old fashioned dill pickles. They are fermented in a crock the old fashioned way and are crisp and slightly sour. Come have a taste and get a few pickles.






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!


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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!