Pie Pumpkin---They say there is going to be a shortage of canned pumpkin this year. Fear not, we have the better alternative: fresh! Easy to make a pie or other delights. Cook just like any other winter squash: cut in half, scoop out seeds, put a bit of oil on cut side and put into a pan w/ a bit of water (to ease clean up). Bake at about 350 for about an hour or until nice and soft. Put into a blender or processor to make a nice smooth puree (unless you want chunky, then just mash). Use this puree in place of any canned. Simple? yes. There is a recipe below for the classic Libby pie. I now use 1/2 and 1/2 in place of the evaporated milk and it works fine. Enjoy!
Potatoes---Russets. For the Thanksgiving feast or any other use. Good to mash, good to bake, roast, etc.
Parsnips---Many people have been asking for parsnips. They are finally here, dug up and ready to roast, boil up with or without potatoes. Rather sweet, very tasty. Try them pureed: cut up and boil in salted water until tender. Blend up with a bit of butter, cream and/ or sour cream, yogurt. Great treat!
Onion---We figure you will need lots of onions if you are making a few dishes. If not, they will store for awhile, but not for months. Use them within a few weeks and you should be fine.
Lettuce with spicy additions---Oftentimes, lettuce is only used for garnish on Thanksgiving (perhaps under the great grandmother’s traditional jello salad: “gotta have it,” my niece says. “Not so sure,” I say. (We will have it). Anyway you use it, it will be a sweet addition without any added sugar! Make some salads!
Sunchokes---AKA Jerusalem Artichokes. Great roasted or sliced raw for salads. The recipe below was a hit last year!

Easy Pumpkin Pie

2 cups pumpkin puree

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves
(can use pumpkin pie spice in place of the three spices above)
2 eggs

1 can evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

Beat the two eggs. Blend all the other ingredients together with the eggs. Put into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for the first 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 45 to 50 minutes until knife is mostly (but not totally) clean when put into the middle of the pie. If you don't want a crust you can bake the custard in a greased casserole dish. If the crust is getting too dark too fast, put a "shield" around it with aluminum foil.

Sunchoke Gratin
adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (from Mariquita Farms website)

1 pound sunchokes(Jerusalem artichokes)

Salt
An oven-to-table baking dish

Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Peel the sunchokes and drop them in salted, boiling water. Cook them until they feel tender, but not mushy when prodded with a fork. Ten minutes after the water returns to a boil, check them frequently because they tend to go from very firm to very soft in a brief span of time. Drain when done, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/2-inch slices.
Smear the bottom of a baking dish with butter, then place the sunchoke slices in it, arranging them so they overlap slightly, roof tile fashion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the grated Parmesan, dot with butter and place the dish on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven. Bake until a light golden crust begins to form on top. Allow to settle for a few minutes out of the oven before serving.

Special Note: We all want to thank all of you for your continued support over the past year(s). We truly appreciate the trust that you give us in providing food for you, your family and friends. We love what we do and couldn’t do it without you. Please, all of you, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and Thanks again from all of us.

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!


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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!