Week Eighteen: Birthday Frost

Well, last night the temperatures were low enough to threaten the tender summer veggies we've been enjoying for so long. In anticipation, we had a very busy harvest morning on Wednesday, bringing in all the chard, basil, peppers, and eggplants. A cold wind was blowing and we had to bundle up--fortunately, just when we were frozen to the bone, Paul brought us some delicious warm chai to help us finish the harvest! What a change from the balmy weather we've been enjoying all September! As we raced around bringing in the harvest, a favorite song came to mind, which I hope you'll all enjoy in the above music video. We think the Farmer's Chorus of Helma, Karen, Mary, Kristin, and Rebecca (complete with basil, chard, and clippers as props) are just about ready for the Big Time! (Thanks to Ricardo for such a steady hand with the camera). The song, "Hurry Hurry", is a great favorite with the Steiner School third graders and Karen's daughter Lucilla (now a glamorous teen) helped write the words to the third verse about the pony. :-)
So, this harvest represents essentially the LAST of the summer crops. Deciding what to make was really tough. I hope we'll be able to make Cauliflower Millet Soup (a CFK fave) in a future week because I'm really excited about what I DID decide to make!
Summer's last bounty is:
Eggplant - 2
Green onions - 1 bunch
Cauliflower - 1 large head
Hot peppers - 1 plant
Broccoli - 3 heads (!)
Swiss chard - 7 plants (!!!)
Parsley - 1 bunch
Mizuna - 1 bunch
Fennel - 1 stalk
Lettuce - 3 heads
Basil - 2 plants (!!)
Sweet peppers - 10 (!!!)

Menu--after long deliberation--
Eggplant Mykonos - this stew from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd p. 353 has basically everything we got this week. Yum!
Barley Broccoli Salad from Serving up the Harvest p. 126
Cauliflower Pie Hopefully a new favorite from Farmer John's Cookbook p. 267
Mediterranean Green Sauce from Farmer John's Cookbook p. 86 We had this earlier this summer and it was sooooo good and a great way to use up tons of chard.
Basil Thogaiyal (Chutney) - another Indian specialty from Nitya, it's spicy and tasty and a great way to use up basil
and of course, our classic Pesto ... I hope you're not overwhelmed by having this several weeks in a row. It's so tasty and it keeps in the freezer for a taste of summer all winter long.
Finally, Celebration Salad with lettuce, mizuna, and peppers. Crunch crunch!

See you Friday!
Mary--who turns 25 today!
Photos: 1. Mary making Arugula Potato Salad in a cooking demo at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market last Saturday. 2. A gorgeous Preying Mantis at the Farm 3. Peppers and Broccoli in this week's share 4. Melanie tubs up last week's roasted veggie salad