Week Nineteen: The Frost King is Here!

Wow, what a change a week can make. The season shift into autumn has really happened now, and the effects of the Frost King's visit to our farm are obvious. We're already beginning to focus on the end of the season--which, it is hard to believe, is only a month away! All of the summer crops are really gone, though we're still distributing the last of what we had saved in the barn. Autumn crops are going strong and I have to dust off my memories from last year of what delicious treats there are to make with bok choi and winter squash.
We had a short work day at the farm on Tuesday due to the cold and rain. We spent some time gathering in the irrigation tape from the pepper and basil beds which will be cultivated soon and put to sleep for the winter with cover crops seeded. Wednesday was windy and chilly, but the harvesters spirits as we brought in the veggies. My friend Aaron joined us for the morning and, in addition to picking some gorgeous mizuna and playing with the goats, he serenaded us with an impromptu drum solo on the lids of the honey jars in the barn.....maybe you had to be there.
Anyhow, with this week's bounty I feel that we're returning to the refrain of early spring: "Here, have some (LOTS of) green stuff!"
The share:
Sweet peppers - 4
Spaghetti squash - 1
Daikon radish - 1
Hot pepper - 12
Eggplant - 2
Cauliflower - 1
Broccoli- 2 heads
Bok choi - 16 (!) plants
Kale - 1 lb
Swiss chard - 3 plants
Endive or chickory - 1 head
Garlic - 4 bulbs
Choice: Mizuna, arugula, tatsoi - 1 bunch
Lettuce - 2 heads
Fennel - 1 bulb

Menu:
Cauliflower Millet Soup - this is a perennial favorite here in the CFK. With tons of protein, what more can we expect from Diet for a Small Planet (p. 290)
Eggplant-Chard Curry - Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd p. 355
Spaghetti Squash with Green Sauce - this recipe comes from my head. The green sauce will be a version of Katharina's Green Sauce we enjoyed in the spring.
Pasta with Broccoli - every once in a while the CFK goes posh. This tasty recipe comes from Craig Clairborne's New York Times Cookbook p. 263
Stir Fried Bok Choi with Sweet Tahini Sauce We're going to try something different and stir fry the Bok choi and other veggies and package them seperately from their sauce (from Diet for a Small Planet p. 263).
Frost King Salad with lettuce, endive, chickory, mizuna, tatsoi, and arugula.

Hope you'll enjoy it all!
See you Friday
Mary
Photos: 1. Distribution board with Nancy's art--lots of bok choi in the foreground 2. Daikon and spaghetti squash 3. Aaron and the goats, Morgan and Delilah 4. Broccoli and Cauliflower