Second to Last October Week
= The last crop to go in for the season is perhaps our favorite, garlic. We saved almost all of what we grew this year to plant for next season. We are also rounding up extra seed garlic from other local growers so we can keep some diversity in our seed stock. Other than a couple new beds we prepped, most everything else is getting put to bed - mowing, pulling, winding up irrigation lines. Other farm friends are getting ready for winter too:
We opened up the hive just to make sure the colony is looking healthy and has enough honey to make it through the winter. The bees will all cluster together in a sphere, queen warmest in the very center. On cold nights they will shiver to create warmth, with the outer layer of bees rotating inward so no one gets too chilly. Their shivering bee sphere slowly works its way though the hive's honey stores, which should ideally carry them through until dandelions, their first food of the spring, start popping. Looking closer at the comb we could see larvae, which was a relief since we've never actually met the queen of our hive (Inez named her Elsa). We are relatively hands-off bee parents, and it seems they are doing exactly what they need to be doing, with or without our management. We were assisted by friend and shareholder Andrea, who is also a bee enthusiast. This week we are happy to include in the share a collage of Andrea's, a piece in part inspired by meeting our honeybee colony. In addition to Queen Elsa's family at the farm HQ, we will be welcoming four new colonies on site at the farm this fall. Look for lots more Common Name honey in future years!
Harvest List: Red kuri squash Celeriac Lettuce mix Turnips Shallots Carrots Napa cabbage Dried chipotle peppers Collage Please note this list is dependent on weather and crop conditions, not guaranteed or comprehensive.
Recipe: Tangy Chipotle Aioli The chipotle peppers in this week’s share are brought to you by Alex Glose, CSA member and smoked foods whiz, who kindly smoked our red jalapenos to bring you the smoky chipotle goodness! There are few culinary contexts which do not shine with a hint of deep red-brown, smoky heat, and aioli is a perfect vehicle for enjoying chipotle on just about anything. For optimum flavor store whole chipotle peppers in the freezer until you are ready to grind them up. Ingredients: ¼ cup mayonnaise/vegan mayonnaise 1 clove crushed garlic 1.8 tsp freshly ground chipotle powder 2 tsp lime juice salt to taste Grind up a whole chipotle pepper in a clean coffee grinder until it’s a fine powder (a little bit of freshly ground chipotle powder goes a long ways so start small and add to taste). Literally, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Ta-da. Enjoy on sandwiches, burritos, tacos, or as a dipping sauce for crispy roasted potatoes.