Here we are--suddenly it seems--at the end of another growing season, and at the beginning of the official season of gratitude.  We are thankful for your CSA membership, which allows us to make a living by growing great food while enhancing a piece of this earth so that it can feed families indefinitely after we are all long gone.  So thank you very much for making it possible for a local farm family (Henry’s!) to do what we do. 

 

 Every growing season is the same in many ways, but each has its particular joys and challenges. This year’s main challenge was moisture. It seemed like it rained just about every single Tuesday and Friday, our harvest days for CSA and market. It’s not so bad to harvest in the rain when you have good rain gear, but it rained so much that we struggled to get things planted all season long, even during our normally dry July and August.

 

Yet, through it all, Henry and his apprentices and family-members worked hard, rain or shine, and the Earth rewarded our efforts with delicious abundance. As Henry writes in his just-printed Solstices and Equinoxes, illustrated by his wife Hiroko (available for $5 at the CSA pickup – see more info below):

 People often think of the farmer as the one who grows things, but really Nature is the one who does the growing. Nature is the ultimate master gardener. The farmer merely initiates the process by working the soil and planting the seeds. Nature – that felicitous combination of rain, air, soil, and sun—does the rest. To paraphrase the 19^th century playwright Douglas Jerrold, “Tickle the Earth with a hoe, and she laughs a harvest.” Of course, it often takes a bit more tickling than he might have imagined to get her to laugh.

 

A few notes before we get to your last (and especially large – 10 different items!) CSA share . . .

 

1.     Last chance for the Free Annotated Calendar! To reserve your spot in next year’s CSA, bring a check tomorrow, and get a free calendar, annotated by Henry, to keep you in touch with what’s happening on the farm. We know that $400 is a chunk of change, but we do not cash the check until February, and this is the lowest-priced CSA that I (Terra) have seen anywhere in the U.S. And when we price out a sample share against what you would pay in the Normal Jewel for the same items (but not organic), the CSA always comes out cheaper – sometimes as much as 50% cheaper.

If for any reason, you are not signing up for next year, just bring the sign-up slip with “No” checked, or let Henry know. This way he knows how many new members he can accept from the waiting list. Thank you!

 

2.     Stock up with Extra Veggies for the holidays. Henry is bringing crates of extra produce, mostly roots, this week – so bring extra cash or your checkbook and stock up! The roots keep very well for months, so you can continue to eat great food at least through the end of the year. 

 

3.     Announcing . . . Books! After nearly a 10-year wait (since the publication of Henry’s Organic Matters, also illustrated by Hiroko), you can read more of Henry’s terrific writing in Solstices and Equinoxes. Henry gives the inside story of life on the farm at the four cornerstones of the year, illustrated with great drawings by Hiroko. The booklets are hot off the press and make terrific gifts at only $5.

 

Henry is also bringing plenty of copies of my book, The Seasons on Henry’s Farm. I had wanted to be there tomorrow, but a speaking engagement was changed so I need to be in Chicago -- but I signed 10 copies, and Henry will be bringing those, plus 20 unsigned ones, for you. If you need a particular inscription, send me an email and I’ll be happy to sign a book and mail it to you. 

 

4.     Announcing . . . Aronia Jam/Jelly for all. Aronia, we think, is the new pomogranate -- delicious and full of antioxidants. Contact Teresa by 3 p.m. tomorrow to order some of her certified organic, delicious aronia jam or jelly. All the details are at the bottom of this email.

 

5.     Soup Share for Winter from Basil’s Harvest. My friend Erin Meyer’s company, Basil’s Harvest, is offering “soup shares” that will be delivered five consecutive weeks beginning the week of January 12. “Shareholders” will receive two quarts of soup and a loaf of bread each week.  Drop off locations will include Pottstown Meat & Deli in Peoria, Common Ground Grocery in Bloomington, and Basil’s Harvest in Elmwood.   For more information contact Erin at 309-370-6441 or info@basilharvest.com. More infor mation at  www.Basilsharvest.com or http://basilsharvest.wordpress.com/ . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lentil Soup with Parsley Root and Carrots
 
1 lb  Dried lentils, -washed and drained
1/4   c  Lard, bacon drippings, -or oil
2 md   Onions or leeks, chopped
1 parsley root or parsnip, chopped
2  md Carrots, sliced
1 c  Sliced fennel or  celery
8 c   Water
1 t Salt to or to taste
Several whole black pepper-corns
2  Whole cloves
2  Bay leaves
1 lg Potato, peeled and grated
2  lg Links (or 4 small) smoked -sausage, skin pricked-with fork
 2 tb Good vinegar

In a large pot, heat fat and add carrots, root vegetable and onions. Saute until onions are golden. Add lentils, water, celery, and seasonings. Grate the potato into the mixture and add sausage. Simmer covered 1 hour until lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves. Add vinegar just before serving and adjust salt. Serve with a crusty bread and salad.  Serves 4-6

 

Mashed Potatoes and Parsley Root adapted from Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables by Elizabeth Schneider

¾ pound parsley root (weighed with leaves)
1 ¼ pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Butter to taste
A few Tablespoons hot milk or to taste
S & P (can use white pepper if you like)

Cut off parsley root tops and reserve for use in any recipe calling for parsley. Scrub roots with a brush, then cut into ½ inch slices. Drop parsley root and potatoes into a pot of boiling salted water. Return to a boil and cook until tender – check after about 15 minutes. Drain well. Add butter and hot milk and then mash with an official potato masher. Season to taste with S & P.

 

Soup of Winter Vegetables and Dried Mushrooms adapted from Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables by Elizabeth Schneider   4 generous servings

1/3 cup dried mushrooms, such as porcini, or mixed exotic
1 cup hot water
½ pound leeks, halved lengthwise and cleaned
2 Tablespoons fat such as butter, bacon fat, or other
¾ pound parsley root, scrubbed and washed (reserving leaves for another use)
½ pound carrots, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped small
1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups hearty stock: such as beef, chicken, lamb or ham, or of course vegetable broth!
S & P to taste, use plenty of pepper!

Break mushrooms into small pieces if necessary, and then soak in hot water 20-30 minutes. Cut off the darkest green upper parts of the leeks and then toss or save for making stock. Slice the lighter green and white parts into thin pieces. Heat fat in a large flameproof casserole and stir in leeks, parsley root, carrots, and celery; cook over moderately  low heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, saving the soaking liquid. Rinse the mushrooms lightly (removes any lingering dirt) then add the shrooms and soaking liquid to the soup pot. Add the potatoes and the stock. Partially cover and simmer until potatoes are tender - 30-45 minutes. Season to taste with S & P, then simmer a bit longer. Top soup bowls with freshly chopped parsley (the reserved tops from the roots, of course!)

 

Chicken and Parsley Root Salad
Adapted from Saveur.com submitted by Simon S.
Parsley root gives a perfect crunch to this recipe. Serve this preparation between slices of hearty French bread for a sandwich or spoon onto bibb lettuce for a refreshing salad.

2 whole chicken breasts
2 parsley roots, washed and peeled
1⁄4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped (washed well to remove any dirt, and dried)
1 cup radicchio, cut into thin strips.
1⁄3–1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Poach chicken breasts in enough simmering salted water to cover for about 25 minutes, until tender but not dry. Remove from water and set aside to cool.
2.. Meanwhile, slice parsley roots first into thin rounds and then into a fine julienne. Place in a mixing bowl.
3. Bone and skin the cooled chicken breasts. Cut the meat into large chunks and add it to the parsley root, along with parsley leaves, radicchio, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine.

 

The long wait is finally over! We delivered our aronia berries up to Food For Thought, a jam maker in Michigan, way back in mid-August, just days after we harvested them. After a lengthy and often frustrating wait, I finally have my jam and jelly in hand, just in time for holiday gift-giving. Both the jam and jelly are made with my own certified organic aronia berries and according to my own recipe. Organic sugar and lemon juice are also used. 

 

Members of my Fruit CSA will be receiving a jar of aronia jam this Tuesday at the regular CSA pick-up, and members of Henry’s CSA may also order some, which I’ll bring to the CSA pick-up in Normal, or provide to the Morton and Eureka pick-up locations. See ordering instructions below – we need your order by 3 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday.

 

 

Jam and jelly, like all food gifts, make wonderful Christmas presents. Knock out 12 gifts at once and make your Christmas shopping a snap this year by buying a case of aronia jam or jelly for the special case price of $85/case of 12 jars.  That’s more than a 10% discount! For less than 12 jars, the price will be the usual price of $8/jar. 

 

My aronia jam contains the whole fruit, although it is cut into pieces, so it contains the flesh, very small seeds, and the peel. It has more fiber and more anti-oxidants because of this. It also contains organic sugar, organic lemon juice, and pectin. 

The aronia jelly is made from juice that I pressed from the berries and combined with organic sugar and pectin. They both have a wonderful taste that I describe as a combination of a very flavorful grape with tones of apple and cherry and a definite wine-y, tannic flavor that is unique and wonderful. 

Please email your order to Teresajeans@msn.com by 3 PM on Tuesday. Eureka people may pick up their order at my house after 5 PM. Morton and Peoria people will pick up at their regular location. Since this is the last CSA of the season, please mail me a check made out to Teresa Santiago and send it to 302 W. Sunny Lane, Eureka, IL 61530.

 

Please email your order to Teresajeans@msn.com by 3 PM Tuesday. I will have your order ready at Vitesse at the usual pick-up time Tuesday evening. You may pay at that time with cash or check. I will bring some extra jars for those members who don’t read their email in time for the delivery, but to be sure I don’t run out, it is best to pre-order!

 

We don’t have much room to set up at Vitesse, so the tea will only be available as a pre-order item. Ordering instructions are the same as for the jam and jelly. The cost is $2 for 1 package of 4 teabags or $1.50 each for any amount more than 1 package. Here are the varieties that I still have: