CSA #22 (10/21/2025)
Yes, we finally got rain! Not the rain pictured in this photo from early summer, of course, since it mostly came in the dark hours of Saturday night — but it broke a nearly 3-month drought, for which we are extremely grateful. Henry said we got 1.2 inches at the house and bottom fields, but only .7 inches at the upper field where we held the farm festival. But the soil in both locations is now nice and moist and your vegetables are extremely happy, as are your farmers!
Along with the change in precipitation, we are getting a change in temperatures, with frost predicted for Wednesday and Thursday nights. So we are now in the midst of the pre-frost harvest marathon — getting all the heat-loving vegetables like Okra, Peppers, Tomatoes and Sweet Potatoes out of the field before they turn to mush.
Speaking of sweet potatoes, this week Henry is giving you the smallest sweet potatoes you have ever seen. Why have you never seen sweet potatoes this small before? Because the conventional food system throws them away.
Then around Thanksgiving, you’ll get the biggest sweet potatoes you’ve ever seen — again, ones that the conventional food system throws away.
You get to enjoy this vast range of naturally occurring sweet potato sizes because Henry is not subject to the arbitrary rules of the wholesale markets that dictate the narrow range of acceptable sizes, and lead to unconscionable food waste.
But because you are a CSA member and in a direct farmer-to-eater relationship, you get to enjoy small sweet potatoes this week and larger ones later — secure in the knowledge that you are not a party to the rampant food waste prevalent in our country.
Bloomington CSA Members: Remember to continue to pick up at Vitesse, 206 S. Linden in Normal (not at the Unitarian Church).
In other weather-related CSA news, Henry and the crew were out digging and bringing in the sweet potatoes until after dark tonight since they need to be out of the ground before the coming night in the 30s.
The sweet potatoes you get this week will be very small, and will include ones that were broken or otherwise damaged during harvest. You get the smaller and broken ones first because they will not keep well, and later you get the large ones that will keep for many months, even clear through the winter in you can resist them that long!
In Your CSA This Week
Sweet Potatoes - Don’t try to peel! Simply rub with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and quickly saute in a frying pan or roast in the oven. You can also cut into small pieces and add to a greens or mixed veggie stir-fry.
Tomatoes - most likely the last nice ripe ones of the season, so enjoy!
Lettuce
Chard
Kale or Broccoli Raab, except for locations that have not yet received Cauliflower. Those groups will get a choice of Cauliflower, Broccoli, or Broccolini
Peppers — Sweet Colored Bell, Green Bell, or Hot Peppers
Food Notes: Greens Pie
Your CSA share is a little heavy on greens this week because of the coming frost. That frost won’t be enough to kill the greens, but it may cause some minor damage — which is why Henry wants you to have plenty of perfect greens this week. And when you have a lot of greens, there’s nothing better than a greens pie, which is good right after you make it — and also excellent as leftovers, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Greens Pies are ubiquitous around the world with Greek Spanakopita and Italian Erbazzone being excellent examples. You can use whatever greens Henry has to offer you this week, or any week, and adapt to your taste with more or less cheese and eggs, with the possible addition of nuts and/or raisins!
Versatile Greens Pie
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks or onions, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Sea salt
2 big bunches of greens, such as the Russian Kale and Swiss Chard in your share this week
2/3 cup ricotta or other cheese of your choice
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg & black pepper
Cheddar shortcrust pastry (or use your favorite crust recipe, or frozen puff pastry)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Pinch of sea salt
14 Tb chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
About 1⁄4 cup ice water
1. To make the pastry, combine the flour, cheese and salt in a bowl. Add the butter, and cut it into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Drizzle the iced water over the flour-butter mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and bring the dough together using your hands. Divide the dough in two portions, and flatten into squares. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the leek or onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Set aside in a large bowl.
4. Roughly chop the washed greens and put in a large saucepan of boiling salter water. Cook for 2–3 minutes. Set aside to cool, then squeeze most of the water from the greens. Add to the bowl with the leek or onions and garlic.
5. Combine the ricotta, cream, and most of the egg (leaving a little to make an egg wash for the pastry), lemon zest and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add to the greens and leek mixture and stir to combine well. Season to taste and set aside.
6. Remove the dough from the fridge and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Roll each piece into a 10-inch square. Place one piece of pastry on the prepared baking tray and arrange the greens filling on top, leaving a 1/2 inch border of pastry. Whisk 1 teaspoon of water into the remaining egg to make a wash, and brush around the border of pastry.
7. Top with the second piece of dough, trim any excess, then pinch the edges together to seal. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg wash and poke a hole in the center of the pie using a small, sharp knife to allow steam to escape during cooking. Bake for 45–50 minutes until golden and cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
