The CSA season is winding down, but we still have a field full of greens and other goodies. Our lettuce crop is finally ready and looking great. We planted it out into the field on the late side and then spent weeks in August worrying that the month-long heat wave would kill it. But it survived! And now it's ready to make some seriously tasty salads.

If you're planning to come to our fabulous end-of-season Harvest Dinner on Tuesday, October 27th, please RSVP here so we know how many people to expect. It's potluck, BYOB, and delicious! Rumor has it there'll be games and prizes as well...

Freedom Red Ranger chickens

This week we are happy to offer our CSA members first dibs on another batch of Weir River Farm meat chickens. Our chickens (Freedom Red Ranger breed) have been humanely raised here on pasture in their traveling chicken coop since they were chicks. They were processed at a USDA-inspected facility in Rhode Island and will be available for purchase on your share day at the Yellow House. We are selling whole birds, ranging from 4 to 6 lbs each, for $5.00 per lb. You can pay by cash or check.

Our garlic dried in the Red Barn
for almost 2 months

After the rain-out for the Fall Festival, we've rescheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 17th from 10am - 2pm. There will be live music, yummy food trucks, craft demonstrations and craft activities, and lots of wholesome farm fun. See you there!

Tuesday is Farm Fresh Yoga day for the rest of the season. Come to the Yellow House on Tuesdays at 5:30pm for your weekly yoga fix. Free for CSA members and sliding scale donation to our Food Access Fund for friends and neighbors and coworkers.

Thank you to all the members who have already so generously contributed favorite recipes for our upcoming CSA cookbook--keep 'em coming! Email me or bring a copy to CSA pickup--thanks!

In your share this week: long-awaited lettuce!, chard, kale, garlic, bok choy, onions, leeks, hakureis, and PYO herbs.


Recipes of the Week

Creamy Barley Soup with Mushrooms and Leeks
from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy

The Soup
6 Tbs barley, rinsed
2 Tbs sunflower seed oil
1 Tbs butter
1 large or 2 medium onions, diced
1 tsp dried oregano, or 1 Tbs fresh, chopped (fresh is available in the herb garden this week!)
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, diced (about 4 ounces)
1 large carrot, scrubbed and grated
1 large clove garlic, chopped and rested for 10 minutes
Sea salt
6-8 cups water or mushroom stock
1 cup sour cream or thick yogurt
Freshly ground pepper

Finishing Touches
1/3 cup barley, rinsed
Sea salt
1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved crosswise then slivered lengthwise into pieces 3 inches long
1 Tbs grapeseed oil
1 Tbs butter
6 mushrooms (shiitake, trumpet, or other favorite), sliced
Freshly ground pepper

To make the soup, cover the barley with water and set it aside white you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the onion and oregano, give a stir, and cook for 5 minutes. Next add the leek, carrot and garlic and cook 10 minutes more, or until a glaze forms on the bottom of the pan. Season with 1.5 teaspoons salt.
Drain the barley and add it to the pot, along with 6 cups of the water. Simmer until the barley is soft, about 30 minutes, and remove it from the heat. Puree in a blender with the sour cream until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, taste for salt, and season with pepper. If the soup is too thick, thin with more of the water.
While the soup is cooking, prepare the finishing touches. Put the barley in a sauce pan, add water to cover generously, and a pinch of salt, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
Put the leek in a small saucepan with water to cover. Add a few pinches of salt and simmer until tender, about 8 minutes, then drain.
Heat the oil and butter in a small skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and a pinch or two of salt. Saute until golden. If the pan becomes dry, as it can with shiitake mushrooms, add 1/2 cup water and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the mushrooms are brown.
To serve, ladle the soup in to shallow bowls. Add a portion of the cooked barley to each, then pile the leeks and mushrooms on top. Add a twist of pepper and serve.

Golden Onion Soup
from Diana Shaw's The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook

1 Tbs canola or vegetable oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced
pinch sugar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
4 cups vegetable broth
4 thick slices day-old French or sourdough bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the onions. Reduce the heat to medium and saute, stirring often, until the onions are very soft and limp, about 30 minutes. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar, and continue sauteing, stirring often, until the onions turn caramel brown, about 10 minutes more.
Pour the broth into the saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently to allow the broth to absorb the flavor of the onions, about 20 minutes.
Heat the broiler. While the soup is simmering, toast the bread. When the soup is done, spoon it into 4 oven-proof soup bowls. Top each serving with a slice of toast and sprinkle evenly with grated cheese. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and carefully place them under the broiler, watching constantly until the cheese is bubbly, about 1-2 minutes. Serve right away.

Enjoy your veggies this week!

Putting the fields to bed for the winter.