FARM NEWS

FROM THE FARMERS

Bryce, Lothar, Ariel, and Steve are out late catching turkeys tonight, and I’ve just put Jack to bed. Bryce is planning to work on the newsletter when he gets home, so it will be a nice surprise for him to learn that I’ve already written this week’s “letter from your farmer”…

Jack and I went to the Berea Local Food Stakeholders meeting tonight at the library. The meeting was hosted by Alexa Arnold and Martin Richards of Community Farm Alliance, and there were many familiar faces – people invested in our local food economy in a number of interdependent ways. CFA is working with members of the BEAT – LIFE (Berea Economic Advancement Team – Local Integrated Food Economy) to create a Community Food Profile of Berea. Over the next month or so, CFA will train stakeholders to use a toolkit to gather information from community members about our food system: where we are now, and where would we like to go? I encourage you to recognize yourselves as stakeholders and to help perform this important assessment. I’ll provide details about the training when they are announced.

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a Berea where everyone has access to healthy, fresh, local food? Where the money we spend on food that can be grown in this region, stays in this region? Where stores, restaurants, hospitals, schools, retirement homes, churches, food banks and more serve and/or sell food that increases our sense of culture, kinship, and stewardship, as well as our health? As farmers, this is our dream Berea! What can you add to the list?

Before Bryce left for the farm this evening, he told me that the support we receive from CSA members is what allows us to look toward our future in this food system with hope and excitement.

-Anna

TURKEYS

We are still taking orders for Thanksgiving turkeys, although the supply is dwindling.  If you have a big family or love turkey leftovers, we’ve got some turkeys for you!  They are raised on pasture and will be fresh from the butcher.  Pickup will be at the farm on Sunday, November 18.  While you are picking up your turkey, stock your freezer with some chicken.

WEEK #28 CSA Share Contents

• LETTUCE MIX
• PURPLE TURNIPS
• HOT PEPPERS
• BANANA PEPPERS
• SWEET POTATOES
• PEA SHOOTS
• GREEN TOMATOES

FARM NOTES & EVENTS

• THANKSGIVING TURKEYS (order now) pick-up @ farm November 18
• Thanksgiving week CSA pickup will be Sunday, November 18 at the farm

RECIPES

This recipe contains nothing you will find in your CSA box, but Thanksgiving is next week and it’s one of my all time favorites…I can’t resist! When I was a little girl growing up in Atlanta, our neighbor Frank shared this dish with my family. It has been on every holiday table I can remember.

Frank’s Cranberry Salad

1 lb fresh cranberries

2 cups sugar

1/2 lb red seedless grapes, halved

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cip whipping cream whipped

The day before you plan to serve, chop cranberries finely in a food processor. Add sugar to cranberries and let sit over night. Drain off the sweetened cranberry juice*. Add the halved grapes and chopped pecans. Fold in the whipped cream just before serving.

*Reserve this delicious syrup to add to sprite, ginger ale, sparkling water, prosecco, or just about any cocktail you can dream up!

adapted from “The New Vegetarian Epicure” by Anna Thomas

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Green Tomatoes

“The essential thing in this dish is the balance of the dense, sweet potatoes and the tart, juicy green tomatoes.”

INGREDIENTS

2 large sweet potatoes

4 medium green tomatoes

1 large red onion

3 large cloves garlic

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them in 1/2 or 1-inch dice. Trim the tomatoes and cut them into large chunks. Peel the onions and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Peel the garlic and cut them in half lengthwise.

Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl, drizzle on the olive oil, add some salt and pepper, and mix well. Spread the vegetables out on two baking sheets.

Roast the vegetables at 375 for about 1 1/2 hours, moving them around and turning them twice during the cooking time. They should be very tender, and browning here and there.

Serve with couscous or a rice pilaf.