The gorgeous Autumn Red Apples are a welcome color in our Week 18 Farm Share. I expected a variety of Squash and Apples in October, but I was surprised to get the gorgeous Romaine Lettuce and Curly Kale, along with a beautiful head of Broccoli and some unblemished Green Beans. At this time of year in our home garden, the vegetables start to get a bit spotty and blemished, thinner and not so beautiful, so this farm share outshines anything I can normally produce at this time of year.
We received a smaller share compared to previous weeks but I’m completely okay with that. We’ve been more than amply provided for when it comes to volume of gorgeous produce this year and I’m ready to slow down and put the garden (and maybe myself!) to bed after a full summer of activity. That said, I couldn’t resist a few extras this week, like the half a bushel of apples to split with my parents. Plus, I bought 2 pounds of yellow beans from Highland Square’s last Farmers Market day so I can put a few more in the freezer.
This week our small Vegetarian farm share included (top featured photo)…
Lettuce – 1 head Romaine
Kale – 1 Bunch of Curly
Spaghetti Squash – 1
Eggplant – 1
Acorn Squash – 1
Apples – 6
Green Beans – 1 lb
Broccoli – 1 small head
Pinto Beans – 1 lb dried
My half of the Vegetarian small share this week (above photo) and what’s left since Thursday, October 1…
Lettuce – 1/2 head Romaine – enjoying this in salads
Kale – 1/2 Bunch of Curly – had some last night in a salad
Spaghetti Squash – 1
Eggplant – 1 – Given to my parents
Acorn Squash – 1 – Given to my parents
Apples – 3 – I used 2 of these in a Citrus salad this week. Super simple recipe that I’ll share soon.
Green Beans – 1/2 lb
Broccoli – 1/2 small head – ate some in a salad last night
Pinto Beans – 1/2 lb dried – I’m looking forward to these in soups – love pinto beans with green beans as well.
Added: Tomato Basil Pasta from the farm share, plus the apples and beans below.
A half a bushel of apples was added this week to share with my parents. They’re currently lined up on my table, waiting for me to figure out what to do with them. I have my great-grandmother’s apple cake recipe to try and I’m dreaming of chunky homemade applesauce.
Two pounds of yellow beans to use or freeze. I think I’ll mix some with the green beans acquired from the farm share in a beef soup I’ve been craving.
RESULTS…
I made a big slow cooker pot full of ham and veggies inspired by a recipe my mom fixed last week. I experimented with adding in some extra items and some seasoning to change it a bit. I’ll share it once it’s perfected. We ate this for several days, mixing in other leftovers so I didn’t cook that much this week. That pot full of goodness gave me a chance to use up carrots, green beans and potatoes so it was a good feast. I can see us fixing this slow cooker meal quite often this winter and changing the veggies based on what we have in stock.
I had to toss out some greens that we never ate. Our mood changed from eating salads to more cooked vegetables with the cooler temperatures, so I basically forgot them. I’m making a conscious effort to eat fresh this week because we have so many tomatoes from our own garden that need eaten or frozen. The leftovers with salad was a good combination that I think we’ll repeat this week with a big pot of beef and vegetable soup.
I’m winding down with the weather and looking for easy one pot meals to fix that will fit in with our busy fall season. We have to get the boat ready for storage and put the garden to bed, plus we have a hiking challenge we’d like to at least try to complete. Fall is my favorite time of year because it’s so beautiful with the leaves changing color. I also love the smell of fall so I like to be outdoors as much as possible. But my body thinks it’s time to hibernate so it will be interesting trying to get all this done when I’m ready to rest.
Off I go — the sunshine is calling!
P.S. – I’ll be sharing some of the views and wildlife shots from our hikes, too, so more coming soon!
