The days and weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are a very big deal for farmers like us, and when you choose to serve up local seasonal foods this time of year, it makes a meaningful difference in more ways than one. And with that in mind, the crew is gathering a stunning mix of Braising Greens as we get ready for what might be our favorite Fall tradition at Wild Hare—Pie Squash Week! First thing tomorrow morning, we will haul out several varieties of Pie Pumpkins and Squashes, great and small, round and oblong, orange, striped, pink, green or otherwise for folks to prep, puree, stash in the freezer (or share with a friends and loved ones—some of these babies are biggies). It is our preferred custom to break up the pre-Thanksgiving harvest into two parts, this week and next, in hopes that it makes things a bit more manageable all around. This week, every CSA household will take home a pie squash or pumpkin of their choosing so that they can get a head start on those desserts and sides, along with fresh NW Organic Cranberries and our first round of frost-sweetened Parsnips for the year. Our processing barn smelled amazing for days after the crew dug, washed, trimmed and packed up hundreds of pounds of them before the weekend, so it is a great week whip up a batch of Ina Garten’s Parsnip Puree, or a quick pan of Parsnip Fries to replicate the aromatic delight in your own home.

This week’s harvest haul is worth smiling about, even if it is going to be a little darker a little sooner for a while. The crew kicked of Monday’s harvest by topping the Brussels Sprouts, which means that we’re in for a real seasonal treat—leafy Brussels Sprout Tops! Out in the field, atop each Brussels Sprout stalk, you will find an open cluster of leaves. And each Fall, we remove those leaves to encourage the plants to divert their energy into producing good-sized sprouts down along the stalks. And guess what? These would-be by-products are a delicacy in their own right. They’ve got all of the frost-sweetened brassica flavor of a Brussels Sprout but in open, big-leaf form.  I've taken a liking to raw Brussels Sprout dishes over the years, and while I love the way they taste, I don't necessarily like the fussiness that goes into shredding or shaving tiny little sprouts.  The tops on the other hand give us all of the sprout flavor in a larger flat leaf that one can roll up, slice, shred, chiffonade or what have you. If raw isn't your thing, you can cook them up like collards, cabbage or any other hardy green you might like.

We’ve finally had our first frosts of the year, and they were legit. Even today, the ground remained solid until luncthime, which meant that a great deal of our harvest was pitched toward the end of the day, which is the opposite of how we typically roll on Mondays. But, the crew rallied and harvested a modest amount of Arugula for the CSA only this week—it suffered a bit of cold damage over the weekend, but the crew has pulled in just enough to bring a little pep to some roasted Squash and gorgeous jewel-toned Beets that are hitting the share tables this week—Red, Golden and Chioggia “Candy.” If you haven’t done anything with your Celery Root from last week just yet, Beets are a wonderful pairing. As is custom for many of our root harvests in Fall, we’re enjoying some now and preparing the rest for storing an enjoying this Fall and Winter. This year’s harvest is looking solid, but Mark is starting to worry that we’ll run out of room in our Root Cellar.

We have not one, not two but THREE choices of Winter Squashes for the CSA this week—Red Kuri, Green Kabocha and an old squash that will be new to many of you Thelma Sanders’ Sweet Potato Squash