I’m packing a lot of (hopefully) helpful info into this week’s newsletter, because this week’s harvest is, in a word…a biggie. As you can see from the photo, Mia is holding one of several hundred gorgeous but gargantuan cabbages that were up for harvest this morning. Thankfully, Cabbage is versatile and long storing, so you can hack off a bit to use this week and have more to come back to. This is a If you’ve been kicking around the idea of trying your hand at Sauerkraut, or stuffing some epic Cabbage Rolls, this your week. Maybe share some with neighbors or friends. Yes, they’re that big.

Mark decided it was time to top the Brussels Sprouts, which means that we’re in for a true seasonal treat—leafy Brussels Sprout Tops! Out in the field, atop each stalk, you will find an open cluster of leaves that looks kind of like a giant, loosey goosey bloom. 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’re growing a combination of Purple and Green Brussels Sprouts, so you’ll see a bit of each on the tables this week.

This year’s root vegetable harvest began in earnest today.  On a cool, blustery afternoon Claire, Kelly and Mia got the party started with several hundred pounds of Red Beets.  There are more beds to go, but they filled the back bin that you see on that tractor in a matter of hours, and that’s worth applauding.  The work gets heaaaavy this time of year.  Some of those beets will go to the CSA this week, and the rest will be washed, trimmed and bagged up for storage, which is the rhythm we will follow for several weeks until we’ve picked and washed everything that we can fit in our little root cellar. 

Along  with those Red Beets, this is a great week to dip into our stash of Red Kuri Squash. Red Kuri might be the most stunningly orange Winter Squash of them all. It is a teardrop shaped Japanese Hubbard-type that is as bold on the inside as it is outside, and it imparts that same rich orange color and rich nutty flavor to whatever you’re cooking up. Simply put, it is one that I like to show off, and my favorite way to do that is with Alice Waters’ Red Kuri Squash Soup. It is my back pocket recipe for any kind of squash soup, crispy fennel and all. Red Kuri also has a fairly thin skin, so if you’re looking to roast it in gorgeous little wedges, you can get away with leaving the skins on, especially since we’re pulling some of them on the earlier side of the curing process.