What's in the box? 

• salad turnips

• red onions

• Romanesco

• red romaine hearts

• curly kale

• brussel sprouts

• garlic

• storage carrots

• scarlet turnips

• kennebec potatoes

• winter squash (butternut and a black futsu)

Notes on the box. 

Kennebec potatoes are really versitile, but are more on the starchy side, so work great as french fries or mashed or baked potatoes. 

The Red Romaine hearts will make a nice little salad or good on a sandwich or burger.

The skin of the black futsu squash is edible.  We love to cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, slice along the ridges into crescent moon shapes, coat in olive oil and roast in the oven (375 degrees) spread out on a baking sheet until tender.  You can use them to top a warm salad after roasting this way. 

Everyone gets Romanesco!  Cook as you would cauliflower or broccoli, but we love it roasted (pan or oven) the very best. 

Cheese Shares.

This week we have two cheeses that look very much the same, but whose flavors and textures are quite different.  Taste them side by side and let them inspire you!  I'm enjoying the Vega as a snack with some crackers and Riesling or cider. The Perseid is going to be grated on top of the nutty roasted Romanesco or earthy roasted brussel sprouts (or a combo of the two). 

Recipes. 

Haley's Curried Vegetables

In a pan combine over medium heat 1/4 tsp. cayenne, 2 tsp ground coriander seeds, 2 tsp. dry mustard, 1/4 tsp tumeric, and 1/2 tsp curry powder.  Stir around in the dry pan over medium heat until a shade darker and fragrant.  Add 1/2 cup water and your choice of vegetables.  Haley suggests chopped Romanesco, broccoli, or cauliflower, a diced onion, 4 cloves pressed garlic, diced potatoes,   chopped carrots or peeled and diced butternut squash.  Saute/ steam until vegetables are tender.  Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, 2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over rice.  Great with dal. 

Pizzoccheri

• 1 stick butter ( 1/4 pound)
• 4 fresh sage leaves
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
•  3-4 small to medium waxy potatoes (red fingerling or yukon gold), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small head cabbage or 1/4 to 1/2 large head, trimmed and thinly sliced
• optional- shredded or very thinly sliced greens (braising mix, collards, kale, etc)
• 1/2 pound buckwheat noodles (pizzoccheri) or whole wheat noodles
• 1 cup semi-soft cheese, grated (you can also use cubed stinky cheese such as Taleggio)
• 1 cup harder, dry crumbly cheese or Parmesan, grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter with sage and garlic until butter turns nut-brown; be careful not to burn sage leaves. Set aside.

2. Cook potato and cabbage (and optional greens) in boiling water until they begin to soften, just 5 minutes or so. Add pasta to same pot and continue to cook until pasta is nearly done. Drain.

3. In a large oven-proof dish, spread a layer of vegetable-pasta combination, then a layer of grated cheeses, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue this layering until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of Parmesan. Drizzle with melted butter and sage (discard garlic). Bake for about 15 minutes, or until top is golden-brown and cheese has melted. Serve hot or warm.

Turkey Meatballs and Greens.  We are making this with ground pork instead of turkey. 

Simple Kale Soup

On the farm.

It's the last of the boxes for the 2015 season!  We were happy to have a late fall and a nice season overall.  Haley who has stuck around to help out with the fall CSA boxes is soon to be heading off to Japan for a few months!  She will be working on some farms and eating lots of exciting foods and seeing the sights!  She's also planning on coming back to work with us again next season which we are over the moon excited about.  It will be her third season with us and so she is getting into the real nitty-gritty side of farming and helping us with planning, planting schedules, and managing! 

Winter for us this season will involve as many Winter farmers markets as we can go to selling cheese!  Come visit us at the Linden Hills Winter Markets indoors at Sunnyside Gardens.  We are making plans for holiday giftbaskets, so come check them out! 

There may also be Winter jobs again this season depending where we end up as we catch-up on book keeping and budgeting.  Hopefully we can get a little break and focus on planning for next season and taking care of the cows.  We are going to keep milking and making cheese as long as the cows are able to find grass to graze on.  Now that the vegetable CSA is wrapped up, they will get to enjoy grazing through what was formerly vegetable fields and eating the leaves left of kale, broccoli, and cabbage (in moderation so that the cheese doesn't taste weird!) 

Thank you all so much for joining us for the 2015 season!  We love being your farmers and hope you will join us again for the 2016 season.  We will let you know as soon as we open sign-ups!

Stay warm and eat well!

November? 

Hangers on

The farmer and the kale! the farmer and the kale! hi hi ho the dairy oh the farmer and the kale!

What's in the box?

medium share

small share

• red fingerling potatoes

• onions

• carrots

• rainbow chard

• braising mix (bagged)

• bell peppers

• thyme

• broccoli

• cauliflower (medium and large)

• butternut squash (medium and large)

• delicata squash (small)

Notes on the box. 

Remove tops from carrots before storing.  They store best in a plastic bag in our crisper.

Rainbow Chard should be stored in a plastic bag in your crisper.

Braising Mix is good quickly cooked down in a little butter with a bit of broth or water until it's good and wilted.  You can then add it to pizzas, quiche, or make a hot sandwich with the braised greens, some roasted bell peppers, some herbed quark or cream cheese, and smoked meat or bacon on a sturdy roll. 

These potatoes are a new variety for us this season.  They are a red fingerling and we really like them!  They are great for roasting.  They will store best in a paper bag outside of your fridge.  Ideal storage temp is around 45 degrees, so a cool basement or garage is a perfect place to store potatoes, onions, squash, and garlic. 

Broccoli and Cauliflower will store best in a plastic bag in your fridge crisper.

Thyme is so great!  The leaves can be removed from the stems and added to vinaigrette.  It is also really wonderful with roasted meats or vegetables.  IT loves to be with potatoes or squash.  If you are braising meat or making a soup or stew, tie the thyme sprigs together with some twine and put the little bunch into the stew as it cooks.  This way you won't have thyme stems in your finished dinner.  It can be kept in a plastic baggie in your fridge.  If you leave it on your counter, it will dry over several days.  

Cheese Shares.

This week we have quarkagain!  Yay! 
And also a tomme.  I was trying to get to a tomme similar to the first one that I sent out this season, but I didn't have much luck getting the thick layer of mold on the outside of the cheese.  So instead it's more similar to the others from the later spring.  This one is 3 months old.  Not the prettiest wheels on the outside, and it's not exactly what I was hoping for, it's still a tasty cheese. 

Recipes.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup from Smitten Kitchen
the recipe calls for canned pumpkin, but roasted and pureed butternut, pumpkin, or even acorn squash will work

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters from Smitten Kitchen

Roasted Red Fingerlings with Thyme and Whole Grain Mustard

• 1 lb. fingerling, small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, unpeeled
• 1 Tbs. thyme leaves, removed from stem
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (or other fat of your choice)
• 1 Tbs. whole-grain Dijon mustard
•  salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheatoven to 400°F.  If the potatoes are larger than 1 1/2 inches in diameter, cut them in half lengthwise. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with thyme leaves. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil and mustard. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the potatoes, then season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat the potatoes evenly, then spread them out in a single layer.  Roast the potatoes, turning them 2 or 3 times, until the skins are golden and the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork, 40 to 45 minutes. Eat 'em up!

Turkey Meatballs over Greens (for your braising greens and/or chard)

MEAT!

We have 6 pigs unsold that are going to the butcher on the 19th of Oct. prices are as follows and includes all processing and delivery to home or drop site.

whole hog 4$ lb. hanging weightapproximately 160# = 640$

half hog 4.50$ lb. approximately 80# = 360$

quarter hog 5.50 $ lb. approximately 40#=  220$

All pigs are heritage red wattle and Hereford cross breeds, fed 100% organic grain, and whey from the creamery. Raised in the sunlight, so a fantastic source of soluble Vit D for the winter months.

If you are interested in any of these options let us know by email. delivery will be approximately last week of Oct or 1st week November.

 

On the Farm.

As a farmers we are constantly thinking about the future, days, months, and years ahead. This isn't an affliction of not living in the present moment but rather a very practical and daunting task to attempt to stem off the bleeding that is not being prepared. Do we have the money to buy compost now in the fall so we have it for spring when road bans are on? Do we take the plastic off the greenhouses so we can let the ground freeze and catch snow or do we try to plant some crops and try for an early succession?  We are at that point where we look back on the season with a fresh memory and decide what worked, and what didn't this year.  Where can we improve?   We will be sending out a survey soon we really hope you respond to the questions. You are a big part of our decision making!  We are growing food for YOU. We need you to tell us where we can improve, and what we did well.  But before I give you a false sense of control, let's temper that statement with this fact; much of what we both might want is out of our control.  For example, we wanted spinach in these last four boxes, but it rained a LOT and drown it all.  The idea of a true CSA is that we have a community of committed eaters who support the farm financially and sometimes physically so we can grow your food and not worry about where we are going to sell it and for how much.  To put it another way that means members don't jump ship because they didn't get enough lettuce or the brussel sprouts didn't size up. This is the shared risk that is part of the true CSA model.  A CSA membership means much more than just the right selection of Organic produce at a rock bottom price. We are a family farm in a time when there are few of us, and we are working to keep small family farms alive and viable. Community Supported Agriculture is about rural revitalization, it means we live and farm here in Clear Lake WI.  We show this community that it is possible to have a small diverse farm and make a living and we provide meaningful, fun and safe employment for people that live here. We become a magnet for more like minded people and then this community grows and the community of eaters benefit from the security that provides. I've said this before, but Turnip Rock Farm wouldn't exist without our dedicated members. Some of our 8-10 year members will remember some of our first years with low fertility fields, still working out systems, still LEARNING how to farm (and we are still learning now and always). If those members would have given up on us, we wouldn't be here now. The weather isn't always going to cooperate, the cards won't always fall in our favor. I'll remind you at the end of a FANTASTIC growing season that farmers take tremendous risk and the margins of this business, even with a dedicated CSA membership, is razor thin.  Your support means everything to us. Thank you for a great season and allowing us to stay here and care for this piece of earth.

Many of you may not know this, but we have been renting this farm for the past two and three quarter years and building up infrastructure. Although we hoped to have more time to get our financial feet back under us after our move from New Auburn, next week we will be signing a mortgage on this farm.  This is a big deal!  So here is to the future of good eating and good stewardship for the long haul. !  We look forward to putting in some perennials and planting some trees.  More roots!

Enjoy the second to last box of the main season.  The colors, textures, and flavors of fall are at peak right now.  Next week is the last week of the summer season, week 18.  We have a few season extension shares left (that's 4 weeks added on to the end of the season).  Email us if you want to sign up.  And if you'd like to keep eating wonderful local food all Winter long, we really encourage you to check out the true Winter Share from our friends and mentors at Foxtail Farm.  We are partnering with them to add the option of cheese to their deliveries!  Have a wonderful week and happy eating!

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And now some more beautiful photos of the farm from Dana

What's in the box?  

medium share (it was dark when I took  the picture, weird lighting!)

• Winter Squash - Delicata, Sweet Dumpling, Acorn
• onions
• potatoes
• peppers
• garlic
• curly kale
• leeks - medium and large
• hakuri turnips - small
• scarlet turnips - medium and large
• cauliflower - medium
• parsley - medium 
• green storage cabbage (a few small shares got savoy cabbage)

Notes on the box.  

Winter Squash do not need to be refrigereated.  All the varities in the box this week have edible rinds, though the acorn squash rind may be a little tough.  

The leeks were mostly swallowed by weeds this season.  Sorry for the small harvest of them!  

The turnips will store longer with the tops removed.  The greens and the roots are edible.  

The cabbage  is a storage cabbage.  It is really wonderful for making saurkraut or other kimchi.  Or you can make soup or roast it.  Or you can let it roll to the back of your fridge where it will keep for a few months!

If you find yourself with peppers rolling around in your crisper, you can dice them up, put them in a freezer bag and freeze them.  They are good in soups and such later on. Or you can roast them and then freeze them.  

Cheese Shares.

This week we have Antares, the cow milk manchego.  Some of the wheels got rubbed with olive oil, safflower, calendula, and chamomile flowers.  Others didn't get the rub on the rind.  Both are really nice and have an edible rind.  This cheese has been one of our most popular at market so far.  It pairs well with sweet flavors like grapes, but also goes well with olives and nuts.  It's very herbal and has some sharpness especially if you eat the rind.  The wheels with the rub have fruity and floral flavors which aren't as pronounced as the wheels without.  

Recipes.

Caldo Verde

• 1/4cup olive oil
• 12 ounces chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 pounds potatoes (red or yellow), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 pound hearty greens of your choice (kale, collards, or cabbage), stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chorizo to bowl and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and pepper flakes and season with pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, and water; increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Transfer 3/4 cup solids and 3/4 cup broth to blender (or use an immersion blender to blend potatoes and broth until thickened). Add collard greens to pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chorizo and continue to simmer until greens are tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer.

3. Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to soup in blender and process until very smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat and stir pureed soup mixture and vinegar into soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. 

Bell Pepper Salad

• 3 bell peppers, any colors, thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• several salad or scarlet turnips, thinly sliced and halved
• turnip greens, chopped (optional)

whisk together dressing:

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp stone ground or dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

mix dressing and veggies together and allow a few minutes for flavors to come together

Cauliflower and Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Goat Cheese

Smokey Balsamic Red Pepper Compote with fried eggs

Cabbage and Mushroom Galette with Horseradish Sauce

On the Farm.

It's raining again!   This has been by far the wettest August and September that we have ever experienced while farming.  These are normally the driest months, making harvest a lot easier than it's been.  It's also caused the quality of certain crops to be not as great as usual.  And the warmer weather is good for the growth of some crops, but others prefer cooler temps to size up or sweeten up.  Weird weather, but we are doing our best to cull out the bad produce and give you only the best of what we have.  

The Harvest Party is this weekend!  We will have pumpkins to bring home, cheese for tasting, pulled pork, farm tours, and a bonfire when it gets dark.  We will also have some sun art paper for a little art project and plenty of tractors to climb on and a big sand pile, too.  The forecast is looking beautiful and clear.  Hopefully this one won't end with a sudden thunder storm as the last few harvest parties have!  We will start the fun around 4 PM and eating around 6 PM.  We ask that you bring a side or dessert to share and you can bring your own favorite beverage.  Kids and guests are welcome, so feel free to bring your friends.  Unfortunately, our dogs don't like other dogs. Sorry!  No pets, please.  Let us know if you are planning on coming and how many people you'll be bringing.  

Please let us know if you have any questions.  For directions, you can search google maps for Turnip Rock Farm and we show up!  Remember that weekend traffic in Stillwater can be pretty bad, so you may want to take 94 over the river.

We want to say a big Thank You to our Peak Season members.  This is the last box of the peak season.  We hope that you have enjoyed your CSA experience with us!  We will let you know when we open sign-ups for next season, or you may sign up for our Winter Share, information is below.

If anyone wants to sign up for our season extention, please go ahead and sign up for a Winter Share.  It's listed as a Winter Share, but it's really more of a Fall share that extends the regular season for 4 more weeks after the last delivery of the regular season goes out.  Our Eat Like A Farmer members are already included, but we have space for others that would like to get 4 more deliveries of storage veggies, frost sweetened greens, and other Autumn treats.  We only offer one share size for this option, so you may want to find a friend to split with if you have a smaller household.  You can check out last seasons blog posts to get an idea of what you may get in your Winter Share.  We have also added the option to add on eggs and cheese along with the veggies. Contact us if you have any trouble with the sign up or any questions.

a beautiful bounty of bell peppers

way to pick up some squash!

Haley and the cauliflower

It is officially Autumn!  A nice warm start to it.  Dana, Ben, and Sam gathered apples from the wild apple trees that we have on the farm and pressed cider.  Photos by Dana.

cleaning up the barn from the onions and garlic curing

the sheep found some burrs!

Wild grapes

ben and the apple tree

wild apples

farm love!