Working Member Potluck and Recipes

Hey there!  Well, the season's over, and we are all geting cozy with this big snowstorm.  I thought I'd post a couple recipes to share as well as a few pictures from our last days at the farm (notice all the heavy winter coats!).  Be sure to click the pictures for the best view...

The Tuesday working members had a potluck to celebrate a season well done, and Karen brought this awesome Pumpkin Ribbon Bread.  She said:

This recipe was a hit with the Tuesday Farm Crew and will be with anyone else you share it with. It's soooo easy and very yummy.

I've played with this recipe over time and have worked to make it less sweet but enough for either 2 loaf pans or 1 bundt pan. It's pretty in the bundt pan and easier to take a slice. I don't recommend cutting the recipe in half as it disappears really fast!

It's not gluten free, but I would imagine you can substitute with either oat flour or maybe spelt flour.

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese (Not the low fat kind...it separates and makes it weird)

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons flour

1 egg

1 teaspoon orange extract

Bread:

1 can pumpkin (15oz)

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

Filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour. Add egg and orange extract. Mix to blend. Set aside.

Bread: Combine pumpkin, oil and eggs. Add sugar, salt, cinnamon, flour and baking soda. Mix to blend. Pour 1/4 batter into 2 greased and floured loaf pans OR 1/2 batter into greased and floured bundt pan. Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture over the bread batter (1/2 to each loaf pan or all of it into the bundt pan). Add remaining batter, covering filling. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan(s). Store in refrigerator (if there is any left). My oven apparently runs hot, but its always done in 60 minutes!

*Serve with hot spiced cider with orange slices and cinnamon sticks. Then take pictures of all the smiles!

This bread was soooo delicious, and we were all clamoring for the recipe.  I'm certain you could also make it with homemade pumpkin puree instead of canned as well.  In fact, we actually tried it with pureed butternut squash instead of pumpkin, and orange zest instead of extract (I didn't have any extract on hand) and it can out pretty tasty too.  Karen did get a few responses from other farm members suggesting honey instead of sugar, coconut oil instead of canola, and that spelt is not gluten free and many people with celiacs cannot eat oats. There are three brands of oats on the market today that claim to be gluten-free. Oats themselves do not necessarily contain gluten but there is cross contamination that can cause problems. She's not tried the honey, but it makes sense and although she personally don't like coconut, if the oil doesn't make it taste or smell like coconut...Karen says go for it.  Enjoy.

Another Tuesday member, Fran, shared this recipe with me:

Coconut Peach Cobbler

Frozen peaches work in a pinch - without all the fuss of peeling fresh ones.
If the mixture seems too juicy, stir in 1 Tbs cornstarch to help thicken it. 

For the filling -

3 lbs ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (6 cups)

2/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut, divided

1 tsp ground ginger

2 Tbs unsalted butter, diced

For the biscuit topping -
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 cup shortening or unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp coconut extract
1-2 Tbs milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Toss peaches with sugar, 1/2 cup coconut and ginger for the filling.  Reserve 1 cup coconut for biscuit and topping.  Place fruit in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or in a square baking dish.  Dot with butter.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt for the biscuit topping in a large bowl.  Using a pastry blender, cut shortening into dry ingredients until mixture resembles small peas.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the remaining coconut, the buttermilk, and the coconut extract.  Lightly knead mixture until all ingredients are incorporated. 

Form dough into a ball; let rest 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a circle about 8-inches in diamenter and about 1/2-inch thick.  Carefully lay biscuit dough over peach filling; brush dough with milk.  Scatter remaining coconut over biscuit topping. 

Bake cobbler until a toothpick inseerted in the center of the biscuit topping comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Cool 5-10 minutes.  Serve with ice cream, if desired.

We had a great summer, and hope you did too!  Stay tuned to this space for periodic updates, and see you next summer! 

10/19/09 Newsletter

Dear Friends of the Farm;

It is the last week of summer distribution and the time has flown by! Jerry & I would like to thank you for your generous support of this farm. We ended up with a great variety of produce under the circumstances! I understand there were other CSA farms in the area that did not fare as well.

We tried something different with the working members by having Team Leaders. These Leaders came from our Core Group & took ownership in our distribution day by getting everyone assigned job duties, overseeing Distribution, supervising the loading of trucks and even going on deliveries now and then. This was a huge help to Jerry and I and each Team Leader did an outstanding job!

Your CSA farm would not function without your working members. These are very unique people that want to be more involved with the farm than just getting produce. They are the very people that help in the planting of your crops, weeding and even harvesting those same crops. They get the opportunity to watch the farm reinvent itself spring, summer and fall. Members' children benefit from this the most by seeing crops evolve from peas & lettuce in the spring to winter squash in the fall.

Another experiment this year was having non-working members help with farm chores at certain times of the year. It was wonderful seeing all the people that came out in the spring to help plant this year. Our fall harvesting crews were smaller, but very effective. We would love to see more members get involved. This will help you feel more connected to your farm. It is fun and a great opportunity to meet other members. The more members that come out to help (especially in the spring), it will help to keep our costs down so that we do not need to raise prices every year!

Please continue to send in your surveys, either by mail or Distribution Centers will take them. Jerry & I take the time to read each and every one of them. We want your surveys, both good and bad. However, if you do not send in a survey, we will assume you were extremely happy with your vegetable share and wouldn't change a thing, (although it is always good to hear that)!

For those of you who wish you could get more produce; this is what our normal shares look like. If it wasn't enough produce for your family, you may need to increase your share size. For those of you who got too much, you may need to decrease your share size. Keep in mind, every growing year is different and we may not be able to supply the same amount of produce from year to year. A member who has been with the farm for 14 years had this to say, "It appears you have one bad year for every three good ones. The good ones more than make up for the one bad year!"

If you change your mind about the Winter Share and would like to get involved, please let me know. We did not get enough interest in a Golden Distribution Center, but did get enough members to start the Broomfield Distribution Center. The two Distribution Centers in Central Denver have given me their hours: 38th and Tennyson is from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and the Colfax and Sheridan location will be from 3pm to 6pm. Those members signed up for the Central Denver site will need to call me and let me know which location is your preference. There is a limit of 25 members per location, so if one fills up, you will automatically be placed in the other! Winter Distribution will begin Wednesday, November 4th.

This week you are getting French fingerling potatoes, Delicata winter squash, yellow onions, carrots, garlic, green cabbage or cheddar cauliflower, red and green peppers and tomatoes.

Thank you again for your support this summer and winter. We look forward to being your farmers again next year! Have a great winter!

Jerry, Jacquie, Alaina and Kyle

Drying Pumpkin or Squash Seeds

Rinse fibers from seeds. You will need ¼ cup salt to one quart water. Cover seeds with salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer for two hours. Drain seeds and dry on paper towels. Spread seeds on a shallow baking sheet. If desired, can add other seasonings at this time, such as; garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, jalapeno powder, chili powder etc. Bake at 225 degrees for one hour or until golden brown. Stir occasionally. Seeds should be crisp to bite. Let cool completely and store in an air tight container.

Sweet Sugarloaf

Yum!  Get a load of those sweet Sugarloaf squash in our shares this week!  My favorite way to eat them: cut in half, scoop out seeds, butter the edges and bake for 40-60 minutes.  The flesh is great just like that, or with a little brown sugar and cinnamon added for dessert!  Delish! 

You can use this squash the same way you would use pie pumpkins or any other winter squash!  It's delicious!

*image from google search

September 7 Newsletter

Dear Friends of the Farm,

New crops this week are French Fingerling potatoes, a long red radish, orange bell peppers and yellow tomatoes. The radish is from China and is both spicy and sweet. I have eaten them raw or in stir-frys. They store well placed directly in the crisper drawer.

In addition to this you are also getting yellow cooking onions, carrots, lemon cucumbers, patty pan squash, , green bell peppers, anaheim peppers, globe eggplant, broccoli, fennel, celery, red tomatoes and one melon of any kind.

It is time to sign up for the Winter Share. I will need your deposit by October 1st. If you decide to split your Winter Share with another household, all payments must be made by the member signing up for the share. Please do not send me two checks in two different names. It is very difficult for us to keep track of who is sharing with whom! You are welcome to add the second person's name on the form, but everything will be set up under the current Member's name or the first name on the form if two members are signing up together. Also keep in mind, when there is a household with two last names, we will be using the last name of the person who is listed first on the check. We usually sell out on these shares pretty fast, so get your sign up form in soon!

I need to keep this letter short this week. I have hurt my upper back and cannot be in any position for very long! Here is a recipe I think you will like!

Jacquie, Jerry, Alaina and Kyle

Basil & Summer Squash

1 med. to large summer squash of any kind, cubed
1 clove garlic
1/4 onion, chopped
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp fresh basil (if using dried, 1 Tbsp)
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute squash, onion and garlic with salt and pepper until squash and onion are soft. Reduce heat to low and add cheese & basil. Keep stirring until cheese has melted and has combined with squash. Allow to sit for a minute or two before serving.

Winter Storage Share

Produce should be distributed every two weeks, November through February. Crops you could expect to see: potatoes, onions, carrots, winter squash, cabbage, celery root, red beets, garlic, leeks, pumpkins, popcorn and possibly sweet potatoes. There will also be some lettuce that will come from cold frames until a very hard freeze occurs. Plus any produce that can still be harvested from the previous summer will also be included.

If you just can't stand the thought of going back to grocery store produce, this is a great way to extend the summer season into winter! Distribution will start November 5th and produce should be delivered every other week through February.

The total cost of the Winter Share is $400. $150 of that is non-refundable and due at sign-up. The remainder can be paid in two equal installments on December 1st and February 1st. Deadline for sign-up is October 1st.


Tear off bottom portion and return with your check to:

MONROE ORGANIC FARMS
25525 WCR 48
Kersey, CO 80644



Name

Phone Number
_________________________________
Address
____________________________________



Eggs

Free-Ranged organic eggs can be delivered every other week along with the Winter Share. By filling out this form, you understand that the distribution center will keep track of how many eggs you have received over the winter and will charge you for those eggs at the end of the season. A check will need to be made out to Monroe Organic Farms and given to the distribution center the last day of distribution. I will need a phone call by 7 p.m. on Monday to cancel your egg order. If we deliver eggs and you do not pick them up, you will still be charged for them. They will then be donated to a place of need.


Beef

Not available at this time.


Honey

Not available at this time.


____dozen eggs a month
($5.00 a dozen)
____Winter Storage Share:
$400
($150 is non-refundable and due at sign up.)


Distribution Center Circle one:

Aurora Boulder Centennial Central Denver
Ft. Collins Lakewood
Greeley, at the farm