Casalegno Family Farm Weekly
Week of Sept 17 – 24, 2011
Friday is the Autumn Equinox, 1 of 2 times during the year when the day and night are of equal length. As the days now begin to get shorter we follow the cycle nature laid out for us and also see things on the farm start to wind down a bit. Most of the Summer veggies are just about done, and we are starting to harvest the Winter Squash. You all should be receiving some in your box this week. With the wet cool summer we lost many tomato plants to blight, after being hit hard by a colony of gophers earlier this season, but even though it has been a hard year for the tomatoes there should still be plenty at least for you guys in your boxes.
FRESH ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP
Ingredients
· 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes · 6 cloves garlic, peeled
· 2 small yellow onions, sliced
· 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper
· 2-4 cups chicken stock
· 2 bay leaves
· 4 tablespoons butter
· 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
· 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking dish. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stockpot. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
Wash and dry basil leaves and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth or transfer to a food processor and then return to the pot. Return soup to low heat, add cream (if desired) and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (NOTE: My food processor left the soup a little chunky, which was OK, but I drained the soup through a fine sieve to make the texture even smoother and it was so creamy and good I didn’t even have to use the fresh cream!)
The Pippins always start to drop from the trees right after the Autumn equinox. This means it is time to start picking apples in earnest. We have over 150 Newtown Pippin trees alone - in the early 1900’s when much of our orchards were planted, Pippins were the gold standard in apples. It is actually believed to be the apple from “The Big Apple” since it originated in New York City in the 1720’s and is the only significant apple from that area. Grown and loved by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, this heirloom apple’s complex “piney green apple flavor” and firm texture makes them good for eating fresh and a high natural pectin content ensures their superb performance for baking and storing. Jefferson famously declared from France, “They have no apples here to compare with our Newtown Pippin.” Many of the trees in our orchards are 80-100 years old, and still producing! We grow over 15 apple varieties, almost all heirlooms, and are dedicated to preserving some of these wonderful, unique trees through grafting techniques. As we rebuild our aging orchard we are focusing on planting a greater variety of unique, rare and/or heirloom varieties that will grow well in our area. Some apple trees we planted more recently that are new to our orchard include the Gala, McIntosh and Pink Pearl. While I love the diversity, we will always be “Pippin People”, and once you have tried this apple in all of its stages we know you will be a believer too! Enjoy them fresh and tart the way they are now, early in the season, and see how fantastic they are for pies or applesauce then appreciate how long they can be stored and still be tasty and firm!
Chunky Autumn Applesauce
Fresh homemade Applesauce is a great way to enjoy autumn’s bounty of apples. Really easy to make and something great to give the kids.
All you need are a few apples, water, a little apple juice (make some yourself with an apple or use store bought) and some cinnamon.
~Peel the apples, cut into quarters and remove core. Put into a medium saucepan (If you are making more use a bigger pan)
~Cover about ½ way with water, then add about ½ cup apple juice (or enough so the apples are 2/3 covered)
~sprinkle with cinnamon - amount to your preference ( I like a lot!)
~Cook on high until just boiling, put lid on and reduce heat to low, cover and let cook until apples are tender, about 20-30 minutes or so, stirring several times to break apples up.
~If it needs more liquid add some apple juice. You don’t want to cook it so long that the apples become mushy - it should be chunky, but soft and juicy. ~Let cool before serving. Keep in the Fridge for about a week. Great with pork dishes, as a snack or even with vanilla ice cream!
WINTER SQUASH
This week your box contains 1 or 2 Delicata winter squash.
These squash were all just harvested, and would benefit from a period of “curing”. This simply means that they should be kept at room temp (around 70°) for 10 - 20 days before using. After that, store them close to 50° for best results. Delicata squashes will last from five to eight weeks. They can be prepared many ways – here is a great way to make the Delicata that includes some apple cider that you all will be getting in your boxes soon!
Peel with a vegetable peeler, then cut lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds. Cut each piece in half again lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Sauté for a few minutes in butter with salt, rosemary and sage, then add 1½ C apple cider and boil down over medium heat until cider is a glaze and squash is tender - 20 - 30 minutes.
The apple “seconds” are really starting to pile up so it will be time to do a pressing soon! We will try to let you all know in advance when it will be so you all can come check out the process. Look forward to getting a jug of our delicious fresh pressed apple juice soon!
Have a wonderful week!
~Casalegno Family Farm
