October 23 Newsletter
Laguna Farm CSA
1764 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472 info@lagunafarm.com
Office phone 823-0823 - Barn phone 823-0824
October 23 and 25, 2007
Farmer Scott will return in 2 weeks!
In your box today:
From the beautiful fields of the farm, our “beyond organic” salad mix, sauté mix, carrots, cilantro, butternut squash, onions; also yams from Livingston, CA.
Fruit subscribers will receive persimmons, pomegranates and apples!
Please remember to pick up your pumpkin if you didn’t get it last week. Your box value reflects -$1.00 for this share.
Autumn Abundance!
As you may have noticed, the fall produce is in! Over the coming weeks, you will see more and more winter squash. Winter squash comes in shapes round and elongated, scalloped and pear-shaped with flesh that ranges from golden-yellow to brilliant orange. Most winter squashes are vine-type plants whose fruits are harvested when fully mature. They take longer to mature than summer squash (3 months or more) and are best harvested once the cool weather of fall sets in. They can be stored for months in a cool basement (hence the name “winter” squash). Stay away from carving pumpkins, whether they’re the classic field type or the original French variety. Carve them, but don’t eat them: they’re tough and bland.
Winter squash have hard, thick skins. Store in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place for up to one month. Winter squash can be cut in halves or pieces. Too cook them, first remove fibers and seeds; then bake, steam, or boil the squash. When water is used in cooking, the quantity of water should be kept small to avoid losing flavor and nutrients. Acorn and butternut squash are frequently cut in half, baked, and served in the shell. Squash pulp is also used for pies and may be prepared in casseroles, souffles, pancakes, and custards.
Cilantro, or Chinese parsley, is the name given to the leaves of the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum), while both the plant and the seed-like fruit are traditionally called coriander. This is changing, as many people who use cilantro may be unaware that the plant yields another herb and refer to the entire plant as cilantro. Culantro, which refers to a different herb altogether, is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to coriander leaves. The coriander plant is in the same family, Apiaceae, as anise, fennel, dill, caraway, and cumin.