Maplewood Organics

Annual CSA Member Picnic

Come enjoy good company, tour the farm by foot and hay rides, and eat delicious Maplewood and member food! Please bring a dish to share. You may also bring a friend who might be interested in joining our CSA next year. Maplewood Organics will provide burgers and fixings, place settings, and non-alcoholic beverages. We'll have dinner around 6:00. Keep an eye out for an Evite for this event.

Sunday, September 19th, 1:00pm-4:00pm

NOFA Weed Dating Event

This is NOFA's play on the highly successful singles phenomenon called 'Speed Dating.' In Speed Dating, each participant spends a pre-determined amount of time with one potential mate, then moves on to the next. In Weed Dating, it’s much the same—except, instead of sipping on Cosmos while chatting with your partner, you’ll be weeding a bed of vegetables or doing other similar, light labor. This is a great opportunity to meet other farm and food enthusiasts, farmers, and NOFA-VT staff. We hope to not only ignite the flames of human companionship, but tighten the relationships between farmers and consumers as well.

Singles will receive a farm tour and refreshments, in addition to cultivating new connections. Farm experience is not required, but please come prepared for an hour’s work. Not looking for love? Friend-seekers are welcome as well.

Garden Progress and Farm News

Friday, Sita took all of the garlic out of the greenhouse and trimmed it up for storage. We'll be planting most of what's left but will save some for our winter share members. Maddy and I picked most of the onions on Friday also and put them in the greenhouse to dry. We'll pick what's left in the garden to distribute directly to you over the next couple weeks. Our squash field looks really good. The big weeds are down and the squash is beginning to ripen. Maddy and I harvested more delicata squash and most of the spaghetti squash on Saturday. The pie pumpkins are getting nice and orange. We also have butternut, buttercup, acorn, and sugar dumpling squash. We also grew a small amount of an heirloom pumpkin called Musque de Provence also know as Fairytale and a Japanese squash called Red Kuri!

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Recipes of the Week

Carrot Apple Curry Soup

• 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

• 6 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 1/2 oz. white wine vinegar

• 4 cups vegetable stock

• 3 apples (any kind), peeled and chopped

• 1 Tablespoon powder ginger

• 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

• salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add carrots and onion and cook until the start to brown. Once they have softened a bit, add the vinegar to deglaze the pan, and add the vegetable stock. Simmer the carrots and onions for 10 minutes. Add the apples. Add more vegetable stock if needed. You want the apples, onion, and carrots to be slightly submerged. Add the ginger and curry powder, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the vegetables and apples are very soft. Blend with an immersion blender; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Italian-Style Spaghetti Squash

2 lb. spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced

4 medium-sized tomatoes, diced

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup reduced-fat grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

1 small lemon, sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place squash halves, cut side down, in baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water, and cover dish with foil. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven, and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.

Using a fork, scrape squash strands into a bowl. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Mound squash in the centers of four pasta bowls. Spoon vegetable mixture around or over squash strands, dividing vegetables equally among bowls. Drizzle with more oil, if desired, and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Add lemon slices, and serve.

Roasted Paste Tomatoes

Roma tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
Salt
fresh spices (dill, coriander, etc)
butter

Select firm, red, ripe Roma tomatoes. Cut in half lengthwise and place on a baking pan cut side up. Drizzle butter on each half. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Sprinkle finely chopped fresh herbs or dried on each half. Then, simply sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on the prepared tomatoes. Place underneath a preheated broiler for 3 to 4 minutes and remove when the Parmesan cheese has melted. Serve as either an appetizer or hors doeuvre, or as a tasty side garnish on a main plate entree. Very delicious and a nice touch. Enjoy!