Circle M Farm

For our final delivery of the year we’re reveling in late-season wonders, those little-seen and under-appreciated root crops that grow surreptitiously under a canopy of lush leaves for most of the summer and then emerge from the ground in fall like forgotten treasures. Here in the gardens we’ve been gasping in delight as we dig potatoes, beets, turnips, carrots and rutabagas from the black dirt to reveal their bright skins in shades of purple, pink, red, orange, yellow and white.

Hakurai Turnips – Sweet, tender and delicious! Munch on the un-peeled turnips, then use the greens in soup or stir fry.

Rutabaga – An old European favorite, also called “Swedish Turnips” or “Swedes,” these deliciously sweet roots taste of buttery cabbage and potato. Peel, cube and boil. Eat as is with a dash of salt, pepper and sugar, or mash up with potatoes.

Carrots – Messy looking, but delicious! Don’t peel these, just scrub well and eat. The skins are very sweet.

Mixed Collards and Kale – Just the thing to cut into ribbons and add to any soup or lasagne this fall. The most nutritious vegetables you can eat!

Spaghetti Squash – A favorite of mine! These ripened to a cheery shade of orange, rather than the typical light yellow. The flesh is also more of a melon color. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the label under the vines and I don’t recall which heirloom variety this is. But go ahead and fix it as usual – split, remove seeds, roast in the oven until tender, and then fluff the flesh out to serve like either spaghetti or like squash. A dual purpose vegetable!

Multi-Colored Sweet and Hot Peppers and Mild Serranos – We’ve got lots of peppers at various stages of color and heat. Best to just take a taste before you cook with any of them, as they are quite difficult to describe. The Serranos are milder than you’d expect and some of the long red fryers are hotter than you’d imagine, especially the seeds.

Napa Cabbage – A wonderful crunchy treat out of the fall garden, Napa is a curly variety of cabbage that is generally used in Asian dishes, but is great wherever cabbage is called for.

Celeriac- I LOVE this crazy root vegetable! I think it looks like a mandrake plant from the Harry Potter movies. (If it starts screaming, you’ll have to put some sort of spell on it.) To use it, just wash and peel it like a potato, then chop into stews and soups. The tops taste strongly of celery, but won’t cook down to be tender, so they are best used in soup stocks, where you’ll be straining off the stalks once the flavor is extracted.

Celery

Beets – Everything that’s gone through frost gets sweeter (if it makes it) and beets are a great example. These are just delicious in the fall. The tops, though small, are wonderful cooked just like Swiss Chard, stems and all.

Thyme – Beautiful right now and great with every fall dish.

Potatoes – We’ve got a sort of mash-up of varieties right now. Those of you who received red skinned should consider them a waxy variety, nice for frying or boiling, while the brown skins are a terrific russet that will make fluffy smashed potatoes.

Penne with Braised Greens and Rutabaga

Cut 2 pounds rutabaga into 1.5 inch cubes. Put into a large pot. Add 3 cups water, 1.5 tablespoons butter, 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook over high heat until tender; drain any excess water; set aside. In a large pot, over medium heat, saute 6 slices thickly sliced smoked bacon, julienned, until just barely crisp, remove to paper towel to drain, set aside, and leave just enough bacon grease in the pot to help saute remaining ingredients.

3) Add 1 onion (your choice of white, red or yellow), peeled and sliced, 1 garlic clove, crushed, and 1 teaspoon (or more, to taste) chile pepper flakes or powder and, over medium heat, saute until onion is just barely translucent.

4) Add 3=>4 pounds just rinsed mixed greens (collards, mustard, turnip, kale, etc.) trimmed and cut into wide ribbons with the water that clinging to them. Cover pot and cook until greens have just withered down. Uncover and add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and a dozen or so turns of black pepper. Turn heat up to medium-high and partially cover. Cook until greens are just tender, around 15 minutes.

5) Quickly drain the greens, reserving cooking liquor.

Rutabaga Puff

4 cups cooked, mashed rutabaga, about 1 large (2 1/2 to 3 pounds) rutabaga
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon fresh chopped dill weed or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon salt, dash pepper and dash paprika
4 eggs, separated

Combine mashed rutabaga, butter, dill, salt, pepper, and paprika. Blend in egg yolks. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into the rutabaga mixture. Lightly pile into a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until set and top is golden brown. Spoon into a serving dish and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

Thanks for an absolutely terrific growing season! We do consider it a rare privilege to be able to do this work in partnership with you. We’d like to invite you to celebrate the year of growing at our Homestead Harvest Festival, October 25. We’ve got events planned from 10 til night and there will be fun for all ages, including a bluegrass concert and a potluck featuring Circle M Smoked Ham and whatever sidedishes you choose to contribute. So leave the day open and check the schedule on the web to make sure to be here for the activities that suit you best.