Boy, we had a close call this weekend. Sunday the overnight forecast was for 37 and in our valley we can generally count on being 5 degrees colder. With the threat of actually hitting freezing, we headed out to the gardens in twilight and draped the basil and peppers with floating row covers. Thankfully, we only dropped to about 34. Had it been much colder, we would have lost all the bean plants, the corn still on the stalks, the tomatillos and maybe even all the uncured pumpkins and winter squash we’ve been tending for so many months. Cold as it was, we are seeing some stress on the cucumbers, zucchinis and melons. Oh, but we feel lucky! The gardens are still producing lots of beautiful food, while our thoughts are turning to the rich and warm recipes of fall. We’ve included some for you below. Here’s what’s in the box:

Leeks – These are such fun, funny and fabulous allia! We love them in eggs, sauteed greens and soup! The variations on Potato Leek Soup are many and varied, but we’ve included a simple start below. Add bacon, celery, carrots, different herbs, it will still be delicious.
Potatoes - These are the first diggings from our rows of storage potatoes. We continue to fear that the Late Blight that plagued our now-removed tomato plants will show up on the potato tubers in the form of wet rot. Thankfully, these Rio Grande Russets and All Blues look great. Enjoy with leeks in soup this week!
Napa Cabbage – Big and beautiful, Napa is the star of the ubiquitous Ramen Salad we all know and love from summer picnics. But in colder weather, Napa shines in soups, stir fry and kimchi. Try this Food Network Recipe for Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice with Napa.
Tomatoes and Tomatillos – Many thanks to Snug Haven Farm and Hillspring Eco-Farm for sharing tomatoes this week. The tomatillos are getting sweeter and sweeter here – and changing color from green to cream to purple. What a pretty member of the solanaceae family! Eggplants are also in this family, as are peppers, petunias, potatoes, tomatoes and tobacco – all gorgeous!
Storage Onions and Shallots - Look how pretty these skins turn when they dry. You can use these Red Prisma shallots or golden Frontier onions now or anytime through the winter.
Beans - Not a lot of greens, but lots of yellow and purple! Yum, yum, yum! We love these cooked in the juice from a baked ham.
Cucumbers - We just started harvesting off our second planting of cucumber vines. Alas – they turned yellow after the cold snap! These could be our last…
Summer Squash and Zucchini - The yellow squash are going strong while the zucchini is looking like it’s ending for the season. Try the delicious Southern recipe for Summer Squash Casserole for a main dish on a chilly night.
Baby Eggplant – Our plants are looking great, having fought off the early season flea beetles and the Colorado potato beetles that munched them next. But we’re going to need more heat to grow these fruits. Enjoy the little purple treasures for now.
Peppers - We think maybe our sweet bell peppers aren’t going to have an opportunity to turn red this year. But they are starting to TASTE red, which is what matters. The white Feherezons are nice and mild, still, and the yellow Hungarian Hot Wax are just a bit spicy. But our little peppers are gaining degrees by the day! If you don’t plan to use these hot peppers within a week, why not thread them onto string and hang them in your kitchen to dry and use all winter?
Celery – This tender and mild heirloom Golden Celery is so tasty right from the garden, we’ve actually not cooked with it yet this year. But you’ll just have to put in in your Potato Leek Soup.
Herbs: Basil – These leaves are looking a little stressed as a result of the cold weather, but they will still taste terrific in pesto. Thyme - This is looking beautiful in our gardens, and showing up in pretty much every recipe. Parsley and Pineapple Sage. The sage had a great summery taste, wonderful minced into savory breads and scones, terrific infused in tea.
Flower Bouquet – We’ve got a wacky sort of bunch for you today. Do you recognize the funny ball-shaped greenish-pink things? They are common Queen Anne’s Lace, on the verge of going to seed. Florists call them “Baskets.” Cute, huh? Then we’ve got Japanese anemone, yellow calendula, pink cosmos and asparagus ferns for foliage. Enjoy!

Summer Squash Casserole
2 cups cooked, drained, and mashed yellow summer squash
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup melted butter, divided
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Butter a 1 to 1 1/2-quart casserole. Heat oven to 350°. In a bowl, blend mashed squash with mayonnaise, chopped onion, beaten egg, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and the 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Spoon the mixture into prepared casserole. Top the casserole with the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Toss the bread crumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter; spread over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

K’s Potato Leek Soup
This basic recipe comes from pinchmysalt.com, a truly terrific cooking website. See a photo recipe for this soup here. A substitution I’d recommend is some buttermilk for some of the heavy cream.

3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 – 8 russet potatoes, thinly sliced
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown. Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom. Add one cup of heavy cream (or more if you desire) and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve.