This box’s vegetables have been harvested in an 80-degree afternoon, a chilly rain, a clinging fog, a terrifying wind and an evening so cold we wore winter coats. (That was last night – hauling in all the squash and watermelons before they got damaged by the predicted frost.) All in one week!

I guess Wisconsin typically has violent transitions from summer to winter, but they take us by surprise each year. Nevertheless, the food is fabulous! We are so excited about the heirloom pumpkin harvest, which was above and beyond our wildest expectations for the year. And we are thrilled to be eating hard squash and salads again. Here’s what else is in the box:

Baby Pink Mustard Greens – These young leaves are mild enough to eat as salad, but also make a great Asian stir fry or Italian sauté. See the recipe below.
Herb Bag: Chives, Pineapple Sage, Basil, Thyme and Coriander Seed
Garlic
Salad Turnips – A great favorite around here! There is nothing quite so smooth in texture as a young turnip. Try this Japanese variety sliced into salad, or minced to garnish a soup.
Circle M Autumn Mix Salad – These baby lettuces and tender arugula leaves make a mildly bracing fall mix.
Radishes – Beautiful French Breakfast radishes are long and tender.
Edamame – These are one of our family’s favorite late season treats. Fresh soybeans! Leave them on the vine until you are ready to use them, then pull them off and rinse in cold water. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in 2 quarts boiling water, then add the beans, in the pods, and boil hard for 5 to 10 minutes. Check a pod to see if the beans inside are tender. They should be soft, but not mushy. When done, drain the pods in a colander, rinse in cold water, and eat! Just squeeze the pods from one end and pop the beans into your mouth. Fun and delicious! Some folks don’t eat these as a snack, but they pop the beans out and garnish salads or soups with them.
String Beans
Peppers – The purple and green are sweet, but the yellow fryers are slightly spicy Hungarian Hot Wax.
Little Dumpling Squash – These little hard squash are an heirloom variety we decided to grow instead of the ubiquitous acorns. Use in similar recipes. I like to halve these, then scoop out the seeds and bake in the oven until tender. I serve them with a pat of butter, a bit of brown sugar and some pecans in the hole.
Eggplant
Fennel – You love it or hate it. I love it. Slice and eat raw with a citrus vinaigrette, or roast with olive oil and then slice to eat as a side dish or addition to soup or potato dishes.
Onion
Summer Squash – You’ve got one or more of the last yellow squash, zucchinis or patty pans.
Pumpkins – Oh, it was such a great growing year for pumpkins! We’ve got lots of beautiful ones ready, and still many more that will ripen should the frost spare us tonight. This week you’ll choose either a red-orange Rouge Vif D’Etampes or a blue Jarrahdale. Both are excellent to roast or steam and eat in pies, curries or soups. The blue will store longer.
Ghost Gourds – These adorable white gourds were contributed by a neighbor who found them volunteering in her garden. We think they are really cool! Just for decoration.
Pork Chop Samples – We forgot to bring these into town last week, so now here they are with a great recipe for grilling them with sage and garlic.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup
From Farm Member Cherie

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (you can grind the coriander seeds in a coffee grinder)
Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin*
5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more. Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan. With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle the top of each bowl with toasted pumpkin seeds . Serves 8.

*To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use.

Mustard Greens with Potatoes and Shallot Vinaigrette
from thewednesdaychef.typepad.com

3/8 pound Yellow Finn, Bintje or German butterball potatoes, peeled and cut in irregular bite-size chunks
Sea salt
6 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 large shallot, slivered
4 ounces baby red mustard greens or mizuna, rinsed and dried
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1 teaspoon freshly crushed black peppercorns

Place potatoes in a saucepan with cold water to cover. Season water liberally with salt. Bring to a simmer, cook just until potatoes are tender, 6 to 8 minutes, then drain. When potatoes stop steaming, transfer them to a wide bowl. Combine oil, vinegar and salt to taste, and drizzle about one-third of this dressing over potatoes. Add shallot. Fold together with a rubber spatula. Dressing will pick up creaminess from potatoes. Set aside.
Place mustard greens or mizuna in a second wide bowl suitable for serving. Toss with half of the remaining dressing. Add potato mixture, and fold in gently. Halve eggs lengthwise, then cut in crosswise slices 1/8-inch thick. Scatter over salad, add remaining dressing, and fold once or twice very gently. Dust with crushed pepper, and serve.

Braciole di Maiele o Vitello (Grilled Chops with Sage and Garlic)
From Rome at Home by Suzanne Dunaway

Drop 10 to 15 sage leaves into 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sizzle for 30 seconds, then remove to a plate. Saute two cloves slices garlic until golden, then remove to plate with sage. Add pork chops to skillet, rubbed on either side with salt and pepper. Cool until surface is brown and carmelized, then flip. Cook for a few more minutes, pressing to see if meat is done. Remove chops to warm plate and let rest while you return reserved sage and garlic to the pan, along with the juice of one lemon. Scrape bottom and swirl pan to form a thin sauce. Drizzle over pork chops and serve.