2023 CSA Farm Update: Week 22
From the Farm: Frosty Kale
Hello Everyone and welcome to week 22 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. It is hard to believe, but this is the final week of the CSA for the year! What a pleasant week we had to finish up the year. We still had celeriac, purple daikon radish, and Scarlet Ohno turnips in the fields yet to harvest and we had the perfect fall weather to do so. There was one morning that read 27 degrees on the farm which covered everything in a white blanket of frost and made those remaining crops just a touch sweeter. The first heavy frost also put an end to our annual weed friends like galinsoga and amaranth. The power of nature is often very humbling. As a farm, we spend hundreds of hours cultivating and hand weeding these two plants. Mother Nature can take care of all of them with a good frost!
This week, there will be a couple of first-time appearances in the bags. Throughout the fall I have been slowly watching the Scarlet Ohno turnips size up. When they were seeded back in August, I was amazed at how they seemed to jump out of the ground with vigor. As organic farmers, we rely solely on mechanical means for cultivation, a vigorous crop is one who can compete with the weeds. This is a great plus. After the leaves made a nice canopy to shade out any potential germinating weeds, the roots slowly started to swell and show their beautiful scarlet color above the soil. Once they were about the size of a baseball, they were ready to harvest. These are not the mild sweet turnips that we have added many times this year to the shares but are the turnip for the real turnip lovers. Sauteed until tender, they make a nice complement to any fall dish. I will say that some of the skins were a little tough, so I would recommend peeling them. This is also the first week that our fall storage onions will be added to the shares. We normally like to start adding these in September, but it was not our best onion year, and the yields certainly showed it. The ones that did make it seem extra special this year.
I would like to thank all of the CSA members and GP staff for making the CSA possible this year. Without the members who are willing to take a risk with the farm, there would not be a CSA. Having someone else determine what will be on your table each week is a big ask for many and I thank you for putting that trust in this farm. Without the courageous eaters of the world, farms like this would not be able to exist. Without GP’s dedication to sustainable food, this CSA would not exist. I would truly like to thank everyone there for their commitment to food. From marketing, sales, coordination, newsletters, and distribution, they made it all happen week after week. This season has been quite a journey and I thank you all for joining us in it!
Until next time,
Farmer Jon
Weekly Harvest Includes
*We try our best to provide the most accurate CSA list in the newsletter! However, there’s always a chance of last minute substitutions in some bags if we don’t harvest enough of a vegetable.
from the silvia center
As temperatures begin to drop, The Sylvia Center (TSC) at Katchkie Farm has been busy winding down operations at the Learning Garden, where we welcomed over 250 young people this year. During each visit, students learn how vegetables are grown and make delicious snacks using the fresh ingredients they harvest from the farm. While the Learning Garden hibernates, you can support our NYC programs with a donation that will help empower thousands of young people to make informed, healthy food choices. Make your gift today!
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CARROT KALE SAMOSAS WITH PHYLLO DOUGH
Recipe created by The Sylvia Center
Makes two dozen
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced, or any other variety
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger minced (can use dry)
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of coriander
½ teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of chili powder
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups of kale, chopped, or any other green
1 lb. of potatoes, peeled and boiled
Salt
1 package of phyllo dough, defrosted
¼ cup of olive oil, for brushing
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, dice the potatoes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a sauté pan. Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and chili powder and sauté until the mixture is very fragrant, for about 2 minutes.
Add carrots and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add kale and sauté until the kale has wilted and is soft. Combine with the cooked potatoes and season the mixture with salt.
Fold phyllo dough in half, lengthwise, and brush the surface with oil. Place ¼ cup of vegetable mixture at bottom corner of the dough, fold it into a triangle, and then continue to fold in triangles, like folding up a flag.
Brush each triangle with oil and place on the baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until golden and brown.