The Long Hungry Creek Current 10/29/07
Sorry for the delay everyone, there was a lot going on this weekend. Also, I'd like to put out a request for grocery bags. Now that greens are coming into season we could really use them!
Another of Jeff’s columns...
“Folks in the south don’t eat much winter squash” was the disappointing news from the mid-south produce broker. Other outlets say they’ll take a few bushels, but in October or just before Thanksgiving. As our bumper crops keep rolling in, the winter squash takes the cake. Ten tons of it has been picked up and stored away, and that is way more than our coop needs.
Luke counted 232 bushels of butternuts alone, and there’s probably another 250 bushels of acorn, sweet dumpling, buttercup, fairy, fitzu and spaghetti squash. At 40 to 50 pounds per bushel, it may be more that ten tons. But it’s out of the hot fields, and so are we.
The late summer crops ripened early. The intense heat dried out the squash leaves and exposed a field full of fruit. We clip the squash off the vines with pruning shears, and for once I was thankful for the giant pigweeds – they offered a bit of shade as I stooped underneath them. We pick the squash up and put them in baskets, load the trucks, and head for real shade. Some are placed loose in the barn and sheds to free up more baskets, and others just stack up in pyramids that Egyptians would be proud of.
Acorns are a dark green, with an orange spot where they laid on the ground. They suffered the most from sunscald, which starts as a white spot and then gets soft. The flavor is sweet and nutty when they’re baked and buttered. But the sweet dumplings are even sweeter, and were the favorite for a few days.
These two are both in the pepo family of squashes. So is spaghetti squash, so called because after it is baked and the seeds are scooped out, the flesh becomes in long strands like spaghetti. It is used as a pasta substitute, served with tomato sauce and having less calories and more nutrition than noodles.
Butternuts are in the moschata family, which includes the fairy and fitzu squashes, and the old time Tennessee cheese pumpkin, also smoother flesh, and the first butternut we ate knocked the sweet dumpling into second place.
The buttercup is in the maxima family, known mostly for the big pumpkins. It looks like a turban, with a button on the bottom. With an even richer taste, it jumped to number one. The flesh has a very dark orange color, is a bit drier, and is absolutely delicious.
It seems our favorite variety of winter squash is the one we are eating at the moment. They are truly a remarkable food. Native people grew and stored them all winter, just as we do, which may be why they’re associated with Thanksgiving. Beautiful as a decoration, winter squashes keep well and are very nutritious.
We bake them whole, for about an hour, or until a knife easily pokes through. The seeds are scooped out, and can be roasted and salted for a crunchy snack, but are usually discarded. The flesh is spooned out of the rind and mashed up with butter, and the flavor is sweet, rich, and creamy. If you like sweet potatoes, you’ll love winter squash.
We have more than I know what to do with, so come by and get some from the shed. Let me know which is your favorite. Winter squash needs to be brought back into popularity with southerners. It’s good for you, tastes great and is easy to grow. Way too easy to grow way too much of it; I’m feeling squashed by the weight of ten tons of squash.
Potlucks will be held on Sunday, October 7th, and Saturday, October 27th. While completely informal, plan to arrive around noon.
Sandor Katz and Laura Button will be giving workshops at the farm on November 3rd. Sandor is a fermentation guru and the author of ‘Wild Fermentation’, and his new book, ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved’. Laura owns ‘Journey to Bliss Raw Foods’, based here in middle TN.
--Alan
Here are a few links that may interest you:
Nutritional data for most foods including restaurants- http://www.nutritiondata.com/
New Potatoes with Salami & Sorrel Recipe- http://johnmorrell.com/displayrecipe.asp?RecipeID=20662
Alan’s Band Liquid Village- http://liquidvillage.com/
The Harvest
Daikon Radish, Green Beans, Mustard Greens, Kale, Arugula, Sorrel, Spaghetti Squash, Yellow Squash, Peppers, Potatoes, Garlic, Parsley, Basil
Miso Soup with Daikon Radish
INGREDIENTS:
* 3 1/3 cups dashi soup stock
* 4 inches daikon
* 3-4 tbsps miso paste
PREPARATION:
Put dashi soup stock in a pan. Cut daikon into thin and long slices and add them to the soup. Simmer daikon slices until soften. Scoop out some soup stock from the pan and dissolve miso paste in it. Return the soup in the pan and stir well. Remember not to boil the soup after you put miso in.
Konbu Dashi Soup Stock
INGREDIENTS:
* 4 cups of water
* 6 inches long konbu (Dried kelp)
PREPARATION:
Wipe the konbu with clean cloth to remove dirt. (Konbu shouldn't be washed.) Soak the konbu in the water in a pot for one to two hours. Put on low heat and bring the water to boil. Just before the water comes to a boil, remove the konbu. Now, you have a vegetarian soup stock for your cooking.
From: Setsuko Yoshizuka
Overnight Daikon Radish Pickles
INGREDIENTS
* 1 1/2 cups chopped daikon
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, toss daikon with salt. Cover, and refrigerate until 1 to 2 tablespoons of water is released, about 30 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse daikon, removing as much salt as possible. Pat dry with a paper towel, and return to bowl. Stir in rice vinegar, black pepper and, if desired, sesame oil. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
From: Allrecipes.com
Elsewhere in TN...
There are enough weekends free of formal plans that I can’t help but wonder, “Why do formal plans all attempt to pile onto a single weekend?” I wanted to attend several of the great workshops and lectures offered up at the farm for the Biodynamic Conference, but I had other plans.
My band, Liquid Village, played in Adams, TN, home of the Bell Witch, at the Tye Dye Festival. Held at the Red River Campground and into its second decade of existence, this fest features a tie dye area complete with gloves, dye, rubber bands, plastic bags, and setting solution. Each attendee gets to bring and make (at least) two garments.
All the while live music is playing alternately on a big stage and a small one. We played Saturday at 8pm on the big stage, had a great set, and camped out into Sunday.
As much fun as I had, I am still a bit sad that I missed the Biodynamic Conference. For those of you who missed it as well, I’ll have an update in next week’s newsletter. Oh, and don’t forget the potluck on Sunday. See you at pick-up. --Alan
*Put your basket in your car!
