Summer 2025 CSA Newsletter - September 30, 2025 (Week 19)

Howdy Folks, 

Life works in mysterious and surprising ways.  Yet the seasons come on and go as usual.  Sometimes earlier than usual and other times later, but they come.  The transitions are inevitable. These changes break the pace and change things up.  Like the rain this past week changed the course of many plantings in the field.  This deep 2” quench is life giving.  Our cover crops that were sitting still spiked in growth and they are beginning to work themselves out of their stressed out yellow hue. It’s like the rain took the weight off the shoulders of the holding pattern point of view.  Plants were literally sitting tight.  The sweet potatoes we were watering for four hours each day and they would hardly be wet.  

Now our salt is caking again in our shaker on the table.  The tables have turned towards the moist fall.  The leaves are rapidly falling!  The asters are in full bloom and the goldenrods are some bright yellow, others a mustard and then some brown; they add a graceful autumnal glow to the fallow hillsides.

Chris has started rounds of Sauerkraut and I’m freezing peppers and we are still dehydrating tomatoes. It’s soup weather now even though the nights are still warm!  

The fruit is slowly leaving our harvests as the daylight and temperatures drop.

We hope you have a beautiful week!  We are expecting rain tonight, this Monday night. We are kicking butt getting everything as ready as we can to receive this precious rain!  We are really ready for the rain!  We have the fields freshly cultivated in anticipation of this coming rain, Chris seeded a ton of Arugula and all undersowing and cover crops are in and waiting.  With all the tractors that we still have in working order they have been breaking up the dry pan layer of soil created by weeks of dry weather, by cultivating the earth with shallow tines and wheels that spin, so that the rain penetrates the ground more easily, versus the dense dry layer that the rain tends to run right off of!

Your Farmers Chris, Aeros and the Who Crew

IN YOUR BOX: 

All contents of your box are listed on your LABEL!  If your label says something other than you think it should, please don’t take something different, please contact the farm. Note: Texting is the fastest way to reach us.

Add On Shares:

Mushrooms: King Trumpet

King Trumpet Mushrooms are the largest of the Oyster Mushroom family, but unlike most oyster mushrooms, the stems of the King Trumpet are meaty instead of woody. These mushrooms are often fried in tempura batter, or used as an addition to stir-fry.

Cheese:  Plain Chevre 

Plain Chevre is made from pasteurized whole goat milk for a creamy, crumbly, delicious goat cheese. 

Fruit:

This week’s apples are Crimson Crisp and Empire mix.  Crimson Crisp are small to medium apples very bright red over yellow. They are extremely crisp.  The have a sharp sweet tart rich flavor.  Empire are intense maroon red, with green fleck blotches.  They are sweet-tart and crisp with a bright white flesh.  They do not store long, so they are an early autumn apple.  They are a hybrid of McIntosh and Red Delicious breed at Cornell University in 1945.  It’s amazing how many amazing fruits and veggies come out of Cornell University!!!  This is not one you will find in the stores come late fall.  They are great for fresh eating or applesauce.

FARM PICTURES

The worker housing addition progress report.  Now we are waiting for our electrician! This addition will give nearly all but two folks their own room.  They spend all day together in the field, so a little private time will be nice.

This is a big spindle of drainage pipe.  It's a corrugated black pipe that helps us keep all the water that comes off of the tunnel out of the field beside it.  Even with a 15’ wide swath of planted ground beside it, we need to move the water underground to help us keep our soil.

RECIPE IDEAS

Harissa Honey Tofu with Broccolini

Adapted from Kristi (avocadoskillet.com)

Ingredients:

Tofu -

• 1 block extra firm tofu, cubed

• ½ - 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• Pinch of black pepper

Broccolini -

• 1 bunch broccolini

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• ½ teaspoon salt

• Pinch of black pepper

Sauce -

• 2 tablespoons harissa

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• Juice from ½ lemon

• 1 tablespoon water or broth

Optional Toppings and Sides -

• 2 - 4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

• ¼ - ½ cup cooked rice or grain of choice

Directions:

Step 1 -

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Add tofu to a bowl with the rest of the tofu ingredients.  Toss together until tofu is fully coated.

Step 2 -

Add tofu to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or silicone.  Bake for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, add the broccolini to the same sheet pan and toss with oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake for another 15 minutes.

Step 3 -

Add all harissa sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined.  Add to a sauce pan over medium high heat and bring to a simmer until thickened.

Step 4 -

Add tofu to a bowl and toss together with sauce.  Form bowls with tofu, broccolini, and rice (if using).  Top with cilantro (if using) and enjoy!

Collard Greens

Adapted from Holly Nilsson (spendwithpennies.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 8 slices of bacon, chopped

• 1 small onion, finely diced

• 1 pound collard greens

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 ¼ cups chicken broth

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Step 1 -

Wash greens and using a sharp knife, cut out the wooden stem.  Cut into ¾ inch pieces.

Step 2 -

Cook chopped bacon and butter over medium heat in a pan until crisp.  Remove a few slices for garnish.

Step 3 -

Add onions to bacon grease and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

Step 4 -

Add greens and garlic.  Cook until slightly wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 5 -

Add broth, cover and cook over a low simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender.

Step 6 -

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed Carmen Peppers

Adapted from Patti Estep (hearthandvine.com)

Ingredients:

• 5 Carmen Peppers

• ½ pound ground turkey

• ½ cup jarred salsa

• 4 oz softened cream cheese

• 1 cup Mexican shredded cheese mix

• ½ teaspoon cumin

Directions:

Step 1 -

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the ribs and seeds.  Set tops aside.

Step 2 -

Brown the turkey over medium heat.  Once cooked through, add the salsa and cumin.

Step 3 -

Lower the heat and add the cream cheese and shredded cheese.

Step 4 -

Fill the peppers with turkey and place the tops back on.

Step 5 -

Pack the peppers tightly into a prepared baking pan.  Bake for 35 minutes.

Step 6 -

Serve with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream.

Creamy Honeynut Squash Pasta

Adapted from Sarah (wellandfull.com)

Ingredients:

Roasted Honeynut Squash -

• 1 Honeynut Squash

• ½ tablespoon olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• Black pepper to taste

Pasta -

• 1 pound pasta

• 4 tablespoons salted butter

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ cup cream

• ½ teaspoon thyme

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• ½ teaspoon honey

• ¼ teaspoon salt (or more), to taste

• Black pepper to taste

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Step 1 -

To start, roast the honeynut squash.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Carefully cut the squash in half, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Drizzle both halves with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Step 2 -

Let the squash slightly cool.  Then, scoop out the cooked flesh from the skin and put in a blender.  Set aside.

Step 3 -

In a large pan, add the butter and garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant (not browned).  Then, carefully pour the butter and garlic into the blender with the squash, along with ½ cup cream.  Blend on high until smooth.  Add the squash sauce back into the large pan.

Step 4 -

Begin cooking the pasta in salted water in a large pot.  When the pasta is about halfway done, reserve about 1 cup pasta water.

Step 5 -

While the pasta is cooking, bring the honeynut squash sauce back to medium-low heat.  Add in the honey, salt, and spices, and mix well.  Add in 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.  Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.

Step 6 -

Once the pasta is al dente, scoop out of the pot with a slotted spoon or strainer tool and put directly in the pan with sauce.  Continue until all pasta is added into the sauce.  Mix until pasta is smooth and creamy, adding in small increments of the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen.

Step 7 -

When done, serve the pasta in bowls garnished with Parmesan, thyme, and chili flakes (optional).

PICKING UP OF YOUR SHARE/S:

When you arrive at your pick up site, please first look for the RED CLIPBOARD!  Find your name and take a look at what is waiting for you.  Please check off all the shares listed by your name on the sign in sheet! Then look for a box with your name on the label, this is your box.  Please unpack this box and take the contents home.  You are not to take home this box! This box is for farm to pick up site transportation only!  If you do take this box, please return it the following week.  HERE IS A LINK TO A FACEBOOKS PAGE VIDEO SHOWING YOU HOW TO OPEN AND FLATTEN THIS BOX.

READ YOUR BOX LABELS: On your label you will see all that you should be picking up today.  Please note, that none of the optional shares are inside of this box although they are listed on the label!  These optional shares include, Eggs, Cheese, Mushrooms, and Coffee. These shares are located in the blue coolers.  Please reference your box label & sign in sheet to make sure you get the correct optional shares that you paid for on each given week. ONLY TAKE THE ITEMS LISTED ON YOUR BOX LABEL AND SIGN IN SHEET UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTIFIED! 

• The mushrooms are in brown paper bags.
  
  
  

• Eggs, half dozen = 6 egg carton
  
  
  

• Eggs dozen = 12 egg carton
  
  
  

• Cheese is by the piece, just take a block. ( If a cheese has a name on it, don’t take this cheese unless it has your name on it)
  
  
  

• Fruit - The fruit share is located in a box labeled Fruit Share, please take one paper bag per share. 1 bag is 3# of fruit.
  
  
  

• If you don’t see a share that you think you should be getting, please don’t take it, please instead be in touch with the farm. If you are ever missing any veggies or add on items or the quality is not up to WCFY par, please be in touch. Call/Text 814-221-7177. Or email us. info@whocooksforyoufarm.com