Jack Frost visited the Farm last weekend!  We had a few spots of frost on Friday night but not enough to hurt the remaining garden crops.  However on Saturday night it was below 30 degrees.  The garden is brown and sad looking.  Some of our u-pick customers are finding a few items that weren’t damaged but the harvest is finally coming to an end.

Norm and his brother, Ray, spent several days harvesting hazelnuts this week.  It is a good feeling to have this big job finished.  Though we do sell hazelnuts here at the Farm, most of our crop is marketed through ‘Northwest Hazelnuts’ and many are sold overseas.  For more information on this crop go to www.oregonhazelnuts.org.

The Fall CSA season is coming to a close.  After today we will have one more delivery next Saturday, October 25.  When you pick up your produce next Saturday we will put it into bags for you.  We will collect your CSA Harvest box and give out the box deposit refund.

It has been a pleasure to provide you with our “Locally Grown, Farm-Fresh, Vine Ripe Produce.”  Enjoy the last days of Fall.

Norm & Cinda  Glen & Wendy

LEHNE FARM FALL CSA Week 6 was quite a memory for the Lehne family & Farm crew.  The picking & prepping comes to an end on Friday when we pack the CSA Harvest boxes.  Tables are lined up inside our garage & then the empty Harvest boxes are put onto the tables.  All of the produce is brought out from our big walk-in cooler & stacked in the garage.  We have ‘The List’ so we know what goes into the boxes & which items should go in first.  Once the Harvest boxes are filled they go into the cooler & are stacked according to pick-up location.   When we are finished with the Harvest boxes the area is cleaned up.  Buckets & boxes are stacked for the next week.  The process takes about 2 hours.

This past Friday was Great-Grandma Helen Lehne's 94th birthday and we wanted her to spend some time with us here at the Farm.  She was thrilled to be here and wanted to walk around and pick something.  Lunch included two of her favorite things...corn on the cob and tomatoes.  Afterwards we bundled her up and took her out to the garage...it was about 50 degrees and there was a very cold wind blowing right through the garage.  We wanted Grandma to sit in a protected area and observe the flurry of activity.  However, Grandma Helen does not want to 'observe', she wants to 'participate'!  At first we had her doing a little 'busy work' hoping that would satisfy her, but she figured it out right away and declared that it didn't take two people to do this...it was a waste of time, one person could go through these boxes of tomatoes!  So Norm had her stand with him on one side of the tables to help fill the boxes.  He handed corn to her and she made sure the boxes had the correct amount.  Next was winter squash, then Romanesco broccoli...finally ending with tomatoes.  She walked back and forth with Norm along the row of Harvest boxes filling them with the produce you enjoyed this week.  Grandma Helen truly had a great day on her 94th birthday and it will be a cherished memory for us. 

In this week's box:

• Cauliflower
• Swiss Chard
• Leeks
• Bell Peppers
• “Candystore” Corn
• Red Cabbage
• Rome Beauty Apples 
  

Ingredients 

1 leek (about 1 1/2 in. thick)

3/4 pound Swiss chard

3 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth

1 cup milk

About 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 hard-cooked large egg, shelled and finely chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh chives

Salt

Preparation

Trim & discard stem end & tough green top from leek.  Peel off & discard outer layer.  Cut leek in half lengthwise hold each half under cold running water, separating layers to rinse well.  Coarsely chop.

Rinse and drain chard. Trim off discolored stem ends and discard. Thinly slice stems crosswise and coarsely chop leaves.

In a 3- to 4-quart pan, mix broth with leek & Swiss chard stems & leaves  Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat, & simmer until vegetables are very tender when pierced, about 12 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a blender or food processor.  Add about 1/2 cup cooking liquid & whirl until smooth.  Pour purée back into pan.  Add milk & 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir just until steaming, 3 to 4 minutes.

Ladle bisque into wide bowls.  Sprinkle equally with chopped egg & chives.  Add salt & more pepper to taste.

Ingredients 

5-6 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 1/2 in. each)

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, beaten to blend

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

About 2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)

Sour cream, salsa, or chutney (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200.  Pour about 4 quarts of water into a 6- to 8-quart pan; bring to a boil over high heat. Add cauliflower & 1 tablespoon salt.  Cover, reduce heat & simmer until cauliflower is soft enough to mash, 10 to 12 minutes.  Drain.

Put cauliflower in a large bowl, & mash with a fork.  Let cool until no longer steaming.  Stir in eggs, garlic, & hot sauce.  Mix in flour, baking powder, paprika, pepper, & remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Pour 1 teaspoon olive oil into an 8- to 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, drop cauliflower mixture in heaping tablespoons into pan & cook, turning once, until fritters are golden brown on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch.  Transfer to baking sheet & keep warm in oven while cooking the remaining fritters.  Add more oil as needed between batches.  Garnish with chopped parsley and sour cream, salsa, or chutney as desired.