Fall is here, there’s no doubt about it. Mornings are crisp and after-noons are sunny and warm. Some days have been in the mid-40s in the mornings and over 75 degrees by the end of the day. Rain is predicted now through the middle of next week.

On the first of October we changed to our Fall hours here at the Farm. We are now open Monday-Saturday from 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. We are closed on Sundays.

Fall feels like soup!! So we’ve given you two soup recipes to try. All of our Lehne families have made the “Colorful Chicken ‘n’ Squash Soup” many times over the past few years since we discovered the recipe. It is very simple to make and tastes really good.

Jennifer Coalwell sent us her “Double Cheddar Cauliflower Soup” recipe recently. She is such a fantastic cook we know this will be great.
“Plum Kuchen” (Cake in German) is a favorite breakfast cake at the Hawkins’ home. Each year Sharon bakes a few extras and puts them into the freezer for winter use.

This past Tuesday Norm started harvesting Hazelnuts. He knew rain was in the forecast and wanted to pick while the orchard was still dry. This first picking is now at the big commercial dryer in the Eugene area and should be ready in a week or so. As happens many times in agriculture...a part broke in the dryer and it is now shut down until the new part can be found and
repairs are made.

Norm planted the first five acres of Hazelnuts in 1989. He was convinced that this crop would do well because our climate is well suited for growing them. Hazel-nuts, also known as Filberts, flourish in the Northwest as far south as Douglas County, Oregon.

Most of our crop is marketed through ‘Northwest Hazelnuts.’ The Ennis variety, which we grow, is mainly sold overseas as fully intact in-shell nuts. A few years ago one of our customers even told us they saw “Oregon Hazelnuts” for sale in a German grocery store.

Whether rain or shine we hope you enjoy these Fall days and the ending of the Harvest season.

Norm & Cinda Glen & Wendy

In this week's box:

• “Brook” Prune/Plums

• Cheddar Cauliflower

• Kale: We grow three kinds: Red Chidori (green & pink leaves), Nero Di Toscana (dinosaur skin leaves), and Improved Dwarf Siberian (large ruffled leaves) What’s in your box?

• Broccoli

• Bell Peppers

• Tomatoes

• Candystore Corn

• Butternut Squash  

Technically speaking a plum is a plum and a prune is a dried plum. For many years the Lehne family had several acres of prune trees. We always called them prunes because the entire crop was taken to a large dryer which turned the fresh plums into prunes. Brook prune/plums are a long-time favorite in Western Oregon. They are an oval shaped fruit with purplish-black skin and yellow flesh. Brooks are larger and sweeter than Italian prune/plums. They were discovered in Lafayette, Oregon (seedling of Italian) and were introduced in 1946. Your Brook prune/plums are soft and ripe, not green and hard like the ones in the grocery store.  

“Autumn is in the air, and the cooler weather means ‘Soup’s on’ at our house. A head of Cheddar cauliflower and extra sharp Tillamook Cheddar Cheese give this soup it's lovely golden color. I made a big pot a few days ago and I have been enjoying the leftovers for lunch.” Jennifer

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (it will be pureed later)

1 medium head cheddar cauliflower, cut into florets, about 1 pound (white cauli-flower works fine too)

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

4 ounces extra sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and work up from there).

Preparation

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and cook until nearly transparent. Add the chicken broth and the cauliflower. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Puree the soup. I like to use my hand blender right in the pot. You can also puree the soup in batches in a regular blender. If you use a food processor, you will need to strain out the vegetables and puree them with just a bit of the broth to get a smooth consistency and then add in the remaining
liquid. Return the mixture to the pot. Stir in the milk, cheese and nutmeg and whisk over low heat until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth and heated through. Do not let it boil or the cheese may separate. Add some freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Start with 1/2 teaspoon salt and work up from there. It will depend somewhat on how much sodium was in the chicken broth.

Serve in warm bowls garnished with freshly snipped chives, if desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.  

1/2 broiler/fryer chicken (2 pounds)

6-1/2 cups water

1 medium butternut squash, peeled & cubed

1/2 - 3/4 pounds fresh kale, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

1 large onions, chopped

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

Place chicken and water in a large soup kettle. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth. Strain broth and skim fat. Return broth to the pan add the squash, carrots and onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add kale and cook about 15-20 minutes more. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and cut into bite-size pieces. Discard bones and skin. Add chicken and salt with the kale. Yields about 2-3 quarts. Cool growing weather, fall frosts, and mild winters impart a high sugar con-tent and fine flavor to Kale. With larger leaves, you’ll need to cut out and discard the stems. Then chop the leaves into small pieces. Store Kale in dry plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to three days.
 

Ingredients

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt 20 plum halves

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400' F. Grease 9 inch round pan. Cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, add flavorings, beat well. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, blend in. Pour batter into pan. Arrange plum halves in batter, cut side down. Mix topping ingredients, sprinkle over plums and batter. Bake 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold with whip cream, if desired. Yield 6 servings.