Order by Noon on Mondays for Wednesday
evening delivery or pickup.
(West Allis Farmers' Market Pickup is Tuesday or Thursday)
October 18th, 2021
Sorry for the late Newsletter this week! We had an kid birthday party in our backyard yesterday, which was a feat to pull off! Since I'm behind schedule, you're welcome to order (or add-on) until late tonight. I'll be doing my final order download at 5am tomorrow.
This may be a record year for Beans--it's amazing that they're still going! Snap Beans, Italian Beans, and Baby French Filet are gorgeous--and it's the middle of October! But it's looking like we have some frost in our forecast later this week...
Tomatoes are winding down quickly. We've had a lot of disease pressure this season, and they're giving way. We still have some decent Beefsteak, Roma Plums, and a smattering of Artisan Cocktails, but none of them are perfect. It'll be sad to see them go!
We have a fantastic crop of Fennel Bulb right now--they're getting nice and plump. Try them in our Fennel & Tomato Bake Bundle this week! New patches of Dill Fern, Cilantro and Baby Salad Mix have begun this week as well as a new patch of delicious Rapini (aka Broccoli Rabe.)
We're also starting to harvest our whole-stalked Brussel Sprouts. Unfortunately, our sprout size is not very consistent due to the many dry periods we experienced this summer...some of the sprouts are big, most are still small, and some are tiny. We're hoping they continue to size up over the next month. So, for now, our stalk price was adjusted according to the lower yield per stalk. Just $2.50 per stalk or 3 stalks for $7.
Butternuts and Honeynuts are ripe at last. The regular Butternuts are medium market-sized to large, while the Honeynuts are adorably mini (just under a pound each.) I also put up a separate listing for our Black Futsu Squash. These odd-looking beauties actually turn colors as they cure. Once they're a solid tawny-buff color, they're ready to eat. In the meantime, they're awfully fun to decorate with!
All The Best,
The Centgraf's
NEW THIS WEEK
Red Dragon Napa Cabbage
Brussel Sprouts
Honeynut Squash
Butternut Squash
Fennel & Tomato Bake Bundle
EXCELLENT THIS WEEK
Winter Radishes
Upland Cress
Jumbo Bell Peppers
French Filet Tri-Color Bean Mix
Fall Spinach Mix
Baby Salad Mix Bundle
Small Wonder Spaghetti Squash
Honey Crisp Apples
Photos: Rainbow Carrots, Parsnips, Black Futsu Squash, Ellie with an average sized Butternut and a Mini Honeynut Squash (I was impressed with how well she was balancing those squash!)
BOX CONTENTS
THE "YOU-CHOOSE-THE-REST" BOX
A Little Bit of Dill Fern
6 oz. Baby Lettuce Mix
1 Large Leek
2 Pounds New Potatoes
1.5 Pounds Multi-Color Mix Beets
2 Mini Winter Squash
VALUE OF $16.00
SMALL
Small Bunch of Dill Fern 10 oz. Baby Lettuce Mix
3 Sweet Peppers 1 Large Leek
1 Bunch of Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) 2 Pounds New Potatoes 1.5 Pounds Multi-Color Mix Beets 2 Mini Winter Squash
1.25 Pounds of Bosc Pears
1 Half-Pint Raspberries
VALUE OF $31.00
LARGE
Small Bunch of Dill Fern 15 oz. Baby Lettuce Mix
3 Sweet Peppers 2 Large Leek
2 Bunches Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) 3 Pounds New Potatoes 2 Pounds Multi-Color Mix Beets 4 Mini Winter Squash
1.25 Pounds of Bosc Pears
1 Half-Pint Raspberries
VALUE OF $42.50
RECIPES OF THE WEEK
Rapini (or Broccoli Rabe) is rather bitter as is, but when pre-blanched in salt water, it is delicious!
The process is rather quick and simple: just blanch the rapini stems, leaves, and florets in boiling water for a minute or two, place in an ice water bath, pat dry and sauté for a few more minutes.
I love it drizzled with a good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
Baked Fennel, Tomatoes, and Spanish Onions
My favorite preparation for Fennel is a slow bake with tomatoes and sweet onions. I've found a few recipes that are close to what we do at home, but this one from "delicious.com" is the nearest.
I usually sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan on top and I cheat with store-bought Panko breadcrumbs.
Find the basics for this dish in our Fennel & Tomato Bake Bundle.
Join our Community Page to find & share other great recipes!
THIS WEEK'S MARKET BUNDLE RECIPES
The Soup Bundle: Broccoli Potato Leek Soup
from Small Town Woman
The Roasting Bundle: Roasted Beets (and Carrots) with Dukkah and Sage
from Bon Appétit
The Baked Tomato & Fennel Bundle: Baked Fennel, Tomatoes and Spanish Onion
from Delicious.com
Weekly Order Cut-Off Time is Noon on Monday.
Deliveries & Pickups are on Wednesday evening.
Join Our Community!
Join our new Centgraf Farms Online Community to get updates and news. It's also a great place to share photos, get recipe ideas, and interact with other members!
We even have a downloadable app now for your smartphone. Get instant notifications when the Market has been restocked or an item added and shop sooner in the week!