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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Big Red Farm Stand, Wednesday November 5, 1-5pm

Sunset over sheep pasture
photo by Kedzie Schuster
Hello friends,

Happy November!  The rain has moved ahead to Thursday this week (thank goodness), but we're liking our new location under the portico, so you can look for us there from now on.  We found some peppers, both sweet and hot, that managed to escape Monday morning's frost, so they'll be making an encore appearance this week, as will carrots.  Best of all, we picked our first Brussels sprouts this week, and they really start to taste good after a frost!

Through a happy coincidence, this week's farm stand falls on Guy Fawkes Day, and the Hill Weekend bonfire comes a couple of days later, so Lawrenceville can have its own Bonfire Night!  It's going to be chilly out, so you might like to try some traditional Bonfire Night recipes for warming up after the celebrations (see below).


Eddie the barn cat
ON THE FARM

Preparations for winter continue.  This week the farm crew pulled out all of the tomato stakes (about 350 total) and removed them from the field.  Later in the week, they will be mulching garlic with straw and planting cover crops.  In between, they harvested and cleaned veggies for the farm stand.  We're also laying in our winter supply of hay for the sheep, and cat food for the cat.
Sweet Dumpling winter squash

We're bringing a new winter squash to the stand this week: Sweet Dumpling is sort of a small, Acorn-shaped Delicata.  They really are sweet, and so pretty!  They are a great size for a single serving, and I recommend halving and roasting them without any sweetener; just a pat of butter in the cavity.  Try Sweet Dumplings in your favorite Acorn squash recipe.


The Gunpowder Plot conspirators
RECIPES: Remember, remember, the 5th of November edition

On November 5th, 1605, British authorities discovered, and foiled, a plot to blow up Parliament.  The plotters, a group of Catholic rebels who wanted to assassinate King James I and install a Catholic monarch on the throne, leased a cellar underneath the House of Lords, and Guy Fawkes, one of the conspirators, was given the task of guarding the gunpowder they stockpiled there.  Acting on an anonymous tip, officials conducted a search of Westminster Palace, and discovered Fawkes and the gunpowder.  Fawkes was arrested, interrogated, tortured, and eventually put to death.

Today, Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, is celebrated throughout Britain with fireworks, bonfires, and the burning of figures ("Guys") who have somehow incurred the public's wrath (an effigy of the Pope was an early victim, around 1650).  Initially, Britons were encouraged by King James to celebrate his narrow escape from assassination by lighting bonfires.  Since the 15th century, however, the celebrations, and Guy Fawkes himself, have been used to represent all sorts of causes, and even leads, by a circuitous route, to the modern habit of referring to any male person as a "guy."

Potato parcel about to go into the oven
Fascinating as all this is, you might say, what does it have to do with cooking farm produce?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  In addition to fireworks, bonfires, and burning effigies, Bonfire Night is associated with hearty food and hot drinks, to keep folks warm as they stand around outside on a raw November night, watching fireworks.  Foods that can be roasted over or under a bonfire are particularly traditional -- sausages, marshmallows, potatoes baked in the coals -- as is a moist, gingerbread-like cake called Parkin.  Sounds just right for the blustery weather we've been having this week!

Bangers and Squash
For Lawrenceville Bonfire Night, we offer two (or, really, three) ideas for hot, filling food to keep the chill off, featuring, of course, Big Red Farm produce.  Our Russet baking potatoes are perfect for wrapping in foil and burying in glowing embers -- or, if you prefer, baking in your oven at home -- especially when stuffed with an array of savory fillings.  {Bonfire Night Baked Potatoes Two Ways}

And, replacing potatoes with winter squash in traditional Sausage & Mash makes for a delicious seasonal variation, and one of the most satisfying meals I've had in awhile.  {Sausage & Squash}


AT THE FARM STAND

This week we hope to have the following available from 1pm to 5pm under the Pop Hall portico:
  • Beets - $2.00 lb
  • Brussels Sprouts - $2.50 pint
  • Green Cabbage - $2.00 each
  • Red Cabbage - $2.00 each
  • Carrots special - $2.00 lb (last week for these)
  • Celery - $2.50 each
  • Rainbow Chard - $2.50 bunch
  • Garlic - $1.00 bulb
  • Kale - $2.50 bunch
  • Lettuce - $2.00 head
  • Hot Peppers - 2 for $1.00 (last week for these)
  • Sweet Peppers - $3.00 lb (last week for these)
  • Potatoes - $3.50 quart large, $5.00 quart "fancy"
  • Winter Squash (Butternut, Delicata, Sweet Dumpling) -- $1.50 lb

HOW TO FIND US:

The farm stand is located under the front portico of Pop Hall, facing the Bowl.  Enter campus by the main gate on Route 206 (opposite the Lawrenceville Post Office and Craven Lane) and bear right into the circle. Bear right again at the fork in the road and continue straight until you see the Farm Stand signs.

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