Week 15 harvest: Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash, Beets, Tomatillos, Tomatoes (red and green), Potatoes, Carrots, Garlic, Onion, Fennel

Out with the old and in with the new! We’ve spent the week pulling our hail-battered crops and planting spinach for next season. Given the shorter season and the ability to replant at the end of September, we may even get spinach this fall. Our plan is to cover the beds with low hoops and plastic to protect it until spring.

Despite pulling much of the plot, we still have a nice harvest for you this week. As you can see from the picture above, the beet greens were destroyed by the hail so the beets are smaller than they would have been given a couple weeks of extra growth. But, we’ve been enjoying the smaller size because it shortens the boiling time. Simply cut the leaves an inch above the top of the beet, leave the skin on, and boil until a fork indicates they are tender. By leaving the tops on you prevent losing all the good nutrition into the water (antioxidants like betalains, polyphenols, and fiber, potassium, manganese, folate, vitamin C, zinc, copper, and iron). The beets are delicious over a spinach and goat cheese salad (Linnea farm has wonderful goat cheese at the farmers market). The sweetness of the beets goes really well with the sharpness of the cheese.

We’ve also been enjoying the winter squash. The sweet dumpling flesh is orange with thin edible skin and is loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (including carotene, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B2 and B6). To prepare, you can steam 1 inch cubes for about 7 minutes. Or, cut the tops off, scoop out the seed cavity, and cook them upside down in a half inch of water in the oven. Once tender, you can then prepare any stuffing to put inside the little cups (like wild rice, onion, garlic and sausage).

Werner here: Three years ago Denise Stovall told me about LB farm Co-op. This Co-op was formed by her and several other enterprising woman with the goal of supporting small local ranching and farming operations located on the West side of La Plata County. Since then I have been ordering different cuts of meats from them including a whole lamb and their cured ham. Since we do not sell meat, we want to provide you with the opportunity to p

urchase locally raised meat. The available cuts are listed on the attached cut sheet.

More information is available at http://www.localharvest.org/lb-farm-co-op-M42061

The contact person is Denise Stovall at 970-799-1090.