p i c k l i s t
garlic seconds - onions - radish - watermelon radishes- murasaki sweet potatoes - butternut squash - kale - spinach - beets - purple top turnips - carrots - brussel sprouts - mixed potatoes - popcorn
BREAD: ZUCCHINI BREAD (but actually summer squash)
WOW- WHAT A WHIRLWIND. Another CSA season has come and gone! What started with seeds in January, ends today with a cornucopia of root vegetables, some fresh greens, and a smattering of storage crops to keep you thinking of edgewater well into winter.
Brief 2022 recap: The farming season is so wild! From sunrise to sundown, every moment from April to literally right now in late November is either an epic win or an epic fail, very little in between. So much occurs from spring seeding to summer picking to late fall storing and finally deep winter eating. In total honesty, this was a tough growing season. Lack of rain really took a toll on all of our crops, we were short two people on field crew, the crop failure we had during strawberry season was enough to make us all cry, weeds were out of control in every field and now we are dealing with rot in our potatoes. It’s just a lot. And this season more than any one prior, I gotta say, we are all ready for some real rest.
Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t just irrigating our crops with tears this Summer. There was awesome fruit to reap! The melons were sweet and plentiful, winter squash blossomed like a dream, blueberries were divine, the cherry tomatoes were endless, and we got a good handle on exactly how much collared greens to grow for future plantings. Also, the good folks that show up every summer to work on our field crew are so dear to my heart and I love working alongside them. Mike, Ray, Strong, Roy, Jasper, Garnet, and Tim continue to be total badasses in the field. Everyone shows up daily to give their all to whatever veg/fruit is in front of them. Newbies Pam, Claire, Denroy, and Carlington fell into the groove while also experiencing steep learning curves. Pam in particular, really stole my heart this Summer. Her first year in farming reminded me how cool every crop is and how there is brilliance in every systems of planting/seeding/irrigating, etc… It was totally inspiring to work with someone so new to the field, and so eager to learn. Her awe in growing food is contagious, Cheers pam!
And as far as the CSA round up goes, while we are ending our 7 weeks of Fall foods today, the farm is completing 24 weeks of CSA pick ups and pack outs- wowie wow wow wow. Such a journey we went on this Summer beginning with the first bite of strawberries in June!
We were all so lucky to have support from Mrs. T on herbs, Claire on early morning green harvesting as well as sky scrapers of wax box building, Anne on after hours kiddo duties, Ray on crop plan management, and of course allll the support from field crew on bulk planting, harvesting, etc… (think cucurbrits, cherry tomatoes, small fruits, etc).
My bottomline here is this: you hear alot from me throughout the growing season via newsletter and instagram, but this farm is far bigger than one person and one persons voice. It is an actual village and everyone here keeps the village moving, and food growing, and goodness gracious we haven’t even brought up all the cool stuff happening at the farmstand, in the kitchen, and in the greenhouses. Edgewater is a pretty special place, I often can’t believe I get to do this everyday…
And without further ado, Allie and Holle (of the farmstand and greenhouses) just walked into the farm office with a 6 pack of white claws. It’s 6pm, dark as hell, time to wrap up- so cheers to you all, thanks for having Edgewater at your table these past 7 weeks (and some 24!) dig in, Happy Thanksgiving, and let's party.
pro-tips:
ACTIVE TIME/ 15 minutes TOTAL TIME/40 minutes… 4 servings
1½ lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup honey
⅓ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Step 1
Place a rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack of oven; preheat to 450°. Toss brussels sprouts and oil in a large bowl; season with salt and black pepper.
Step 2
Carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, arrange brussels cut side down on baking sheet. Roast brussels on bottom rack until softened and deeply browned, 20–25 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring honey to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until honey is a deep amber color but not burnt (it will be foamy, that’s okay), 3–4 minutes.
Step 4
Remove from heat and add vinegar and red pepper flakes, if using, and whisk until sauce is smooth (it will bubble up quite aggressively when you add the vinegar before settling). Return saucepan to medium heat, add butter and ½ tsp. salt, and cook, whisking constantly, until glaze is glossy, bubbling, and slightly thickened, 3–4 minutes.
Step 5
Transfer brussels sprouts to a large bowl. Add glaze and scallions and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter and top with lemon zest.
Prep Time 20 mins/ Cook Time 45 mins/ Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
Hemp Seed Ranch (makes extra)
½ cup raw + hulled hemp seeds
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from approximately 1 lemon)
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 green onion, finely minced (approximately 1/4 cup)
1 sprig of dill, chopped (approximately 1 tablespoon)
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Roasted Winter Bowl
1 small-medium sweet potato, (about 3/4 lb or 330 grams) peeled + diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
⅓ of a block of tempeh, from a standard 1/2 lb or 250 gram block, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce of choice (see notes)
7-8 brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a large baking sheet, lining it with parchment paper if you like.
Make the hemp seed ranch dressing. In a blender, combine the hemp seeds, lemon juice, water, olive oil, dijon, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Whizz the mixture on high until you have a smooth and creamy texture. Scrape the dressing into a small bowl and stir in the green onions and dill. Cover the dressing and store in the refrigerator.
Place the diced sweet potatoes onto one end of the baking sheet. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, some salt and pepper. Slide the sheet into the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes.
At the 15 minute mark, remove the baking sheet. In a small bowl, toss the tempeh pieces with another teaspoon of olive oil, some salt and pepper. Arrange the tempeh pieces in the middle segment of the baking sheet. Lightly toss the sweet potatoes. Slide the sheet back into the oven and set your timer for another 15 minutes.
At the 15 minute mark, remove the baking sheet. Throw the brussels sprouts into the same small bowl that you used for the tempeh. Toss the brussels sprouts with the remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper. Scatter them in a single layer on the remaining segment of the baking sheet.
Flip the tempeh pieces over and brush them with the barbecue sauce. Slide the sheet back into the oven for 15 more minutes. Once brussels sprouts are lightly browned, remove baking sheet from the oven.
Transfer sweet potatoes, tempeh, and brussels sprouts to a serving bowl. Drizzle some of the hemp seed ranch dressing over top and enjoy.
Equipment
Blender
Recipe Notes
For barbecue sauces, there's no shame in a good store bought one OR you can make one from my recipe. This one and this one also look great.
I used a high speed blender for the ranch dressing, but I imagine a normal blender could get the job done because hemp seeds are quite soft.
A super easy, vegan, one-tray roasted winter bowl supper with BBQ tempeh, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and vegan hemp seed ranch dressing. This is a great lower effort, nourishing meal for one.