Registration Link for 2015

If you would like to register for 2015, please go to this link.  Both every-week and alternate-week shares are available.  The pickup schedule is on that page; you will be assigned to the A or B group for alternate-week shares.  If you are new to the CSA and curious about what shares were like in the past, we have a page listing sample shares or you can look at last year’s Harvest Notes.

We will continue to have the Blue Earth Compost bin at the pickup site for your compostable kitchen waste.  You can rent a small bin from Blue Earth for the summer, and use it to bring your compostable items to the pickup site.

The farmers will continue to host monthly markets at which you can buy pickles, jams, and other products.  However, vegetables, herbs, melons, and other produce will be available only through shares.  We are changing our name to “The Adamah Farm CSA of West Hartford” to emphasize our closeness to the farm (since unlike other CSAs we do not pick up at the farm itself” and that we are open to the whole West Hartford community.

Harvest Notes for FINAL 2014 Pickup & Registration for 2015

We hope that you enjoyed the festivities at the final pickup.  The Harvest Notes include a link to register for the 2015 season – tell your friends that this year they can register early, too.  The farmers received a lot of new registrations as well as re-registrations at the final pickup for 2014.

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This Thursday Adamah will host a celebration at the final pickup!  Bring your kids, friends, family, and prospective 2015 CSA members for pickle-making, farmer meet-and-greet, farmer’s market, and registration for next season.  As always, for the final pickup both Aleph and Bet groups will receive shares.  The farmers believe these will include bok choi, broccoli, butternut squash, dry beans, jerusalem artichokes, onions, parsley, potatoes, spinach, and turnips.

The farmers sent this note:  “Thanks to everyone for your commitment to local, sustainable, fair food this season! We looked out over the snow-blanketed fields this past week with a sense of completion and appreciation.  The soil bore thousands of pounds of healthy produce without being exhausted thanks to careful land management. The bees buzzed with bellies full of nectar and pollen thanks to our no-spray practices and pollinator habitat establishment. Adamah fellows are preparing to move on with new inspiration and knowledge from months of hard work on the land. We hope that you and your family feel great from all of the fresh, colorful bounty. And, as we go into the long dark nights and short cold days of winter, the compost piles steam with the hot promise of a fertile season in 2015. We hope that you will join us! Registration will open later this week and discounts will be available for early sign-ups.”

Harvest Notes for November 13th – BET

REMEMBER:  Next week BOTH Aleph and Bet groups pick up!  The farmers will be bringing some special things for us, and you can pick up your annual recipe booklet.

The photo at the top of this week’s Harvest Notes show it’s a different season than the one below, even though we get beets both times.  They give a hint for cooking broccoli so it stays green and doesn’t go mushy, as well as a suggestion for cooking beets and squash in an orange glaze.

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The farmers think that this week we will receive beets, broccoli, carrots, cilantro, kale, onions, and squash.  The links include soup, a Thanksgiving recipe, salads, and a quick brunch or lunch item.

Some of the farmers bundling beets for our shares, earlier in 2014.

Remember that next week is the FINAL pickup for 2014 and both Aleph and Bet shares will be available.  The farmers will host a market, pickle workshop, and 2015 registrations.   Invite your friends to the market and workshop, and for early signups for next season.

Harvest Notes for November 6th – Aleph

There is a soup recipe in the Harvest Notes that requires only one ingredient other than those in our shares this week – did you try it?

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We are moving into veggies that can be stored for several weeks, giving us opportunities to plan to use them for Thanksgiving or even Chanukah.  The farmers think we will receive beets, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, parsley, onions, storage radish, and winter squash.  Check previous weeks’ Harvest Notes for some ideas how to use these, in addition to the links here.

Harvest Notes for October 30th – BET

Many good ideas in this week’s Harvest Notes – don’t forget to share yours so we can include them in the end-of-year recipes booklet.

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The farmers think we will get broccoli, kale, or cabbage; carrots; onions; parsley; potatoes; radishes; salad mix; turnips; and winter squash.  Many of these can go into a nice winter salad, and if you are worried about vampires shake up an easy vinaigrette of 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 oil; one or two spoonfuls of maple syrup;  and two cloves of garlic, minced.  There is actually a disease that may have led to the myth of vampires, and sufferers are sensitive to garlic and sunlight.  Or you can roast the root vegetables together, and remember that if the recipe calls for something you don’t have, just substitute something else.

Roasted Root Vegetables – the Food Network’s recipe is easy and can be done in advance.  Substitute vegetables you have for ones in the recipe – turnips for parsnips, for example.

Harvest Notes for October 23rd – ALEPH

Remember that if you want to use your pumpkin for pie or muffins after Hallowe’en, you should decorate it in a way that doesn’t cut into the rind because that can lead to mold.  When you do open your pumpkin, remember that the seeds can be seasoned and toasted into a crunchy snack.  You can do the same with your winter squash seeds.

The Harvest Notes have some other suggestions, one that a member posted in her FB feed is for candied jalapeños that will work with the cayenne peppers we receive from Adamah.

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This week the farmers from Adamah will bring jams, pickles, and other goodies for CSA members and friends to buy.  The sales are not limited to CSA members so tell your friends and neighbors about the kosher treats they can enjoy.

Arugula can add tang to sandwiches or a peppery bite to salads.  If it’s the salad itself use a strong dressing and balance with light and crunchy pear or apple.

For CSA members picking up this week, the farmers say we can expect to receive arugula, beets, lettuce, radishes, turnips, sage, scallions, and winter squash.  Last week’s Harvest Notes suggest a way to cook winter squash with sage, you can also roast beets with sage.  You can cook turnips in many ways, including with their tops (greens can be cooked separately) or roasted in wine and honey.  If you still have potatoes from last week, mix them with turnips into fritters.  Many of the other ingredients will go together into a salad; add some apples and toasted nuts for crunch, mild soft cheese if it will be part of a dairy meal, and maybe a simple apple cider vinaigrette.

Harvest Notes – October 14th – BET

This week’s Harvest Notes talk about the winter squash we received.  At pickup we talked about a simple way to integrate sage:  Peel and cube the flesh of the squash, toss with a bit of oil, and spread in a baking pan with chopped or whole sage leaves, and roast for about 20 minutes at 400-450(F).  If you like, roast the squash cubes for half the time, then add the sage for a fresher taste.  You can also halve the squash, partially roast it cut-side down, then flip up and stuff with whatever you like and finish the roasting.  This can be a way to “refresh” leftover starch and vegetables, with a mix of rice or quinoa or barley and whatever else.  Try adding some of the sweet pepper or other veggies from the share, too.

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Isn’t it great to be able to eat freshly harvested vegetables in our sukkot?  This week the farmers think we will receive broccoli or romanesco (also known as “alien broccoli” or “fractal broccoli”), onions, peppers, potatoes, salad mix (remember it from the spring?), sage, and winter squash.

Romanesco broccoli may look alien, but it tastes like a milder version of regular broccoli. You can eat it raw or cooked.