Thank you for journeying with us for our season!  We had a bumpy start with lack of rain, hail damage to crops, and then too much rain, but despite these challenges, our farmers persevered and provided us with over 50 varieties of produce over the last 20 weeks of the CSA.  The final average dollar amount per share came in just over $25 per week; with 60 members in our CSA that means an estimated $30,000 went directly to High Country CSA farmers this season.  What a great boost to our local agriculture economy . . . thank you, CSA members!

For our final summer pickup, we plan to have a similar share to last week’s: kale, collards, napa cabbage, celeriac, pumpkin, winter squash, and garlic.  Last time we had cabbage in our share, one of our members sent in this highly recommended recipe for cabbage:

From Farmer John's Cookbook by Farmer John Peterson & Angelic Organics Kitchen

This is a farmer's pie - rustic, a little rude, and down-right delicious. Traditionally, the pie was set in the middle of the table and everyone, fork in hand, had at it. But you can serve it in slices to avoid fights over the last bits. Try crumbling a few slices of crispy bacon in to the pie for even more flavor. - Angelic Organics Kitchen

2 unbaked 9 inch pie crusts

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion

1 1/2 Cups chopped mushrooms

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups chopped cabbage (about 1/2 a head)

4 ounces farmer's cheese, fresh goat cheese, or cream cheese, softened

salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

1. Place one of the pie crusts into the bottom of a pie pan, making sure to leave at least 1/2 inch of dough hanging over the edge. Refrigerate both top and bottom crust until you are ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, thyme, and lemon juice Add the cabbage; cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Layer half of the cabbage mixture in the piecrust. Add a layer of sliced eggs. Top with remaining cabbage mixture.

5. Moisten the overhanging edge of pie crust with water. Cover the pie with the top crust, sealing  the edges with your fingers. Bake until crust is browned on top, 30 to 40 minutes.

CSA winter program

This winter, the CSA will be running a program that offers regular order pickups for anyone interested (you do not need to be a member).  Our first pickup will be on Saturday, November 19th from 2-4pm at the Watauga Agricultural Extension Conference Center.  Orders will be due on Tuesday, November  15th at 5pm.  For November, we will have only one CSA pickup, but for December – April we will have pickups on the first and third Saturdays of every month.  Please visit our website for more information: www.highcountrycsa.org/winter-program.

As ever, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow for our final summer pickup!