In the CSA Share this Week:

• Red Beets
• Carrots
• Eggplant
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Yellow Onions
• Hot Peppers - Jalapeno & Serrano
• Sweet Peppers
• Delicata Squash
• Tomato

On Rotation:

• Broccoli
• Purple Cauliflower

Delicious Delicata, Not-so-Perfect Carrots, and King-Size Kohlrabi

My favorite squash is hitting your plates this week! This is the one that turns winter squash skeptics into acolytes. The simplest way to enjoy it is to cut your squash into halves and bake them face-down on a roasting pan at 375 with a little water in the pan to steam-bake. Once they're squishy-soft, flip over, scoop out the seeds and watch a pat of butter melt into each boat. All you need now is a spoon. Delicata could easily pass as dessert, they're so sweet.

The other great prep is to peel your squash (or not, cuz the skins are thin and edible), cut in half the long way, scoop out the seeds, and then cut the squash face-down into half-inch half-rounds. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 until soft and browned at the edges = Delicata smiles. I promise they WILL make you smile.

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It's fall, the carrots are so good, and dangit the rust fly is here. Carrot rust fly is a pest that can sniff a carrot plant a mile away, lands at the base of the plant and lays its eggs, which then hatch into larvae that feed on the carrot root. We've always had to deal with this pest and are able to combat it organically by covering our carrot beds with insect netting. The rust fly population increases as the season goes on, however - one generation spawning the next - which means the pressure on our carrots is always the worst in the fall. The netting doesn't do a perfect job, so you may get a carrot that has a little rust fly damage here and there. Usually it's at the tip of the carrot and is easy to nick off with a knife. We sort every harvest scrupulously but we hate to give up on hundres of pounds of otherwise perfect, delicious candy-carrots each week - all because of a little brown speck. We hope you agree and don't mind cutting around the occasional imperfection. 

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The thing that accounts for half the weight of your tote this week is fall kohlrabi. A variety aptly named "Kossack," it gets huge and has an excellent storage life (you can cut those leaves off, toss the bulb in your fridge and it'll still be in great shape come winter). This is our best-tasting kohlrabi, with extra sweetness particularly at the base of the bulb. Peel, slice, devour.

Have a great week!