It's amazing how time flies here... we're back again in row cover season, protecting our crops from the frost. Tonight should be the coldest it's been since the winter, and so we are out in the fields, covering crops like celery, fennel, lettuce and chard from the damaging frosts, trying to extend the season. It's been four months since we've had to think about frost protection, and it'll be until mid-May 2014 before we can forget about that threat for awhile. It's a never-ending cycle, a moment that is predictable yet unknown, when the seasons have changed for good. This year we had our two light frosts in September, then summer came again while we waited and hoped for the frost. Because the frost helps: it kills the weeds, it signals an end to the summer growing (killing items like summer squash, for example), and to us workers, we know that with the frost comes time to rest. We already must wait to harvest until the fields warm and thaw, and soon our workday will shorten, allowing a little more rest time.  

   But before that happens, we must bring in the fall harvest! Our coolers are LITERALLY overflowing with our produce. We're bringing in our storage crops for the winter, the turnips, beets, celeriac, carrots, cabbages and radishes that we'll have for markets into the early spring. Plus, our fall greens are just exploding in the field. Greens like spinach, tatsoi, bok choi and kale love this cool weather and are beautiful and in abundance. It's a bountiful time of year for us. And amazingly, at the end of October, we're still bringing items like field-grown tomatoes and yummy snack peppers to market--and those items are still delicious and flavorful! Even more amazing is that we are adding to the variety at market each week. At the Sunday market at Dupont Circle, don't miss out on our own celery, sweet potatoes, winter squash, fennel, romanesco cauliflower, and French Breakfast radishes.  At Saturday market at the Sheridan School, you'll find all of our fall bounty plus some beautiful items from the cooperative, like brussels sprouts, colorful carrots, snow peas, eggplants, and a wide variety of colorful peppers. 

Our recipes today continue to focus on our fall greens, because they are just so amazing now and so healthy too! Heather's Tatsoi and Bok Choi recipes are both quick and pretty simple, so don't be intimidated. And remember a few months ago when we first started to harvest leeks, Lindsey contributed her Summer Leek Soup? Well, Leek Soup is back on the blog but Heather's response to the summer soup is a thick, hearty, warm and stick-to-your-bones revision! Check out the recipes! 

BUT FIRST! Have you sent in your comments to the FDA about the Food Safety Modernization Act?? Well, why not?? Need more convincing? Read this NSAC blog post for the Top 10 Reasons to Weigh In! Then go the NSAC Action Page to write and send in your comment! If you aren't sure what to say, ask Jim at market or email him!

Now, on to the recipes....  

Our market offerings have made the shift recently from summer to fall: no more corn, less summer squash, less tomatoes. But we now have so many delicious fall items: an abundance of broccoli, romanesco cauliflower (eat some fractals!), cabbage, sweet fall carrots, and SO MANY types of fall greens. This week at market, you'll find bok choi, broccoli rabe, tat soi, arugula, spinach, chard, kale, and more! We love our greens and you should too! Look for specials on many of these items in the upcoming weeks, and don't be afraid to try something new. Ask your market manager for cooking advice, or check out our recipes this week. Heather founds some creative and delicious ways to use these greens! 

It's been a rough week here at NMF, though, greens aside. On Monday, we lost a beloved pet to a tragic accident. Rory was a great dog, happy-go-lucky, always wanting to play fetch with anything resembling a stick or a ball. He was loved by all who met him, and it has been a hard few days getting used to farming without him. RIP, Rory. We will all miss you.

Heather's Sassy Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

1 1/2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock 
2 tbsp olive oil 
 1 medium shallot, minced 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 bay leaf 
2 lbs sweet potato, peeled, large dice 
1 large bunch of lacinato or green kale, washed and cut into 1 in. pieces 
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper, or 1 tsp chilli garlic sauce (Huy Fong is my favorite) 
salt and coarse black pepper to taste

2 tbsp parsley, minced 
2 tbsp cilantro, minced 
2 tbsp chives 
1 cup sour cream (optional) 
Juice of one lemon

1. Place a large pot over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add oil and lower heat to medium. Add the garlic and shallots and sweat, about 3-5 minutes. 

2. Once the shallot and garlic are sweated, add the stock, bay leaf, sweet potato, and cayenne. Bring heat to medium-high and cook till the sweet potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. 

3. Mash about half of the sweet potatoes (while still in the pot) with a masher or with an immersion blender. The more you mash, the thicker the soup will be. 

4. Add the kale and push into the soup. Let the kale wilt and cook for about 15 minutes. Season to taste. 

5. Once the soup is ready to serve, add half of the chopped herbs and add the lemon juice. As an optional garnish, add the other half of the herbs to sour cream and top the soup!

Savory Autumn Tart with Spinach, Scallions, Broccoli, and Mushrooms

1/2 lb mixed brown mushrooms, such as crimini, portabella, and shiitake mushrooms, sliced
 2 tbsp olive oil 
6 large scallions, cut lengthwise and chopped into 2 inch pieces
 2 cups broccoli florets 
4 oz spinach (1 bag), stemmed, washed and dried 
10 sheets phyllo dough
4 tbsp melted butter 
6 oz Pipe Dreams goat cheese 
3 farm-fresh eggs 
1/3 cup milk 
3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, cilantro, and parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425. Place mushrooms on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Roast for 10 minutes. Add the scallions and broccoli and roast for 10 more minutes. Push the vegetables to one half and add spinach to the other half and roast until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

2. Brush a tart pan or regular round pie pan with butter, and set one sheet of dough inside on bottom of pan. Layer pieces of dough into the pan, making sure to leave 1 inch of dough around the exterior of the pan. Brush each piece of dough one at a time. Make sure to keep unused dough covered (with plastic) as it will dry out very quickly. Fold edges at the top of pan to create a border. (See this How-to for more details on using phyllo dough.)

3. Crumble a piece of foil the size of the bottom of the pan and place in the center of the round pan to weigh down the dough. Place in the oven and bake for 7 minutes until set. Remove foil from center and bake for another 3 minutes. If the edges are browning to quickly, cover with foil. Remove from oven and turn heat to 325.

4. In a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender, combine the eggs, goat cheese, and milk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped herbs. Spread the roasted vegetables on the dough and then the egg and cheese mixture over top. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

Wilted Arugula, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salad with Lemon-Balsamic Dressing

16 oz arugula (3 bunches)
2 barely ripe pears, thinly sliced 
4 oz Pipe Dreams fresh goat cheese (soft blue cheese would also work well) 
3 tbsp lemon juice 
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (regular balsamic vinegar would work as well) 
1/4 cup olive oil salt and coarse black pepper to taste

1. Wilt the arugula over medium-high heat with the olive oil, about 2-3 minutes. Toss with the lemon juice and vinegar, and arrange the salad on 4 plates. 

2. Lay the pear slices over the arugula and then crumble the cheese over top. Season to taste and enjoy! Serves 4.


#FIXFSMA:

• Interested in reading from other farmers about the Food Safety Modernization Act? Check out a great blog post from the Kretschmann's in Western PA: All Hands on Deck--Your Fresh Food Supply, Our Farm, is in Danger!
  
• And follow the new FDA Twitter account @FDAFood to get information straight from the source.
  
• This cartoon has been circulating around the foodie web:

As you may be aware, food safety regulations are about to change. President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law in 2011, and since then, the FDA has been working to draft the rules to the law. Those draft rules have been released for some time now, and open to public comment. The comment period has been extended twice, and is closing on November 15th.

We are now launching a small campaign to encourage our customers and community members to educate themselves about the proposed rules, then write and submit their comments to the FDA. We believe that the rules, as written, could significantly alter the way we farm. We have been farming organically for 40 years and have grown our business as well as the organic farming community in our region, and we risk seeing all of this collapse if these proposed rules become law. 

There are many, many issues with the proposed rules, and they are all important. But for our farming systems, we want to highlight three specific topics, all under the Produce Rule section: the use of manure and compost, irrigation water, and animals (domestic and wild) on the farm.

For an introduction to these issues, check out a couple recent articles written about Jim and the proposed rules, and our recent encounters with the FDA. 

The first article, FDA vs. Farmers: Small Farmers Worried, was published in early September in a local paper, discusses some of the proposed rules:

Jim then explains more about how the manure/compost rules, in particular, will be detrimental to our systems and force us to change how we farm: 

The second article, Food Safety Reform a Burden to Small Farms, follows up on the story after we were unexpectedly visited by an FDA inspector in late September. It's difficult to quote from the article because the entire thing is a worthwhile read. Brian Snyder, the executive director of PASA and the writer of Write to Farm, an essential advocacy blog about FSMA, is quoted below. His quote highlights the benefits of sourcing your food directly from the farmer:

When you buy from your farmer, you can ask him or her about their farming practices, and assess your level of risk. When we sell food that we've harvested to customers who come to market week after week, we think about those customers as we harvest and as we pack out. We already take precautions to protect our produce because we care about our customers. 

We will be writing more about these issues in the coming weeks, up to the November 15th deadline. For more information, please see the following links! And if you have any questions/concerns, please contact us at jim@newmorningfarm.net, or talk to your farmer at market this weekend. We will soon be passing out info sheets with more details and instructions on how to submit comments. 

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's SPEAK OUT TODAY site on FSMA.
Brian Snyder's recent blog posts FSMA Rules Unfair to Farmers, Bad for Public Health, and Moment of Truth for Farmers