Marinated Veg Salad in the making featuring root cellar crops!

Hi everyone!

Another week has gone by here at Harvest Kitchen, and things are going well.   This past week we had a staff clinic for the whole HK staff, covering such important topics as customer service, knife handling, and making stock.  Did you know we make our own stock for soups and stews?  Using homemade stock avoids additives like sodium and other fillers sometimes found in commercial stock–besides which, we use our own organic, local veggie and meat scraps, so the soups are wholesome all the way down to the last drop.  Additionally, it’s another way to use what otherwise might be “waste” food such as onion skins and parsley stems.  Now you know! The purpose of the clinic, I might add, was more of a review and a chance to share tips and techniques, rather than correcting some kind of problem.  I think the whole staff is glad to have a chance to meet as a group and work together–sometimes we feel like ships in the night.

I’m afraid I don’t have any farm updates this week.  Mostly it seems like our farmer friends are keeping on

Lentil Shepherd's Pie in progress

through these dark months.  Even though it hasn’t been that cold this winter (yet!), things don’t grow very quickly during the short days we get at this time of year.  Thus we’re taking a few weeks off from green salad, but supplementing with other fresh vegetable dishes like slaw and marinated beet salad and the like.  We’re also dipping into our storage crops, both in the root cellars and in the freezer. You’ll enjoy the bounty of last summer all winter!

So, with that in mind, we have a picnic-style menu this week, so pull out the lawn chairs and get ready….(my friend Drew advocates wearing a sleeping bag if you want to sit outside at this time of year…maybe we should just eat our picnic inside!)

Omnivore

Hearty Beef Chili-Nothing says comfort like a bowl of hot chili. Ours is full of savor and flavor without being hot-spicy. Every bowl is overflowing with delicious vegetables and beef. Single Serving $8

Pulled Pork – Pair this flavorful main with our slaw and cornbread for a picnic-in-winter delight. Local pork, slow cooked for flavor. Single Serving $8

Shepherd's Pie

Cornbread – A hearty hunk of our homemade cornbread pairs perfectly with either chili or pulled pork. Single Serving $4

Broccoli Soup – Hearty and warming, our savory broccoli soup brings a fresh flavor to your meal. Pint $6

Coleslaw – Cabbage and other grated veggies make this slaw crisp and refreshing. Single Serving $7

Vegetarian

Hearty Vegetarian Chili-Nothing says comfort like a bowl of hot chili. Ours is full of savor and flavor without being hot-spicy. You won’t miss the meat with this chili–bursting with vegetables and hearty with bulghur. Single Serving $8

Roasted Root Vegetable Hash – Pan-browned root vegetables combined with savory spices for a non-traditional hash that’ll warm your heartstrings. Single Serving $8

Cornbread – A hearty hunk of our homemade cornbread pairs perfectly with either chili or hash. Single Serving $4

Broccoli Soup – Hearty and warming, our savory broccoli soup brings a fresh flavor to your meal. Pint $6

Coleslaw – Cabbage and other grated veggies make this slaw crisp and refreshing. Single Serving $7

See you this week!

Mary

Shepherd's Pie

Hi there everyone,

Ok, I’m writing this post a bit early and scheduling it to publish over the weekend, so I can’t make any references to the weather, which will probably be *completely* different by the time this actually posts!  This weekend I’m off to Alexandria, Virginia where, for once, I am NOT attending a wedding! Actually, my dear friend Andrew is getting ordained as an Episcopal priest.  I’m excited to be able to attend this important milestone for Andrew, and also to get to visit with my friend Beckie and her husband Steve, whose new house is just a few minutes from Andrew’s church (handy!).  Of course, as always, my vacation is made possible by the hard work and dedication of the rest of the HK crew.  My especial thanks to Melanie who’s covering the Friday night closing shift and the Saturday Farmer’s Market on my behalf.  Thanks, Mel!

In other HK news, we’re continuing with our wintertime “spring cleaning” project.  This week we’re hoping to reorganize the shelves by the desk and hopefully de-chaos-ify some other parts of the front of the house.  Hopefully there won’t be a HUGE difference for you guys to notice, but I think it’ll make things nicer for those of us who work here.

I don’t have any current farm news to report, but one farming/gardening HK member mentioned that he’s glad the cold weather has finally arrived so he can get some of his cold weather projects done–the muddy warm season was causing problems for him.  So, hooray for a bit of seasonal weather!

Here’s the menu for the week:

Omnivores

Roasted Chicken with Herbs-Fresh from Harnois farm and roasted for best flavor, our roast chicken makes the perfect quick meal.

Shepherd’s Pie – A British favorite, shepherd’s pie is a layered dish, with a savory layer of ground lamb and vegetables topped with creamy mashed potatoes.

Apple Rice Stuffing – The name says it all with this one–a hearty, wintry side featuring lovely local apples and plenty of veggies and herbs.

Curried Winter Squash Soup – Hearty and warming, our gently spiced curried squash soup is the perfect post-shoveling warm up.

Marinated Raw Vegetable Salad – Radishes, beets, kohlrabi (known locally as jicama of the north) combine with a lovely marinade and dressing in this crunchy, fresh salad.

Vegetarians

Savory Tempeh with Veggies- Tasty marinated tempeh (made locally by our friends at The Brinery) combines with root vegetables and a savory sauce for a delicious vegan main dish.

“The Good Shepherd”‘s Pie – The vegetarian version of a British classic, The Good Shepherd’s pie (lentil-herd’s pie?) features a delicious savory base of hearty lentils and veggies, topped with creamy mashed potatoes.

Apple Rice Stuffing – The name says it all with this one–a hearty, wintry side featuring lovely local apples and plenty of veggies and herbs.

Curried Winter Squash Soup – Hearty and warming, our gently spiced curried squash soup is the perfect post-shoveling warm up.

Marinated Raw Vegetable Salad – Radishes, beets, kohlrabi (known locally as jicama of the north) combine with a lovely marinade and dressing in this crunchy, fresh salad.

That’s all! See you this week!

Mary

Rainbow Chard fresh from the hoop house

Hello everyone!

I’m glad to see snow on the ground at last, especially since Samir is doing such a good job keeping the sidewalk shoveled at Harvest Kitchen.  Last winter I didn’t have to worry about these things! Anyhow, it seems appropriate to the season to have some snow and cold weather, though it may curtail some of our farmer friends’ production quantities.  Fortunately we won’t be going hungry at Harvest Kitchen, thanks to our well-stocked freezer.

Maple Winter Squash Whip

This week’s news here at HK includes the complete overhaul of the aforementioned freezer–things were getting pretty crazy in there, but on Thursday Dayna and Kim (mostly Dayna) got the whole thing organized and whipped into shape.  Phew!  Also this week we had our second appearance at Ypsi’s new MIX Marketplace.  I haven’t heard the full report about how it went, but Kim told me she collected a lot of new email addresses for our menu email list (sign up in the sidebar of this page if you haven’t already), so that sounds like a success.

Otherwise we’re just plugging away here at Harvest Kitchen.  We’ve got a good, hearty menu for you this week:

Omnivores

Everybody loves...Spanikopita!

Beef and Tomato Pasta Casserole – A delicious concoction of tomato sauce and pasta, this hearty dish will have you coming back for seconds.

Pork Meatballs with Apples – Savory “cannonball” meatballs, roasted apples, and a sweet-and-spicy sauce make this main dish a flavorful delight.

Chicken Vegetable Soup – Warm up on a cold day with this tasty and filling soup.

Garlic Green Beans – Our green beans were frozen at their peak freshness by our friends from Locavorious, so they have that straight-from-the-garden flavor even months later.  Mmm!

Green Salad with House Dressing – All the members are raving about getting greens in the winter.  Thanks, Farmers!

Vegetarians

Winter Squash Pasta Casserole – A delicious concoction of tomato/winter squash sauce and pasta, this hearty dish will have you coming back for seconds.

Black Bean Burgers – Flavorful and popular veggie burgers are back at HK! Pretend it’s summertime with our picnic-ready black bean burgers.

Hearty Vegetable Soup – Warm up on a cold day with this tasty and filling soup.

Garlic Green Beans – Our green beans were frozen at their peak freshness by our friends from Locavorious, so they have that straight-from-the-garden flavor even months later.  Mmm!

Green Salad with House Dressing – All the members are raving about getting greens in the winter.  Thanks, Farmers!

That’s all! See you this week!

Mary

Christmas dinner at my house: local veggies make an appearance

Well, we’re back, feeling rested and refreshed after our holiday break.  I hope you’re as hungry for Harvest Kitchen food as we are eager to cook for you! We’ve got a lot of exciting things ahead this year, so we’re stoked to get down to it.

In farm news, many of our farm friends are taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to plant and harvest extra greens and other hardy crops.  Farmers Megan of Hand Sown Farm and Shannon of Brines Farm both told me that as the weather continues warm and sunny they are experiencing bumper harvests for this time of year.  Farmer Jon of Goetz Farm said they’re even planting some crops outside (!) because things are so warm!  We’ll be taking advantage of all this bounty this week with HK’s perennial favorite greens-oriented dish: spanikopita!

Still, it can’t be denied that it is January.  The Wednesday

Pot Roast in the making

Farmer’s Market in Ann Arbor is closed until spring, so we’ll be having an alternative pick up, thanks to the generosity of our friends at Canterbury House in downtown Ann Arbor on Wednesday mornings.  We’re not planning to have retail items available at this pick up, but we’ll be happy to fill pre-orders.  We’re also going to be part of the ongoing MIX market on Saturdays in Ypsilanti, as well as continuing to participate in Lunasa.  SO, never fear, there are many opportunities to get HK food!

This week, here’s what you can get:

Mac and Cheese

Hoppin’ John (vegetarian or omnivore) – Traditional New Year’s Delight: rice, black-eyed peas, smoked ham (or not in the vegetarian version), and tons of vegetables keep you warm on a cold winter night.

Spanikopita (Spinach Pie) (vegetarian, omnivore, or vegan) – Flaky phyllo dough, Ground beef (or not in the vegetarian version), Calder dairy’s creamy cottage cheese, and fresh hoop-house spinach combine in one of HK’s most popular treats.  Vegan version features a flavorful tofu filling.

Potato Leek Soup – The name says it all when it comes to this creamy, dreamy soup.

Maple Winter Squash Whip- Creamy winter squash lightly

Applesauce

sweetened with local maple syrup: sure to be a crowd-pleasing side dish.

Green Salad and House Dressing – Ward off scurvy with plenty of sweet greens…thanks, nice weather!

That’s it!

Mary

Tempeh Bibimbap

Hi everyone!

Just to be clear, Monday-Wednesday subscribers will be getting their week 3 food this week and Thursday-Saturday folks will be getting theirs during the first week of January.  Here at Harvest Kitchen we wish everyone a very happy, safe holiday season.

This week was eventful at Harvest Kitchen.  We had a presence at the Ypsilanti Winter Farmer’s Market at Corner Brewery, where we’ll be again this week.  Stop by and visit Maggie (and buy lots of delicious food)!  Also this past week Chef Kim represented Harvest Kitchen at the MIX pop up market in downtown

Mary and Kat making potstickers

Ypsilanti, and had a great time meeting and greeting folks.  As usual, Melanie and I covered the Ann Arbor market on Wednesday and Saturday respectively. Staying warm at the outdoor market is always a challenge at this time of year, but this week I kept warm by having amusing conversations with my fellow vendors.  Who is YOUR farmer’s market crush? was the question of the day…tee hee!..Nonetheless, all of these markets made for a busy week! I know we’re all looking forward to a little break.

Still, it was a fun week to be in the kitchen.  Making potstickers for everyone is time-consuming, but we hope you enjoyed them.  Making potstickers gave us plenty of time to talk while our fingers were busy–It was a great way to bid farewell to the lovely Kat who is going to be away traveling this winter.  We look forward to seeing her back in the kitchen sometime next spring.

As far as I know there’s not a lot happening on the farms at this time.  Several farmers I talked to mentioned taking advantage of the warmer weather this week to harvest the last of the outdoor crops (and move earth and compost which had been frozen….).  I think when we come back in the new year we’ll be pulling more from our (fortunately abundant) supply of frozen vegetables from the freezer.  Something to look forward to!

So, in the mean time, we’ve got a festive menu for this holiday week:

Omnivore

Potstickers!

Pot Roast – Slow roasted highland beef from Mclaughlin Farms and lots of local root vegetables, winter squash, and more.

Latkes and Applesauce – Potato-and-parsnip pancakes served with a side of freshly made applesauce.  Perfect Chanukkah goodness!

Broccoli Cheese Soup – Hearty and creamy, a favorite soup makes for perfect winter food.

Braised Cabbage – Fresh local cabbage, braised slowly with wine, onions and more, this simple side is the perfect accompaniment for Latkes and Applesauce or any holiday meal!

Green Salad with Citrus Dressing – We’ve got some great local salad greens from our hoop house friends.  Serve with Chef Kim’s special citrus dressing.

Vegetarian

Cauliflower Leek Quiche – Homemade pie crust, locally grown leeks and cauliflower, local dairy…this quiche is a delicious treat

Latkes and Applesauce – Potato-and-parsnip pancakes served with a side of freshly made applesauce.  Perfect Chanukkah goodness!

Broccoli Cheese Soup – Hearty and creamy, a favorite soup makes for perfect winter food.

Braised Cabbage – Fresh local cabbage, braised slowly with wine, onions and more, this simple side is the perfect accompaniment for Latkes and Applesauce or any holiday meal!

Green Salad with Citrus Dressing – We’ve got some great local salad greens from our hoop house friends.  Serve with Chef Kim’s special citrus dressing.

Have a happy holiday season!

Mary

Orange Beet Salad!

We’ve made it to week two of the winter season here at Harvest Kitchen, and we’ve got a lot of exciting things happening!  To start with, we’ve decided to do a Korean-themed menu this week to highlight some beautiful kimchee we made working with our friends at The Brinery.  At the beginning of last week, former HK helper Becky and current HK worker Kathy and I headed over to The Brinery with all of the Community Farm napa cabbage, Community Farm daikon radishes, Tantre carrots and garlic, spring onions, and ginger we could find.  After brining the napa over night, we chopped, shredded, and diced the other vegetables and put it all into a 55-gallon barrel, and left it to ferment.  This Monday I’ll head back to the

Harvest Kitchen Kimchee in the barrel!

Brinery to pick up the finished, delicious, flavorful product!  Our kimchee won’t be hot-spicy, but it will be made with 100% organic, local goodness, and the bright, healthy, raw fermentation should bring excellent flavor!  As an added bonus, it was really fun for me to spend some time at The Brinery, talking and laughing with owner David and his helper Greg.  These guys are old friends and it was fun to get their ideas and input and see what they’re up to over at the Brinery.

Here at Harvest Kitchen we’re gearing up to do more sides and pies for the holidays.  These treats were popular with our customers at Thanksgiving, so we’re offering many of the same items and some new ones.  Check out our online store for the details and get your orders in by Dec 19.  Your holiday won’t be complete without some of Dayna’s spectacular pies or some tasty, locally-grown side dishes.

Becky helping to chop cabbage

We’re also excited to be rolling out more regular items in our online store.  For those of you who’ve been finding us sold out of your favorite items (unsweetened granola buyers, I’m looking at you!), you can now order online and we’ll be sure to have your order ready and waiting for you.  Keep an eye on it, because we’re adding more items all the time.  And, if you visit us at the Farmer’s Market, try our soup HOT!

I had a fun conversation today with Steven Goetz, the young farmer at Goetz Farm.  Steven works with his parents on their family farm, but he told me he’s the one managing their hoop houses this winter.  He says the winter is looking good because this fall was so mild, they haven’t had to harvest too much from the hoop house yet.  This sounds like good news to me–look forward to lots of delicious hoop house produce this winter.

This week’s menu!

Omnivores

BiBimBap – No Korean menu would be complete without this “mixed meal”.  Look for plenty of veggies, beef, and rice.  We’ll send you home with an egg to fry and serve on top!

Udon Noodle Stir Fry with Pork – A delicious combination of veggies, sauce, and meat served with yummy udon noodles.

Potstickers- Handrolled potstickers, full of fresh local veggies, served with dipping sauce.

Harvest Kitchen Kimchee

Korean Beef Hotpot -  A light beef broth with leeks, carrots, bamboo shoots, peppers and more

Kimchee – Harvest Kitchen’s own batch of The Brinery’s finest product. Enjoy this Korean side dish as a condiment or eat it straight from the jar!

Vegetarian

BiBimBap – No Korean menu would be complete without this “mixed meal”.  Look for plenty of veggies, fresh Tempe from our friends at The Brinery, and rice.  We’ll send you home with an egg to fry and serve on top!

Udon Noodle Stir Fry with Tofu – A delicious combination of veggies, sauce, and Rosewood tofu served with yummy udon noodles.

Potstickers – Handrolled potstickers, full of fresh local veggies, served with dipping sauce.

Korean Veggie Hotpot -  A light veggie broth with leeks, carrots, bamboo shoots, peppers and more

Kimchee – Harvest Kitchen’s own batch of The Brinery’s finest product. Enjoy this Korean side dish as a condiment or eat it straight from the jar!

That’s all! See you this week!

Mary

Gorgeous winter squash

Hello everyone!

This week marks the beginning of our fabulous winter season here at Harvest Kitchen.  Everyone here at Harvest Kitchen is excited about all the new things that are happening here this winter.  In addition to starting a new subscription season, in the next few weeks we’ll also be rolling out a whole bunch of new products and opportunities.  To start with, we’ll be offering a repeat of our successful Pies and Sides for the winter holidays.  Watch out for a chance to pre-order these tasty dishes and make them part of your holiday! We’re also going to be reviving the Harvest Kitchen Bakery which has been an Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market standard for the past few winters.  This year we’ll be expanding beyond our traditional bread, granola, and

Our pumpkin pies were a big hit

muffins to include even more baked delights from the creative minds of our chefs Dayna and Kim.  We’re also planning to offer some HK favorites as part of a standard, always-available menu! We’ve been talking about doing this for months, and it needed the calm of the winter season to make it actually happen.  So, there’s a lot to be excited about.

In the mean time, we’re particularly pleased to launch this season with a hearty menu with lots of our favorite seasonal recipes:

Omnivore Menu

Meatloaf– A hearty classic, made with local Highland beef from Mclaughlin farms, our homemade

Melanie shares a smile while guest chefing at SELMA cafe

breadcrumbs, and plenty of seasonings, this is a delicious comfort dish Single serving $8

Stuffed Squash with Sausage and Apples – Biodynamic carnival squash (similar to acorn but more fun!) stuffed with a savory filling of local sausage and apples. Flavors of the season! Single serving $8

Chicken Noodle Soup – Just in time for cold-and-flu-season, our chicken noodle soup will have you feeling better in no time. One Pint $6

Orange and Beet Salad – The sweet earthiness of autumn beets combines perfectly with the citrus tang of oranges and a light vinaigrette marinade. Single serving $6

Green Salad with House Dressing – Fresh, crunchy lettuce mix topped with a creative house dressing.

Vegetarian Menu

Nutloaf – The vegetarian alternative to meatloaf, our recipe comes from the kitchen at Pendle Hill, a Quaker community near Philadelphia, and features a variety of nuts in a surprisingly flavorful and hearty loaf. Single serving $8

Shittake mushrooms from Tantre Farm make an appearance

Stuffed Squash with Fruit and Nut Stuffing– Biodynamic carnival squash (similar to acorn but more fun!) stuffed with a delicious vegetarian filling, featuring brown rice, apples, dried fruit, nuts, herbs, and so much more.  A Harvest Kitchen favorite. Single Serving $8

Vegetable Bean Soup – A wholesome and hearty soup is just the thing for a cold day.  Full of tasty seasonal vegetables in a homemade HK soup base. One Pint $5

Orange and Beet Salad – The sweet earthiness of autumn beets combines perfectly with the citrus tang of oranges and a light vinaigrette marinade. Single serving $6

Green Salad with House Dressing – Fresh, crunchy lettuce mix topped with a creative house dressing.

That’s all! See you this week…

Mary

Cynthia, our Ruta-loaf queen, with a beautiful rutabaga

Phew! Can you believe we made it to week 25?  This is the last week of our summer-fall season!  It’s been a crazy haul, but here we are at the end.  We hope that many of you will continue with Harvest Kitchen in the winter season which starts the first week of December.  If you’re interested in subscribing, please visit the Winter-Spring subscription page for more information.  Subscriptions are still available, so sign up ASAP and tell your friends.

In the mean time, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s Thanksgiving time, so this “Week 25″ is actually split into two parts.  We’ll be working our usual schedule Mon-Wed this week and doing Thurs-Sat next week.  This gives the kitchen staff a much-needed break.  It seems like it’s been forever–25 weeks I guess-since we had time off.  I know I’m looking forward to getting some sleep! We also are stoked about our Thanksgiving Sides and Pies that we offered for pre-order.  This was the first time we’ve done something like that, so thanks to all who ordered–we hope the Harvest Kitchen will be a special part of your holiday.

Anyhow, the chefs decided that folks would want something NOT-Thanksgiving-ish to enjoy this week, so here’s our Italian-themed menu:

Omnivores

Chicken Parmesan – Harnois chicken with our homemade tomato sauce, cheese, and the works.

Spaghetti with Meatballs – Just the thing to vary the fare during Thanksgiving, Harvest Kitchen’s Spaghetti and meatballs feature local pasta from Pastabilities, our homemade tomato sauce (with tomatoes from Goetz Farm) and our homemade meat balls.  Enjoy!

Garlic Kale – You’ll enjoy our light and flavorful sauteed greens.  We’ll be picking up the freshest local kale, collards, and other leafy greens and cooking them briefly with onions and garlic.

Creamy Napa Slaw with Fruit – A Harvest Kitchen favorite, this crunchy autumnal salad is full of fresh napa cabbage, apples, and almonds and topped with a creamy (dairy-free) poppy seed dressing.

Garlic Breadsticks – Bread from our friends at Riverside Bakery slathered with local garlic–the perfect side for any Italian-themed meal!

Vegetarians

Polenta Lasange with Winter Squash – Layers of polenta instead of noodles, this innovative lasagne is a taste of the season.

Spaghetti with Vegetable Sauce – A delicious vegetarian meal, our Spaghetti with Vegetables features local spaghetti from Pastabilities, and our homemade tomato sauce, teaming with veggies and herbs

Garlic Kale – You’ll enjoy our light and flavorful sauteed greens.  We’ll be picking up the freshest local kale, collards, and other leafy greens and cooking them briefly with onions and garlic.

Creamy Napa Slaw with Fruit – A Harvest Kitchen favorite, this crunchy autumnal salad is full of fresh napa cabbage, apples, and almonds and topped with a creamy (dairy-free) poppy seed dressing.

Garlic Breadsticks – Bread from our friends at Riverside Bakery slathered with local garlic–the perfect side for any Italian-themed meal!

That’s all! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary

Winter squash!

It’s been another busy week here at Harvest Kitchen.  So busy, in fact, that I seem to have missed my chance to take any pictures.  I hope you won’t mind a few reprises of older photos in this post!

The farm season has ended out at Community Farm, so I missed my chance to visit the farm this week.  Other farmers are reporting that their seasons are winding down.  Kenny from Frog Holler told me that though their farm is still producing plenty of lettuce and salad mix under hoop houses, they are planning to stop coming to market soon.  He says the family needs to keep the rest of the winter squash they have to eat themselves!  I can identify with that–as I mentioned last week I personally love storing up winter squash and other autumn veggies to enjoy through the winter.  In fact, this week’s menu features another of my favorites, RUTABAGA in Harvest Kitchen’s world-famous (I made it when I lived in Wales, so…) Ruta-loaf! On the flip side of farms like CFAA and Frog Holler winding down, some of our farming friends are just gearing up for another season.  This week we’re excited to welcome Hand Sown Farm produce back to our menu, as we expect a delivery of carrots and arugula from friend, farmer, and HK alumna Megan.

Dayna working in the kitchen

Back in the kitchen, we’re all amazed to be seeing this summer season winding down.  However, we’re excited to be offering Thanksgiving sides and pies for pre-order for the first time.  When I stopped by the kitchen this afternoon Dayna was working hard doing practice runs on some of the pies we’ll be offering.  Check out all the options at our online store and get your pre-order in early!

Speaking of things to do early (and often), it’s not too late to sign up for a winter season subscription! We’re still looking for members to make our winter season a success.  Note that those who sign up early get first pick of our popular Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market pick up slots! Check out all the details on the Winter Subscription page.

This week’s tasty offerings:

Omnivore

Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Top- Creamy, chicken-y, veggie-rich filling topped with a homemade

Maggie shares a smile

biscuit crust. Cozy and comforting.

Beef Stroganoff – Michigan raised beef and organic mushrooms in a creamy Calder Dairy sour cream sauce served over egg noodles. You know you’ll want seconds.

Lentil Soup – Unexpectedly savory, our lentil soup goes to the next level of tastiness.  Hearty and full of vegetables.

Ruta-loaf – Ruta-loaf is HK outreach coordinator Melanie’s favorite thing we make.  It’s creamy and sweet with rutabagas, loaded with cheese, and unexpectedly tasty.  It’s a hit with pretty much everyone who’s tried it.  Give it a try!

Green Salad with Dressing – The Return of the Lettuce! Crispy lettuce from Goetz and arugula from Hand Sown… everyone’s hungry for some fresh greens at this time of year.  Eat up!

Vegetarian

Vegetable Pot Pie with Biscuit Top – Creamy, delicious veggie-rich filling topped with a homemade biscuit crust. Cozy and comforting.

Mushroom Stroganoff – Our mushroom stroganoff features fresh shitakke mushrooms from Tantre Farm  in a creamy Calder Dairy sour cream sauce served over egg noodles. You know you’ll want seconds.

Lentil Soup – Unexpectedly savory, our lentil soup goes to the next level of tastiness.  Hearty and full of vegetables.

Ruta-loaf – Ruta-loaf is HK outreach coordinator Melanie’s favorite thing we make.  It’s creamy and sweet with rutabagas, loaded with cheese, and unexpectedly tasty.  It’s a hit with pretty much everyone who’s tried it.  Give it a try!

Green Salad with Dressing – The Return of the Lettuce! Crispy lettuce from Goetz and arugula from Hand Sown… everyone’s hungry for some fresh greens at this time of year.  Eat up!

See you this week!

Mary

Napa cabbage at Grand Finale--we got 300 heads!

Fall is here at Harvest Kitchen!

With just a few weeks left in our summer-fall kitchen season, the active harvest season at Community Farm has come to an end.  This past Saturday was what’s known as Grand Finale at the Farm–essentially all the remaining vegetables are harvested and shared out.  This is the culmination of our summer of growing: winter squash, Asian greens, Brussels sprouts,

Pamela chopping vegetables

rutabagas, and more–this is our final harvest.  The farmers, apprentices, and volunteers spent all week bringing in the veggies, and on Saturday I had plenty of help to load up the Harvest Kitchen portion.  It took us three cars to bring the haul home, and we’ve filled up our own cooler AND some cooler space at in Woodruff’s, the bar next door, who’re kindly sharing their cooler with us at this time of abundance.

Farmer Kristin and a warty green winter squash

I love Grand Finale because all bringing home all these fall veggies makes me feel like we’re laying things up to make it through the winter–maybe I’m part squirrel.  My family gets vegetables from Community Farm and last year I calculated that we’d need to eat three squash dishes a week to get through all our winter squash! That may’ve been an exaggeration, but I think I have a little problem–I can’t say no to an offer of extra winter squash.  That much squash definitely challenges my creativity coming up with different ways to cook it–good thing it’s one of my favorite vegetables.  Don’t worry, though, we won’t make you eat quite that much squash this winter.

This week in the kitchen we’re doing autumn comfort food.  Here’s what’s on the menu:

Omnivore

A truck loaded down with HK's winter squash

Ham with Apples Salty and sweet, ham and apples are the perfect combination for a cold autumn night.

Hearty White Bean Stew – An omnivore version of a longtime-HK favorite, our stew will have plenty of hearty greens, winter squash, roots, and meat.

Greens with Bacon – A soul food classic

Winter Squash Soup – Creamy and sweet, this classic fall soup will warm you up.

Corn Bread – Soak up the juices with our homemade corn bread.

Vegetarian

Blue Hubbard squash: looks like a baby alien

Baked Mac and Cheese with Veggies – Our baked mac is overflowing with veggies and of course lots of creamy cheese.

White Bean Stew with Kale and Butternut Squash – A long-time Harvest Kitchen favorite, this vegetarian stew is a hearty meal in itself.

Sauteed Greens – The flavors of our favorite, healthy greens speak for themselves in this simple, savory dish.

Winter Squash Soup – Creamy and sweet, this classic fall soup will warm you up.

Corn Bread – Soak up the juices with our homemade corn bread.

Enjoy! See you this week.

Mary