WEATHER ALERT
Sunday - September 27, 2020
It looks like we'll finally be getting some much needed rain this week. Be sure to bring your umbrella folks!

The Bardwell Farm Great Pumpkin Patch of 2020

We're heading into October this week, so where the heck did September go? Honestly, it's been a blur for my crew and I. We're doing so many things right now, cover-cropping, planting high tunnels, harvesting winter squash, and cleaning the barns. Even though we are preparing for winter, we are also preparing to be open year-round. It's new territory for us but we are really excited to begin this next chapter.

Speaking of exciting, it's going to rain! AND MAN DO WE NEED IT! We are hoping it will push some fall crops along, especially our spinach. We know a lot of you have asked and we did include it in the shares a couple of times last year, but it's literally drought conditions in the field and it's so close. We are trying our best to get it into the last two weeks of the program. Stay tuned.

Owner Harrison Bardwell

WHAT TO USE FIRST 

• sweet corn - 1 to 3 days in the refrigerator 
• tomatoes - 5 to 7 days room temperature
• lettuce - 7 to 10 days in the refrigerator crisper drawer
• peppers - 1 to 2 weeks in the crisper drawer
• radish - up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator crisper drawer
• leeks - up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator crisper drawer
• radish - up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator crisper drawer
• pumpkin - up to 3 weeks at room temperature
• cabbage - up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator
• potatoes - up to 1 month at room temperature

​DID YOU KNOW
Did you know pumpkin pie wasn’t served at the pilgrims’ Thanksgiving?
Despite our modern-day obsession with pumpkin pie this time of year, it was nowhere to be found at the original Thanksgiving feast of 1621. Pilgrims wouldn’t have had butter or flour for making pie crust, let alone an oven for baking. Some historians speculate that the Pilgrims may have hollowed out pumpkins to fill with milk, spices, and honey for a custard-like dessert.

7 DESSERTS FOR PUMPKIN LOVERS
Tasty | YouTube

​more recipes:

• Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice - Delish
• Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Butter - Delish 
• Roasted Pumpkin with Feta & Honey - Not Quite Nigella
• Sweet Corn Risotto - The Kitchen
• Caramelized Leek & Bacon Pizza - Delish
• Creamy Mushroom & Leek Chicken Breast - FoodieCrush
• Daikon Radish Fries - What Great Grandma Ate
• Boiled Daikon Radish - The Woks of Life
• Sauteed Romaine - Leite's Culinaria
• Mega Crunchy Romaine Salad with Quinoa - Cookie & Kate
• Tomato Jam & Mozzarella Panini - Cookie & Kate
• Late Summer Tomato & Eggplant Stew - In My Bowl

WEATHER ALERTS
Sunday - September 20, 2020
Another beautiful week on tap with no rain on your pickup days :)

It's cold and we received a frost! We hustled and worked late all weekend to harvest vulnerable crops and cover fields with remay before the freezing temperatures set-in. Sensitive crops will be affected. It came early this year and is pretty surprising, we didn't receive a frost until middle October of last year. 

We've made progress installing more irrigation lines out back. This new system will help irrigate crops when there is no rain and in times of drought. We also spent a good part of last week windrowing all kinds of pumpkins for the Pumpkin Days fall festivities.

Pumpkin Days kicked off last Friday and it was well received, be sure to stop by this weekend for all of your fall ornamentals, apple cider, and cider donuts! 

​Owner Harrison Bardwell

WEATHER ALERTS
Sunday - September 13, 2020
Chance of rain with your pickup on Friday folks, be sure to bring that umbrella.

No frost on the Little Jacks just yet, but we're seeing 38 degree overnight temps in the 15 day!

Our days are turning chilly and it's been harvest, harvest, harvest. We are trying to get it all in before the frosts come. Speaking of harvest, Pumpkin Days begins this weekend! Our pumpkin displays will be up and we will have all kinds of fall decor like indian corn, cornstalks, mums (8 colors to choose from), straw bales, and most importantly, PUMPKINS! We'll have our traditional small, medium, and large carvers, sugars, gourds and the wicked popular Warty Goblins. New this year you'll see heirloom pumpkins, Little Jacks and Baby Boos too! All of the autumn goodies we all love will be here like fresh pressed cider, apple cider donuts, pumpkin bread, ginger molasses cookies, pumpkin spice and maple nut coffees, as well as fresh baked bread, local maple syrup, pumpkin butter, and apple maple jam!

The holidays will be here soon! For those of you that are interested we are bringing in limited pre-order pasture-raised Thanksgiving turkeys from Mondego Acres Farm. At this time we will only be offering them to our CSA members! Pricing and availability will be coming soon. If you would like more information please call, message us or talk with your Bardwell Farm representative during CSA pickup.

Enjoy your share this week folks!

Owner Harrison Bardwell

MAPLE GLAZED SQUASH
Food Wishes | YouTube
​Tasty and easy recipe if you've never tried acorn squash before :)

more recipes:​

• Sausage & Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash - Cooking Light
• Sweet Corn Ice Cream & Butterscotch - Epicurious
• Grilled Corn, Zucchini, and Black Bean Quesadillas - Epicurious
• Eggplant Parm Chips - Delish
• Eggplant Tostadas - Delish
• Swiss Chard with Lemon, Parmesan & Bread Crumbs - Alexandra's Kitchen
• Caramelized Onions & Swiss Chard - Don't Waste the Crumbs 

We are still several weeks out but we wanted to plant this pumpkin patch in your head. The Great Pumpkin needs carvers for our 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest and we want you to enter! There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes with more details to come. Start planning your cool, spooky, and kooky designs, it's going to be spooktacular! 

We will be taking limited preorders for Mondego Acres Pasture Raised Turkeys this Thanksgiving holiday! Pricing and availability will be coming in the next few weeks. If you are interested please call, message, or let your Bardwell Farm CSA representative know and add you to the call list.

WEATHER ALERTS
Monday - September 7, 2020
No rain in the forecast, but be sure to keep those umbrellas handy folks!

Mini Boos, Cannonballs, Little Jacks, and Warty Goblins are coming!
 
We are scrambling this week because our main tractor is having motor issues forcing it out of commission. This makes things stressful and harder to get things accomplished, but we are fortunate that we have good relationships with other local farmers in town to have the ability to borrow equipment to help get the job done. 

Fall is in the air and Pumpkin Days will be here before you know it! The field pumpkins are beginning to turn orange early due to the drought conditions this year. We may have some issues with ripening but don't you fret, we will have pumpkins!

We're very excited to get more winter crops into the high tunnels. We are planting winter greens such as winterbor kale, red and white russian kales, swiss chard baby greens, a plethora of spinach varieties, along with green and red lettuce varieties, arugula, and bok choy. Stay tuned on this project, it will be an interesting one!

​Harrison Bardwell

WHAT TO USE FIRST 

• sweet corn - 1 to 3 days in the refrigerator
• kale - 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator crisper drawer, longer in water
• lettuce - 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator crisper drawer
• radishes - 7 to 10 days unwashed, refrigerator crisper drawer, longer in water
• red potatoes - 3 to 5 weeks in the pantry, 3 to 4 months in the refrigerator
• peppers - 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator crisper drawer
• leeks - refrigerate in a closed paper bag, up to 2 weeks​​​
• ​celery - 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator

​
DID YOU KNOW
Radishes were brought Massachusetts by 1629. Radishes are members of the Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage) family. The root is related to kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and horseradish, among others. Radishes are a great low-cal snack; one cup of sliced radishes has only 19 calories.

BEST ROAST POTATOES EVER
The Food Lab | YouTube
Incredibly crisp and crunchy on the outside, with centers that are creamy and packed with potato flavor. We dare you to make them and not love them. We double-dare you!

more recipes:

• Best Scalloped Potato Recipe - Jerry James Stone
• Red Hasselback Potatoes - Epicurious
• Basic Sofrito - The Spruce Eats
• Aji Dulce Cocktail - Difford's Guide
• Easy Corn Chowder - Spend With Pennies 
• Black Bean & Corn Salad - Vegan Fusion
• Kale Pesto - Fruit Veggie Struggle
• Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Kale, Cranberries, and Chickpeas - Well Plated

Have you enjoyed the CSA this year and want to be notified when the 2021 enrollment begins? Send us a quick note including your phone number and email and we'll be sure to let you know!