Images of September

Mornings are foggier

Sunbeams are dramatically pronounced

Production in the fields is tapering down and Roland prepares them for winter

The view as walking up to the fields!

Carrot Information

The rest of the large carrots were harvested this weekend to be carefully stored in our root cellar for use all winter long. We still have two more beds of smaller carrots that we'll harvest later in the season. More on carrots later!

Chocolate Beet Cake

Yield: 10-12 Servings

Accumulating beets? This moist cake can win the hearts of those who don't even like beets! It comes from the Farmer John's Cookbook and is recommended by garden members.

Ingredients
oil and flour for preparing the cake pan
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 and 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups pureed cooked beets (about 3 medium beets)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly coat a 10-cup Bundt pan or two loaf pans with oil and dust with flour.
2. Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts; remove from heat and stir until well combined.
3. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla.
4. Sift the all-purpose flour and whole-wheat pastry flour into a large bowl. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until flour is mixed in. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes for the Bundt or 25 minutes in the loaf pan. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
6. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let cool on the rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.
   

Grated Beet Salad with Cilantro and Cumin

Yield: 4-6 servings

This salad can be served raw or barely blanched. If blanching, dip the beets briefly in salted boiling water, drain, and towel dry.

Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
zest and juice of two limes
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound beets, grated
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Procedure
Combine garlic, salt, lime zest and juice, cumin, and coriander in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Whisk in oil until desired consistency and taste is desired. Combine with grated beets and cilantro.

Standing Cedars Fall Work Days

The Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy hosts fall volunteer work days to clear invasive trees and shrubs, pick seeds, and spread native seeds.

Saturday, September 26
Saturday, October 24
Saturday, November 7

Meet at the parking lot near 20th Ave and 280th St in Osceola at 9 AM. Bring your lawn rakes and expect to get dirty!

Potato Harvest--Complete

A big Thank You to all who helped with the potato harvest!

We started harvesting potatoes around 8:30 am when the rain tapered off. A few showers sprinkled during the first hour of harvest, followed by a rainbow. Roland took the tractor through with an improvised potato digger, and then everyone else followed behind picking up the exposed potatoes and digging with pitch forks to find the remaining ones.

Many hands make light work!In total we harvested over 4,300 pounds of potatoes, finishing today what we didn't complete on Friday. Here's to potatoes for the fall and winter!

Fall CSA Shares Available

Enjoying the farm's biodynamic bounty of summer?
Wishing it could continue through the fall?

Philadelphia Community Farm
Fall CSA Shares Available

Fall vegetables include:
potatoes, onions, garlic, winter squash, brussel sprouts,
Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, kale, celeriac,
beets, and possibly carrots and greens

Five deliveries in October-December

Contact the farm for more information: 715-755-4690
sarah_philadelphiacommunityfarm@hotmail.com