The energy of fall is among us. A neighbor mentioned that her terrier becomes overly excited with new energy around this time of year as the seasons change. I think this is similar to how life on the farm has progressed as summer is now beyond us and cool weather is ahead. The passing of the horrendous heat wave has left the crew in high spirits. Fall is my favorite time of year and the veggies that come are also some of my favorite. I´ve been dreaming of a feast complete with butternut squash, kale sautéed with garlic, and a nice salad with all the fixin´s.

I last farmed in upstate New York; summers were a short stint where we rushed to use all of the warm season to ensure that we had continual tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and the like. Most of the season included lettuce and salad greens, but when the frost came, we were all saddened and disappointed at the look of the healthy tomato plants browning with death as the sun came out after the evening of the first hard frost. But here in Georgia, our summer draws long (as you know), the greens take an intermission and we end up transitioning before we are forced to, our summer crops see the end before the frost has to take them. Luckily we are now blessed with these cool days so that we can press on with our fall crops, even before fall is upon us. The last few weeks, we´ve been strategically seeding greens, root vegetables, and brassicas. Come Wednesday and Thursday of each week and we know it´s time to get on the tractor to prepare beds so that we can give seeds a nourishing home.

New in the shares this week are dry and fresh shell peas. Yes, you are to shell these peas, and it is quite time consuming (perhaps the best version of "slow food"). I do remember sitting at my grandmother´s knees shelling peas for her, but I´d never grown them before. I realize that after growing and shelling and eating the black−eyed peas, pink eye purple hull peas, and lima beans, the lima beans are far easier and more rewarding...they all seem to mature at the same time, where the other shell peas come on at different times, requiring more labor to pick through the plants. Be sure to cast your vote so we can alter crop plans for next year...

To prepare the dry black−eyed peas, pink eye purple hull peas, or black beans, you´ll need to soak the peas for several hours or overnight. I use 3 parts water to 1 part peas/beans. Like beans, shelled peas are packed with both healthful nutrients and flatulence−producing enzymes. Since the water that you soak and cook the peas in absorbs some of the indigestible sugars that make you gassy, it helps to rinse the peas after soaking, and then use fresh water when you cook them. It´s also helpful after soaking to remove the beans that haven´t swelled in water. Don´t overcook these peas or they´ll become mushy.

The broad nomenclature "cowpea" includes many of our typical Southern peas, including the black−eyed, pink eye purple hull, white acre, crowder, cream, and clay peas. Cowpeas make a delicious cash crop, but because of their leguminous nitrogen fixing ability, we also use them as cover crops. On the farm they can be seen in the chicken fenced area as they are serving as a delicious dessert for our birds. An intern from last year is spending time in Africa where cowpeas are grown as a typical staple in the garden. Instead of waiting and laboriously harvesting the pods that these plants produce, they harvest their tender greens and eat them as we would collards or kale. We may adopt this practice to provide you with summer greens next year.

Also new in the share is the beautiful golden kabocha squash (var: sunshine). The typical kabocha squash has a green appearance with darker green stripes. This is a new hybrid variety that won my attention in the seed catalog. These squash plants were our most productive winter squash, so you´ll likely see this player again in future years. I love the gold nature of the inside flesh. The squash will keep for another month or so, so don´t feel rushed to use it. However, if you notice that it begins to get soft or starts feeling hollow, use it quickly.

Kabocha is commonly called "Japanese pumpkin" in the East. It is hard, shaped like a squatty pumpkin, and has an intense yellow−orange color on the inside.

The kabocha is rich in beta carotene, with iron, vit C, and potassium and smaller traces of calcium, folic acid and minute amounts of B vitamins.

It has an exceptional naturally sweet flavor, even sweeter than butternut squash. It is similar in texture and flavor to pumpkin and sweet potato combined. Like other squash−family members, it is commonly mixed in side dishes and soups, or anywhere pumpkin, potato, or other squash would be. In Japan, it is a common ingredient in vegetable tempura.

Kabocha originated on the American continental mass, like other cucurbit family members. Christopher Columbus found it and took it back to Europe along with tobacco, potatoes, and tomatoes. After that, the vegetable traveled around the globe and was brought to Japan from Cambodia on Portuguese ships in 1541.

When our kabocha were just harvested (back in late July), they were still growing. First, kabocha is ripened in our greenhouse (during which some of the starch converts to carbohydrate content). Then they´re transferred to a cooler place (and stored for about a month in order to increase its carbohydrate content). With the further ripening, the just−harvested, dry, bland−tasting kabocha is transformed into smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha will have reddish−yellow flesh and a hard skin with a dry, corky stem. It reaches the peak of ripeness about 1.5 to 3 months after it is harvested.

Preparation of Kabocha Squash:

TO BAKE: Simply wash the squash and place, whole on a baking dish. Bake at 400 for 50 to 60 minutes. To shorten the baking time, cut the squash in half with a very firm knife. Scoop out the seeds, brush cut areas with a little oil and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking dish. The squash bakes in about 40 to 50 minutes at 400. The flesh can then be scooped out with a large spoon. The cooked kabocha is so deliciously sweet that it needs none of the usual fats and sweeteners traditionally added to bland squashes.

TO STEAM: Use a very firm chef´s knife to cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and lay cut side down on cutting board. Japanese and Southeast Asian cooks prefer to leave the skin on the squash. However, if you choose to remove the skin, here´s what to do: Using both hands with the knife in a horizontal position, peel off the skin by holding the blade away from the body and using a pushing motion to cut. Cut squash into cubes and place in a steamer with sufficient water. Turn heat to high and steam for 7 to 10 minutes.

TO BRAISE: Cut into cubes as above and add to stews or soups the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Until next Tuesday,

Farmer Paige and the crew

(sources: Wikepedia and www.vegparadise.com)