Fall Harvest

I know it's fall when mom 
delivers butternut squash.
With soil still clinging to it's skin, it's as fresh as fresh can be.

Fall means winter squashes ~ delicata, acorn and hubbard will take the place of summer squashes ~ zucchini, yellow crookneck and patty pan. Colors at the farm stand will change from cornflower yellow to pumpkin orange. 

Martha Stewart's photo of fall squashes

Food and Pottery Connection:

Food:  Curried Apple Butternut Soup
Mystic Seaport Cookbook
serves 8-10 

1 peeled butternut squash
1 tsp butter
2 onions
1 cup apple cider
1 cup applesauce
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp curry powder

Cut squash and steam til soft. Saute onions in butter til soft. combine all ingredients in a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper.

Pottery: Spoon rests take care of the messy spoons and keep your counter clean.

fall colors to choose from

 

Pear Season

ceramic pears in crisscross bowl

It's fall in New England. There is no better place to find locally grown apples and pears.

 I'll eat any kind of apple, especially Macouns and Pink Ladies.  My favorite type of pear would have to be a Bartlett.  Crisp and fresh or baked with sugar, fall fruits are versatile. 

I haven't been apple or pear picking since my kids were little.  We traveled to Lookout Farm in Natick where the picking was easy and the trip was a half day.  Some day I'd like to venture out to middle or western Massachusetts where the picking is plentiful. Add that to the "wish list"....

Here is a recipe from www.allrecipes.com that is delicious at any meal.

Fresh Pear Cake

4 cups peeled, cored and chopped pears

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

4 eggs

2/3 cup canola oil

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1. Combine pears and sugar.  Let stand one hour.

2. Preheat oven to 325. Spray a bundt pan with non stick spray

3. Combine egg, nuts, oil, and pear mixture

4. Stir flour, salt, baking soda and spices together. Stir in pear mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

How does this season influence my work in clay? Take a look...

pear plate - hand carved and painted

pear plates - slip trailed and glazed

large crisscross bowl

square plate - slip trailed and glazed

Transition

The transition from summer to fall always seems difficult.  Less light, less sleep, less time, but I love seasonal change.  The air is crisper and the colors are darker.  Food choices become denser and warmer and I start to think about apples, pumpkins and soup.

Some of my favorites are still being harvested, but carrots are thicker, greens are darker and thoughts of tomatoes and mozzarella turn to roasted spaghetti sauce.

With a busy tempo to the day, I find myself making pasta-based recipes that are easy to assemble and reheat nicely depending on when family members arrive home.

Here's what's for dinner at my house tonight: 
 

Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Chicken - serves 3 or 4


Fresh Pasta - cooked and drained
Roasted Tomato Sauce* - 2-3 cups
Chicken - cut into bite sized pieces and pan fried in olive oil and a sprinkle of salt

Combine and serve with your favorite cheese.

*Roasted Tomato Sauce - Roast onions or leeks, garlic, tomatoes mixed with olive oil and kosher salt in a 425 oven for 30-45 minutes.  Cool. Blend. Add thyme or oregano or basil, whatever your favorite is.  Freeze in 2 cup portions.


Creating, creating, creating....

Fall Harvest

My senses were overwhelmed with the colors of fall: oranges, dark greens, ochres and yellows, as I pulled into Powessit Farm for the final pick up of the summer CSA season. There is no doubt about it being fall and harvest time in New England. It's the season of pumpkins, squashes and gourds for decorating and eating.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Glaze - serves 4
Eating Local, The Cookbook Inspired by America's Farmers

Any hard shelled winter squash can be prepared this way, as long as the squash wedges have a cavity to hold the butter and syrup. Serve with pork chops, roast chicken or roast duck.

1 acorn squash, about 2 1/2 lbs
4 tsp butter
4 tsp maple syrup
1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 375. Remove stem from squash and cut into quarters lengthwise and remove seeds.
2. Put squash quarters, cavity side up, in a baking dish. Put 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp maple syrup in each cavity. Pour water into baking dish, cover and bake until tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Pour any juice from squash into baking dish. Transfer squash to serving dish. Transfer all juices from baking dish into a small pan and place over high heat. Cook until reduced to a syrup, then spoon over squash. Let rest 15 minutes. It is best served not piping hot.

A bowl to celebrate the fall harvest season...

Apples and Cider

When I was a child and my family would visit my grandparent's farm in the fall, I would help make the apple cider the old fashioned way: with a basket of apples and a press. The cider would dribble out and I'd watch anxiously as it filled up a container soon to be sampled. Food can be comfort in ways that are outside of basic hunger; sometimes it is the memory that needs fulfillment and that is why we choose what we do.

"Crescent Ridge Dairy gets apple cider from Carlson's Orchard in Concord Massachusetts. All we do is pasteurize it and bottle it. Talk about local flavor. Try the Apple Cider heated during those cold nights. You could even add a little cinnamon or lemon for that zest. With a taste like it was picked from the orchard and pressed just for you, Crescent Ridge 100% Apple Cider comes in our environmentally friendly half-gallon glass bottles"

... so memory will be quelled with a cupful.

apples

The Good Food News

Each week I am blessed with an email entitled "The Good Food News". It is the Powisset Farm Community Supported Agriculture newsletter that lets me, as a shareholder, know what's up for the weekly distribution. I am always thankful that it is both well written and inspiring.

This week marks a turning point in so many ways. One, it's starting to feel like fall and the produce is changing to include more dark leafy greens, peppers and eggplants. We are saying good bye to cucumbers, tomatoes and summer squashes. Two, we start sign ups for a winter share (I'm keeping my fingers crossed I get one). And, three, it is the last time this season, I will be selling my pottery at the farm stand(Saturday, September 18th from 1:30-5:30pm).

Change of season inspires a change in color palette.