Newsletter and Schedule Change Reminder!! Week 16
Hello Followers!!
Apologies, again, for being unable to get consistent newsletters out. Marketing is still a challenge for our 3 person team!
Highlights for the past few weeks include those delicious delicata squashes you found in your boxes (recipe below), planning our harvest dinner for our early-bird subscribers (keep an eye out for your invites!), and balancing our time between our house-addition and the farm.
🥕 What’s in the Box:
A quick list of what you might find in your box this week.
Head Lettuce
Salad Mix
Cherry Tomatoes
Green onions
Small bulb onions
Sweet and Hot Peppers
cucumbers
Swiss Chard or Kale
Delicata OR Butternut squash
🌿 Featured Item: Onions
We're beyond excited that Lisa Stravakas from Renew Wellness has decided to contribute her wealth of knowledge on the health benefits of eating and utilizing fresh produce and herbs. Thank you Lisa!!
PARSLEY
Parsley was revered for its medicinal potency long before it was eaten as a food. Native to the central Mediterranean region, the herb was sacred to the ancient Greeks. They used it to adorn victorious athletes and decorate the tombs of the dead.
Parsley is an excellent diuretic. Unlike other diuretics parsley allows for water excretion without the loss of electrolytes, a process known as aquaresis. It’s hot and dry qualities are helpful for draining excess water retention in the spring when your body is naturally letting go of winter weight.
Volatile oils in parsley help to tone the uterus or bring on a late menses. In addition, parsley increases the body's ability to absorb manganese, a key ingredient to help build bone. From an Ayurvedic view parsley, like all digestives, helps freshen breath.
There are two types of parsley-- flat leafed and curly leafed. If you plan to freeze then curly leafed parsley is a better option for its ability to withstand the cold. Flat leafed parsley has a stronger taste.
🍽️ Recipe of the Week:
Creamy One Pot Delicata Squash Orzo
https://thenaturalnurturer.com/creamy-one-pot-delicata-squash-orzo/#recipe
Ingredients:
▢1 medium delicata squash , about 1 to 1 ½ pounds
▢1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
▢1 Tablespoon butter, or extra olive oil
▢1 ½ cups chopped onion
▢3 cloves garlic, minced
▢1 teaspoon salt
▢3 sprigs fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
▢¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
▢12 ounces orzo, 1 ¾ cup
▢4 cups vegetable broth
▢½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Instructions:
Thoroughly wash the squash. (Since we aren’t peeling the skin it’s important that the outside is very clean.) Trim the ends, cut the squash in half lengthwise, and then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Cut the halves lengthwise again into ¼-inch thick strips then thinly slice across the strips to cut the squash into small pieces. You should have about 3 cups of chopped squash.
Add the olive oil and butter to a large, wide-bottomed pot and place over medium-high heat.
Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and chopped squash. Continue to cook and stir until the onions are lightly golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the salt, whole thyme sprigs, and pepper.
Stir in the orzo and then the vegetable broth, making sure to stir the bottom so no pasta sticks. Bring the pot up to a boil then turn the heat down to maintain a simmer. Stir occasionally until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn off the heat, remove the thyme stems, and then stir in the parmesan cheese. Taste and season with addition salt and pepper as needed. Garnish the orzo with extra parmesan cheese, if desired
📣 Farm News & Notes:
As we approach the last month of our 2025 CSA season, we begin to plant our last rounds of lettuce, green onions, radishes, and microgreens. The nursery begins to become bare and the tanks begin to empty. Tasks shift to mainly to clean up, and maintenance of the last of our crops. One final push to keep them happy and healthy as the weather begins to cool down.
We look ahead to our annual harvest dinner (a special event that we throw to give thanks to our early-bird subscribers from last October). We also begin to plan our 2026 early-bird sale (stay-tuned), where people can take advantage of the best sale of the year, with bonuses which include an invite to our 2026 harvest dinner!
Reflective thoughts creep in, hoping all our customers were happy, feeling that we've done our best through the ups and downs that the life of a farmer brings. We think about next year and the projects we have planned, hoping we don't overwhelm ourselves again. Constantly saying, "we'll do better next year".
October also marks the Moon River Ranch Yearly family vacation to Leavenworth, WA, where we spend time with old friends and catch up on the year. This marks our 15th year of this trip and it's something we really look forward to every year. We are thankful for the understanding and support as we leave the farm, the chickens, and our beloved "KiKi" to our trustworthy farmhand, Bri, and spend some much needed time trying not to think about all of it (very difficult!).
Here's another reminder of the pick-up schedule for the next two weeks while we are away:
Week of 10/1-10/5:
For P-burg Sunday Pick-up normally on 10/5:
Pick-up at the farm on:
Wednesday 10/1 after Noon
OR Thursday 10/2 9AM to 2PM.
Normal Pick-ups for Drummond and Anaconda
Week of 10/8-10/12:
NO CSA BOX PICK-UPS OR MARKET STAND
We will be back in Drummond on the 15th and normal pick-ups and market stands for all locations will resume until AT LEAST THE 26th. If the weather continues to be mild, we may try and squeeze in one last pick-up and market stand.
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COME VISIT US!!
Whether you're a CSA member or not, you can always come by our pop-up market stands!
*****Please note the time changes! Anaconda and Drummond changing from 4-6 starting 9/10.