As of Monday night a corner has been turned. All non-cold hardy plants on the farm that are not under special protection have died. An event a bit early, but not unprecedented. For us at the farm, it signals an end to the field lettuce, broccoli, arugula, Asian green, kale and fennel harvest. The tasks click down toward a short winter rest.

Still plenty to do though to work off a hearty bowl or two of soup. If there was ever a soup season, right now would fit the bill. A great time of year to combine cauliflower and leeks into an “yummmm” inducing meal. You can follow the recipe from our September 22, 2004 newsletter for Leek and Potato Soup, substituting cauliflower for potatoes and fennel for celeriac.

Core out the stem of the cauliflower and then break into florets

The endive this fall is mild, and can be mistaken for a curly lettuce. Make your own salad mix by combining it with lettuce, Asian greens, kale and/or spinach from last week. These field picked greens are packed with flavor and nutrition.

What leaves don’t make the cut during harvest end up in the compost, or are fed to our young chickens. They make short work of most any vegetative material we offer them. They have to eat too, so we work to give them a share each week.