October is Here!

I can't believe it's October already. This weekend everything changed and it became FALL in Vermont. Cool air, bright leaves, that different smell in the air. Soup weather! That's good news in the kitchen though. It means it's time for not only soup but some comfort food favorites...like pizza! Friday at the farm we picked up the last of the watermelons, lots of mixed greens, some parsley, chives, onion grass and beautiful, beautiful red chili peppers I couldn't resist. For lunch that day five preschoolers and I made some amazing pizzas with whole wheat dough. They had a great time with the sauce and cheese and colorful veggies, and the end result was really delicious.

The real news today is, October is National Farm to School Month! We plan to send a special thank you to our farmers, and the organizers or the Intervale gleaning and food rescue program.

heading for the compost bin

relaxing at the table 

To get you in the mood for soup weather, here's a recipe I'll be making for the kids this month from Real Simple magazine... White bean and kale! (I omitted 2 tbsp fresh rosemary)

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 4  cloves garlic, chopped
• 2  stalks celery, sliced
• 1  large onion, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2  15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1  cup  small soup pasta, such as tubettini, ditalini, or orzo (4 ounces)
• 1  bunch  kale, thick stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (8 cups)
• 1/2  cup  shaved Parmesan (2 ounces), plus 1 piece rind (optional)
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• warm bread

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic, celery, onion, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Add the beans, pasta, kale, 8 cups water, and Parmesan rind (if using). Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta and kale are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Remove the Parmesan rind. Stir in the lemon juice and sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan before serving. Serve with the bread.

Recipe by By Sara Quessenberry , January, 2010