ELIJA THYMES

Week 17 | September 30 - October 4 | 2025

WEEKLY HARVEST

FARMER'S CORNER:

MIGHTY MIGHTY MICROGREENS

With the cool season well on the way and just 2 weeks of summer vegetable CSA left, you might be wondering where to get your weekly dose of local greens. Fear not! We also have a Fall Microgreen and Baked Goods CSA available for sign-up now!

With microgreens, we harvest the recently sprouted seedlings of many common crops like radish, broccoli, peas, cabbage. Seedlings offer a concentrated load of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants straight from the seed. They are a quick and tasty way to keep fresh local greens in your diet. Microgreens are excellent additions to salads and can really elevate any dish from pasta to sandwiches and more! We grow colorful mixes that can add a slightly spicy kick or a more mild, refreshing crispness.

This week we are excited to give everyone a taste of what we have to offer with samples of spicy purple stem radish and crisp sunflower microgreens, as well as yummy baked goods! The Fall CSA starts up the week after Summer CSA ends with 10 weeks of microgreens and/or baked goodies for pick-up or delivery every Tuesday from October 14th to December 16th. Spots are limited - grab your share now!

Our microgreens were used as a gorgeous garnish at the farm-to-table dinner on the farm a few weeks ago!

Weekly Reminders:

• If you were looking forward to The Time Machine Band on Saturday, October 4th, we are postponing this concert - please stay tuned for the rescheduled date!

• Our Marketplace is open during weekdays 8 am to 4 pm and during CSA pick-up hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Grab your fresh chicken and duck eggs, baked goodies of all kinds, microgreens, and extra field produce from the yellow fridge outside of our big greenhouse!

• Can't make it to the farm but want some extra veggies or baked treats? You can find us at the Suffolk County Farmers Market at 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge every Thursday from 10 am to 2 pm!

• Please continue to return your waxed cardboard boxes each week for our learners to gently clean for reuse all season. Delivery members, please put your flattened box out on Thursdays wherever your shares are usually dropped off. Thank you!

CROP OF THE WEEK: KABOCHA SQUASH

Not your typical dark green kabocha, you might call the orange squash in your box this week a pumpkin and you'd be close! Kabocha squash are also known as Japanese pumpkins and the written name for them “南瓜” translates to “southern melon” which covers most pumpkin-like fruits in China and Japan. 

Introduced to Japan by Portuguese sailors in the 16th century, kabocha originated in central America where winter squash was first believed to have been domesticated 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. The skin is very hard raw but surprisingly edible once cooked. Sliced kabocha, skin on, is a common ingredient in Chinese hot pot meals. Kabocha's bright orange flesh is used for a classic Korean rice cake called hobak-tteok 호박떡 as well as a huge variety of dishes, sweet and savory, in Japanese cuisine. 

We grew the orange Marmalade variety to add more bright color into our near-final CSA shares since we already have dark green acorn squash coming your way next week. Let us know if you liked this variety and how you enjoyed yours!

RECIPE: KABOCHA CROQUETTES

1½ lb kabocha squash (half a kabocha with seeds)

3 slices applewood smoked bacon

½ onion (3 oz, 85 g)

½ tbsp unsalted butter

½ tsp kosher salt

⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cups neutral oil

Breading

¼ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)

1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (beaten)

½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

justonecookbook.com

Before you start, please note that this recipe requires 30 minutes of chilling time. 

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Remove seeds and pith from 1½ lb kabocha squash and cut into big chunks, about 2-inch pieces.
3. Set up the steamer. Steam the kabocha for 20 minutes or until tender (enough that you can mash with fork) but don’t overcook.
4. While steaming the kabocha, mince ½ onion. Slice parallel to the grain, slice against the grain, cut into cubes, and chop into even smaller pieces.
5. Cut 3 slices applewood smoked bacon into small bits. For better texture, I like the bacon to be about ¼ inch.
6. Heat ½ tbsp unsalted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2–3 minutes, and add the bacon. Cook until the onion is translucent, tender, and nicely brown. Set aside until the kabocha is done steaming.
7. Remove the kabocha from the pot and let cool until you can touch it but it's still warm. Remove the skin using a knife or spoon. Kabocha skin is edible and you don’t have to remove it. However, your kabocha croquette will be dark in color instead of a bright orange color.
8. Transfer all the kabocha in a large bowl and mash with a fork.
9. Add the onion and bacon mixture to the mashed kabocha. Try to avoid adding excess oil, which could make the mixture too wet. Season with ½ tsp kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
10. Combine well together. Using a cookie scoop, make it into ball shape. I can usually make 15–18 balls with half a kabocha (1½ lbs with seeds).
11. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes to kabocha balls become firmer.
12. Add 1 Tbsp water to 1 large beaten egg. Coat kabocha balls in ¼ cup all-purpose flour.
13. Then coat with the egg mixture, and finally ½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs).
14. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. During this time, the flour absorbs moisture. As a result, it’ll splatter less in the oil and the batter becomes stickier and won’t come off while deep-frying. Also, if you deep-fry the food when it's still warm, the steam inside the filling will get hot and try to escape, which will end up exploding in the hot oil.
15. When it’s almost 30 minutes, start heating up 3 cups neutral oil to 340ºF in a pot. Insert the long chopsticks, and when you see small bubbles appear around them, it’s ready to deep fry the croquette. The filling of the croquette is cooked already, so all you need is to fry the coating until golden brown.
16. Transfer golden kabocha croquette to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towel. Sprinkle some salt such as sea salt or Himalayan pink salt.
17. To Store: Once it’s cooled completely, you can put the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month.

DID YOU KNOW: SWEET POTATOES GET SWEETER