Thanks for a great season + Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

by Laura Frerichs, Tastemaker in Residence

On the Fall Equinox Saturday, Adam and I also celebrated our 10 year anniversary! A month after we got married in 2008, we officially “bought the farm” and moved to our spot here in Hutchinson. As you know, time flies by, faster and faster every year it seems. It feels like just a few years ago that we eagerly moved in, met the resident dog, Toblerone, and started to put up our first hoop house that fall. With dedicated work from our family, friends and staff, lots of compost and cover crops, a few electric tractors and 2 kids later, this farm looks a lot different. We have grown right along with it. Many of you have been there with us on that journey as well!

It seems fitting that we are celebrating ten years here these next few weeks while also writing the last newsletters of the season. We feel SUCH gratitude for our CSA customers who have made this farm and journey possible for our family every year. We are amazed at the support and encouragement we receive from you all.

THANK YOU for buying directly from a local, organic farm and spending your food dollars here. We keep it local!

THANK YOU for your generous donations to the Harvest for the Hungry program. We’ll donate over 3,000+ pounds there this year!

THANK YOU to our long-term CSA members that have returned year after year. We have lots of 10 year members out there!! And many more 2, 3, 5, or 7 year members too.

THANK YOU to our first-time members this year for taking a chance and trying out our CSA—we hope you enjoyed it!

We hope you all had a good experience, and most importantly, that you ate more veggies, tried new recipes and maybe discovered something new. We love being your farmers and we, along with our staff, spend a lot of care and energy to get you the best farm produce around.

We made a tremendous batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies (using delicata pureed cooked flesh in lieu of the canned pumpkin). They were the best cookie I’ve had in a long time. A great fall treat!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups cooked winter squash, pureed in food processor or blender so that it is perfectly smooth

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

grated rind (zest) of 1 orange, optional

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat briefly, just until smooth.

4. Add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest, beating to blend.

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating to blend. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

6. Using a tablespoon or soup spoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 1/4" balls. Bake them on the middle oven rack for about 18 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool on the baking sheets 5 minutes before transferring them to racks.