Week 20; October 15, 2008

It’s hard to believe this is the last share. We wish it could carry on for a few more months. Maybe soon enough we’ll be able to swing winter shares.
Meantime, thanks to all those people who signed up. Thanks too for all of the positive feedback. It really helps keep us going.

There’s a lot in this share that is either familiar to you or is becoming familiar to you—like edamame (see Aug. 20/week 12 blog entry for info. on how to cook).

Spaghetti squash might be one novelty. This is one squash you don’t often see featured in cookbooks or recipes. Maybe it’s because it’s really easy to cook:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush both halves with the butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Place them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet and roast until fork-tender, about 1 hour.

Apparently, you can also easily cook it in a microwave in less than 20 minutes. See recipe link below for information on how to do this as well as how to spice up this relatively neutral-flavored squash. The Moroccan flavor profile of the squash would go nicely with some seared lamb chops or grilled lamb kabobs. Add some peppers and onion to the kebab if you have any left over from last week’s share.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/SPAGHETTI-SQUASH-WITH-MOROCCAN-SPICES-106168

In this week’s share:
½ pound spinach
½ pound salad mix
2 pounds yellow potatoes
1 spaghetti squash
1 pound garlic
3-4 Japanese eggplants
1 pound edamame
1 head of Romaine
2 bunches of beets
1 bunch of carrots

Week 19, Oct. 8, 2008

Unfortunately, this is the 2nd to last share of the season. Next week is the last.

We’ve been hit by frost a couple of times this week, so some of those warm-weather vegetables you were perhaps surprised to still be getting in recent weeks are now history. But, fortunately, there are plenty of cool-weather vegetables to enjoy.

Here’s what was in this week’s share:
1 bunch parsley
handful of garlic
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 lb of shallots
2 bunches of beets—the regular red beets are Bulls Blood, the rose-colored ones with the bulls-eye pattern are Chiogga
2 delicata squash
Bag of spinach
½ lb. arugula
1 Napa cabbage
1 watermelon

Week 18; October 1, 2008

While the cooler weather makes most of us long for comfort foods like squash and potatoes (in this week’s share), we’ve been lucky to not yet get hit by a frost here. So we have been able to still include some frost-vulnerable crops like green beans, peppers and eggplant.

Tips:
If you’re “done” with peppers, chop them up, put in a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer.
Now that It’s cool enough to turn on the oven, try roasting eggplant. Brush the cut side with oil, season with salt and roast, cut-side down first so that it turns a nice golden-brown color. That gives a nice caramelized flavor to the surface while the insides turn a creamy consistency. You can always serve with a roast chicken, rice and a chutney. (If you’re in Cooperstown, Tanna’s extra spicy garlic and ginger chutney—sold at Cooperstown Natural Foods any day of the week—is addictive.)
The mesclun mix has some greens with kick in it. We were thinking of pairing it tonight with some of the butternut squash in this recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sherry Vinaigrette: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/roasted_butternut_squash_salad.aspx Just modify the recipe so that you’re using the mesclun mix instead of the greens called for in the recipe.

Here’s what was in this week’s share:

1 head of romaine lettuce
Bag of mesclun mix
1 pound of green beans
2 red peppers
2 eggplants
1 butternut squash
1 bunch purple carrots
Purple potatoes
Cilantro
Garlic
Cured onion