CSA Week 9

An eggplant, is an eggplant, is an eggplant…

We grow a few different kinds of eggplant—the traditional, plump Italian eggplant, a deep purple, long, narrow Japanese eggplant, and a striking burgundy and white striped variety (see pic). Market customers often ask the difference. While we’ve never eaten them side by side (maybe we should!), we have never noticed a difference in how they taste.

What we notice is a difference in how we cook them. The Japanese eggplant we like to slice into coins or oval shapes, grill or roast and serve with pasta. The smaller shape holds together nicely, so we can serve it in whole pieces without having to use excessive amounts of oil—as you do if you cube and sauté Italian eggplant.

The Italian and striped eggplant is great grilled too, but it’s plump shape makes it prime for roasting. Cut lengthwise in half, roasted eggplant is ridiculously simple and takes on this stunningly creamy texture that makes it worth turning on the oven. For a recipe see: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/oven_roasted_eggplant.aspx

This link has a few other tasty ideas for what to do with eggplant.

In this week’s share:

2 Japanese eggplant

2 light green or traditional green peppers

1 bunch Thai basil

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch leeks

1 bunch Swiss chard

Encore Fruit Share

1 pint Adirondack blueberries

2 - 2 1/2 lbs. fresh yellow peaches from the Hudson Valley

Tip for cleaning leeks:

Leeks are notorious for trapping dirt, and it didn’t help that we got a smattering of rain before they were harvested—spreading the dirt more (but not making enough of a difference in our thirsty fields). If you don’t know how to clean a leek, there’s a simple trick that you can watch on youtube. 

It makes all the difference to know how to do this.

8 Ways to Use This Week’s Leeks:

1.    Leek and potato soup

2.    Leek tart

3.    In a stir-fry (along with this week’s basil and carrots)

4.    Re-fried rice (along with this week’s basil and carrots)

5.    Creamy Baked Leeks. 

6.    Leek and Pancetta(or skip the pancetta) Risotto. 

7.    Leek and LemonLinguine

8.    And, lastly, one we’re all sure to be making this week: Pan-seared Rattlesnake on Braised Leeks

Asian Slaw
With all these humid, 90-degree days we’ve been having, we don’t feel like eating much more than fruit and raw vegetables (and maybe an occasional hit of chocolate). But at this point in the growing season, lettuce doesn’t grow well. It’s too hot and will bolt—growing into a triangular, torpedo-like shape and taking on a bitter flavor. So, we’ve decided, if we’re craving raw foods, it’s time to pull out those flavorful carrots! Last night Maryellen used her julienne peeler to make an Asian-style slaw with the carrots we seem to have in abundance (maybe you’ve noticed…) as well as some zucchini. 
Julienne peelers are a veggie peeler that turns vegetables into delightful, little matchsticks. They’re affordable and worth owning.
Here's a recipe with a dressing that's similar to what was used for this slaw.

CSA Share Week 8

Rain, glorious rain! It started with a dramatic thunder and lightning storm last Monday night (7/23) and it continued off and on until this past weekend. In total, we have probably had about 1 ½ inches total rainfall this past week.

All vegetation—vegetables, weeds, grass—seem to be on heaving a sigh of relief. Outside it even has a hint of that Upstate “green” smell in the air again. Heavenly.

That’s the good news.

Six weeks without rain and with temperatures consistently up in the mid-90s has had its consequences on our farm—some lost crops, some stunted crops.

As for the latter, Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension specialist Chuck Bornt recently explained in a newsletter what happens in temps 90° F and up: “the plant is working so hard staying cool that it is expending all of its energy moving water from the roots through the plant. Photosynthesis may cease all together and that, in turn, stops the production that you plan on selling.”

He also discussed how air pollution damage or “ozone damage” is common on hot days and how this can be damaging to plants. We have noticed this to some extent as well.

So, what’s next? We ask that our CSA members hang in there while the shares are less abundant or diverse than we had planted for. Ken is waking extra early and often working until dark to plant new beds while there’s enough moisture to get seeds to germinate. We absolutely need additional rainfall.

Meantime, we still have a couple of items we’re introducing this week: Yukon Gold potatoes and aromatic Thai basil!

Cheers,

Ken & Maryellen

TIP of the week: Bag It Up.

Most (or all) of your produce is distributed in bulk, not bagged. Most of what you receive, however, should be stored in the refrigerator in some kind of plastic bag (such as a produce bag) or a bio bag designed for produce storage. This helps hold in the moisture so that your vegetables stay fresh longer and things like carrots stay crisp and crunchy.  Lettuces store especially well in a salad spinner (in the fridge). This week’s garlic and potatoes should be stores in a dark, cool spot in your kitchen (not in the fridge, not in the sunlight).

In This Week's Share:

1 bunch red onion

1 Italian eggplant

2 garlic heads

1 bunch beets with green tops

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch Thai basil

1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

 Fruit Share:

John Boy yellow peaches

1 pint Adirondack blueberries

TIPS FROM THE FARM’S KITCHEN:

Eat your beet greens!

Beet greens are incredibly nutritious for you. At the farm, we like to sauté them in olive oil until wilted and then stir in some minced garlic, much like this Food Network recipe. A squirt of lemon juice or splash of balsamic vinegar is a nice finishing touch, as is blue cheese or goat cheese. You could add them to a pasta or an egg dish, or just serve as a side. You can also add beet greens to a green smoothie (just don’t overdo it or their earthy flavor will come through).

THAI BASIL. Thai basil is commonly used in Asian cuisines and has a subtle licorice flavor. It smells heavenly and immediately reminds me (Maryellen) of curries and coconut milk. It is also commonly served as a condiment to phŏ (Vietnamese noodles soup).

Here are a slew of recipes we hope will inspire you to try it out. Let us know what you did with it!

Squash and Corn in CoconutMilk with Thai Basil (this recommends Magda squash—the light green zucchini-like squash you’ve been seeing in your shares.

Summer Stir Fry with Thai Basil 

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chopped Peanuts and Thai Basil

Flounder Poached in Coconut, Ginger and Basil Broth

Thai-Style Stir-Fried Chicken and Basil (quick and easy)

Authentic Pad Thai 

Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Vegetables (quick)

Grilled Thai Chicken Breast with Herb-Lemongrass Crust 

Peaches have arrived!

 This week’s variety is a yellow peach called “John Boy” and, according to farmer Tom Maynard, they’re the “peach of the season” as far as flavor goes. These are an eating-out-of-hand peach. Expect pie peaches to arrive later in the season.

Peaches do not ripen on the tree, and these were just picked. To ripen, leave out on your countertop in a bowl. Once it feels ripe (the peach gives slightly when you press with your thumb, and it smells sweet), refrigerate to slow the ripening process.

Can’t eat all of your peaches in one week? Freeze the peaches for making smoothies! The blueberries freeze equally well, and are just as tasty a snack eaten frozen.

Haven’t finished all of your plums from last week? At the farm we simmered them with sugar and rum to make a sauce for ice cream and yogurt (we then froze the sauce in batches). Sorry, no recipe. We winged it—but start with less sugar and  not too much rum (or no rum at all), bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and taste after cooking for about 15 minutes. You can always add more. We added a cornstarch slurry to thicken it slightly.

CSA Week 6

Farm Letter

Right now, we’re irrigating like crazy. We’ve now used up about a half million gallons of water to sustain our main field, and, based on the forecast, expect we’ll need to keep running it continuously this week.

A brief rain Sunday afternoon wasn’t even enough to dampen the soil under the canopy of this young, delicate Thai basil plant (see pic).

A USDA Conservation engineer came by the farm today to consult on building another pond. He told us we haven’t had any measurable rainfall since June 6 and that this has been the driest June and July for our county.

Our sweet corn crop is among the casualties. So if you’ve been waiting for the golden moment of having your first corn on the cob this season, we recommend not waiting to find it in your share. We usually do have it.

On an up note(!), our orchard farmer, Tom Maynard, is loving this weather. It makes for flavorful tree fruit. And we can attest to that having just had a sample of this week’s white nectarines (pic below). Maryellen served the kids a bowl of sliced nectarines this morning saying, “You’ve got to try these. They’re like nature’s candy.” That caught their attention.

As Tom taught us last year, the white nectarines are more aromatic than a yellow nectarine, which tends to taste more tart.

 

Share list:

1 head Romaine lettuce
1 bunch carrots
2 kohlrabi
Swiss chard
1 bunch broccoli
1 bunch sweet, mild onions

 

Fruit share: white nectarines

COOKING TIPS AND RECIPES: 

Grilled romaine? I was reading the Contributor’s section of a recent Fine Cooking magazine issue, and a former colleague of mine from the magazine said her latest favorite food was grilled Romaine. Now this I’ve got to try. And maybe you want to try too.

The L.A. Times ran a recipe for this just a few days ago: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/07/dinner-tonight-grilled-romaine-with-fava-beans-and-pecorino.html

You could easily substitute a white bean, like cannellini, drained, rinsed and chilled for the favas. I wouldn’t feel wed to the Pecorino, as well, if you don’t have it on hand but have a suitable alternative.

If you don’t have a grill but are curious about this idea, Alton Jones has a riff on it using a stovetop griddle or sauté pan:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/grilled-romaine-recipe/index.html

Tip: Hang onto the outer Romaine leaves you pull off for the above recipes and use in the kohlrabi recipe below or tear up to make a salad with sliced nectarines, dried cherries or cranberries and almonds or top on a sandwich with some browned sweet onions from this week and a favorite cheese.

KOHLRABI

This German cabbage looks like vegetal sputnik and, we think, it is out of this world.

Kohlrabi has a crisp, juicy texture and is often likened to broccoli stems but only milder and sweeter (and crunchier). It’s delicious paired with fresh herbs like chives, cilantro or parsley, radishes, carrots and apples, as well as with seasonings like horseradish, sesame, ginger, and mustard. Slice it into batons and snack on it with a creamy dip or dressing in the afternoon or before serving dinner. Thinly sliced, it can also be added to a salad. A popular way to prepare kohlrabi is as a slaw.

Kohlrabi is also tasty sautéed or roasted (cut them into thin slices or bite-size wedges first) or added to a braise or stew. You can also boil the bulbs until tender and mash them.

Kohlrabi will hold in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks. So, don’t feel pressed to use it up this week if you’re still working your way through last week’s share. Save some for a summer picnic.

 Recipe from the farm: Kohlrabi Slaw with Confetti or Romaine Chard

Making “matchsticks” and “confetti” might sound tedious, but there’s a simple trick:  thinly slice the trimmed kohlrabi. Stack a few of the slices on top of one another and then slice into the sticks. For the chard (or Romaine—left over from the grilled hearts you may have made), roll the leaves into cigar shapes and then very thinly slice across to make the confetti.

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 1/2 Tbs. walnut or other mild-tasting oil

2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/8-inch thick matchsticks

1 purple kohlrabi bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks (2 cups)

1 cup of very thinly sliced chard or outer Romaine leaves (see tip, above)

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

In a small bowl whisk the vinegar, honey, mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt, and a pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in the walnut oil until combined.

Put the kohlrabi, carrots, kale, and parsley in a medium bowl. Pour in the dressing and gently toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Crispy footing from the house to the greenhouse after 4 weeks without rain.

Water from the farm's pond is being pumped out to irrigate. It's helping but has its limitations.

Winter squash in a back field suffers from lack of rain. This field, which contains our sweet corn and a number of other crops, is not within reach of the farm's irrigation system.

Note to Cooperstown members: the distribution will be at 54 Elm Street again. 

LETTER FROM THE FARM:

When you hike around the farm these days from task the task, the ground audibly crunches underfoot. We are now in our 4^th week here without rain.

Plants naturally struggle without water, and this is visible around the farm. Though conditions here are mild in comparison to the drought conditions in the Midwest where farmers are simply ploughing under shriveling corn crops, the drought is compromising our yields and challenging our ability to get certain crops started from seed (seeds need moisture to germinate).

Two years ago the farm received a grant through the USDA National Resources Conservation Service, which assisted us in the building of a million gallon pond and installation of an irrigation system with underground water lines running to the edges of our primary fields. Last year there was no shortage of rain, so we did not get the chance to put the system to work. Now, it’s running.

It is a drip system (perforated plastic lines are run down a bed of plants and slowly drip water out through the night). It is an amazing thing to have. Because of this system, we were able to run drip line through a mature broccoli crop all of this past week so that it would hold up for this week’s harvest. At the same time, because it is such a gentle watering system and the conditions are so dry, it’s not completely effective. It’s more like a band aid. And we do have crops in our back fields that this system can’t reach.

So, needless to say, we could use a good, soaking rain.

IN THIS WEEK’S SHARE:

1 head fresh garlic
1 bunch broccoli
1 bunch basil
2 cucumbers
2 to 3 zucchini or patty pan squash
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch beets

 (zucchini and squash types and amounts vary depending on what you've received in past weeks)

FRUIT SHARE:

Sweet Yellow Plums
Yellow Peaches*

(peaches only for those CSA groups that did not receive them last week because of the holiday: at-farm and Cooperstown members)

Sweet yellow plums are ripe when they turn a "canary yellow" color and are soft to touch. "They're wonderful," says grower Tom Maynard. 

The plums and peaches were just picked and need time to ripen off the tree. 

To ripen, leave out in the counter in a bowl or on a plate. Transfer into the refrigerator once ripe. 

For those members with a chicken share, this is a chicken distribution week.

Cooking tips and recipe ideas:

Fresh ideas for this week’s squash

Zucchini is so incredibly versatile (green or golden). Great on the stovetop or in the oven—whether you’re roasting for dinner or making Maryellen's chocolate nut zucchini bread for a snack: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/chocolate-nut-zucchini-bread.aspx

(we ate 2 loaves in 24 hours--okay, our young dog got a hold of half of one)

An outdoor grill or electric griddle or stovetop grill plan can be used for this recipe for grilled zucchini with chive oil--http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/grilled-zucchini-chive-oil.aspx 

Maybe skip the chive oil and use this week's basil to make a basil oil instead (use leftovers for a homemade vinaigrette): http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/basil-oil.aspx

The Cousa-style squash can be treated like a zucchini (the only thing we haven’t tried with it is making zucchini bread), but it is popular with some Middle-Eastern cuisines for stuffing with ground lamb or beef and rice. Variations on this abound: with or without meat or with a different kind of grain—may be with some minced sautéed beet greens and a cheese…. Let us know if you have a recipe for this specialty squash.

Spare your carrots!!! No need to bother peeling the carrots in your share. Just scrub to get any residual dirt off of them and enjoy.

Beet conundrum: Are beets a hard sell in your household? Or maybe you haven’t learned to love them? Sneak them into a chocolate cake: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/chocolate-beet-layer-cake.aspx

Or maybe you do love beets (especially great roasted) but hate the idea of turning on the oven in this summer heat. Here are two no-cook beet salads to consider:

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/recipe-of-the-day-raw-beet-salad/

and

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/health/nutrition/08recipehealth.html?_r=2

Granted, beets aren’t as sweet when served raw. If you like the idea of a cooling beet salad but are willing to turn on the oven for a sweeter-tasting beet, the yogurt dressing is a nice, fresh counterpart to the earthy beet. Don’t hesitate to use minced basil (from this week’s share) instead of the dill called for in this recipe:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/nutrition/05recipehealth.html

Storing fresh garlic. The garlic is now at the stage where you can simply leave it out on the counter. The papery layers around the cloves will dry back some and be easier to peel off. 

CSA Share Week #4

Note to Cooperstown members: the distribution site has had to change this week. Please see the e-mail sent out to members for alternate site information.

FARM LETTER

The farm tries to make sure each share has a good showing of familiar veggies in the mix. As the weeks go on, more and more of summer’s favorites, like cucumbers and tomatoes and green beans, should start appearing. But, as many of our CSA members tell us, they also like that belonging to a CSA pushes them out of their comfort zone—inspires them to try something new, something they wouldn’t buy in the supermarket or, in the case of this week’s Treviso radicchio, something they may not ever even find in the supermarket. 

Native to Italy, this form of chicory is so rich in color and texture and character. We had to take a picture. Unlike the more common ball-shaped radicchio, this is oblong in shape. Since it’s not necessarily “native” to most of our home refrigerators, we’ve provided a web link below for some general information and an assortment of recipes.

            

 In this week’s share:

1# sugar snap peas

1 green cabbage

1 bunch radish

1 bunch parsley

7 ounces (.44 lbs.) salad mix (mixed baby greens)

1 Treviso radicchio

5 ounces spicy greens mix (good for salad or stir fries)

summer squash*

*We are rotating the kind of summer squash members receive. All of the squash-- zucchini, golden zucchini, patty pan squash, and Mid-East or cousa-type squash (variety Magda). All of them cook similarly. Great sautéed, roasted, grilled. The patty pans can be stuffed. The Mid-East, light green squash is known for its nutty flavor. 

Fruit Share:

For city and JCC members, refer to your CSA newsletter for specifics. Local and Cooperstown members will not have a fruit share this week because of the changed holiday schedule, but hang tight--peaches are on their way!!

Radicchio: The Martha Stewart web site offers a nice overview of radicchio and a wide spectrum of ways it can be cooked. There is a slaw recipe that could work with this week’s radicchio and cabbage. There is also an interesting recipe in which the radicchio is “grilled” on a grill pan and has grated fontina tucked and melted between its leaves.

http://www.marthastewart.com/286437/radicchio-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide#/286434

Sugar snap peas are terrific eaten whole—pod and all—and are sweetest eaten raw. They make a great snack.

CSA Share Week #3

CSA members harvest garlic scapes for this week's share.

After having a number of CSA members say they miss the blog, we’re returning to this format to keep everyone up to date. 

This weekend we had our annual CSA Open House. We had an enthusiastic crew of  members zip through a few rows of garlic to harvest scapes for everyone’s share. This task served a secondary purpose. Scapes are the flower portion of a garlic plant, and  snapping them off helps the plant redirect its energy into growing the bulb of garlic underground.

Members also helped to prep Thai basil plants that were ready to be moved from the greenhouse into the field. After watching a planting demonstration by two of our staffers, a few brave souls even took a turn riding on our water-wheel transplanter and planting the basil into the soil (see pic).

It’s great for us to meet members and get their take on what they enjoy most about the CSA experience. And we are always so impressed by how much they want to understand the intricacies of growing food organically. After a short harvest exercise in the field, everyone seemed to especially appreciate how hard the work can be—bent over plants, in the hot sun, lugging, lugging, lugging--and that was easy stuff.

If you are inclined to give thanks before eating a meal that includes food from the CSA, these would be a few names worth noting: Ken (your farmer) and Armando, Sergio and Ariel (our staff). They are the ones here really making it all happen in the fields, whether it’s scorching hot like last week, pouring rain or the wind is cold and strong like it is today. 

IN THIS WEEK'S SHARE:

1/2 pound garlic scapes
5 summer squash*
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 bunch beets
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 bunch kale
5 1/2 ounces arugula
1 bunch basil

FRUIT SHARE: 

1/2 pint fresh black currants

This week's currants come from farmer Ray Tousey in Germantown, NY. He uses them to make some incredibly thirst-quenching juice he sells at the Kingston Farmer's Market on Sundays as well as for making wine. Currants go in "anything boring," according to Ray. That would be anything neutral-flavored that could use some kick, like muffins, a quick bread, oatmeal, pancakes or scones. Currants are extremely high in Vitamin C and antioxidants believed to help prevent cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's. 

notes from the farm's kitchen 

maryellen's tips

Caesar Salad. Hold the bottled dressing! A homemade dressing for Caesar salad can be really simple and so much tastier. Maryellen can vouch for ThreeManyCooks.com’s version of Caesar salad as being both terrific tasting and simple. This is a blog by cookbook author and friend Pam Anderson and her two wry-humored, 20-something daughters Maggy and Sharon. Pam has a great, practical approach to developing recipes. Maryellen was lucky to learn a lot from her 10 years ago when helping her work on her book "CookSmart." It's worth checking out all of her books. 

Arugula. If you’re looking for something different to do with it this week, here is a recipe for Fettucine with Arugula-Walnut Pesto and, similarly, one for salmon with arugula-walnut pesto.

Garlic scapes. While this week’s garlic scapes could be used with this week’s basil to make and freeze more pesto or a white bean garlic scape dip, you could also use it to make an olive-garlic tapenade. With a knife or in a food processor, finely chop some of the scapes with kalamata olives (seeds removed) and extra-virgin olive oil. In a bowl stir in some red wine vinegar to taste. A little minced basil would work nice too. This could be served with bread for an appetizer or tossed with pasta along with some chickpeas or white beans and goat or feta cheese or spoon over fish or chicken.

Swiss chard. This green as being a lot like spinach. Of course, that means it’s something our kids won’t readily eat. (They’re in a, sigh, fussy stage.) We'll see if tucking it into some stuffed shells this week might sell them on this highly nutritious green. Like kale, you’ll want to strip the stems off. The stems are edible but, if you want to cook them with the greens, you’ll need to chop them up into small pieces and start sautéing them first (before adding the greens), because they take a little more time to cook.

Beet greens. You can search this blog for past information on how to roast beets (this cooking method seems to convert just a bout anyone who has never liked beets before). The greens this week are in great shape for eating. They are very good for you too. Last night, dinner had to be quick, so I layered the leaves on top of eachother and rolled them up (like a cigar) before slicing thinly (see pic). In culinary terms, this is called chiffonade. Then I sautéed diced patty pan squash (zucchini would work too) and added minced garlic, onions (from last week’s share) and the beet greens in when the squash was golden brown. The greens need just a couple of minutes to wilt. I added a squirt of lime juice and would have added some currants or raisins if I had some. This went in a burrito with refried black beans and brown rice with some tomatillo salsa from Trader Joe’s. A relatively quick fix that was both satisfying and healthy too.

Summer squash. We didn’t have enough of the same kind of squash for all of our members, so not everyone got the same type. Whether you received zucchini or short, stout yellow patty pans or the light green Cousa-style squash, they are all terrific this time of year sliced ¼ inch thick and browned on an outdoor grill or an indoor electric grill (aka a “George Foreman”). You can then dress simply with basil oil made from your basil. The blanching step might seem tedious, but it sets the color so that it’s a striking emerald green.

CSA Share Week 22

Snow in October? Even here in Upstate New York, it’s just about unheard of.

     In the last week, we had not one but two snow events here. Neither accumulated more than an inch or so. More significantly, with the snow came overnight temps dropping into the 20s. Not many plants will survive that kind of cold. Some do: hearty greens like collards, kale, escarole (in pic) and even some lettuce.

     Fortunately, we harvested like mad before the first storm to get everything in that we knew wouldn’t tolerate the cold. Better said, Ken and our two remaining employees—Armando and Ariel Leal (cousins)—did the work, in the rain and in 30-degree temperatures, harvesting, washing and packing the produce. Talk about numb fingers.

     It’s a relatively large share, but many of the items will hold. So there’s no need to feel like you have to eat it all in one week. Store the garlic on your countertop. It will hold there for weeks. The onions can do the same. Potatoes are best kept in a dark, cool but not cold location (don’t refrigerate). Many of the greens will hold up in your crisper. Just store in produce bags.

     It was quite a growing season. We’ve never experienced anything quite like it. So you may be wondering if we’re glad it’s over. The truth is…nah. We love what we do and regret seeing another season come to an end. We are so very grateful for all of you who took a chance on us for yet another season or for the first time. We didn’t get all the crops we’d hoped or planted for, we were lucky that we never came up short overall.

    

______________________________________________________________________

IN THIS WEEK’S SHARE:

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch kale

1 bunch cilantro

2 heads lettuce

1 bunch leeks

1 head escarole

1 bunch collards

5.6 ounces arugula (.35#)

Garlic *

3 pound bag potatoes

Onions (red and/or yellow)*

*Amounts vary at distribution sites based on onion and garlic size

__________________________________________________________________________

COOKING TIPS and RECIPES:

 

Potatoes, Leeks…. Need we say more. It’s time to make soup!

Similarly, escarole is a classic and tasty green in a chicken soup. For a quick fix, stir-fry it. It’s great with an orange-soy sauce (orange juice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, Vietnamese hot sauce). Every year we recommend this Escarole and White Bean Stew with Rustic Croutons. A number of CSA member have tried it and loved it, so we keep recommending it. (It’s perfectly delicious without the pancetta).

This side dish of Sauteed Escarole with Raisins, Pine Nuts and Capers developed by Maryellen’s friend Jennifer Armentrout of Fine Cooking is equally delicious and quick too.

 

Collards also make a nutritious and simple weeknight side dish, such as in this recipe by Susie Middleton for Quick Sauteed Collard Ribbons.

 

We also stumbled over this recipe—Mama Nava’s Ye’abesha Gomen (Collard Greens). The ingredients are a bit unexpected, but it sounds as if it's a hit.

 

Lastly, if you still have butternut squash left over from last week and are not saving it for Thanksgiving, it can be used with this week's cilantro in a quick side dish for Butternut Squash with Ginger and Cilantro.

The CSA structure truly helps to buttress our farm so we can better focus on what we are passionate about—growing great organic food. Thank you for your support.