Monday, November 14, 2011

Winter CSA Share #2, Tuesday, Nov. 15th!

Standard Share

5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
5 lbs onions
5 lbs carrots
10 lbs squash, mixed varieties
1 head garlic
½ lb salad mix
1 bunch kale
2 lbs turnips
1 lb leeks
1 small head cabbage
2 kohlrabi
2 bunches fresh herbs (sage, thyme)
1 “Long Pie” pie pumpkin

Family Share:

10 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
10 lbs onions
10 lbs carrots
15 lbs squash, mixed varieties
2 head garlic
¾  lb salad mix
1 extra-large bunch kale
3 lbs turnips
2 lb leeks
2 small head cabbage
3 kohlrabi
2 bunches fresh herbs (sage, thyme)
1 “Long Pie” pie pumpkin


Farm News:

Happy almost Thanksgiving! Our garlic is planted and covered in straw for the winter, all the crops are harvested (except for the greens in the greenhouse, of course), and the new greenhouse is getting skinned on Saturday. We’ll be able to relax next week while visiting Mike’s mother in Indiana for turkey day, and we’ll have plenty to be thankful for. We are looking forward to cooking up a big feast  with all of out favorites. We hope you can put lots of your veggies from this week to good use!
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your families!

A few notes:
Long Pie pumpkin looks funny, like a giant orange zucchini, but is actually a heirloom pumpkin with great flavor and smooth flesh that makes WONDERFUL pies.
For those of you who haven’t tried Kohlrabi yet, it is wonderful grated into coleslaw, sliced up for dipping, or roasted coated in olive oil and salt and pepper. Just peel off the tough skin to get at the crunchy flesh.

Thanks,
Christa, Mike and little Lizzy

Recipes:

Thanksgiving Day Creamed Turnips
  • 1 large turnip, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste

 Place the turnip in a saucepan with enough water to cover the cubes; place the saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes; drain water and return turnip to saucepan.
    Return the saucepan to medium heat. Pour enough fresh water over the turnips to cover; add the sugar. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until turnip pieces are fork tender; drain.
    Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the flour into the butter to make a roux. Whisk in the milk until the mixture thickens. Add the turnips and stir gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cabbage, Carrot and Kohlrabi Slaw

This slaw is delicious by itself but I most often make it as a topping for fish tacos. Try adding shredded chicken to the slaw. With chicken, this slaw makes a great wrap sandwich.

  • 3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1 large kohlrabi, shredded
Dressing:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • juice of one lime
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

    To prepare slaw, combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. To prepare dressing, all ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Pour dressing over the slaw; toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour. From http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2972191-Cabbage-Carrot-and-Kohlrabi-Slaw

Butternut Squash Soup

    1 butternut squash
    3 Tbs unsalted butter or vegetable oil
    2 large leeks
    4 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
    6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
    1 1/2 tsp salt

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place face down on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until squash can easily be pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Let cool a bit, then scoop pulp from squash skin and discard skin.

Carefully clean leeks and chop. Melt butter in a soup pot. Cook leeks and ginger 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in the squash. Add 4 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes. Use a spoon to periodically stir and to break up squash clumps. Puree or mash until smooth. Then add 2 cups of stock and salt.

Garnish with cream or sour cream, croutons, and/or toasted squash seeds. From The Joy of Cooking.

Roasted Root Vegetables
This is one of our favorite recipes, and we probably eat it 3 times a week or so until we run out of the ingredients. This is a very simple recipe – you can make as much or as little as you want. This makes enough to roast on a large cookie sheet – I would cut the amounts in half if you want to roast them in a roasting pan.

2 cups diced potatoes
2 cups diced onion
1.5 cups cubed squash
1.5 cups diced beets or turnips
1.5 cups diced carrots
1 or two apples, diced.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the veggies in a liberal amount of olive oil – I usually use about ½ cup – as well as salt and black pepper to taste. Spread them evenly on a cookie sheet, and cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 400, covered for about 20-30 minutes (until veggies begin to soften). Remove foil cover, and continue to roast until veggies are soft on the inside, but browning on the out side. Yum!

Leek-Potato Pancakes
5 large potatoes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced in small rings
salt & freshly ground black pepper,
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Grate potatoes into mixing bowl and cover with water. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium skillet. Add leeks and cook stirring until softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Drain potatoes and dry them well in kitchen towel.
In skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When the butter/oil is hot, spread half the potatoes in the pan and press down with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and half the thyme. Over potato layer, spread leeks in a thin layer and sprinkle with flour. Cover that with the rest of the potato mixture and press down. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and remaining thyme. Cook for 8-10 minutes on one side, then carefully slide pancake out onto plate. Invert plate and put uncooked side down in skillet. Saute for another 8-10 minutes or until very crusty. Serve with sour cream, creme fraiche, or plain yogurt. Thanks to http://www.recipezaar.com/Potato-and-Leek-Pancake-170466