Week 12; September 19, 2013
What's in the box?
Mustard / Asian Greens bunch
celery
potatoes
broccoli
sweet and bell peppers
Delicata and Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash
Sage
Tomatoes
Mustard / Asian Greens bunch
Potatoes
Delicata and Sweet Dumpling Squash
Cauliflower
Sage
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Sweet and Bell Peppers
Notes on the box.....
So the Mustard / Asian Greens bunch might be new and somewhat challenging for some of you. My advice is to have a taste of each leaf raw, just a nibble, to see if you like the spicy and bitter flavor of the different greens. If you like them raw, I suggest giving them a good rinse then chopping them up and dressing them with a sweet dressing such as a honey mustard. If that seems too much for your taste buds to handle, they are nice added to Asian noodle soups or sautéed and served with a little toasted sesame oil. They will store for about a week in an open plastic bag in your fridge.
The Celery is best used more as an herb. It's not like the long tender stuff from California, but it is very flavorful. Chop it (leaves and all) and saute with peppers and onions for gumbo or any other type of savory soup. It's also good in raw salads, but you have to chop it up or it is too tough to eat! Good in stir fry as well, but cutting it into smallish pieces is key to dealing with it's toughness! We think the flavor makes it worth it. Let us know what you think!
This is just the beginning of the Winter Squash. Delicata is a favorite of ours. It doesn't hold as long as other Winter Squash, but it can be enjoyed in many different ways and it's easy to prepare. The skin is nice and thin and can be eaten. We really like it prepared simply and eaten as "rainbows" as Otto says. The skin of the Sweet Dumpling is also edible. Store Winter Squash on your counter until you are ready to eat it. It does not need to be refrigerated. If you notice any soft spots forming, be sure to trim it off and eat the rest right away.
Fresh Sage can be stored like other herbs with the stems in a small cup of water on your counter or in the fridge. It has a very strong flavor that compliments roasted squash, potatoes, pork, and ground beef very nicely. You can chop it up, fry it in a nice chunk of butter, and then serve it with gnocchi or squash ravioli for a very quick dinner.
Recipes....
[yumprint-recipe id='21'] Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash
Mushroom Soba and Miso Braised Mustard Greens
On the farm...
So many glorious bees on the sunflowers!
Pumpkin time for the harvest party
Otto and his buddy, Ira. He made a lot of new friends at the Harvest Party!
We had a really wonderful time at the Harvest Party. Thanks so much to everyone that came out! We were cut a little short because of the rain, but we couldn't complain too much since it was so badly needed. People brought some wonderful food to share and the kids had a total blast and impressed us with how easily they took to the farm. Not afraid of a little dirt or a huge stack of hay! We hope everyone that came got a jack-o-lantern before they left and that you will come and visit again soon. If you weren't able to make it out, please know that you are ALWAYS welcome at the farm. Let us know when you want to come out and we can make sure to be here. We love meeting the people who eat the veggies that we grow. We love hearing what you think about the CSA and getting your input. (By the way, thanks for the encouraging and positive responses to last weeks blog. It means a lot to us!) Next season we plan on having more farm events to get more people out. There was just too much going on this year!!
Cows grazing....
And in the milking parlor
