Welcome to week 22 of the P&C CSA!
Here’s what’s in the box:
- Brussels Sprouts
- 2 Heads of Garlic
- Yellow Storage Onion
- Cauliflower
- Beets
- Red Potatoes
- Acorn Squash
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Apples – from the new farm, not certified organic but also not sprayed
Happy Halloween folks! We’re well into fall now that we’re officially in the weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving. The weather is turning colder, and rainier, and our minds are turning to comfort foods. The share is full of comfort food ingredients these days including potatoes and squash and greens and we’re eating a lot of roasted roots. We’re also returning to our crock pot, and enjoying warm and tasty meals ready at the end of a wet day or evening out in the field. It’s a countdown to the feast at Thanksgiving that will celebrate the entire season of good, local food.
In the next few weeks we’ll be focusing on marking items off our to-do list that simply didn’t get done any sooner. Hopefully before wintery weather comes our way we’ll finish up things like insulating the pump house at the new farm, moving our cooler and wash station to the new farm, and generally ‘battening down the hatches’. Now that the Saturday Market has come to an end we should have more time to dig into these other projects.
We hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween! We’ll see you at the new pick-up location next week!
Enjoy the veggies this week!
Your farmers, Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler.
Recipe inspiration for this week’s vegetables:
Garlic Broth-Braised Brussels Sprouts
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed off stems and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup garlic broth (see recipe below)
Coarse sea salt
¼ cup white wine
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
White pepper
Coat a large sauté pan with the olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts, arranging them cut side down, making one snug layer. Turn the heat to medium-high and sauté until the cut sides are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the Garlic Broth and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Bring to a boil and stir well. Immediately reduce the temperature to low, cover tightly, and braise for 15 minutes. Add the white wine and the thyme, stir well, cover, and braise 5 minutes more until the Brussels sprouts are meltingly tender.
Remove from heat.
Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
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Garlic Broth –
4 whole garlic bulbs, unpeeled, broken up, and smashed with the back of a knife
½ teaspoon sea salt
9 cups water
In a large pot over high heat, combine the garlic, salt, and water. Bring to a boil reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for a bout an hour.
Strain the garlic cloves, pressing down on them to extract all their liquid and discard (compost) them.
……..
From Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine, Bryant Terry
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Shredded Beet, Apple, and Currant Salad with Apple Vinaigrette
2 large fresh beets, peeled, roots trimmed, and coarsely grated
2 large firm apples, cored, peeled, and coarsely grated
2 cups apple juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup currants
Combine the shredded beets and apples in a large bowl.
In a small saucepan over high-heat, bring the apple juice to a boil and reduce the juice to little less than ½ cup, about 15 minutes. Transfer 1 Tablespoon of the reduced apple juice to an upright blender (reserve the rest for another dish or dilute with water and drink).
Make the vinaigrette by adding the apple cider vinegar and salt to the blender and blending while slowly pouring in the olive oil. Season with white pepper to taste.
Add currants and the dressing to the bowl with the beets and apples and massage with clean hands until well dressed, 3 to 5 minutes.
From Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine, Bryant Terry
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Cider Glazed Roasted Root Vegetable Stew
1 Cup Yukon Potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Cup Parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 Cup Carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 Large Leek, cleaned thoroughly and sliced thinly into half-moons
1 Cup Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Cup Rutabagas, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Head of Garlic
1 Cup Apple Cider
3 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
4 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock, or Water
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Thyme
1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Sage
Salt and Pepper, to taste
*Also throw in winter squash, Brussels sprouts, or other such veggies you have lurking about.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the top third of the head of garlic. Sprinkle a little oil on top of the exposed cut and loosely wrap the garlic in foil. Place garlic in oven to roast.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and rutabagas with 3 tablespoons of oil. Spread the vegetables evenly onto a cookie sheet and place in oven. Roast for approximately 15 minutes.
In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter. Add the leeks and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the roasted root vegetables and apple cider. Continue to cook until cider has reduced by half.
Add the stock or water, thyme, bay leaves, and sage. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove garlic from oven. Garlic should be soft and aromatic. Squeeze the garlic from the bulbs into a small bowl. Mash the garlic well with a fork. Stir the roasted garlic into the stew.
Season stew with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
From About.com via Brett Moore, http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/appetizers/r/roastvegstew.htm
