Welcome to week 23 of the P&C CSA!

Here’s what’s in the box:

• Red Cabbage
• 2 Heads of Garlic*
• Red Storage Onion*
• Cauliflower or Broccoli
• Rutabaga
• Red Sweet Peppers*
• Sweet Potatoes*
• Delicata Squash*
• Carrots
• Arugula
• Parsley
• Pears – from the new farm, not certified organic but also not sprayed

*These veggies don’t need to be stored in the fridge, especially the sweet potatoes.

The end of the season is drawing near, but this week brought many ‘firsts’ for us.  It was the first time either of us had ever rented a truck for moving.  We went big, and rented a 26ft U-Haul for moving our cooler panels, wash station, and new-to-us greenhouse frames to the new farm.  We loaded it up Tuesday afternoon and unloaded it (much faster than we loaded it thanks to gravity!) on Wednesday evening.  Luckily we recently purchased clip-on lights for our hats as the unloading was mostly after-dark.

Having dismantled and moved our wash station, we had another first today when we washed the CSA veggies in a borrowed wash station.  Our neighbors, and Jeff’s employers, were nice enough to let us use their space for the task.  Because we only had the CSA harvest to wash, it went much faster than when we’re washing vegetables for the CSA and for Market.

We’re looking forward to getting our workspaces set-up at the new farm.  There’s much organizing to be done and many decisions to be made about efficiency and space, but we’re excited to have enough room to accomplish the tasks at hand.  Next year will bring another first, as we work towards consolidating the bulk of the farm into a single location.  But this week we have our final first as we meet at the new CSA pick-up location!

Enjoy the veggies this week!

Your farmers,

Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

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Recipe inspiration for this week’s vegetables:

Chicken Stir-fry with Yams, Red Cabbage, and Hoisin

2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, divided
2 yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes; about 1 pound), peeled, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick rounds, then cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips
1 medium-size red onion, cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
8 ounces skinless boneless chicken cutlets, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups 1/3-inch-thick strips sliced red cabbage (about 1/4 medium head)
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add yams and onion; stir-fry until yams are just tender, adjusting heat if browning too quickly and adding water by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add chicken, ginger, and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add cabbage; stirfry until chicken is cooked through and cabbage is wilted but still slightly crunchy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in hoisin sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in 1/2 cup cilantro. Transfer stir-fry to serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

From epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Stir-fry-with-Yams-Red-Cabbage-and-Hoisin-351250

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Smashed Rutabagas with Ginger-Roasted Pears

4 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 firm Anjou pears (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Coarse kosher salt

Cook rutabagas in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine oil, lemon juice, ginger, and sugar in large bowl. Add pears; toss to coat. Spread on prepared sheet. Roast until tender, turning pears every 10 minutes, about 35 minutes total.

Drain rutabagas; return to same pot. Mash to coarse puree. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, 5 minutes. Add cream, butter, and thyme. Mix in pears and any juices from baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.

From epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Smashed-Rutabagas-with-Ginger-Roasted-Pears-240414

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Swede Potato Soup with Fried Spaghetti Squash and Toasted Pepitas

Roasting the Vegetables
1 Spaghetti Squash, halved and seeded (for garnish, but you’ll have leftovers)
1 Head Garlic
2 Cups Rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 1/2 Cups Sweet Potato, peeled and diced
Oil
Salt
Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400º F.

Rub squash with oil and place cut-side down on a roasting pan.

Cut the top off the head of garlic and remove the papery skin, reserving the skin on the cloves themselves. Drizzle with oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on the same baking sheet.

Coat the rutabaga sweet potato in oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add these to the baking sheet.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until everything is golden, soft, and well-roasted. Allow garlic to cool a bit before opening the foil package.

Making the Soup
1/2 Onion, chopped
Roasted Sweet Potatoes, from above
Roasted Rutabaga, from above
1/2 Cup Cashews
2 Cups water, more if needed
1 Bullion Cube
1 Pinch Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
Roasted Garlic, from above, as much as the whole head if you’re brave

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the head and reserve the paste. If you’re not using all of it, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray and add it to recipes as you wish.

Sauté onion until very soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Blend all of the above ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. If you’re worried your blender will not blend the nuts completely, you can sub soy or coconut milk for the water and skip the nuts, and/or strain the soup. It’ll taste a little different, but it’ll still be delicious. Add water as desired to get preferred thickness.

Making the Garnish, optional
1/4 Cup Pepitas
1/4 Cup Roasted Spaghetti Squash, see above
2 tsp All Purpose Flour
1 Pinch Salt
Oil

Heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add pepitas and cook until browned. Be careful, they may pop and fly around while cooking. Remove to a bowl to stop the cooking and set aside.

Scrape out the roasted spaghetti squash into bowl with a fork. Roll the strands in a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Replace squash in the bowl, add a pinch of salt and the flour and mix well.

Heat a cast-iron pan over very high heat with some oil. Spread out spaghetti squash in a thin, lacy layer and let brown on both sides until, until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.

From Vegan Yum Yum, http://veganyumyum.com/2007/11/rutabagas-are-for-lovers/