October 17, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Parsnips

 

What's In The Box

Porcelain Garlic: We’re changing up the garlic variety this week with one of our porcelain varieties. Porcelain garlic is characterized by having larger cloves, but fewer per bulb compared to Italian garlic. So, when a recipe calls for a clove or more of garlic, use your own judgement based on your tastes and preferences for how much you will use since we know all cloves are not the same size!

Yellow Onions: This week we are delivering “Talon” onions, our highest performing storage onion this year! This onion has a nice thick, strong, copper skin which facilitates long term storage and allows us to have onions for you into December!

Red & Orange Italian Frying Peppers: This is our final delivery of peppers for the 2024 season. You will find these sweet peppers to be particularly sweet and flavorful as they were at their peak of ripeness when we picked them just before the frost settled into our valley.

Jalapeño Peppers: Please note your box may contain green and/or red jalapeño peppers. These are hot peppers, so be careful not to confuse a red jalapeño with a red Italian frying pepper. The frying pepper is larger and longer than the jalapeños and has a pointy tip. The jalapeños are smaller with a round tip. If you don’t have a use for all of them this week, pop them into the freezer or turn them into a small jar of pickled jalapeños so you can enjoy them later! Of course, you might want to use one to make the Creamy Peanutty Thai Carrot Soup in this week’s Cooking With the Box suggestions!

Baby Arugula: This is the time of year when the flavor of arugula is at its best, still spicy but a bit more mild when the nights get cool. Enjoy it as the base of a salad along with fall fruit such as pears or apples!

Spinach: This week you will find a big bunch of spinach in your box. This more mature spinach is packed with flavor and may be eaten raw or cooked. There is flavor and nutrition in the stems as well, so don’t throw them out! 

Rainbow Chard: Chard is not a frost tolerant green, so we did one final harvest earlier this week so we could include this in your box one more time. Notice how vibrant the colors are this time of year. Not only is this chard beautiful, but it’s also some of the best tasting of the season as the same compounds that give it color also give it flavor! 

Broccoli: Our fall broccoli production is starting to slow down, but we’re not done! Broccoli is frost tolerant; we just have to wait for it to thaw before we harvest it! Check out this week’s recipe suggestions for more broccoli uses!

Orange Carrots: This year’s carrots are particularly tasty, making them the perfect quick snack. While we’re accustomed to eating celery and peanut butter, carrots and peanut butter is a less familiar pairing but delicious none-the-less. Give it a try!

Russet or Gold Satina Potatoes: This week we are washing the last of our Russet and all gold potatoes. Russet potatoes have a darker brown skin whereas the gold variety has lighter, more smooth skin. Russet potatoes are more dry which makes them a great option for mashing. Gold potatoes are more waxy which is a better fit for pan-frying, roasting or sautéing.

Black Futsu Pumpkins: This is a Japanese specialty variety that is revered by Japanese chefs. While it resembles a pumpkin in appearance, and despite its’ name, it’s really a winter squash. The skin on these is still pretty fresh, thin and is actually edible. It’s most delectable when roasted as the skin becomes crispy. If you prefer to bake your black futsu, you may do that also by cutting it in half and baking the halves. Once cooked, it’s easy to scrape the flesh out of the shell. Peeling is possible, but not advised.

Cilantro: We are nearing the end of our cilantro season, one of our biggest staple crops! Use this week’s cilantro as a garnish to a warm curry dish or a plate of fajitas!

Baby Parsnips: We have been washing a lot of parsnips over the past two weeks and we’re finding a lot of very nice, but very small parsnips. These little baby parsnips are great because they require minimal prep and trimming and they cook faster! Simply toss them with oil, salt and pepper and spread them on a roasting pan OR check out this week’s recipe for a flavorful alternative!

BONUS: White Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco, or Sugar Dumpling Squash—You will receive one of these bonus items in your box this week!

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Curry Roasted Parsnip Fries with Liquid Gold Sauce (See Below)

Roasted Parsnips with Chili-Maple Butter

25 Delicious Vegan Broccoli Recipes

45 Amazing Broccoli Recipes Even Broccoli Haters Can’t Resist!

Easy Broccoli & Cranberry Salad with Sweet Peppers and Sesame Ginger Dressing

Sicilian Broccoli & Cauliflower Pasta

Arugula, Prosciutto and Grilled Pear Salad

Spinach & Arugula Salad with Candied Pecans, Apples & Poppyseed Dressing

Carrot Sticks with Peanut Butter

Curry Roasted Carrots with Peanut Sauce

Creamy Peanutty Thai Carrot Soup

Broccoli Garlic Mashed Potatoes

15 Minute Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

Cilantro-Lime Chicken Fajitas

Cilantro-Jalapeño Hummus

Fresh Spinach Dip

Palak Soup (Indian Spinach Soup)

Maple-Sage Roasted Black Futsu Pumpkin

Creamy Cider & Black Futsu Pumpkin Soup

Vegetable Feature: Parsnips

Parsnips have a distinct flavor that some people love and others are still learning to appreciate.  We start harvesting parsnips late in September or the first part of October.  While we harvest the majority of our crop in the fall, we also leave a small amount in the ground every fall.  Parsnips can survive in the frozen ground over the winter.  We dig them early in the spring as soon as the ground thaws and dries out.  Overwintered parsnips are much sweeter than our fall-harvested parsnips.  Over the course of the winter starches are converted to sugars and sometimes they’re so sweet they taste like candy.

Storage Tips: Store parsnips in the coldest part of your refrigerator in a plastic bag. They will store for several weeks under these conditions, so don’t feel like you need to eat them all right now. When you are ready to use them, Scrub the outer skin with a vegetable brush and trim off the top and bottom. Peeling is optional and totally up to you.

Preparation & Usage: Parsnips are very versatile and there are many ways to incorporate them into your meals. I seldom peel parsnips when I use them. I usually just give them a good scrubbing and then cook them. If you are making a dish where you want their bright whiteness to shine, you can peel them similarly to a carrot. The flavor of parsnips can be best highlighted when they are cooked, bringing out their sweetness and softening the texture. They can also be eaten raw as more of a salad preparation. Shred the parsnips and toss with a lemon vinaigrette and fresh herbs. Let the mixture set for a while to allow the lemon to soften the parsnips.

One of the easiest things to do with parsnips is slice them up and sauté them in butter or toss them with olive oil and roast them until they are golden brown.  Parsnips also make a creamy, silky puree that can be served similarly to mashed potatoes.  But if you’re still learning to appreciate the flavor of parsnips, you might find their flavor a bit too parsnip-y for your liking.  There are many other things you can do with a parsnip.  Small amounts added to soups and stews add a nice background flavor.  You can also try to maximize their characteristic sweetness and use them in sweet preparations such as muffins, cakes, and even pie!  Parsnips add not only sweetness, but moisture to baked goods.  The sweet, earthy flavor of parsnips pairs well with maple syrup, Dijon mustard, apples, oranges, onions, parsley, chives, raisins, ginger and warm spices such as coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Overwintered parsnips especially pair well with mushrooms, asparagus, sorrel, sunchokes and chives.

Cultural & Historical Background: Parsnips are more common in Europe, but are gaining popularity in the U.S.  In the Middle Ages parsnips were a staple vegetable in Central and Northern Europe because they could be used as a starch and a sweetener.  In the 19th century, the English and Irish folks used parsnips to make a wine which turned out similar to sweet Madeira.  They even made parsnip beer in Northern Ireland!

Growing Information: Parsnips are a very challenging crop to grow and have a long growing season. We plant the seeds early in the spring when the soil is still cold.  It can take as long as two to three weeks for the seeds to germinate and push through the soil.  Unfortunately the weeds never have a problem growing, which is one of the challenges we have over the course of their long season.  We invest a lot of time cultivating and hand weeding our parsnip crop so we can have a healthy crop to harvest in the fall.

 Curry Roasted Parsnip Fries with 5-Minute Liquid Gold Sauce

This simple recipe may be made with parsnips of any size, large or small. For even baking, it’s best to cut the parsnips into similar sized pieces.  The thinner the pieces, the crispier the fries. This recipe calls for “curry powder” in general. There are different curry powder blends, so choose the blend you prefer or, for added fun, make your own! These fries are good on their own, but they are even better with this plant-based, vegan dipping sauce. If you have extra sauce, serve it with other roasted vegetables, drizzle it over greens, grain bowls, etc. 

Photo from www.minimalistbaker.com

Yield:  4 servings 

1 pound parsnips

1 ½ Tbsp avocado or vegetable oil

½ tsp sea salt

1 pinch black pepper

1 tsp curry powder (blend of your choosing)

5-Minute Liquid Gold Sauce

½ cup cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

1Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 small cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp tahini

¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

¼ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp curry powder

⅛ tsp ground cumin

1 dash cayenne pepper

2 tsp maple syrup

⅓ cup water, plus more as needed

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Prepare parsnips by washing and trimming away the tops. If using small parsnips, cut in half or quarters lengthwise. If using larger parsnips, cut into thin strips.
3. Add the parsnip 'fries' to a bowl and drizzle with oil then season with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Toss to coat evenly, then spread them out in a single-layer on the prepared baking sheet. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and toss/flip. Return to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes more, or until browned on the edges and slightly crisp. The longer they bake, the more golden and crispy they will become. 
5. While the parsnips are baking, prepare the Liquid Gold Sauce for dipping. In a small blender or food processor, add chickpeas, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, tahini, salt, ground turmeric, curry powder, ground cumin, cayenne, maple syrup and water. 
6. Blend on high until creamy and smooth. Add more water as needed until a thick, pourable sauce is achieved.
7. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt to taste, curry powder for spice, tahini for creaminess, lemon for acidity, cayenne for heat or maple syrup for sweetness. Set aside. 
8. The parsnip fries are best served fresh, right out of the oven, with the Liquid Gold Sauce on the side. Store any leftover fries in the refrigerator 1-2 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven until hot and crispy. Store any extra sauce in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Recipe adapted from www.minimalistbaker.com. 

October 10, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Dill

 

What's In The Box

Italian Garlic: We’ve started cracking garlic in preparation for planting our 2025 crop! Garlic is an investment we gamble on every year, but it’s also an investment in our health when we eat it! Adding a little to your meals each day is the most affordable health insurance!

Yellow and Red Onions: The sulfur compounds in onions are what give them their pungency and also make us cry sometimes. As the plant is growing, these compounds are part of the plant’s defense system to protect them from disease and pests. When we consume them, they work as powerful antioxidants that support our health throughout our body systems. We consider onions to be a foundational part of our diets, both for their health benefits as well as the base flavor they contribute!

Orange & Red Italian Frying Peppers: With low temperatures forecasted for early next week, the end of pepper season is upon us. We think you’ll find this week’s frying peppers to be sweet and delicious as they are at their peak of ripeness! If you have one that is a little soft, it’s likely still good. The pepper just gets a little soft as it ripens. If you aren’t able to eat your peppers within a week, pop them in the freezer and use them later as a pizza topping, added to soups and stews, stir-fry or scrambled eggs.

Salad Mix: We are nearing the end of our salad mix for the season. Our fall crops came in a few weeks ahead of schedule with the warm fall. Enjoy with a light vinaigrette, shredded carrots, and thinly sliced peppers for a quick salad. Add protein such as chicken or salmon if you’d like to turn it into a main dish!

Spinach: We are nearing the end of our baby spinach for this fall as well. Use this week’s spinach as the base for a salad or toss it into pasta dishes or soups and wilt it down.

Red Summercrisp Lettuce OR Green Boston Lettuce OR Green Savoy Cabbage: Regardless of the selection in your box, wash the leaves well and either pat dry or dry them in a spinner before storing or using.

Broccoli: Our fall broccoli extravaganza continues! We encourage you to eat both the florets on top as well as the stalks and stems. Check out this week’s recipe suggestions below for some ways to put this week’s broccoli to use.

Orange Carrots: Going into the fall, rest assured we have a strong supply of sweet, delicious carrots! This staple vegetable is a great addition to roasted vegetable blends, soups and stews, cold-weather salads, as well as baked goods and desserts! 

Satina Gold Potatoes: This week’s potatoes have gold skin and gold flesh. They are a moist, waxy potato that is best for pan-frying or roasting, but they may also be simply steamed or boiled. Some of the potatoes may have some slight blemishes or brown spots. As we sorted them, we realized these blemishes are usually just affecting a small amount of the surface and the remainder of the potato is just fine. So we ask that you just cut away any spots with a paring knife and enjoy the remaining 95% of the potato!

Butterscotch Butternut Winter Squash:  This a small variety of butternut known to be sweet and flavorful…. hence the name. Enjoy this small squash simply prepared. Cut them in half lengthwise and bake. Serve with salt, pepper, and a pat of butter…for the main meal or dessert!

Orange Kuri Squash or Sugar Dumpling Squash: Orange Kuri squash is bright orange and round. The flesh is deep orange and rich, perfect for baked goods, soup, and curry dishes. Sugar dumpling squash is a creamy yellow color with green stripes and markings. The flesh is light yellow and sweet. Given their small size, they too can serve as a personal size serving.

Red Beets: A simple way to enjoy your beets is to roast them. You can roast them whole with the skin on or peel them first and cut into chunks and toss with oil. Once roasted, you can use them as a topping for salads, mix them in with quinoa or other grains, or just eat them as a roasted beet!

Dill: Before winter sets in we wanted to share one more bunch of fresh dill with you! Pair it with this week’s potatoes, beets, or carrots. Check out the featured recipe and recipe suggestions for inspiration!

BONUS: Purple or Yellow Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco: We are nearly finished with these crops for the season. The harvest is dwindling, and the remaining heads are on the small side. Your box may contain a portion, but if not, we have added extra broccoli.

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Caramelized Carrot Tart with Fresh Dill

Beet Salad with Feta & Dill

Creamy Carrot Lentil Soup

Cheesy Broccoli & Potato Bake

Cheesy Broccoli Bites

Broccoli & Wild Rice Casserole

Teriyaki Meatball & Broccoli Kebabs with Peppers & Onions

Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Peppers & Rosemary

Cheesy Spinach and Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Coconut Chicken and Red Pepper Curry

Greek Tortellini Salad with Spinach

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts & Honey Dijon Vinaigrette 

Roasted Carrot and Beet Quinoa Salad

Creamy Lemon Dill Salad Dressing

Creamy Potato Dill Soup

Vegetable Feature: Dill

Dill, sometimes known as dill weed, is an herb in the celery family. The feathery green herb’s leaves are long, soft, and very thin. Dill has a sweet, grassy taste with a hint of licorice. At Harmony Valley Farm, we grow dill starting with our first weekly plantings in April, and end plantings at the end of August. Dill harvest normally ends around the end of September or early in October.  Dill is not frost tolerant, so we try to time our last crop just ahead of the first frost in the fall.

Preparation & Usage: Dill is a popular herb used worldwide, and plays a key role in many traditional recipes everywhere from Russia to India and Egypt to Sweden. There are many countries that combine dill with either butter or cream and use it as a topping on potatoes. Dill is also a popular ingredient to mix into sauces and soups. Stuffed cabbage and omelets can also feature dill as a filling. If cooking dill sounds like too much of a hassle, it can also be added to any fresh salad or used as a garnish. Of course, you can always use dill to create pickles, as well! Dill is best fresh, as it can lose its potency quickly when dried.  While cooking with fresh dill, you are going to want to add it in as a last step, since it will lose flavor through the cooking process as well.

Dill pairs well with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, cucumbers, mushrooms, fish, especially salmon, seafood, yogurt, cream, butter, cheese, eggs, and other herbs such as parsley, chives and basil.

Storage Tips: Dill can be stored loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for a few days. If you have room and want to keep your dill around a little longer, you can place the bunched dill in a glass of water like a bouquet of flowers, wrap the whole thing in plastic, and place it in the fridge.

For even longer storage, you can freeze dill: Pulse or finely chop in a food processor.  Add just enough water to turn the leaves into a paste, then spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze.  Once you have frozen dill ice cubes, move them to a freezer storage container.  These are great to pop into a soup!

Health & Nutrition: Dill has been used in traditional medicines to treat ailing stomachs, as well as colic in infants.

Additional Fun Facts: The scientific name for dill is Anethum graveolens, and it is the only species in the genus Anethum.  This tidbit is doubly interesting as the Latin name for the genus ultimately comes from a Greek word that means both dill and anise.

Indian Fried Dill Potatoes

Photo from www.myheartbeets.com

This dish is actually called “Aloo Suva” in Hindi or “Aloo Soya” in Punjabi.  Both of which literally translate to “Potato Dill.”   It does not get much more simple than that!  This is a very simple recipe, but it’s loaded with flavor for the addition of the spices and dill.  And who doesn’t love a crispy, fried potato!  The author recommends serving this potato dish as a side dish, or add sausage and turn it into a breakfast dish!                                                                     

Yield:  4-6 servings

4 Tbsp avocado or vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds potatoes, cubed

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 large handful of fresh dill, or to your liking

1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add cumin seeds.
2. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add garlic, stir-fry of r30 seconds.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high, add potatoes and spices and mix well.
4. Fry for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the edges look crispy and the potatoes are fork tender.
5. Add the fresh dill and stir-fry for another minute.

Recipe borrowed from www.myheartbeets.com.

October 03, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Winter Squash

 

What's In The Box

Italian Garlic: A little garlic is just what you need sometimes to raise the flavor profile of a dish. Raw garlic is the most pungent flavor, so if you are looking for something a little more mellow, subtle or sweet, sauté or roast.

Yellow Onions: Sautéed peppers and onions are a simple way to jazz up a grilled steak, burger or fajitas! Keep the heat at a moderate temperature so the onions develop their sugars and flavors without burning.

Orange & Red Italian Frying Peppers: It’s a big week for peppers! The amount of peppers in your box is a reflection of the bounty we are seeing in the field….or at least a fraction thereof! We’re trying to pick as many peppers as we can before we see the first frost. Low temps are predicted for early next week….will it happen? These peppers are long and skinny and packed loose in your box. They are sweet peppers.

Orange Ukraine Peppers: This is the pepper in your box that is blockier and resembles a bell pepper, but with a pointed tip. Ukraine peppers have a thick wall and are sweet.

Salad Mix:  The baby lettuce and greens in this mix pair best with a light vinaigrette or a thin, creamy dressing. Toss just before serving so the greens do not get soggy.

Spinach: Use this week’s spinach to make a quick salad, or lightly sauté it with sweet peppers and garlic for a quick side dish.

Broccoli and/or Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco: This is a big week for brassicas, specifically broccoli! All boxes will contain broccoli, and some may also receive a head of cauliflower or broccoli Romanesco. If you have more broccoli than you can use this week, consider freezing it so you have it available in the winter. Instructions to do so are below.

Red Summercrisp Lettuce: This variety of lettuce is also referred to as “Batavia” or “French Crisp.” It fairs well in the heat of summer when other varieties can’t handle the heat. It is similar in crunch to romaine but has a more open leaf-like appearance resembling red leaf lettuce. The flavor tends to be balanced and slightly sweet. Wash it well and dry it a bit before using.

Orange Carrots: We are happy to have all of our carrots in now and it’s quite a pile! Enjoy these sweet roots raw or cooked and incorporate them into your meals as a base flavor or as the main idea in soups, salads, or just as a snack.

Purple Majesty Potatoes: This week’s potato variety is dark purple to almost black on the outside as well as the inside! Anthocyanins are antioxidants in the potato that give it its color. These compounds also support the health of our bodies in many different ways, so you will certainly get a nutrient boost when you eat these potatoes! They are moist, but more of a waxy potato. They retain color best when roasted or pan-fried. As for peeling, that’s your choice but not necessary or recommended.

Orange Kabocha (Marmalade) Winter Squash or Orange Kuri Squash: Both of these varieties are excellent for use in soups, stews, and curry dishes. Marmalade orange kabocha squash is peachy orange in color with a more flattened shape. Orange Kuri squash is bright orange with a rounder shape that is pointy on one end. Marmalade tends to have more rich, drier flesh that is sweeter compared to Kuri squash. The flesh of the Kuri squash is more moist and it has thinner skin. In some applications you may choose to leave the skin on and eat it!

Sugar Dumpling Squash: This is one of our favorite early season winter squash varieties because it is sweet and flavorful, needing nothing more than a bit of butter, salt, and pepper! The flesh is golden yellow, sweet, and moist.

Korean Peppers: There are about 4 ounces of these red-hot peppers for you in a paper bag. This pepper is a traditional Korean variety used, in its dried form, to make kim chi. This pepper may be used fresh, or you may dry it. We like these peppers because they are flavorful with a bit of sweetness to balance the heat. A simple way to preserve them for use over time is to make salt-cured chiles (recipe below). You can read more about this interesting pepper in our previous vegetable feature article.

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Squash & Poblano Quesadilla with Pickled Jalapeno & Chipotle Crema

Roasted Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

One-Pot Kabocha Squash & Chickpea Curry

How To Freeze Broccoli

Freezer Friendly Broccoli & Cheese Soup

Sheet Pan Chicken with Broccoli & Bell Peppers

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole with Sweet Peppers

Chinese Pepper Steak

HVF Fresh Korean-Garlic Chile Sauce

Sweet & Spicy Gochujang Butter Popcorn (Korean Chiles)

Salt-Cured Chiles

Sautéed Spinach with Garlic-Ginger & Peppers

Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions

Marinated Cabbage & Sweet Pepper Slaw

Sheet Pan Greek Roasted Potatoes with Peppers & Feta

Fork-Crushed Purple Potatoes

Indian Style Butter Carrots

Carrot Cake Coffee Cake

Lemon Parmesan Lettuce Salad

Vegetable Feature: Winter Squash

Winter squash is a broad crop category that is a season within a season. As we transition to fall in the Midwest, winter squash is going to become a main player in our weekly CSA boxes and your cooking adventures. We grow a wide variety of winter squash and strive to select ones that are aesthetically pleasing while still being interesting, delicious, sweet, and flavorful! I say that winter squash is “a season within a season” because different varieties are intended to be eaten at different points in the fall/winter which is greatly based on their storage-ability.  Let me explain.

While winter squash is a vegetable meant to be stored and eaten over time, not all winter squash varieties have the same shelf life. Some varieties that have a thin skin and/or are high in natural sugars typically have a shorter shelf life and may not keep into the deep winter. Some of the varieties that fit this category include the very tasty Sugar Dumpling Squash as well as the Orange Kuri and Orange Kabocha squash, we’re delivering this week.  In contrast, other varieties have a thicker skin and are often able to be stored for quite some time. Tetsukabuto is the squash in our lineup that has the longest storage potential.  In fact, this squash is one that gets better in storage so we don't even think about eating it until late November or December!  One of the reasons Tetsukabuto stores well is the fact that the skin is thicker and more durable.  The fact that they do not develop sugars right away also lends to their ability to store, but when you do eat them on their time schedule, they are actually sweet and delicious!  The other factor that greatly affects how well a squash may store is related to the field conditions where it was grown.  If we have a wet year or there is some plant disease in the field, we find some squash varieties do not store very well. 

Autumn Frost Squash

I mentioned a few varieties that mark the beginning and end of the squash spectrum, but there are other varieties we grow to fill in the middle as well! Butternut squash is probably the most common variety and I consider it more of an “all-purpose” workhorse kind of squash.  In general, most butternut varieties are able to be stored into the winter months.  However, all varieties of butternut are not the same either! We grow a tasty little one called “Butterscotch.”  This variety has rich, sweet flesh and is delicious! Due to its high natural sugars, it does not usually store for very long which is why we prioritize this as our first butternut to enjoy.  In recent years seed companies have released some new offerings for butternut spin-offs. We grow two of these types and they are Autumn Frost and Butterkin. Both of these varieties have a butternut parent, which lends to the quality of their flesh that resembles butternut.

Black Futsu Pumpkin

Jester is a new squash we started growing several years ago as a variety to replace Delicata squash which has a very little shelf life despite being very popular.  In my opinion, Jester is as good or better tasting than Delicata.  It also stores much better, partly because it has a thicker skin. Another variety we have been growing for just a few years is the Black Futsu Pumpkin! This is a Japanese variety that does resemble a pumpkin but really is a winter squash. In Japan they use the word pumpkin and squash interchangeably. Black Futsu does have the ability to store for a while, despite the fact that it does have thinner skin that is edible!

Storage Tips: The optimal storage temperature for winter squash is 45-55°F. This may be difficult to achieve in a home setting, so my recommendation is to choose a cool, dry place in your home, if possible, even if it is a little warmer than 55°F. Many people choose to store winter squash in the garage or basement, which is fine to do as long as these spaces don’t get too cold in the winter and if they aren’t too humid. In the coldest part of the winter our garage temperature usually dips into the 30’s which is too cold for squash. We also do not recommend storing winter squash in the refrigerator. As I mentioned, storage at temperatures less than 45°F may cause chill injury which will shorten the storage potential of your squash.

As you store your squash, check them periodically if you’re keeping them for an extended time.  Look for any spots starting to form that may indicate the start of deterioration. If you do see a problem spot, don’t automatically throw it out!  I repeat, do not throw it out! If you catch it early, the problem may only affect a very small portion that may be cut away.  If that’s the case, don’t delay, it’s time to cook the squash before the issue gets bigger!  As far as uses, there are so many different ways you can use winter squash.  You can include it in soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, hot dishes, pasta dishes, baked goods, desserts, or just eat it with a little butter, salt, and pepper. Don’t be afraid to create tasty pizzas, tacos, quesadillas, curry dishes and anything else you might dream up!  Winter is long and we’re going to be eating quite a lot of squash over the next months, so pull out your old favorite recipes and start looking for new ones to keep things interesting!

Preparation & Usage: Each week we encourage you to check the “What’s In the Box” section of your email where I’ll include details about the squash variety we’re delivering. Some varieties, such as butternut, are multi-purpose and may be used in a variety of ways including roasted, baked, simmered, steamed or put into soups and sauces. Other squash may have a more specific use. I’ll also make an indication as to whether or not a variety may have a longer storage potential of if you should use it sooner than later.

Don’t feel like you have to eat all your winter squash right away.  If it’s a variety that will store, you can set it aside for later.  If you do have some that are starting to develop spots, you should still cook it even if you are not ready to eat or use them.  You can scoop out the flesh once it’s cooked, puree it and pop it in the freezer.  Better to do this so you can preserve the flesh than to surrender it to the compost bin!

There are so many different ways you can use winter squash.  You can include it in soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, hot dishes, pasta dishes, baked goods, desserts, or just eat it with a little butter, salt and pepper.  Don’t be afraid to create tasty pizzas, tacos, quesadillas, curry dishes and anything else you might dream up!  Winter is long and we’re going to be eating quite a lot of squash over the next months, so pull out your old favorite recipes and start looking for new ones to keep things interesting!

Squash and Cardamon Soup

This simple, yet flavorful soup features an interesting spice blend of cumin, cardamom and ginger.  The author describes it as “An elegant soup, enriched with coconut milk and the headiness of cardamom, that soothes and comforts beyond measure.  I like to eat this with toasted, buttered sourdough bread.”

Yield:  4 servings

2 lbs. 2 oz/1kg pumpkin or winter squash, peeled and cut into 1 ¼ inched chunks 

Olive oil, as needed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 medium potato, finely chopped

½ teaspoon cumin seeds 

5 cardamom pods, seeds removed (discard pods)

1 ½ inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

2 cups vegetable stock 

1 x 13.5 oz can of canned coconut milk (reserve 4 tablespoons for garnish)

Salt and white pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Place the squash in a roasting dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until just cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and potato and stir well. Place a lid on the pan so the vegetables can “sweat.”
4. Toast the cumin and cardamom seeds by placing them in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 1 minute or until their aromas are released, then grid the spices in a mortar and pestle and add them to the onions with the ginger and garlic. Stir well and fry for a few minutes. 
5. Add the stock, can of coconut milk- reserving 4 tablespoons and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
6. When the roast pumpkin or squash is ready, add it to the rest of the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes. Then take the soup off the heat and blend it in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Taste to adjust the seasoning: depending on the amount of salt in your vegetable stock, you may want to add a little more at this stage, or a touch more white pepper. 
7. To serve, ladle into warmed bowls and swirl 1 tablespoon coconut milk into each. 

Recipe borrowed from Yasmin Khan’s book, Ripe Figs:  Recipes and Stories form Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.

September 26, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Broccoli

 

What's In The Box

Italian Garlic: If you want to take your next batch of mashed potatoes to the next level, boil the potatoes with a few cloves of garlic and then mash the cooked garlic in with the potatoes. Alternatively, you can roast a whole head of garlic and add the roasted garlic to the cooked potatoes when you mash them.

Yellow Onions: Our yellow onion varieties are selected both for long-term storage potential as well as flavor. We like a pungent onion that also has some natural sweetness to help create a more balanced flavor. Thus, these onions serve as a “multi-purpose” onion that is appropriate for pretty much any cooked or raw application.

Orange and/or Red Italian Frying Peppers: These sweet peppers are in their prime right now and are a tasty treat eaten both raw and cooked. Add them to egg dishes, stir-fry, soups, stews and chowders, salads, and slaws. You can also roast them and use them to make a tasty roasted pepper sauce for pasta or chicken.

Mini Sweet Peppers: There is a half-pound portion of these sweet mini bell peppers in this week’s box. These are the perfect grab-n-go snack as they need no prep! They are also great for roasting and stuffing with fillings of your choice.

Tomatoes: The tomatoes in our second planting are almost finished for the year, except for the Roma tomatoes that are still ripening! Now is the time to savor the final BLTs of the season, make a few more batches of fresh salsa and savor the last few weeks of fresh tomatoes. We’ll continue to pick Roma tomatoes as long as we can but know that the end is in sight.

Salad Mix: Fall is our preferred time of the year to grow these delicate salad greens. This mix is a flavorful blend of spicy Asian greens mixed with several different varieties of lettuce. The key to longer shelf life is to keep the bag refrigerated.

Baby Spinach: Our fall spinach will be limited this year. Enjoy this week’s spinach as the base to a fresh salad or wilt it into soup or pasta.

Purple, Yellow and/or White Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco: We are in the peak of fall cauliflower right now! Enjoy cauliflower raw or cooked, add it to mashed potatoes, use it to make cauliflower “rice,” or even incorporate it into baked goods!

Green Romaine Lettuce: These heads of crispy romaine made it just in time to make one more Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato sandwich! Of course, you might choose to use it to make a traditional Caesar salad as well. Wash leaves well and pat dry before using.

Broccoli: This week has been a HUGE broccoli harvest week! By the end of this week, we will likely have harvested over 2,500 pounds of broccoli! Check out this week’s featured recipes for a few ideas for putting this item to use.

Leeks: This is our final week of leeks. If you haven’t made the traditional Potato Leek soup yet, now is your chance!

Orange Carrots: We’re moving into soup and stew season, and this is the perfect vegetable to include in any soup base. You can also make it the star of the show and make carrot soup. Suggestions below!

Russet Potatoes: This year we tried a new variety of russet potatoes, which have proven to have strong yields and great flavor! Russet potatoes are a dry, starchy potato. They are a great option for making mashed potatoes, deep fried French fries, or a simple baked potato. Of course, they would also make a tasty potato leek soup!

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Make-Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onion & Broccoli Quiche

Creamy Roasted Pepper Pasta

Sweet Pepper Stir-Fry with Basil & Tofu

Taco Stuffed Mini Peppers

Hummus Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese, Maple Glazed Pecans and Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Spinach Salad with Apples, Walnuts & Feta

48 Spinach Salad Recipes You’ll Love To Eat

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

Foolproof Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower Biscuits

Mashed Cauliflower & Potatoes

Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

Broccoli Pizza

Baked Broccoli Mac & Cheese

15 Minute Creamy Leek and Mushroom Pasta

Carrot Ginger Soup with Crispy Shallots

Hungarian Carrot Stew

Vegetable Feature: Broccoli

Broccoli is in the Brassica family, along with cauliflower and cabbage. This green vegetable often looks like a tree when you find it in the grocery store, but in the field (and in our boxes) it sports collard greens like leaves that are also edible. We grow broccoli in the spring, summer and fall, starting some of our plants out in the greenhouse, but planting the later crops directly into the soil in our fields.                                                                                                                                                  Preparation & Usage: Broccoli should be washed prior to use. It can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, roasted, or sautéed. Recent studies show that steamed broccoli is the best way to cook it in order to retain the most nutritional value. The edible leaves have a more mild broccoli flavor than the stems and florets.  You can use these leaves similar to how you would use kale or collards, as a cooking green, in smoothies, in salads, or roasted into chips!

Storage Tips: Broccoli should be stored, unwashed, loosely wrapped in plastic or a perforated bag, and in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Health & Nutrition: While oranges are the most common thing that come to mind when looking for Vitamin C, half a cup of broccoli contains 84% of the daily recommendation for this vitamin.  It is also loaded with fiber, antioxidants, Vitamin K, iron and potassium.                                                                                                                                Additional Fun Facts: The word broccoli comes from an Italian word that means “the flowering crest of cabbage.”

Broccoli Slaw

Broccoli is a versatile vegetable that can be used in a myriad of dishes, both cooked and raw. This week we are featuring two simple recipes that you can prepare and have on the table in very little time!  The first is for a simple, creamy broccoli slaw, complemented with sweet cranberries and dressed with a creamy, slightly tangy dressing. The second recipe for Soba Noodles with Sesame Chicken & Broccoli is an application requiring short cooking of broccoli. This recipe calls for Soba noodles, but you can use any other long, thin noodle you have available. This is a quick recipe that will allow you to have a healthy dinner on the table in short order!

Photo from www.smittenkitchen.com

Yield:  8 cups of slaw

¾ to 1 pound broccoli

½ cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted

⅓ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

½ cup buttermilk, well shaken

½ cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ small red onion, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Trim the broccoli head and cut the florets into large chunks; then cut each chunk into thin slices.  Peel the outer skin from the broccoli stem. Cut the stems into thin slices lengthwise, then cut them in the other direction to yield thin matchsticks. 
2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds and cranberries. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayo, vinegar, sugar, and table salt until smooth. Add the dressing to the broccoli mixture, along with the onion. Stir the salad until the broccoli is evenly coated with the dressing. Seve immediately or keep covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Recipe borrowed from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman.

 

Soba Noodles with Sesame Chicken & Broccoli

Yield:  4 servings

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 1 pound

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Black Pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

12 oz dried soba noodles

1 pound broccoli, stems and florets chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 scallions, chopped 

3 Tbsp soy sauce, plus more to taste

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it. Turn on the broiler and position the rack 4 inches below the heat.  Spread the chicken pieces on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and coat with the vegetable oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle on both sides with the sesame seeds. Broil, turning the thighs once or twice to prevent the seeds from burning, until the chicken is cooked through and golden in places and the pan is almost dry, 10-15 minutes total.
2. Add the noodles to the boiling water, cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then start tasting when the noodles are pliable but not quite ready. Add the broccoli and cook until it turns bright green, another minute or 2. Drain the noodles and the broccoli, rinse with cold running water to stop the cooking, then shake the colander and drain again.
3. Slice the chicken into narrow strips and put in a large serving bowl with any pan juices and the scallions, soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss to coat, add the noodle mixture, and toss again. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve warm or at room temperature.