Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Time to Wrap Up 2022 and Get Ready for CSA 2023!

By Richard de Wilde

It’s time to wrap up another year and move into the next!  While we’ve already been planning and planting for the 2023 growing season, this is the time of year when we simultaneously reflect on where we’ve been as we lay out plans for the year ahead.  We look back on 2022 and are grateful for all the things we were able to accomplish on our farm, the families we were able to feed, the tons of vegetables our fields produced and the 45 plus families our farm supported through bi-weekly paychecks.  Overall, it was a pretty good year and we close out 2022 knowing we did the best we could, learned new things and will come back ready to do a better job in 2023!  Before we officially close out the year, we wanted to share a bit of our reflections with you as well.  

Row covers laid out for
frost protection spring 2022
You know farmers like to talk about the weather and I am known to check the weather multiple times a day, so let’s start there.  We have come to accept that weather challenges are now the norm, and we continue to find ways to be resilient as we navigate whatever hand we are dealt! Looking back at our 2022 growing season, we started the year with the latest spring ever in my 40 plus years of farming.  Not only was it a cold, late spring, but it was one of the windiest springs as well!  It is not uncommon to for us to use row covers for heat gain in the spring, but this year we found ourselves using more than usual to protect some of our vulnerable early spring crops and transplants from a late frost.  It’s very difficult to put out covers in high winds, but there were times when we had no choice but to struggle through the process as the window of opportunity to get the cover on before the temperatures dropped was pretty narrow.  We also had to use more hoops under the covers to prevent abrasion injury to the plants and had to secure the covers in place with extra sandbags.  In fact, we had to fill over 1,000 more sandbags just to secure covers on the most essential crops!  

Manuel, one of our head irrigation guys--doing
his rounds to check for leaks in irrigation systems
(Summer 2022)
Once the season got going, we switched from cold to very hot temperatures!  Our late summer months were characterized by very dry, drought-like conditions.  While dry periods can be very intense and demanding as we try to get enough water to plants to keep them alive and producing, we actually prefer dry conditions over wet.  We had to invest a lot of crew time into irrigation, but thankfully we were able to keep all of the crops in the game.  One plus to having dry conditions is decreased disease pressure.  Humid conditions, especially in our valley, breed leaf disease which affects the health of the plant in the field, and, by default, production yields are usually lower.  When disease pressure is low, yields are high, and harvests are typically more efficient.  

Brussels Sprouts plants in early summer
All in all, 2022 was as good as we can expect.  We had some crop losses, as we will every year, but thankfully we did not experience any devastating losses.  As with every growing season, we had some shining star crops (such as our fall Brussels sprouts!) and some crops we’d prefer to forget (Parsnips).  We were prepared to put out covers when we needed to, had equipment ready to irrigate when it was necessary, and did the best we could to prepare for weather events to minimize the impact.  We had a very productive fall and left our fields in good condition as we tucked them away for the winter.  Most of our fields went into winter with an established cover crop in place and we were able to execute fall applications of minerals as well.  We planted garlic, horseradish and sunchokes which means we’ve already made significant investments into another year!  Our strawberry field looked great going into winter with a nice rye straw mulch cover.  We also mulched the garlic field and covered it with row cover for the winter.  Our overwintered spinach field is covered and fenced to keep the deer from nibbling on it over the winter.

Last year we acquired 40 acres of new land that we were able to certify for organic production.  Some of this land we were able to purchase, and the remainder is leased.  Any time we acquire new land there is likely some work that needs to be done before we can put a crop on it, but thankfully we were able to put much of it in production by the end of the season.  We spent a lot of time this fall trimming trees around the fields, which yielded greater access to the sun and gave us a year’s supply of firewood along with enough brush piles to create several tons of biochar for next year!  We still have a lot of improvements to make on this new property, but have made significant headway in a relatively short period of time.  Our hope is to secure better resources for irrigation options for this land which will offer us more flexibility in what we can plant on this property in future years.

After weather, the next topic of conversation in many business circles these days is likely something around the topics of inflation and the economy as well as labor. These are big topics for us as well and linger at the forefront of our minds as we try to forecast what the new year will hold.  As we reflect on this past year, it will come as no surprise to you that we are still experiencing obstacles in the supply chain that have made it difficult at times to source supplies, fertilizer, etc.  Thankfully, we did ok without too many issues, and we were able to get the majority of what we needed.  We tried to order early to allow for delays and did our best to manage tight inventories.  We’ve always tried to take advantage of volume discounts when purchasing supplies but have pushed the limits on this over the past 1-2 years in an effort to get the best pricing possible in the face of very steep increases in the cost of supplies.  In 2022 Andrea invested in a 5-year supply of the twist ties we use to bunch vegetables and purchased 3-4 years’ worth of other supplies in order to bump up to the next level of volume discounts.  Thankfully we have appropriate storage space to keep these supplies clean and in good condition, so they’ll be just like new when we take them out for use in 2025!  

Black gold....the potting soil we use to 
grow transplants in the greenhouse
Part of being able to weather the inflation is by trying to continue to take advantage of any discounts available to us by paying in advance for seeds, supplies, fertilizer and fuel.  We already purchased and accepted delivery on the potting soil that we’ll need to produce transplants in the greenhouse and by doing so we were able to secure 2022 pricing!  We are closing out 2022 in a pretty good place financially despite experiencing inflated input costs ranging from as little as 3% to as much as 43%!  

But our biggest challenge for 2023 appears to be labor!  The majority of our farm crew is comprised of seasonal workers who come on H2A visas.  Over the past few years, they have been contributing more by offering suggestions for new production improvements and by building their skills so they are able to achieve record setting harvest metrics!  We have one of the very best crews we could hope for!  They are dependable, skilled, efficient, timely, willing and eager to learn, and are overall very respectful, pleasant, positive people to work with.  Our situation is unique in that the Department of Labor (DOL) sets our wage rates because we participate in the H2A visa program.  The DOL has generally raised the wage by 3% per year for many years.  However, this year they are requiring an 11% raise for Wisconsin H2A employers!  The wage rate will be increasing by about $2 per hour to $17.43 per hour, in addition to our obligation to provide housing, transportation and visa expenses.  Our crew members work hard doing physical labor that many others cannot and do not want to do, but someone has to do this work or we don’t have food to eat!  

Most of our vegetables are harvested by hand, 
including bunched herbs, greens, radishes and more!
Farmworkers deserve a raise and should be compensated fairly for the work they are doing.  However, as employers we are faced with an extreme challenge as labor represents about 40% of our expenses and is by far the largest expense, we incur in vegetable production.  We also hope to hire two individuals to fill two vacant support positions, one in the packing shed and one to assist with office work.  One of these positions remained vacant for the entire of 2022, which was not ideal.  We could really use the help to assist with record keeping, social media management, and other office-related tasks that are necessary to help us meet the requirements for government programs and general good business practices.  

Harvesting ginger in early November
As we look ahead to 2023, we do so with optimism.  Yes, we face challenges, but we also know that the work we do is important and valued by you, our CSA members and our community of eaters.  We take pride in being the best growers in the Midwest and we are committed to continuing to offer our CSA members a level of freshness, quality and variety that is not readily available.  We also remain committed to supporting you by providing community, transparency and dependability.  Local food systems are essential to the sustainability of both farms and eaters.  Participating in CSA is one of the most economical ways to purchase food as the value you receive is nearly always greater than the price you pay.  That’s part of the relationship we share—you take care of us and we take care of you.  We plan to continue our unique potato, squash, tomato and pepper varieties as well as abundant sweet potatoes and sweet corn that prove to be member favorites year after year!  We are also planning to continue growing our carefully selected variety of edamame and hope to grow baby ginger for you again.  We are in the midst of ordering our seeds right now and are contemplating growing some special dried beans, globe artichokes or something else of interest that catches our eye and will keep things interesting.  

We are now accepting CSA Sign-ups for the 2023 CSA season and hope you will be joining us for a spectacular year of vegetables!  You’ll find current pricing and a list of all of our CSA pick up locations on our website.  Speaking of website, we are currently working on a new website which we hope to take live early in 2023!  Not only will we have a fresh, new look, we’ll also be able to offer you the convenience of signing up online along with the option to pay using a credit card.  We are also planning to enhance our vegetable resources to help you when you may have questions or need a little help learning about a new vegetable.  

Enjoy the final days of 2022 and we will see you in the new year!  

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

December 15, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Horseradish

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Photo from www.thecookingfoodie.com
Porcelain Garlic:  

Red & Yellow Onions:  

Covington Sweet Potatoes:  

Red Beets:  

Orange Carrots:  

Beauty Heart Radish:

Celeriac:  

Parsnips:  

Peter Wilcox Potatoes:  

Tetsukabuto Squash:  
Butternut or Autumn Frost Squash:  

Horseradish Whips:  
Crispy Potato Horseradish Cakes (see below)

Well friends, this is it. The final CSA box of the 2022 season. We have eaten our way through spring, summer, fall and now we will eat our way through winter as we circle back to do it all again! Thank you for coming along with us for the ride this year and I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey.  This last box is packed with a lot of potential and I hope you find some delicious ways to put these vegetables to use this winter. Lets kick off this week’s Cooking With the Box article with our featured vegetable, horseradish.  Our featured recipe this week is for Crispy Potato Horseradish Cakes (see below), a simple recipe that pairs well with a simple burger for dinner or serve it with fried eggs for breakfast. I also included a past recipe for homemade Prepared Horseradish, a simple means of having finely chopped horseradish ready for use in your refrigerator.  Additionally, I have included more horseradish recipe suggestions gleaning ideas from around the world!

As I was researching horseradish recipes and uses this week, I came across this recipe for Pyttipanna—Swedish Hash.  This is a classic Swedish dish made from diced leftover meat, potatoes, and onion. Traditionally it is served as a midweek meal, but may be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The name of this dish translates to “Teeny Pieces in a Pan.”  Many versions of this recipe are available on the internet, as each cook customizes it to fit their needs and likes. So, do not be afraid to improvise by substituting some of the potato with other vegetables such as carrots. This dish is traditionally served with pickled beets or gherkins.

Photo from www.swedishfood.com
I found several interesting recipes utilizing celeriac, starting with this recipe for Curried Celeriac.  In sticking with inspiration from Indian cuisine, you may wish to serve it with  Beetroot Chapatti.

As we move into the winter holidays, consider making this elegant Savory Potato Tart with Celeriac & Porcini Mushrooms.  It’s a rich dish full of earthy flavors that would make a lovely vegetarian main dish for Christmas dinner.  

Another classy vegetarian main dish recipe is Celeriac & Lentils with Hazelnuts and Mint.  If you are a fan of Ottolenghi, this is one of his recipes. 

I tried to include a wide variety of suggestions this week ranging from Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas to Roasted Butternut Squash Pie and Cardamom Pistachio Carrot Cake.  Sometimes winter roots and storage vegetables can become repetitive, but there really are so many different ways to put these winter storage vegetables to use and I guarantee that with a little bit of creative cooking, you need not grow weary of any vegetable this winter!

Thanks again for your support of our farm this season. We hope you enjoy the winter months and look forward to growing for you again next year. See you in May for ramps, asparagus and rhubarb!

—Chef Andrea 


Vegetable Feature: Horseradish

by Andrea Yoder

We’re wrapping up the season with a unique vegetable that is more of a condiment and less of the main attraction.  Horseradish is a bold, pungent vegetable with powerful plant compounds that give it its peppery flavor, but also have the ability to attack cancer cells and boost our immune systems.  As we head into winter, horseradish is a good health ally to add to your diet and it doesn’t take much to have an effect!  If you’re not so sure about trying horseradish, I ask that you proceed with an open mind and give it a try.  You just might be surprised!

Horseradish is a perennial that we plant in the fall from seed pieces that are taken from cuttings when the previous crop is harvested. A nice seed piece is a straight piece usually about 8-10 inches long with the diameter of a fat pencil or a thin marker. Seed pieces grow off the main root which is the most saleable portion of the plant on the wholesale market. Any pieces that are smaller than is needed for wholesale or seed are called whips. Whips are usually thrown away, but this is actually the part of the root I prefer to work with for several reasons.  First of all, I think the skin is thin and tender enough on these pieces that you don’t need to peel it.  The less you have to handle horseradish, the better!  I also think the whips are a more manageable size to deal with instead of a big root.  

As I mentioned in the introduction, horseradish is intended to be used in small quantities as more of a condiment or accompaniment. The purpose of a condiment is to add and enhance flavor or even to introduce a new contrasting flavor to foods. Sometimes it plays its role by being incorporated into a dish while other times it may be served alongside. It may be freshly grated or chopped and added to foods, however once you start cutting, grating, or chopping horseradish you release the volatile oils that give horseradish its bite. This is when you need to make sure you have adequate ventilation to decrease the chances of your eyes tearing up. Also, make sure you wash your hands after handling horseradish, so you don’t accidently get these peppery oils in your eyes.  While many recipes tell you to grate the horseradish on a box grater, this is difficult to do with the smaller whips. My recommendation is to just cut the whips into 1–2-inch pieces and chop them finely in a food processor. You could also use a blender, a hand chopper or a basic chef’s knife. 

When using fresh horseradish, it’s important to chop or grate it as close to when you’re going to eat it as the volatile oils that contribute to its flavor will dissipate into the air and disappear.  Once it’s chopped, you either need to eat it right away, add it into a liquid such as cream or milk that you want to infuse, or stabilize the oils so the flavor and spice remains.  Often times you’ll see a recipe that calls for “Prepared Horseradish.”  This refers to horseradish that is pre-chopped/grated and stabilized in a vinegar solution which sets the flavor and prevents it from dissipating. It is very easy to make “Prepared Horseradish,” and you can keep prepared horseradish in the refrigerator for several weeks like this before it will start to lose its pungency.  This can be super handy to have as you can just take a teaspoon or two as needed for different recipes without having to chop it fresh every time. 

Richard checking the Horseradish field
Horseradish goes well with rich and fatty foods such as salmon, beef, sausage, and ham. It also goes well with more acidic foods such as tomatoes, apples, lemons, and other citrus. It’s a good accompaniment to mild foods that give it a base, such as sour cream, cream, butter, seafood, potatoes and root vegetables.  Prime rib and/or roast beef is often served with a creamy horseradish sauce. Horseradish is a key ingredient in the classic ketchup-based cocktail sauce served with poached shrimp. If you’re into Bloody Marys, you’ll know horseradish is part of this drink recipe as well.  

Store your horseradish whips in the refrigerator in the bag we’ve packed them in for you.  They will keep for not just weeks, but months. If you don’t like spicy things or don’t think you’ll like horseradish, consider giving it a try and just start small.  Stir a little bit of freshly chopped horseradish into mayonnaise and spread it on a sandwich or make horseradish cream and drizzle it lightly over roasted root vegetables. You just might find you like that little bit of kick and flavor it adds! 

Take a moment to visit our Cooking With the Box article on our blog this week where I have provided links to over 10 recipe suggestions to get you started! 
               

Crispy Potato Horseradish Cakes


Yield:  4-6 servings

Photo from food52.com
1 onion, grated
3 large potatoes, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more, as needed
2 large eggs
3Tbsp finely grated fresh horseradish
½ tsp lemon zest
¼ cup fresh dill or 1 Tbsp dried dill
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

  1. In a bowl, combine the onion and potato.  Dust with the flour and mix to disperse it.  Add the eggs, horseradish, lemon zest, dill, salt and pepper, and mix until well combined.
  2. In a large non-stick sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Once the bubbles from the butter subside, spoon 3 heaping tablespoons of the potato mixture into the sauté pan.  Repeat, making 8 to 12 pancakes.  Cook pancakes about 4 minutes on each side, assuring that both sides are well browned and the potato is cooked through.  Reduce the heat of the pan if the potato cakes are browning too quickly in order to make sure the inside is cooked completely.  Remove the cakes to a paper towel lined plate as they finish, and season with salt while hot.  You can cover them with foil and keep in a 200°F oven to stay warm until ready to serve.
  3. To serve, transfer potato cakes to a platter and dollop each one with crème fraiche.
Recipe courtesy of Michael Symon as published on www.foodnetwork.com.

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

December 1, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Daikon Radishes

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Purple or Red Daikon Radish: 

Italian Garlic:  

Red & Yellow Onions:  

Japanese Sweet Potatoes and/or Covington Sweet Potatoes:  

Red Beets:  

Orange Carrots:  

Sunchokes: 


Adirondack Red Potatoes:  

Heart of Gold Squash:  

Butternut Squash:  
Apple & Turnip Quiche

Green Savoy Cabbage:  

OR 

Sweet Scarlet Turnips:  

We’re rolling into the home stretch with just one more box remaining after this week.  Winter has definitely set in, and this week’s box is a heavy one, packed with hearty root vegetables and an assortment of other goodies we tucked away for the last month of deliveries.  As you unpack this week’s box and the final box of the season, pay attention to how you are storing each item. While these final two boxes are packed full, don’t feel like you have to eat everything over the course of two weeks.  With proper storage, you can store most vegetables well into January, and thus delay your return to the grocery store produce department.

This week’s featured vegetable is the humble daikon radish. One of the reasons I like this vegetable is for its flash factor. During the winter it’s nice to include vibrant colors to liven up mealtime and this week’s purple or red daikon can do just that!  Check out this week’s vegetable feature article which includes a short list of additional recipe ideas in addition to the two featured recipes.  The first feature recipe is for Daikon Radish Pancakes (see below). This is a simple recipe with just a few ingredients that yields a pancake that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Use this as an accompaniment to a hearty meal of roasted meats or stew or eat these as part of a light dinner or snack. The second feature recipe is actually more of a home remedy than a culinary recipe.  The recipe is for Hachimitsu-Daikon (Honey with Daikon) (see below). I am not very familiar with Japanese culture and cuisine but found it interesting to come across this recipe for daikon infused honey which is something Japanese households use as a cough syrup and to treat the sniffles.  The recipes I reviewed suggest storing this in the refrigerator for no more than a week, so you may want to just make this recipe as needed. This is a great example of how food truly can become our medicine when we take advantage of its innate nutrients and properties to support our bodies!

Garlic and onions are also important foods to incorporate into your diet regularly as they are also packed with antioxidants and immune boosting compounds. This week I selected several simple recipes including Easy Honey Garlic Chicken and Carrot Garlic Mashed Potatoes along with Simple Caramelized Onion White Pizza and Easy, Healthy Baked Blooming Onions

This week’s box has not one but two varieties of winter squash that are very different. Butternut squash is the one variety most are familiar with and it can be used widely in many different applications.  This week I included one savory and one sweet suggestion. Starting with savory, check out this recipe for Healthy Butternut Squash Casserole with Sweet Potatoes & Rice. With both butternut squash and sweet potatoes, this dish definitely qualifies as “hearty winter fare.”  Counter the savory with sweet and look to this recipe for Butternut Squash Pie with Graham Cracker Toffee Crust!  Heart of Gold squash may be used in any recipe calling for acorn, carnival, festival, or sweet dumpling squash. In keeping with the balance of one savory and one sweet recipe, consider these selections for Stuffed Squash with Apple, Cranberry and Sausage Stuffing and Chocolate Acorn (Heart of Gold) Squash Baked Custard.  

I hope you enjoy the experience of winter cooking, complete with pots of slow-simmering stews, soups and braises. As we walk through the cold of winter, my hope is that these hearty meals will nourish not only your body, but your soul as well. Have a great week and remember that next week we will be delivering meat shares and End of Season special offer orders only.  Mark your calendars so you don’t miss our final delivery of the season on December 15/16/17.  

See you soon!
Chef Andrea  

Vegetable Feature: Daikon Radishes

by Andrea Yoder

Daikon radishes are classified as a winter storage radish and are an important part of many traditional cultures throughout Asian. Daikon radishes, along with beauty heart and black Spanish radishes, are an important winter food both because they are available over an extended period, but also because they are high in nutrients including vitamin C which can help keep us strong and healthy throughout the cold winter. Radishes are actually one of the oldest cultivated food crops and there are literally thousands of different varieties.  In this country, most daikon is the traditional large, white variety. While we do grow that type of daikon, in recent years we have also grown smaller varieties of purple and red daikon. We prefer these brightly colored varieties for several reasons. First, their striking colors help to liven up winter meals and are a gorgeous addition to raw winter vegetable salads, stir-fries, etc. The other main reason we prefer these varieties is their small stature which is a more manageable size for most households to use. 

Daikon radishes can be used in a variety of ways, both raw and cooked. In Chinese and Japanese culture daikon radish is often pickled, another tactic to help preserve this food. Pickled daikon radishes are often served as a condiment with a variety of dishes. Daikon radish may also be used in salads and other fresh condiments, often paired with other vegetables, and dressed with a light sauce or vinaigrette. Daikon radishes are also used in stir-fries and braised dishes and soups. In some areas of China, daikon is used in braised stews and soups, such as what would be equivalent to our beef stew. Whereas we would use potatoes, they often use chunks of daikon radish. Of course, remember daikon has a lot of nutritive value, so adding it to hearty broths and stews is a great way to fortify the soup.  Daikon radishes are also traditionally used in Korean kim chi, which is once again an important food to eat both for nourishment and health throughout the winter.

Store daikon radish in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in plastic to keep it from dehydrating. It will store for at least 4-6 weeks if not longer. 

If you aren’t sure how you’d like to use this week’s daikon radish, here are a few recipe ideas to consider in addition to our two featured recipes.  Enjoy!



Daikon Radish Pancakes

Yield:  2 servings

1 cup daikon radish, grated and squeezed dry
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup room temperature water
2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
 1 pinch white pepper
½ tsp salt, for drawing out moisture
1 scallion, chopped (optional)

Dipping Sauce:
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp wasabi
  1. Prepare the Daikon Radish. Start by peeling the radish, then finely grate it with a grater or finely chop it with a knife. Add the salt, mix well to combine, and let stand for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take handfuls of the grated daikon and squeeze out as much liquid as possible; transfer the squeezed daikon into another bowl
  2. Prepare the Batter. Add the all-purpose flour in two batches, stirring in between additions. Follow that with room temperature water and mix well until a batter forms.
  3. Fry the Pancakes. In a non-stick pan, heat up a touch of oil on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, spoon the batter on and shape them into round disks. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds on the uncooked side of each pancake, and when the bottom becomes golden-brown, carefully flip them and fry until both sides are golden-brown. Remove them from the pan and let drain on a paper towel. 
  4. Prepare the sauce. Make the sauce by simply mixing soy sauce and wasabi.

Note:  The flatter the pancakes, the crispier they will get! Adjust the thickness to your liking.
Recipe sourced from www.chejorge.com.


Hachimitsu-Daikon (Honey with Daikon-aka Japanese Cough Syrup

Photo from benitobrowbar.com
To prepare this at home, simply chop about a handful of daikon and put it into a glass container, then cover the chopped daikon evenly with honey and put the lid on. Leave the honey-daikon mixture at room temperature for approximately three to four hours.  The prepared syrup can be taken 2-3 times a day either straight or by adding a tablespoon to a cup of hot water to make a soothing tea. The mixture will last for about a week when stored in the fridge. 

Recipe sourced from www.benitobrowbar.com.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

November 17, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Radicchio

 


Cooking With This Week's Box

Radicchio:  
Radicchio & Grapefruit Salad (See Below)
Red Monastrell & Calibra Yellow Onions:  

Italian Garlic:  

Sweet Potatoes:  

Brussels Sprouts:

Peter Wilcox Potatoes:  

Baby Ginger:  

Autumn Frost Squash:  

Celeriac:  

Beauty Heart Radish:
Photo from culinaryhill.com

Orange Carrots:  

Green Curly or Lacinato Kale Tops:  

Broccoli: 

Hello Everyone—

Thanksgiving is coming up next week and we’re sending you a full box of vegetables to create a tasty feast!  Of course I realize this one feasting day is not the only meal you’ll be preparing before the next CSA delivery in two weeks, so this week’s Cooking With the Box suggestions include a variety of recipes ranging from ones that are appropriate for every day cooking to some recipes that may be considerations for the big Thanksgiving day feast.  I’ve also included a few recipes to utilize leftovers as well as some appetizer type ideas for the start of holiday gatherings!

Lets start with this week’s featured vegetable, radicchio.  This is a stunning vegetable and you can create some gorgeous salads using it.  This week’s featured recipe for Radicchio & Grapefruit Salad (See Below) is incredibly easy and delicious. It’s best to dress the salad with the vinaigrette just before serving.  If you like things a bit more sweet, you could use oranges along with or in place of the grapefruit.  I also included links to a few other recipes including this Fig, Pomegranate, Radicchio, Orange & Feta Salad which is so beautiful.  Lastly, if you’re not into raw radicchio ideas, try this Radicchio & Caramelized Onion Quiche.  You can never go wrong with quiche!

We’re happy to still have some green items in the box despite the fact that it’s snowing this week!  Turn this week’s broccoli into Broccoli, Cheddar & Wild Rice Casserole or use it to make this Broccoli Salad with Bacon & Dried Cranberries.

As for the kale, how about a traditional recipe for Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes with Kale) or a less traditional Kale Bacon Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts.

If you’re looking for some festive recipes, check out this cocktail recipe for Cranberry & Ginger Bourbon Smash or Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans.  I have also made this No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake for holiday desserts using either sweet potatoes or this week’s Autumn Frost squash.  Lastly,  this 
Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette could make a lovely vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving if you’re not into turkey!

I hope you enjoy some delicious meals over the course of the next two weeks until we meet again. We have a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season as we reflect on a bountiful harvest season. I’ll see you back here in a few weeks to finish up the final two CSA boxes of the season before we all hunker down for the winter!  Happy Thanksgiving

—Chef Andrea 

 

Vegetable Feature: Radicchio

by Andrea Yoder

This week’s featured vegetable is a gorgeous farming gamble with a bittersweet story. The brilliant burgundy red and white leafy vegetable in this week’s box is radicchio. Radicchio is a bitter green that does best when grown in cool months, which is why it is one of the last crops we harvest late in the fall. It is a popular winter vegetable in Italy and there are many different varieties and shapes. Many varieties are named for the regions in Italy which they are thought to have originated or where they are grown. When I visited Italy several years ago, I was excited to see many different varieties of radicchio, most of which I’ve only ever seen on the pages of vegetable seed catalogs!  Our winters are more extreme than the mild winters in most parts of Italy, thus not all varieties are conducive to our growing region. The variety we grew this year, Chioggia Radicchio, is one of the most common and is named for the city of Chioggia which is a coastal town located in northeastern Italy along the Adriatic Sea. This variety is similar to Boston lettuce in the way it grows round, compact heads, although a head of Chioggia radicchio is usually more densely packed than Boston lettuce. 

One of the reasons it is best to grow radicchio in cool weather is because the cold treatment helps to balance the bitterness with a touch of sweetness making the overall eating quality much more balanced and enjoyable. The challenge for us though is protecting it from critters and extreme cold temperatures. Deer are particularly fond of this crop, so we put up a tall fence to deter them.  We also have to cover the radicchio with a double layer field cover held up off the crop by wire supports.  In Italy, many people harvest radicchio from their gardens all winter long. We have a shorter window for growth and harvest and while radicchio can take some frost, very low temperatures in the teens and twenties can cause frost damage.  The other challenging part of growing radicchio is that the rate of growth slows significantly with cool temperatures making it difficult to grow a sizeable head before our winter truly sets in. Thus, every year it’s a gamble as to whether or not we’ll be able to harvest this crop.  This year we gambled and won!

I am always curious about the health benefits of different foods, and one has to assume that a vegetable with the intensity of color you see in radicchio has got to have some valuable nutrients!  One article found at lacucinaitaliana.it describes radicchio as “a precious ally for our health because it is a true mine of antioxidants, able to counteract free radicals and cellular aging….”  Radicchio is rich in minerals and vitamins. The compounds which lend to its bitterness also help aid digestion and help support the liver in detoxifying the body.

The key to bitter vegetables is balance. Bitter is balanced by sweetness, acidity, and fat, so while you may not find a big bite of a leaf to be to your liking, you may find you really like this vegetable when it is incorporated in dishes with other ingredients that help to balance and complement the bitterness. I also prefer to thinly slice radicchio instead of eating it in big pieces. Lastly, cooking can help to mellow out the bitterness and techniques such as grilling and roasting help to bring out some of the sweetness in this vegetable as well. So what I’m saying is, please give this beautiful, bittersweet vegetable a try! 

Given radicchio’s  popularity in Italy, many of the classic pairings and ways radicchio is used go back to Italian cuisine.  Radicchio may be eaten both raw and cooked. In its raw form, radicchio is often paired with other greens as well as fruits such as apples, pears, figs, oranges, grapefruit, and persimmons to make delicious fall salads. It is also often incorporated into pasta dishes, risotto, savory pies, omelets, baked au gratin, or used as a topping for focaccia or pizza. Many dishes will pair radicchio with other ingredients such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, chestnuts, fatty cheese such as Parmesan, Gorgonzola (blue cheese) or Taleggio. It is also often paired with seafood as well as bacon or other pork products, eggs, olive oil, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and caramelized onions.

While we encourage you to use the radicchio within a week or two, you’ll find it stores pretty well and you can likely keep it for several weeks.  Store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to keep it from wilting. You can use the entire head, including the core. Carefully peel back the layers, wash well and pat dry before using.


Radicchio & Grapefruit Salad

Yield:  4 servings

¼ cup walnut pieces (or other nut of your choice)
1 large red grapefruit
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 
1 tsp honey 
¼ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cups lightly packed, torn radicchio leaves
¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces soft goat cheese
  1. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts, tossing or stirring frequently, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a small bowl, and let cool.
  2. Using a sharp paring knife, trim the top and bottom off the grapefruit. Stand it on one end and, cutting downward following the curve of the fruit, remove all the rind and white pith. Hold the fruit over a medium bowl and cut each grapefruit segment from its membrane, letting the segment drop into the bowl. Squeeze any juice from the remaining membrane into a small bowl or jar.
  3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp of the grapefruit juice. (Reserve the remaining juice for another use, such as drinking it!)  Just before serving, add the radicchio to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.
  4. To serve, arrange about ¾ cup of the radicchio onto each plate then evenly divide the grapefruit segments, onion, goat cheese and the walnuts over each portion. Alternatively, you can also arrange the salad in a large salad bowl and serve it family-style.

Recipe written by Ellie Krieger and published in The Washington Post.