Harmony Valley Farm: September 15, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Carrots

We are down to the final week of summer and next week we will officially usher in the first day of Autumn! This week we’re delivering what will likely be the last hurrah of sweet corn along with the last of the watermelons. Sadly, we won’t have enough watermelons for the entire week, but we’ll include them in as many boxes as possible. As we straddle the seasons, sweet peppers continue to shine. You’ll find quite a few recipes in this week’s list of suggestions that include peppers. But before I get ahead of myself, lets talk about this week’s featured vegetable—Carrots! Come on Andrea, we’ve been getting carrots for quite awhile now and everyone knows what to do with a carrot! Tis true, carrots are one of the most common, staple vegetables and we do set out to include them in a majority of the boxes over the course of the season. But do you ever get in a rut and week after week they start to accumulate in your crisper drawer? I often overlook carrots and use them more as an accessory vegetable instead of the featured component in a recipe. So, this week’s featured recipe of the week brings carrots front and center. I sourced this recipe for Indian-Style Butter Carrots (Gajar Makhani is the name in Punjabi and translates to “Carrot” and “Butter”) from Alice Zaslavsky’s recently published book, In Praise of Veg: The Ultimate Cookbook for Vegetable Lovers. It’s a vegetarian curry dish that has some richness from coconut milk and toasted cashews. Serve it alongside roti or naan bread with steamed rice.

This is our second time including tomatillos in the box this year. As the nights start to get cool, one of my favorite late summer/early fall soup recipes is for this Spicy Pork and Tomatillo Soup which is a recipe we’ve featured previously and dates all the way back to 2007 when I used to cook lunch for the crew! If you want to stick with making a traditional salsa verde, you can do so and use it to make Roasted Salsa Verde Chicken Nachos.

If you do “Taco Tuesday” in your household, I have a taco recipe suggestion for you this week. Check out these Peach & Pepper Tacos which utilize the mini sweet peppers. You could also go with Taco Stuffed Peppers and make use of this week’s colored bell peppers.

This week we’re reintroducing some salad greens after a long summer off of green salads. Use this week’s bag of arugula to make this Autumn Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette. If you don’t use the Boston lettuce to make lettuce wraps, then consider making this Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Butter (Boston) Lettuce and Creamy Dressing.

You may find an item or two in your box this week that is not included in this list as we weren’t able to include them in all the boxes. If you’re looking for a way to use cauliflower, broccoli or watermelon, refer to some of the previous weeks’ articles. Ok, I’m going to wrap it up there. Get ready to shift into soup mode next week. We’re planning to harvest celeriac and leeks for next week’s boxes!

-Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Carrots

by Andrea Yoder

While we often use this space to feature a new item in the box, this week we’re going to give this space to the humble carrot. We consider carrots to be a staple vegetable, which is why we strive to include them in as many boxes as we can starting in early summer and going through the end of the season. However, since they are such a common vegetable, I think sometimes they get overlooked and if you are like me, I forget to use them, and they start piling up in the refrigerator. So, this week’s feature article is more about reminding you of all the different ways carrots can be used!

Before we talk about using carrots, I want to mention that there are many different types and varieties which may be best suited for growing at different times of the season. Early season varieties of carrots we grow are characterized by being more tender and juicier than our storage carrots. They also take fewer days to mature and are often harvested with the tops intact. Storage carrots, as the name suggests, are able to be stored for months if you keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. You’ll notice they are more dense (some may say hard), which lends to their ability to be stored longer.

So, what can you do with carrots? Carrots are versatile in their uses and may be eaten raw, roasted, boiled, baked, and even fried! They can be added to soups, stews, braised meats, curries, root mashes, pancakes, bread, cookies, and a whole host of other uses. Heck, where I come from Carrot Jello Salad is a mainstay at all the church potlucks! You can make a very simple, quick, and easy salad with just a few ingredients or add shredded carrots to lettuce salads, slaws, etc. Soup is another great way to use carrots---either as the main ingredient or as part of a mélange of vegetables in say, chicken soup. Carrots are also delicious in baked goods such as carrot cake, carrot cookies, apple-carrot muffins, and carrot pancakes. Additionally, carrots pair well with a variety of herbs and spices as well as fruits such as apples and citrus. We’ve even featured recipes in previous years for including carrots in oatmeal for breakfast! Of course, carrots are also a great item to keep on hand when you just need a crunchy, quick snack to hold you over until dinner is ready! I often will wash and trim some carrots and have them ready to go in the refrigerator for those times when I want a quick, healthy snack!

We are moving into storage carrot season, so it is ok if you don’t eat all your carrots each week as they will store for several weeks. Keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to keep them crispy. If your carrots do get a little dehydrated, soak them in ice water for at least 30 minutes to crisp them up again or just use them in a soup or stew where they are going to get soft anyway! Do carrots need to be peeled? Well, that’s up to you. The peel is edible, and I seldom peel them. In fact, most of the mineral content lies close to the surface and removing the skins strips them of their healthful goodness. Just give them a rinse and light scrub to remove any dirt.

In closing, carrots are packed with important nutrients, specifically beta carotene which is an important antioxidant and vitamin for our bodies. It’s important for vision, immunity and a whole host of other health benefits which make them a great vegetable to eat regularly!

Gajar Makhani - Indian-Style Butter Carrots

Yield: 4-8 servings

1 ¾ oz butter

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup raw cashews

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 Tbsp brown mustard seeds

4 curry leaf branches, leaves picked (about 35-40 leaves)—SEE NOTE BELOW

1 bunch cilantro, washed well

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp mild chili powder

1 ½ cups Greek-style yogurt

1 ½ pounds carrots, cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces on the diagonal (peeling optional)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 lb 9 oz tomato passata (tomato puree)

1 cup coconut cream, plus extra to serve

Steamed basmati rice, to serve

Naan or roti bread, to serve

Heat butter and oil in a wide saucepan over medium high heat. Add the cashews and toss for 3 minutes, or until toasted and golden.
Add the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until aromatic. Set aside half the cashew mixture for serving.
Separate the cilantro leaves and stems. Finely chop both and keep them separate. Add the cilantro stems and spices to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Stir in the yogurt until combined, then add the carrot and stir to coat. Stir in the sugar, tomatoes, coconut cream and 1 cup water and bring to a simmer.
Partially cover the pan with a lid. Simmer over low heat for 30--45 minutes, or until the thickest piece of carrot you can find is fork-tender, and the gravy has thickened and reduced slightly.
Serve drizzled with extra coconut cream and sprinkled with the reserved cashew mixture and cilantro leaves, with rice and naan or roti bread.

Note from Chef Andrea: Fresh curry leaves may not be readily available, but that’s not a reason to forego making this recipe! At the very least, forego the curry leaves or any substitute and this dish will still have a lot of flavor. That being said, some food co-ops or grocery stores may have dried curry leaves available in the bulk spice/herb section. I have purchased them at the Wedge Co-Op in Minneapolis before. If you can’t find fresh leaves, substitute half the amount called for in the recipe with dried curry leaves. Curry leaves impart a citrusy flavor, so if you can’t find fresh or dried curry leaves you can also just use some fresh lemon or lime zest to add a little brightness to the dish. If using fresh zest, I recommend adding it at the end of cooking for the best flavor.

Recipe borrowed from Alice Zaslavsky’s book, In Praise of Veg: The Ultimate cookbook for Vegetable Lovers.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

September 15, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Carrots

Cooking With This Week's Box

Vegetable Feature: Carrots

Gajar Makhani - Indian-Style Butter Carrots

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