October 19, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Fresh Ginger

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Fresh Baby Ginger:  

Golden Milk
Photo from www.teaforturmeric.com

Easy 5-Minute Carrot Miso Ginger Dressing (See Below)

Pear Ginger Walnut Muffins (See Below)

Homemade Pickled Ginger 

Golden Milk 

Orange Carrots: 

Sesame Ginger Carrot Salad 

Carrot Oatmeal Cookie 

Orange Marmalade or Bon Bon Winter Squash:  

Japanese Roasted Kabocha Squash 

8 Kabocha Squash Recipes to Keep In Your Back Pocket 

Starry Night Acorn Squash: 

Roasted Acorn Squash with Sesame Seeds & Cumin 

Sourdough Stuffing with Apples, Acorn Squash & Hazelnuts  

Japanese Roasted Kabocha Squash
Photo from www.justonevookbook.com

Yellow Onions: 

French Onion Bread 

Onion Tart 

Italian Garlic: 

Sopa de Ajo (Spanish Garlic Soup) 

Rosemary Garlic Smashed Potatoes 

Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco or Broccoli: 

Broccoli Slaw 

Curried Cauliflower & Acorn Squash Soup 

Onion Tart
Photo from www.tasteofhome.com

Salad Mix: 

Mixed Greens Salad with Cranberries, Walnuts & Blue Cheese 

Purple Majesty Potatoes: 

Garlicky Roasted Purple Potatoes 

Pan-Fried Purple Potatoes with Cilantro Gremolata 

Red Summercrisp or Green Boston Lettuce: 

Butter (Boston) Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette 

Mibuna: 

An Easy Chinese Greens Recipe

Purple Daikon Radish:  

Daikon Radish & Soba Noodle with Chickpea Miso Ginger Sauce 

Soy-Pickled Daikon Radish 

Garlicky Roasted Purple Potatoes
Photo from www.foodabovegold.com

This week is definitely feeling more like fall, complete with changing leaves on the trees, a cool, crisp air hanging in our valley in the morning, and a shift in cooking from tomatoes, peppers and summer vegetables to winter squash, root crops and very soon…sweet potatoes!  This week we’re featuring another one of our unique tropical vegetables, Fresh Baby Ginger!  I included a few recipes for you to consider, the first being Pear Ginger Walnut Muffins (See Below). This is the perfect muffin for a fall breakfast on the go. I also included a simple recipe for Easy 5-Minute Carrot Miso Ginger Dressing (See Below). This recipe will be a great accompaniment to a green salad topped with shredded daikon radish, carrots, and grilled steak! I also included a recipe for Homemade Pickled Ginger in case you want to give that a try.  Lastly, I love a hot cup of Golden Milk so thought you might enjoy it too!

I enjoy purple daikon radish because it’s beautiful, but I also like having a smaller radish to work with.  One of my favorite things to do with purple daikon is to make Soy-Pickled Daikon Radish.  This is a great condiment to have in the refrigerator. Enjoy a few slices alongside fried rice, grilled steak, ramen noodles, etc. If you want something that is a bit more of a complete meal, check out Andrea Bemis’ recipe for Daikon Radish & Soba Noodle with Chickpea Miso Ginger Sauce.

I hope you’re ready to make winter squash part of your weekly line up, and for starters try Roasted Acorn Squash with Sesame Seeds & Cumin or Sourdough Stuffing with Apples, Acorn Squash & Hazelnuts.  I seldom do anything with kabocha squash other than bake it, season with salt, and melt some butter on it. But if you do want to get a bit more adventurous, check out this recipe collection for 8 Kabocha Squash Recipes to Keep In Your Back Pocket.

Ok, there’s another load of carrots coming in from the field very soon so I’d better wrap up and head back to the packing shed!  Richard has been monitoring the sweet potato curing process and, hopefully, we’ll be able to start washing them next week for your boxes!  We’re also saving Brussels sprouts for next week.  Plenty to look forward to! 

Have a great week-----

Andrea 

Vegetable Feature: Fresh Baby Ginger

by Andrea Yoder

Newly planted Ginger

Along with this year’s lemongrass and jicama, baby ginger is another unique crop that is on our list of crops we grow periodically, but not every year. Our growing season is much different than Hawaii and other ginger-producing regions, however it is possible to grow ginger in this climate! Ginger is actually a rhizome, which is a stem that grows horizontally underground.   It produces roots to anchor it and sends up shoots to grow into foliage above ground as it grows and expands. In our northern climate, we have the best results growing ginger in a greenhouse as we just don’t have a long enough growing season to get any kind of appreciable yield when grown in the field.  The ginger we produce is actually referred to as baby ginger as we don’t have enough warm days, even when grown in the greenhouse, to produce fully mature ginger.  

Harvesting Ginger

Baby ginger is different than fully mature ginger, which is what you have likely purchased if you’ve bought ginger from the store.  Baby ginger has very thin skin with some pink coloring, especially at the points where the stems have grown from the main rhizome. This is very different from the thick, brown skin you are likely most accustomed to seeing in the store.  Due to its thin skin, baby ginger is more perishable and should be used within about a week for optimal quality. It is best to store it at room temperature as it can get rubbery in the refrigerator. When you cut into a piece of baby ginger, you will notice it is more tender, juicy and has a bright and perhaps a bit more mild flavor than some fully mature ginger that can be quite spicy.  In many ways, young ginger versus fully mature ginger is very similar to the differences you experience with using fresh garlic harvested in late June versus mature garlic that has been cured.  We also chose to leave some of the stem and a bit of leaf attached to the ginger. These stems are also edible, although the flavor is milder than the main rhizome. I like to add them to soup, stews, tea or broth and use them to infuse additional flavor into the liquid.

Freshly washed baby Ginger

Ginger is used as both medicine and food. As a medicine, it has anti-inflammatory properties, can sooth a whole host of gastrointestinal maladies, and helps to boost the immune system. When used in cooking, you will find it is a common, if not staple, ingredient in many Asian cultures. It is often paired with garlic and scallions in Chinese stir-fry or combine it with chiles, lemongrass and a variety of other ingredients to make Thai curry pastes. Ginger has a spicy, warm flavor which also makes it an excellent ingredient to pair with other warming spices and rich, comforting foods such as sweet potatoes, winter squash, mushrooms, broccoli, etc. It can be used extensively to make beverages, teas, baked goods, stir-fry, salad dressings, vegetable dishes, curries, and much, much more!

To use baby ginger, simply cut a piece from the main chunk and peel if necessary. The skin is so thin and tender that it usually comes off quite easily. As I mentioned above, it’s best to use baby ginger within about a week.  If you do not think you’ll be able to use all your ginger within a week, consider preserving it for later use.  There are several options for ways to preserve ginger. First, consider making a ginger syrup that you can keep in the refrigerator to use as a base to add to beverages or just eat a spoonful each day for an immune boost. You can also turn fresh ginger into pickled ginger. Traditional Japanese pickled ginger that is commonly served with sushi is made with baby ginger. The pink hue of pickled ginger comes from that pink color you see on the skin of baby ginger. This is also the preferred form of ginger to use as it’s more tender and delicate compared to fully mature ginger.  Pickled ginger is very easy to make and will keep for up to six months in the refrigerator.  Lastly, you can freeze fresh ginger. Just wash it well and cut it into smaller pieces, about the amount you may want to use at a time. Place the clean ginger pieces in a freezer bag and freeze it raw. When you have a recipe that calls for fresh ginger, pull a piece of the frozen ginger out and let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes. The ginger may be a little soft once fully thawed, but that doesn’t really matter.  Just chop it up and use it wherever you need “fresh” ginger! We’ve come to appreciate this crop over the years and hope you enjoy this little taste of the tropics!  

Pear Ginger Walnut Muffins

Yield:  12 medium sized muffins

Pear Ginger Sauce:

2 cups peeled, cored and diced ripe pears (Bartlett or similar)

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

Muffins:

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger for batter plus ½ tsp for topping

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs

⅓ cup sugar for batter plus 2 Tbsp for topping

½ cup plus 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. 
   First prepare the Pear Ginger Sauce. Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When butter is melted and frothy add pears, tossing with a wooden spoon to coat. 
2. Add ¼ cup of sugar, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
3. Add grated ginger and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until pears are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 15-20 minutes while you assemble the muffin batter. 
4. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease muffin pan.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tsp ground ginger and salt.
6. Whisk together eggs and ⅓ cup sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then add butter whisking or blending with electric mixer until creamy. Add 1 cup of the cooled pear ginger sauce and stir to combine.  Next, fold in flour mixture until the dry and wet ingredients are fully incorporated. Stir in 1 cup of walnuts and divide batter among muffin cups.
7. In a small bowl, combine remaining 2 Tbsp sugar, ½ tsp ground ginger and ½ cup walnuts. Sprinkle topping evenly on top of muffins. Bake until muffins are golden, and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and cool slightly. Once cooled completely, the muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for about a week. 

Recipe borrowed from www.food52.com.

Easy 5-Minute Carrot Miso Ginger Dressing

Yield:  approximately 1.5 cups

Photo from www.kalejunkie.com

½ cup white miso

¼ cup avocado or olive oil

½ cup grated carrots, packed

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp maple syrup or honey

¼ cup water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

1. Start by adding all of the ingredients, except for the sesame seeds, to a high-speed blender.  Blend until smooth.
2. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. If you are using sesame seeds, stir them in by hand.
3. Once done, transfer your dressing to a jar and store in the fridge for up to one week. Put it on your favorite salads, eat it with veggies, or use it as a sauce for chicken or fish.

Recipe borrowed from www.kalejunkie.com.