Harmony Valley Farm: November 2023

Can you believe we’re in the final month of the year and the 2023 CSA delivery season?! Our valley is blanketed in white, and this week was a reality check with single-digit temperatures! We’ve pulled out our insulated pants, snow boots and lots of layers of clothing as we work in the chilly outdoors. In the kitchen, I finally feel like I’m ready for soup to be a mainstay on the menu each week and it’s time to start doing more long, slow braises. These final two CSA boxes of the delivery season will hold a lot of vegetables, some of which you’ll use over the next two weeks, but I’m guessing many households may have extra vegetables to carry over into the new year. No worries—everything in these final boxes has storage potential. So, as you unpack your box this week, take a little extra time to make sure you store each vegetable appropriately and check in on them periodically. If you notice something starting to sprout or a bad spot starting to form, it’s time to use that item. If you have some root vegetables that get a little dehydrated, don’t throw them out! Use them in a soup, stew or a pot of meat or vegetable broth. They’re still usable and they’ll rehydrate in the liquid.

Ok, let’s dive into cooking! This week’s featured vegetable is Shallots. Shallots often provide a nice, subtle, sophisticated background flavor; however, I chose two featured recipes this week that use shallots in a more forward manner. Check out this recipe for Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots (See Below). This would be a great side dish to serve with roasted chicken or braised beef. This other recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Shallots (See Below) showcases the beauty of roasting shallots to bring out their natural sweetness.

Spicy Sweet Onion Jam & Grilled Cheese
Photo from www.kalamazoogourmet.com

While we’re talking about onions, let’s take a look at a few tasty recipes to use the red & yellow storage onions in this week’s box! Check out this recipe for Spicy Sweet Onion Jam & Cheddar Grilled Cheese, a very gourmet upgrade to a simple sandwich! Looking for something tasty to take to holiday parties? This Baked Brie with Balsamic Onion Jam recipe will be a showstopper for sure, and it’s really quite easy to prepare with just a little patience and time to gently caramelize the onions for the jam. Lastly, you know I love a good quiche, so this recipe for Sausage & Onion Sheet Pan Quiche caught my eye. If you’ll be hosting overnight guests over the holiday season, this is a great recipe to prepare and serve for breakfast if you’re cooking for a crowd!

Let’s talk about roots for a moment. This year we had a phenomenal crop of rutabagas! This humble vegetable is often either someone’s favorite or you look at it and aren’t sure what to do with it. I always recommend to keep it simple with rutabagas, such as in the featured recipe for Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots (See Below) or Parmesan Mashed Rutabaga. While you may not think to use rutabagas in a raw preparation, I always like to mention this recipe for Rutabaga & Apple Salad. It’s simple, but tasty and makes for a very nice winter salad.

Sunchokes can sometimes be another difficult root vegetable (tuber to be specific) for some CSA members. I recommend pairing sunchokes with sweet potatoes in this Sunchoke & Sweet Potato Gratin. My other all-time favorite, and very simple, way to use sunchokes is to roast them. Here’s a simple recipe for The Best Roasted Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke) Recipe. Of course you could also add carrots, potatoes or any other roots along with the sunchokes to make a medley.

And what are you going to do with more carrots? Eat them for dessert in these tasty Carrot Cake Cookies. Serve them for breakfast in this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal or put them on the menu for Taco Tuesday with this recipe for Grilled Beef Short Rib Tacos with Roasted Carrot Butter & Pickled Radishes.

Every season of the year comes with its own set of culinary adventures, and winter is no different. If you feel like you’re falling into a root rut, venture outside of your usual preparations and go-to recipes and see if you can find something different to make with your storage vegetables. Chances are there is something out there to add a little pizazz back into your meals. Of course, if you’re stumped you can also check out our private Facebook page and see what suggestions your fellow CSA members may have! Just a reminder, we will not be packing or delivering regular CSA Vegetable boxes next week. We will however be delivering End of Season special orders and Meat shares. I’ll meet you back here in two weeks as we pack the final box of the season! Take care & happy cooking!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Shallots

by Andrea Yoder

Shallots are similar in appearance to an onion, but they are not “just another onion.” The variety we grow has an elongated shape with rosy, pink skin and thin, purple layers on the inside. Shallots are both strong and delicate at the same time. We like to describe it as elegant and sophisticated, meaning the flavor remains bold, but balanced and soft around the edges. It’s kind of hard to explain but pay attention when you start to use them, and I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about!

Shallots are a key ingredient in many French sauces such as Hollandaise, Bearnaise, and Bordelaise as well as vinaigrettes. Shallots really shine in these applications, not so much as the main event, but rather for the flavorful foundation they lay for these preparations. The flavor of the shallots infuses into the sauce and while you can’t specifically taste the shallot, you would know if it were missing. Shallots may be eaten both raw and cooked. When cooking, keep the heat gentle so as not to burn them. They do have a natural sweetness to them that can turn bitter if you burn them. That natural sweetness also makes them a great candidate for roasting and caramelizing! They are tasty incorporated into egg dishes, braised meats, sliced thinly and added to fresh vegetables, and incorporated into marinades and vinaigrettes. Crispy fried shallots also make a delicious garnish for soups, sautéed greens, and mashed roots.

Shallots store well throughout the fall and winter if kept in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location. If you notice a sprout starting to shoot up, just remove it and use the remainder of the shallot.

Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots

Photo from www.nerdswithknives.com

Yield: 3-4 servings

For the Crispy Shallots:

¾ cup olive or vegetable oil

1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter

2-3 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings

For The Rutabaga:

1 large or 2 small Rutabaga (about 2 pounds)

½ cup whole milk

1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter

Salt & Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the Crispy Shallots. Heat the oil and unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Add the shallots and cook very slowly until they turn almost completely translucent (it should just barely bubble at this stage). This should take about 30 minutes. Then turn the heat up a little to medium low and cook, stirring often, until they turn a rich golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Do not walk away once you turn the heat up because they will brown very quickly at this stage. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and spread them out to cool on paper towels. Once they have dried and crisped, they can be stored at room temperature, covered, for several days.
Prepare the Rutabagas. Peel the rutabagas to remove the skin and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a saucepan with water to cover and 2 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender (they should be easily pierced by a paring knife), about 35 minutes. Drain well.
In a separate saucepan, heat the milk until it just begins to simmer.
Purée the rutabagas in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or mash with a potato masher by hand. While pureeing/mashing, add the butter to the hot mixture and then pour the milk in a steady stream. The rutabagas should be silky and smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
This dish may be served immediately, or made up to two days ahead and reheated (keep crispy shallots separate until serving). Top with the crispy shallots just before serving so they stay crunchy.

Recipe borrowed from www.nerdswithknives.com.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Shallots

Photo from www.blue-kitchen.com

Yield: 4-6 servings

1 to 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes

3 to 4 shallots, peeled, ends trimmed and halved lengthwise

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary

¼ to ½ tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks. Place in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Add shallots and garlic to baking dish and drizzle with 2 to 3 Tbsp of olive oil. Toss gently with a wooden spoon to avoid breaking up shallots. Season generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and add the rosemary. Toss gently again to spread seasonings more or less evenly.
Place baking dish on middle rack in oven and roast 40 to 55 minutes, stirring gently a couple of times during the roasting, until sweet potatoes are tender and slightly browned.
The sweet potatoes may absorb a bit of the olive oil and appear to be drying out—just drizzle with some more oil before tossing them. The shallots may brown even more than the sweet potatoes, and the chopped garlic will almost certainly blacken. That’s okay—all will be delicious. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Recipe borrowed from www.blue-kitchen.com.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Fall Farm Update…A Bountiful Year!

by Allison Kieley & Richard de Wilde

Onions drying in the greenhouse

The energy on the farm in the fall has a noticeably different feel than during other times of the year. While we remain busy harvesting vegetables, the shift in weather forces us to deviate from our typical go-go-go spirit and pause for moments of planning and problem-solving. This fall we continued to work around the lingering impacts of the season-long severe drought. Increased irrigation efforts paired with the silver lining of drought – little to no disease caused by wet foliage – allowed us to harvest bountiful yields of some of our favorite crops. We have seen about double the typical yield from our onions, and our sweet potatoes are some of the best we’ve seen in years!

Our successful yields presented us with a new challenge: storage! With so many healthy, sizeable crops to harvest, we quickly realized that storage was going to become an issue. Not only were we short on cooler space, but for the first time in well over 10 years we ran out of storage bins. We’re thankful for our friends at Spring Grove Pallets who were able to make and deliver 80 new wooden bins in a matter of days to help us get our crops into storage. If you were to drive past the farm today, you’d see the parking lots scattered with full-size semi-trailers. These refrigerated units have been our creative solution to a shortage of cooler space for various winter root crops. At present, we are running our three main coolers in the packing shed, three 53’ refrigerated semi-trailers, and we are using the refrigeration unit on our little market truck. It is a full house!

Fall cabbages in October,
ready to harvest!

The funny thing about the transition into fall is that despite knowing it will arrive every year, we somehow find ourselves feeling surprised at its arrival. Whether it is waking up to an early first frost or working around an unexpected downpour of 4” of rain in the middle of a drought, there is nothing we can do to control the weather. What we can, and do, control is how we react. It is awkward to have the crew call from our field on Upper Newton Road to report that it is freezing there, and they cannot harvest. What to do? Take a long coffee break until it warms up? We must remain diligent in our forecasting and plan our work accordingly.

Over time, and through trial and error, we have learned to take steps to be proactive rather than reactive. For example, instead of looking at an upcoming weather forecast with high temperatures in the low 20s as a sign to throw in the towel on our vulnerable green vegetables, we took it as an opportunity to pause, shift gears, and set ourselves up for success. We assessed the situation and decided to use an entire day of work to put covers over several acres of greens. This process can feel painstakingly slow, but because we took the time to protect these crops, we were able to extend our greens harvest for several weeks. As I am writing this, our crew is harvesting the very last of our cilantro crop…on November 14th. That is certainly a new record!

We're still harvesting kale in November!

We have learned a lot through trial and error and think that is the only way you can truly understand what works and what doesn’t. After 50 years of lessons learned, and taking advice from second and third-generation farmers who came before us, understanding the importance of time is a recurring theme in farming. This is especially true when it comes to planting fall crops. Fall crops, like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, like cool weather but if you wait too long to plant them, they might not make it. To avoid putting all our eggs in one basket, we typically have two different plantings for these crops, which are done about two weeks apart. The first one battles against the heat, and the second one battles against the cold. Choose your battle! We work hard to maintain accurate records and continue to adjust planting dates based on, you guessed it, the weather. This week’s CSA boxes contain the last of our fall cauliflower and broccoli Romanesco. The heads are small, but we couldn’t bear to leave them behind.

Mulched Garlic Field

After seeing our 2022 garlic plants above ground last fall, we realized our mid-October planting date was too early. We aren’t supposed to see them until the spring! We pushed our planting date back 10 days this year and ended up being able to shape and fertilize the field. We were also able to bury irrigation drip lines in preparation for planting. We’re lucky we had the foresight to get this taken care of before planting because we unexpectedly got 2.5” of rain on October 13th and needed to wait for the ground to dry to plant the garlic. In hindsight, we must see the humor in needing to wait for the ground to dry after this year’s historic drought. There’s never a dull moment around here!

While we are finishing a few late harvests, our work in the fields is starting to wind down. Our crew has completed the sunchoke and horseradish plantings for the 2024 crop year and we were able to plant about 50-60 acres of cover crops. We still need to cut our supply of firewood for next year but are fortunate to have a strong storage supply so that isn’t terribly pressing. Some of the harvest crew has already returned home to their friends and family in Mexico, and we have another group of 12 leaving at the end of this week. It is always bittersweet to say goodbye to our team, they really do feel like family. As we celebrate Thanksgiving next week, we realize we truly do have a lot to be grateful for this year.

Enjoy the upcoming holiday, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

November 16, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Radicchio

Cooking With This Week's Box

Radicchio:

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Photo from www.wellplated.com

Asiago Cremini Pasta Bake with Radicchio (See Below)

16 Stellar Ways To Use Radicchio

Brussels Sprouts:

Fall Panzanella with Brussels Sprouts & Apples

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Purple Viking Potatoes:

Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Easy Shepard’s Pie

Red & Yellow Onions:

Breakfast Strata with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese

Italian Garlic:

Garlic Cabbage Stir-Fry

Garlic Thyme Turkey Gravy

The Best Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Photo from www.bakerbynature.com

Sweet Potatoes:

Sweet Potato Bread with Dates & Cranberries

The Best Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Butternut Squash or Autumn Frost Squash:

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Shakshuka

Butternut Squash Curry

Celeriac:

Celeriac Bisque with Cranberry Relish

Celeriac & Sausage Stuffing

Orange Carrots:

Thanksgiving Root Vegetable Pie

Fluffy Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots

Green Savoy Cabbage:

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Simple Cabbage Slaw with Radicchio and Champagne Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato & Beet Chips
Photo from www.madeitateitlovedit.com

Red Beets:

Spiced Beet & Carrot Soup

Sweet Potato & Beet Chips

Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco:

Roasted Carrot & Cauliflower Salad with Sunshine Dressing

Cauliflower & Kale Frittata

Green Curly Kale:

Tuscan White Bean & Kale Soup

Butternut Squash Quesadillas with Chicken & Kale

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we look forward to celebrating the bounty of this year’s harvests….and it certainly has been a bountiful year! We are still harvesting vegetables, including “greens” from the fields! This week one of our “greens” is actually not green, but a beautiful burgundy red color. You’ll know radicchio when you see it! This week’s featured recipe is a rich main dish, but the bittersweet radicchio pairs well with salty, fatty cheese in this recipe Asiago Cremini Pasta Bake with Radicchio (See Below). You may also want to check out this recipe collection entitled: 16 Stellar Ways To Use Radicchio.

I have been saving the Purple Viking potatoes for this delivery in particular because they are my absolute favorite variety to use for mashed potatoes and I know there will be many households making mashed potatoes next week! Personally, I like to put garlic in my potatoes so I included a recipe this week for Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes. This is also a great variety to use for Shepard’s Pie!

Celeriac & Sausage Stuffing
Photo from www.jessicaburns.com

As we finish out our final few deliveries, the boxes are going to be heavy on root vegetables including this week’s celeriac. We like to include celeriac in our Thanksgiving meal as it makes its way into either our bread dressing or stuffing. Thus, I included a recipe for Celeriac & Sausage Stuffing. Brussels sprouts are another Thanksgiving dinner favorite. Perhaps you want to introduce a new dish to the table this year with this Fall Panzanella with Brussels Sprouts & Apples.

As for this week’s sweet potatoes, you may get some funny shaped ones in your box this week…. just saying! The shape doesn’t matter if you’re going to cook them and turn them into puree to make Sweet Potato Bread with Dates & Cranberries or The Best Sweet Potato Cheesecake.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday week. We will not be doing CSA deliveries next week, but we’ll be back in the game the following week to finish our final few deliveries of the year! Happy Thanksgiving!

Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Radicchio

by Andrea Yoder

Radicchio in the field

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 where they grow 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. The variety we grow, 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. Radicchio can take some frost, but can be permanently damaged with temperatures in the low 20’s. Thus, we usually cover the radicchio with a double layer field cover held up off the crop by wire supports. 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!

From a nutrition perspective, 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. 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….”

The key to preparing and eating 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 can 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, dates, pomegranate, 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, avocados, and 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.

We encourage you to use the radicchio within a week as it may be more perishable given it has seen multiple freezing nights. 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.

Asiago Cremini Pasta Bake with Radicchio

Yield: 1 9x13-inch baking dish

Photo from www.allrecipes.com

1-16 oz package shell or macaroni pasta

1 medium or 2 small heads radicchio

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 small red onion, diced

½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

¼ tsp ground black pepper, to taste

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp minced fresh sage

¼ cup butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

3 cups grated Asiago cheese

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally until still firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Prepare the radicchio by cutting the head in half and removing the core. Thinly slice the leaves and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until mushrooms have browned and onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add radicchio, garlic, and sage; cook until radicchio has wilted, and garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pasta. Set it aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook until foaming. Pour in milk, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in Asiago cheese, heavy cream, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper until sauce is melted and smooth.
Pour sauce over pasta mixture; stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Combine the remining ½ cup Parmesan cheese with the panko breadcrumbs and spread evenly over the pasta mixture. Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. If you wish, broil for about 1 minute or until the topping is golden brown.

Recipe borrowed from www.allrecipes.com.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

November 2, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Brussels Sprouts

Cooking With This Week's Box

Dehydrated Onions
Photo from www.flouronmyface.com

Red & Yellow Onions:

Whole Roasted Onions

How To Dehydrate Onions (with a dehydrator)

French Onion Shepherd’s Pie

Italian Garlic:

Spaghetti With Garlic And Oil

How to Dehydrate Garlic

Sweet Potatoes:

Sweet Potato Pie

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Brussels Sprouts:

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Dehydrated Garlic
Photo from www.cravethegood.com

Adirondak Red or Purple Majesty or Peter Wilcox Potatoes:

Pizza With Green Garlic, Potatoes and Herbs

Three Potato Soup

Black Futsu Pumpkins:

Spiced & Roasted Black Futsu

Baked Black Futsu Pumpkin with Cranberry-Orange Maple Butter

Orange Carrots:

Orange-Ginger Carrot Soup

Roasted Carrots

Broccoli:

Cheesy Garlic Broccoli

Sweet Potato Pie
Photo from www.allrecipes.com

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Cauliflower:

Cauliflower Soup

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

Lacinato Kale Tops:

Tuscan Sausage and Kale Soup

Sautéed Lacinato Kale

Escarole:

Braised Potatoes & Escarole

Dad's Escarole and Bean Soup

Tuscan Sausage and Kale Soup
Photo from www.simplywhisked.com

Parsnips:

Carrot-Parsnip Soup with Parsnip Chips

Parsnip Chips

This week I (Kelly) am guest writing the Cooking with the box article. My cooking style runs more towards the ‘Quick and easy’ side; however, I hope you still find inspiration with my choices. I included links with instructions to dehydrate both onions and garlic. Both of those items store well, but in my house, I do a lot of preserving items when I can. I love to have the ability to grind the dehydrated onions and garlic when I need them. I store the dehydrated pieces whole and only grind them when I need them with a dedicated coffee grinder (who wants their coffee to taste like garlic)!

I also do as much kitchen prep as I can since sometimes during the week, I barely have time (or desire) to cook a large meal. Example this week, when I bring my share box home Friday, I will wash and chop up the broccoli, cauliflower, and the parsnips since I plan on using them during the week. If I had a plan in my head for the carrots, I would cut them up and put them back in the bag to store in the refrigerator for a few days until I need them. But this week, I will be storing them for longer than a week, so I will leave them whole. I really like Brussels sprouts, so I will look through those and cut the larger ones in half and clean up any loose leaves, put them back in the bag they came in and plan to roast them in a day or two.

If I don’t have these things prepared or easy to grab and use, I tend to make what we lovingly call a ‘hot dish’. This is where I ‘clean the refrigerator’ out, cut up and cook what I can find that may go well together and cook it together in one pan, ‘Kelly’s never the same twice hot dish’!

While I have links to these recipes I will be making in the coming weeks, I found that I would make many substitutions, additions and basically only use these as ‘guidelines’ to my finished product. Enjoy this week share box, there are only 3 left this season ☹

Kelly

Vegetable Feature: Brussels Sprouts

Transplanting Brussels Sprouts in the Spring

Brussels sprouts are a popular crop many members have come to adore when they realize how delicious they are when harvested fresh, in the peak of their season, AND cooked properly. Brussels sprouts are another selection in the family of Brassicas which include cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage. They resemble little cabbages and grow on stalks with leaves similar to collards. We start Brussels sprouts from seed in the green house in the spring and then plant the transplants to the field where they require a 4–6-month growth period to reach their full potential.

There are several points that are very important when it comes to Brussels sprouts. First, frost and cold temperatures contribute significantly to the eating quality of Brussels sprouts. After a frost, the flavor of the sprouts is sweet, slightly nutty, and pleasant. California is a major Brussels sprouts producer for the United States. While Brussels sprouts do grow well there, there are many who are of the opinion that the mild California coastal climate just isn’t quite cold enough for Brussels sprouts. Thus, consider yourself lucky that you live in Wisconsin & Minnesota where we can grow some delicious, sweet sprouts!

Brussels Sprouts in the field ready to harvest

The second point of importance is DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM! When the color fades from bright green to a dark olive color, the flavor fades too. Overcooked Brussels sprouts go from crisp & tender to soft and mushy in texture and their sweetness is traded for a strong, unpleasant flavor with a pungent smell to accompany it. Larger sprouts should be cut in half or par cooked if left whole. Smaller sprouts may be left whole or cut in half. When you are ready to use them, simply trim the end and remove any spotty leaves. Rinse and then you are ready to use them. They can also be shredded by cutting them in half and putting the cut side down and slicing them thinly with a knife. Brussels sprouts may be sautéed, roasted, or lightly steamed just until the color is bright, and they are tender to slightly al dente. While most frequently eaten cooked, Brussels sprouts may also be eaten raw. This week’s boxes include 1 pound of Brussels sprouts. One pound of Brussels sprouts is equal to about 4 cups halved.

Brussels sprouts pair well with smoky and salty foods including bacon, ham, aged or sharp cheese, and blue cheese. Additionally, preparations often include mustard, walnuts, pecans, lemon juice, onions, and garlic.

They are definitely worth eating from a nutrition standpoint. They are high in fiber, folate, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K and are packed full of powerful, cancer-preventing properties as well. Store your Brussels sprouts in the fridge in the bag we packed them in. You should open the bag a bit though and let them breathe.

Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

Serves: 4

Photo from www.dishingupthedirt.com

5-6 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half

¼ cup dry white wine (can substitute with chicken or veggie broth)

1 pound spaghetti noodles

3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

5 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

minced parsley for serving

Cook the bacon in a large heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Pour out half of the reserved bacon fat (leaving about 1 ½ tablespoons in the pan) and add the brussels sprouts. Cook the sprouts for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to take on some color. Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated, and the sprouts are a deep golden brown and slightly crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet you cooked the bacon/sprouts in over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add the pasta to the pan with the garlic and 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid, toss well. Sprinkle in the cheese, bacon, brussels sprouts, crushed red pepper flakes and minced parsley. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve warm.

Notes: *Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary

Recipe borrowed from www.dishingupthedirt.com.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Pears & Pistachios

Serves: 4

Photo from www.food52.com

1 pound brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

6 grinds black pepper

1 Bosc pear, halved lengthwise and cored

¼cup shelled pistachios, chopped coarsely

Juice of ½ large lemon

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the prepared brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and pour on the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix with clean hands. Place the pear halves, cut sides-down, on the baking sheet, making sure there is enough oil to coat their cut surfaces.
Roast the brussels sprouts and pear for about 20 minutes. Then turn the brussels sprouts with a metal spatula so that both sides will get caramelized. Check the pear—it many not be caramelized at this point.
After another 10 minutes, turn the brussels sprouts again. Flip the pear. Reduce the oven heat to 375°F.
Add the pistachios—you just want to heat them up and toast them slightly.
After 5 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Squeeze lemon juice directly over all the ingredients. Use your spatula to chop up the pear halves. Toss everything thoroughly, check the seasoning, and serve on a platter or in a bowl.

Recipe borrowed from www.food52.com.