November 7, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Brussels Sprouts

 

What's In The Box

Yellow Onions: Store onions in a cool, dry location until you are ready to use them. If they show signs of sprouting, prioritize using that onion and remove the sprout from the center of the onion when you cut it open.
 
Missouri Porcelain Garlic: This garlic is characterized by larger cloves, but fewer per bulb. These plump cloves are great when poached in olive oil, also known as confit. The garlic softens and becomes sweet and caramelized while the oil is infused with garlic essence.
 
Evangeline & Vermillion Sweet Potatoes: Every year of farming brings new challenges and opportunities to learn. We realize this week’s sweet potatoes are not perfect and have some defects. We are trying to figure out how to remedy this issue in the future as well as evaluate whether this issue is a reflection of the variety or irrelated. Next week we will be moving into our tried-and-true variety, Covington. We are hoping for better results. In the meantime, check out this week’s recipe suggestions for a smattering of diverse sweet potato recipes ranging from desserts to tostados and stew.
 
Brussels Sprouts: This week’s boxes contain 1.5# of Brussels sprouts! Despite what you may see in stores, Brussels sprouts come in a wide range of sizes. Larger sprouts that are more soft and open grow at the top of the stalk. As you descend down the stalk, the sprouts get smaller and are typically more dense. All are usable! When cooking Brussels sprouts, it’s best that all are similar in size. If they are not naturally similar, cut them into halves or quarters.

Orange Carrots: Carrots are an important part of our diet for much of the season, but we rely on them for important nutrients and culinary contributions especially in the winter! Incorporating them into your diet throughout the week is health insurance! Challenge yourself this winter to see how many different ways you can find to incorporate carrots into your meals!

Butternut Squash: Butternut is possibly the most popular variety of winter squash in the US and a quick search on the internet will turn up thousands of recipes! Store this squash at room temperature or in a cool environment between 45-55°F for optimal shelf life. You can either bake it with the skin on and scoop the flesh out after it’s cooked or peel it prior to cooking.

Red Beets: Beets are an excellent food to support healthy liver function and detoxification. They are also sweet, flavorful and create beautiful meals with their vibrant red color!

Tat Soi: You can identify this vegetable by its dark green, rounded spoon-shaped leaves and light green ribs that connect the leaf to the base of the plant. Tat soi is in the same family along with Bok choi and may be used interchangeably in recipes. Use both the ribs and the leaves, raw in salads or cook it by lightly sauteing or stir-frying.
 
Purple Daikon Radish: These beautiful little daikon radishes carry the purple color through to the inside of the daikon, streaking the inner white flesh. Enjoy purple daikon in any way you would use white daikon, in salads, stir-fry, pickled or as a condiment.

Green Boston or Red Magenta Head Lettuce: We are in our final harvest of head lettuce for the season. Your box will contain either a Green Boston lettuce or our Red Magenta summer crisp. There is a lot of lettuce in these heads, so get ready for salads and wraps this week!

Green Savoy Cabbage: This week’s cabbages are cute little compact heads, harvested several weeks ago ahead of a hard frost. Enjoy raw in slaws or cook it into soups, sautéed, etc.

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Brussels Sprouts Hash with Pears and Eggs

Brussels Sprouts Pakora (Fried with a chickpea breading)

Hoisin Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Pizza

Brussels Sprouts Tacos

Brown Rice & Sweet Potato Salad

Chicken Salad Wraps with Fresh Lettuce

Fall Harvest Cobb Salad

Korean Spicy Daikon Radish Salad

Winter Panzanella Salad with Butternut Squash and Brussels sprouts

Sweet Potato Crumb Bars

Sweet Potato and Refried Bean Tostados

Spiced Peanut and Sweet Potato Salad

African Peanut & Sweet Potato Stew

Moroccan Beet Salad

36 Beet Recipes Loaded with Nutrients and Perfect for Winter

Roasted Beets with Pistachios and Thyme

5-Spice Pickled Carrots

Cardamom Spiced Carrot Cake

Carrot Gnocchi

Crunchy Japanese Cabbage Salad with Miso Ginger Dressing

Garlic Confit

Onion Jam

15 Minute Sesame Ginger Noodles with Tat Soi

Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles with Bok Choi (Tat Soi) 

Bok Choi (Tat Soi) Salad with Sesame Almond Crunch

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Spiced Butternut Squash & Lentil Soup

Vegetable Feature: Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts look like little heads of cabbage, and while they are in the same family, they are not the same thing. They grow on a tall, thick, sturdy stalk that can get to be as tall as 4 feet. The sprouts spiral up the stalk and are shaded by a tuft of leaves at the top, but also down the stem. The leaves on the top of the plant closely resemble collards and can be eaten similarly.

Transplanting Brussels Sprouts

Preparation & Usage: Brussels sprouts can have a strong cabbage-like flavor which can either be good or not so desirable. 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.

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.

Brussels Sprouts ready to harvest

Storage Tip: 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.

Health & Nutrition: 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.  Brussels sprouts also contain nutrients that can attack and kill cancer cells!

Growing Information:  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 with Crispy Bacon, Caramelized Onions & Honey Mustard Drizzle

Yield:  4 servings

Photo from www.sweetsavoryandsteph.com

This recipe was borrowed and adapted from  www.sweetsavoryandsteph.com who originally named this recipe “The Best Brussels Sprouts Ever!”  This dish is a tasty combination of flavors and textures, balancing crispy bacon and silky shallots or onions, savory bacon & Brussels sprouts with a sweet honey mustard sauce. You may also wish to add a few cloves of minced garlic to this recipe or a few pinches of smoked paprika for a little extra zing. Enjoy this recipe as a side dish with any meal, including breakfast! This is also one to consider for your Thanksgiving menu!

12 oz Brussels sprouts (about 3-4 cups)

2 shallots or 1 medium yellow or red onion

½ pound bacon

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp honey

1 ½ tsp maple syrup

Vegetable oil, as needed

1. Cut the bacon into small dice pieces.  Heat a medium to large sauté pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the bacon to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, or until it is crispy and the fat has rendered off.  Remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon. Leave the grease in the pan.
2. While the bacon is cooking, slice the shallots or onions thinly. Once the bacon bits have been removed from the pan, return the pan back to the burner and add the shallots/onions. Cook the onions for 10-15 minutes over medium heat until they are soft and caramelized, stirring often while cooking. 
3. While the onions are cooking, prepare the Brussels sprouts by cutting into halves or quarters, depending upon their size.
4. Once the onions are nicely caramelized, push them to one side of the pan. If the bottom of the pan looks dry, add a little bit of vegetable oil to the pan, enough to have a light sheen on the bottom of the pan. Add the prepared Brussels sprouts and season with salt and black pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8-12 minutes, or until the sprouts are browned on the cut sides and tender to your liking. You will need to stir the sprouts periodically, mixing the onions in with the sprouts. The steam being released from the sprouts as they cook will likely be enough moisture to cook the sprouts, but you can also add a little water to the pan if needed to help steam them. 
5. While the sprouts are cooking, combine the Dijon mustard, honey, and maple syrup together in a small bowl. Set aside.
6. Once the sprouts are cooked to your liking, add the crispy bacon bits back to the pan and stir. Remove from heat.
7. To serve, put the Brussels sprouts on a serving platter and drizzle with the honey mustard mixture.