December 19, 2024 - This Week's CSA Box Contents and Recipes

 

What's In The Box

Shallots or Yellow/Red Onions: This week your box will contain either shallots or yellow/red onions, packed in a paper bag. Shallots have pink skin and are more elongated in shape. They are excellent in egg dishes, sauces, vinaigrettes, etc. Some of the yellow onions are smaller, perfect for cooking whole or cutting in half and adding to pot roast or other braised dishes. Store onions and shallots in a cool, dry location in the paper bag we’ve sent them in. If you notice any sprouts starting to form, remove the sprout and use the remainder of the onion.

Italian or Porcelain Garlic: While this year’s garlic crop was not the best we’ve ever seen, we’re grateful to have had enough to make it through to the very last box. This week we’ve packed your garlic in a small paper bag, which is appropriate for storing it in until you’re ready to use it. 

Sweet Potatoes: Store your sweet potatoes in a cool location and out of direct sunlight. If you want to maximize your yields and save some time, consider baking them all at once. Remove the cooked flesh from the skin and purée it in a food processor. Freeze the pureed sweet potatoes in smaller amounts. You can use the puree for baked goods, heat it up with a pat of butter for a side dish, or use it to make sauces, desserts or as a base for pizzas or quesadillas!

Orange Carrots: Store your carrots in the plastic bag we’ve portioned them in. These carrots will store for several months, so don’t be in a rush to eat them all! The longer you store them, they may start to grow some roots on the surface and/or you may see some browning on the skin. Regardless of these changes, the carrots are still good and just may need a little extra scrubbing and/or peeling. 

Tetsukabuto Squash: This winter squash is dark green in color and more round in shape. It’s name means “Iron helmet” in Japanese. It is a cross between a butternut squash and kabocha squash. We selected this squash specifically for this point in the season as it is known to have strong storage potential. The flavor also gets better with time as the sugars become more concentrated. The flesh is moist, rich and a golden yellow color.

Purple Viking or Russet or German Butterball Potatoes: As we wash the final bins of potatoes from storage this week, we’re grateful for this year’s potato crop. Yields were strong and storage was solid. Your box will contain one of these three varieties. Keep them in a cool, dry place and away from light. We recommend you enjoy them within the next few weeks for optimal quality.

Beauty Heart Radishes: This winter storage radish is also referred to as a “watermelon” radish, due to it’s beautiful bright pink flesh and green outer edge.  Peeling is optional, but the skin does have more of that “radish bite” in it. If you prefer a more mild radish flavor, we suggest peeling them.  Enjoy this radish in salads, stir-fry, ramen bowls, or just eat thin slices of it as a snack.

Celeriac: This humble vegetable is round and knobby. Peel away the outer skin and you’ll find a solid white interior. Use this root vegetable in raw winter slaws and salads, add it to soups and stews, roast it, or add it to root mash creations.

Green Kohlrabi: We harvested these back in late September, and they are still as crispy and juicy as the day we brought them in! The exterior appearance is not as pristine as it was at harvest, but only the exterior is affected. You may notice some browning in the areas where the scales were located. This is where the leaves grew from the kohlrabi, which is a swollen stem which grows above the ground. It is not a root vegetable. If you’re not sure what to do with it, check out the recipe inspiration in this week’s Cooking With the Box!

Parsnips: We’re not sure what happened this year, but Mother Nature got creative with the shapes of this year’s parsnip crop! While these parsnips may not be “picture perfect” per the world’s standards, once you cut them up you won’t even know they were a little odd shaped to start with. Use them in root mash, soups, roasted root blends, and even baked goods! Peeling is optional.

Red Beets: Store beets in the refrigerator in the plastic bag we’ve portioned them in for you. You may cook them with or without the peel, depending upon the intended use. While you may eat beets raw, they most often are cooked.
 
Butternut Squash or Red Cabbage: This week you’ll receive one of these two items in your box. If you notice your butternut squash has some wrinkles on the skin, please don’t throw it away. The wrinkles are due to a bit of dehydration during storage. The flesh inside is still good, but we recommend using it sooner than later. These red cabbage heads are solid and will hold well in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents
Carrot Cake Babka
Roasted Carrot & Chickpea Buddha Bowls
Brown Sugar Carrot Cake Crepes with Cream Cheese Filling & Blueberry Sauce
Vinegret (Russian/Ukrainian Beet Salad
Beet Dressed Pasta with Golden Raisins and Poppy Seeds
Vegan Spaghetti & BeetBalls
Small Batch Beet & Cabbage Sauerkraut
Kohlrabi Bistro Salad
Simple Sautéed Kohlrabi with Pistachios and Sage
Kohlrabi Salad with Tomatoes & Sage
Sicilian Kohlrabi Linguine with Thyme, White Wine & Crème Fraiche
Kohlrabi Parmesan Bake
Butternut Squash Lasagna
Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries
Parsnip Morning Glory Cake
Puréed Parsnip & Cardamom Soup with Caramelized Shallots
Salmon & Parsnip Chowder
Rosemary Garlic Roasted Parsnips
Sesame Chicken & Celeriac Salad
Pizza Bianca with Shaved Celery Root
Celeriac & Peanut Stir-Fry with Ginger, Scallions & Cilantro
Sweet Potato Hummingbird Cake
Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas
Sweet Potato & Bacon Pizza
Creamy White Chili with Sweet Potatoes & White Beans
One-Pot Coconut Curry Kabocha Squash Soup
Korean-Inspired Braised Kabocha Squash
Thai Pumpkin Custard (with Kabocha Squash)
Watermelon (aka Beauty Heart) Radish Toast with Miso Honey Butter
Beauty Heart Radish Salad with Miso Maple Vinaigrette & Sesame Seeds
Watermelon (aka Beauty Heart) Radish Salad with Orange, Goat Cheese & Pistachios
The Best Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
Crispy Butternut Squash & Sage Wontons
Golden Macaroni & Cheese with Butternut Squash Purée
Crispy Onion Fritters
Brown Rice & Lentils with /Fried Onions
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Classic Spanish Potato Fritters

It's the End of the Season!

Snow covered fields and clear blue winter skies

We have reached the end of our delivery season and we are grateful to be sending you one final box, full of vegetables, to carry you into the new year!  As we embark upon the winter season in the Midwest, seasonal eating can become a bit more challenging. Nonetheless, we encourage you to continue to eat according to what Mother Nature has provided for us, which means meals based on root vegetables, storage onions, cabbage, winter squash and other storage vegetables. As we wrap up the season and sign off, we want to leave you with a few tips and tricks to navigate the next few months of cooking and eating. 

First, embrace this season as an opportunity to be creative! Sometimes we get stuck in a rut when we are eating the same selection of vegetables over and over.  But if we challenge ourselves, there is always a new recipe or preparation technique to try. This week I provided you with a few extra recipe suggestions in the “Cooking With the Box” section. If you get in a rut this winter, refer back to this list as well as the “Cooking With the Box” lists from the past few deliveries. Perhaps one of the recipe suggestions will spark some inspiration or creativity.  

Facebook Group Suggestion

Second, don’t forget to engage with your community!  Our private CSA members, only Facebook Group, will remain active over the winter and we encourage you to participate! If you find a good recipe, post it in the group and share it with other members. If you hit a tough spot and can’t think of anything to cook, query the group and see what others are making.  Winter is also a fun time to get together with friends and families for potlucks. We have one group of CSA members in the Madison area that has been getting together every winter for decades to hold their annual “Root Party.”  Get creative and see what kinds of themed gatherings you might come up with this winter!

Be forgiving….of vegetables that my not look quite as pristine.  Vegetables are living things that continue to change over time. The longer vegetables are in storage, the greater the chance of developing some surface browning or becoming a little dehydrated as evidenced by softness or wrinkling. Over time some vegetables may start to grow some roots or start to sprout. It’s important to check in on your vegetables that are in storage.  If you do start to notice sprouting, it’s time to prioritize using that vegetable.  If you notice a bad spot starting to form, cut that part away and use the remainder before the entire vegetable is affected. If there is surface browning, peel it. If a root vegetable or winter squash starts to get soft or dehydrated, use it in a soup or braised dish or turn it into a root vegetable purée. These applications will rehydrate the vegetables so it may still be used.

View of the River from
our Campsite

And when you think you just can’t eat another carrot, sweet potato, turnip or parsnip, spring will start to unfold.  The snow will melt, the trees will start to bud, and ramps will emerge in the forest signaling the start of spring and the start of a new CSA delivery season! We hope you will join us for the 2025 season. We also hope to see some of you at the farm next year and hope you’ll consider joining us for Strawberry Day, our Fall Harvest Party or even a camping trip on your schedule so you can see where all the magic happens!

Carrot, Oat & Quinoa Breakfast Cookies

Photo Credit: 
  www.loveandlemons.com

These cookies are a convenient and nutrient dense way to start your day. They are not overly sweet and have healthy fats and protein to fuel you through your day. Plus, they are high in fiber, gluten free and dairy free which means pretty much anyone can eat them! And of course, any time you can include vegetables in the first meal of the day we consider it a bonus!

Yield:  12 large cookies

1 cup oat flour (See Note Below)

1 cup rolled oats

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

½ cup cooked quinoa

1 cup finely shredded carrots

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 5 Tbsp warm water

½ cup almond butter

¼ cup coconut oil, melted 

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup nuts and/or seeds

½ cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oat flour, the remaining 1 cup whole rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt.  Fold in the cooked quinoa and then the shredded carrots, stirring until the carrots are completely coated with flour.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and warm water and set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup and stir well to incorporate. Stir in the flaxseed mixture.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Stir in the nuts and/or seeds and cranberries.
5. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter for each cookie onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
6. When cookies are completely cool, they may be stored in an airtight container or frozen.

Note: You can either purchase oat flour or make your own. To make 1 cup of oat flour, put 1 ¼ cups of rolled oats in a food processor or blender and process until it becomes a fine flour.

Recipe sourced from www.loveandlemons.com.

Healing Lentil Beet Soup

Photo Sourced from
 www.feastingathome.com

This is a simple soup recipe, perfect for a cold winter night.  The author of this recipe offered the following comments: “Here’s a delicious pot of soup to start the New Year off in a vibrant, healthy way.  This healing lentil beet soup recipe is loaded up with liver-healing beets and packed with antioxidants that aid the liver in detoxing and purifying our bodies. They contain a powerful anti-inflammatory agent called betaine, a nutrient that protects cells and helps fight inflammation, soothing and healing our bodies. When you drink the beet broth, it feels as if you are giving your liver such an amazing gift!”  

Yield:  4 servings

2 tsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic cloves, rough chopped

½ cup dry, whole lentils (do not use split lentils)

4 cups veggie stock

2-3 cups grated raw beets

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 lemon

Garnishes (Optional)

Fresh Herbs (Dill, parsley, or cilantro), roughly chopped (optional)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pomegranate Seeds

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Sauté shallot for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic. Sauté 2 more minutes until golden and fragrant. Add lentils, stock, beets, salt, cumin, and coriander. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes, or until lentils are cooked through and tender.  If using larger lentils you will need to cook longer, so keep simmering, covered, until tender.
2. When lentils are tender, squeeze in the juice from one lemon.
3. Taste and adjust salt and spices to your liking.
4. Serve with fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and/or pomegranate seeds if you wish.

Recipe sourced from www.feastingathome.com.

Vegetable Feature: Potatoes

By Chef Andrea
     Last week we finished this year’s potato harvest and as the rain falls again today, I’m very thankful our precious potatoes are safely tucked away in the cooler. Even though this year has been a bit on the wet side, we are pleased to tell you it was a bountiful harvest and the potatoes look very nice!
     This year we grew five different varieties. It’s important to understand the qualities of each type of potato variety as it will help you decide how to use them. Potatoes are classified as either waxy or starchy potatoes. This classification is based on the type of starch the potato has. Starch is a stored form of energy and is the whole reason the plant produces a potato. Waxy potatoes are more moist and creamy. They hold their shape after they are cooked which makes them good candidates for roasting, potato salads and soups where you want the potato to hold its shape. These are not good for making mashed potatoes as they get too sticky and are kind of like wallpaper paste. Starchy potatoes are more dry and fluffy when cooked. They don’t hold together as well, which makes them a good candidate for a soup where you might want to use the starch as the component that will thicken the soup. This is also the best type of potato to use for making fluffy, smooth mashed potatoes.

     This week you are receiving Purple Viking potatoes. This is kind of an all-purpose potato that sits on the fence between the two classes. It is waxy enough that it holds its shape well, but it also has enough of that dry, starchy characteristic that you can get away with making mashed potatoes with this variety, and they make an excellent soup. Purple Viking potatoes are characterized by their purple and pink skin with white flesh. This is one of our favorite potato varieties.
     Potatoes are a versatile food and can be prepared in many different ways. You can enjoy them roasted, boiled, baked, pan-fried, deep-fried, in soups, gratins or even breads and rolls. Potatoes pair well with any kind of dairy—cream, cheese, milk or sour cream. They also pair well with other vegetables in summer and fall including tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, winter squash and many root vegetables.
     Potatoes are best stored in a cool, dark, dry place at about 50-55°F. If exposed to light, the potato will produce solanine which is a bitter alkaloid that gives the exposed portion of the potato a green color. If you see this on potato, trim that portion of the potato away.

Potato Cakes with Goat Cheese

1 pound starchy potatoes, roughly grated
1 small onion, roughly grated
1 small carrot, roughly grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp flour
1 oz goat cheese, mashed with a fork
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp high heat sunflower oil

1.  Preheat the oven to 350´̊F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.  Mix everything except the oil together in a bowl and season really well with salt and pepper.
3.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan, drop double teaspoonfuls of the mixture into the pan, and fry them for 2 minutes. Carefully flip them over and fry on the other side until golden.
4.  Pop the potato cakes on the prepared baking sheet and finish cooking them through in the oven—they should take 5-10 minutes.

HVF Note:  The original recipe states this recipe yields 2 servings if served as a side dish, however we felt like it served more like 4-5 as a side dish.  Also, these are tasty served as is or with a little more fresh goat cheese spread on top while still warm.

Recipe borrowed from Mamushka: A Cookbook by Olia Hercules

Wrapping Up the Harvest

Jack enjoys the parsnip harvest

Hello Everyone!  This is Captain Jack (The Dog) reporting to you from the passenger’s seat of our mobile “Command Central”, aka Farmer Richard’s truck.  Dad and I have been doing a lot of driving over the past few weeks.   We seldom leave the valley, but we visit a lot of fields in the course of the day.  Fall is a very busy time of the year for us.  Many people think we’re winding down, but we actually still have a lot of work to do!  This has been a great fall for us in many ways.  Dad remembers having 3 feet of snow on October 31 back in 1989 or 1990.  Personally, I like snow and wouldn’t mind that, but the rest of the humans on the farm don’t seem as ready for the winter wonderland as I am.   We have harvested our horseradish, selected seed stock for next year and are almost done planting next year’s crop.  We dug and selected seed for next year’s sunchokes which are also all planted.  Of course, we have also planted our garlic and about half of it has already been mulched to keep it safe during the winter!

Jack in the truck

“Global warming” has been a blessing and a challenge this year.  We’ve had a warm fall with temperatures in September (4°F) and October (3°F) and above normal averages.  We all enjoy being able to feel our fingers as we work, and in that way we’re grateful for the warmer temperatures.  The downside of the warmer days is that crops are coming in ahead of schedule.  Turnips, radishes, etc. are sizing up faster than normal resulting in some things getting too big.  We like to “store” crops in the field and harvest as late as possible, but that just isn’t an option with some of the plantings this year.  While larger roots are entirely edible and of good quality, buyers won’t accept them thus they remain in the field and are unsaleable.

We get pretty nervous this time of year.  In addition to the temperatures, Dad’s also keeping his eye on moisture.  Last week we had 2.3 inches of rain which put a stop to our mechanical harvest.  Thankfully the ground was pretty dry and the 2.3 inches of rain soaked easily into very dry soil.  We were back in the field Monday morning, despite the ground still being a little wet.  We couldn’t wait though…we’re in a race against time with rain forecasted for this Thursday!  That means we have 3 days to maximize the harvest before we might be forced out of the field again.  Our goal is 120 more bins of vegetables this week averaging 600# per bin.  That’s 36 tons of vegetables to harvest in 3 days!  Wait…there’s one other challenge that’s part of this picture.  We’re nearly out of cooler space and bins!  We trim & wash vegetables every day to empty bins and send them back to the fields to get reloaded.  Nonetheless, we’re getting pretty slim on storage space and while Dad’s fretting in the fields, Mom (Andrea) is fretting in the packing shed.  Mom is trained as a chef and was taught to face challenges in the kitchen with no option other than to find a solution.  Sometimes I hear her telling herself “Make it happen Chef.”  Somehow it will work out, but in the meantime there’s an intense game of “Cooler Tetris” going on!  Right now we have our fingers crossed that we’ll get as much harvested as we can before the rain starts again and we’re hoping we don’t get as much as last week.

Captain Jack supervises the celeriac harvest

In looking at the long range forecast (several times a day), we know that the temperatures are going to drop eventually.  Next week they’re forecasting temperatures in the twenties.  Temperatures this low could spell the end for many crops unless we have covers in place!  Double covers with hoops to hold the cover above the plants work well to about 20-25°F.  We have already had some touches of frost and have covers in place for our remaining greens, parsley, etc.  Unfortunately they are a management challenge as they need to be removed on warm and wet days or we risk mildew setting in on the plants.

So, as you can see we are doing a bit of a “song & dance” around weather as we race against time to get everything harvested and tucked away safely in storage before winter sets in.  HVF has long been ahead of the times in supporting and encouraging “seasonal eating” throughout the winter.  Root and storage crops are an important part of our winter diet and are intended to last in storage until spring.  This is the way the settlers ate in the 1800’s and for those who are committed to eating a local Midwestern diet year-round, these late season crops are essential.  According to Mom & Dad’s estimates, we have a lot of food available to our members and customers over the next several months.  In fact, we still have Extended Season Vegetable shares available for our January deliveries.  Our sign-ups for this share are the lowest they’ve been in years, which is a bit concerning for us.  We’re hoping you just forgot to sign up for this share and if that’s the case, please send your order in soon!  If we don’t see better participation for January deliveries we’re going to have to consider discontinuing these deliveries as the economics and realities of running a truck in January just don’t balance out with the value of product on the truck.


Well, it’s Wednesday morning and we have to get our crew plans pulled together for the day.  I have another big day of hauling vegetables with my Dad, Farmer Richard.  I better eat my breakfast and brush my hair so I’m ready to go at 8 am when the crew heads to the field.  I hope you enjoy the bounty of this week’s box!  Captain Jack “The Dog” signing off.

Winter is Here!

by Andrea Yoder

Winter sets in to the valley surrounding Harmony Valley Farm

The onset of winter came a bit early this year and I must say I’m still adjusting to this change of season. Before the cold set in, we scrambled to harvest what we could and managed to bring in tons of root vegetables (literally), as well as the last of our greens. We stretched the greens season as far as we could and the collards and baby bok choi in this week’s box will be the last of the fresh greens. It’s official…we have transitioned to our winter diet.

When choosing to support local food systems and eat locally, by default you also choose to eat seasonally. With four distinct seasons to eat through, seasonal eating in the Midwest keeps things interesting and can be a lot of fun. As the seasons change, our bodies crave the foods it needs to nourish it at that time of year. On the flip side, nature provides us with what we need at that time as well. In the spring we can’t get enough of the early season fresh greens and other light, cleansing foods to bring our bodies out of winter mode. During the summer we eat light, refreshing foods to cool our bodies...cucumbers, watermelon, tomatoes, etc. Fall is the time of bounty when summer and winter vegetables collide and we have a window of time when both summer and winter crops are available. Peppers make it into dishes alongside winter squash. Greens that were once topped with summer veggies are now served with apples and pears. Finally, winter sets in and we transition completely to a diet based on storage crops. We work very hard to grow and harvest winter squash, cabbage, root vegetables, onions, garlic, and other crops to put into storage. These foods are meant to be stored and will last throughout the winter. They are rich in nutrients and will nourish us during a time when we aren’t able to harvest vegetables from our fields. These foods, along with anything that was preserved during the summer, frozen meat, dried beans, etc will sustain us until spring breaks through. Each season brings its own set of ingredients and an abundance of opportunities to explore endless ways to prepare them.

Storage vegetables offer seasonal cooking options through the winter

For those who may not have as much experience with seasonal cooking & eating during the winter, a box of storage vegetables might be a bit intimidating. “What am I supposed to do with all of this food? I’ll never be able to eat all of this!” Don’t worry…you’ll be able to eat it all, but you aren’t supposed to eat it all in one week. Most of the items in your box this week and the ones we’ll be delivering in December and January are meant to be stored and eaten over time. If stored properly, you should be able to get the full value out of the vegetables in your share. Refer to the storage tips in the back of your CSA calendar, as well as the information we include in our weekly newsletters, to help you determine how to store each vegetable.

“How will I prepare all of these vegetables?” First of all, don’t ever let a vegetable intimidate you…it’s just a vegetable! Most storage vegetables can be cooked in a variety of ways and in today’s world of technology there are endless resources to guide you along the way. If you’re worried about getting bored with eating roots, cabbages, squash and sweet potatoes for the next several months, I would encourage you to approach this time of year with a different set of eyes. People all around the world eat some of the same vegetables we’re eating. Take a little time and look to some other cultures for recipe ideas to keep cooking interesting and fun. For example, there are some great curry dishes that include squash, sweet potatoes, and root vegetables. Stir-fry is a dish that can be made any time of year based on the vegetables you have available. Choose your favorite stir-fry sauce and meat if you wish. Stir-fry carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, beauty heart radishes, cabbage and even turnips. Put the veggies, meat and sauce together and you have dinner!

Roasted root vegetables, soups, stews and gratins are also warm favorites for this time of year. You can keep these dishes varied and exciting by experimenting with different spice combinations and different ingredients as garnishes. For example, treat yourself to a nice bottle of flavored nut oil, such as hazelnut or walnut. Add just a drizzle to a bowl of butternut squash soup or roasted root vegetables to add something a little different. Aged cheeses, toasted nuts and seeds, flavored vinegar, dried mushrooms, dried fruit and dried chiles are just a few things you can experiment with as garnishes to finish a dish and add an element of interest.

Finally, if you get stuck and can’t think of anything to make for dinner, use your resources. Fairshare CSA coalition’s cookbook,  Farm-Fresh and Fast is a great resource to guide you through a Midwestern winter. Don’t forget about Local Thyme, an online menu planning service for CSA. As a Harmony Valley Farm CSA member, you have free access to the Local Thyme website. You can search for recipes, get further information about specific vegetables and create your own menu plan with a shopping list. There is more information about this resource in this week’s “What’s In the Box” email. Finally, use your community. There are other people in your neighborhood who may have some of the same vegetables in their refrigerator as well. Have a potluck and inspire each other! Every December there is a group of Madison CSA members that get together to celebrate root vegetables with their annual Root Party. It’s a lot of fun, the food is always great, and it gives you ideas of other ways to use your vegetables.Our online recipe database can give you ideas for using some of those root veggies lurking in the back of your refrigerator.

We are grateful for the opportunity to have grown vegetables for you this year. We hope your Thanksgiving tables reflect the bounty of our fall harvest next week and your winter is full of nourishing, warm meals to share with family and friends.