Week #3; Komatsuna is a winner.

Komatsuna greens: delicious, resilient, beloved by flea beetles.

For years, we’ve searched for new tender greens to grow for our spring CSA boxes.  There is a gap in harvests that is not easily filled by bok choy or mustard greens or arugula because they are prone to bolting (premature flowering) after fluctuating weather.  We tried a new green this year called komatsuna.  It’s tender and delicious, retaining beautiful leaf texture and color even after alternating hot and cold weather and far too much wind.  

I would call this a mild mustard green.  Please ignore the flea beetle damage this week – that particular field was badly hit this year.  

We recommend cooking this week’s harvest rather than using in salads.  Next year, we’ll try a younger harvest for raw use.  “Komatsuna is traditionally used in Japan either steamed and seasoned with soy sauce, or in stir fries and soups. It is also excellent braised.”  (from Johnnys Seeds)

Here’s a particularly enthusiastic seed catalogue description:
“One of the “most underrated” leafy greens, Komatsuna is simply mouth watering.  This leafy green is incredibly delicious, mild and tender.  It holds superfood status in its native Japan, and in some studies it contained nearly twice as much calcium as whole milk per 100 grams!  The leaves are also super high in beta carotene, as well as vitamins A, C and K.  Komatsuna has been revered in Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean cuisine as a mouth-watering veggie for many years, and in America chefs and nutritionally minded foodies have identified it as a delicious, juicy and health-promoting green.  Let the culinary experimentation begin!”

Use in any recipe that calls for mustard greens or bok choy.  Phoebe has a few suggestions in our Recipes section below, or just google ‘komatsuna recipes’ for some traditional Japanese dishes.

The crew harvested your komatsuna in and after rain today.  It was a muddy job and everyone was relieved when the rain stopped.  The bottom crates are empty spacers that we use to keep our harvest crates off the mud.  From left, Ella, Chelsea, Ari, Matt, Raul and Karen.  Offscreen, Maggie, Madelyn and Owin.

Komatsuna bunches before washing.  Plan to wash your greens carefully this week.  Rain splashed soil and grit into your komatsuna, spinach, escarole and Romaine.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #3, June 9/10, 2022
– Weekly shares
– EOW/ green

Shiitake mushrooms, 1/2 lb
Escarole, 1 head
Romaine lettuce, 1 head
Spinach, 1 bunch
Komatsuna greens, 1 bunch
White salad turnips, 1/2 to 2/3 lb
Cilantro, 1 bunch
Scallions, 1 bunch
Salad radishes OR kohlrabi, small amount

Next week’s box will probably contain white salad turnips, spinach, lettuce, spring greens, scallions and more.

Escarole (broad head of wavy green leaves) – These members of the chicory family can be used interchangeably in recipes.  Both are good eaten raw or cooked.  Their slightly bitter flavor is a good addition to mixed salads.  They are excellent cooked alone or mixed with other greens.  They cook quickly, but not as quickly as spinach.  Cover and refrigerate.

Shiitake mushrooms – These are from Hidden Valley Mushrooms, the same people who grow button mushrooms for us.  I love shiitakes cooked with spinach or other greens.  Shiitakes must be cooked.  A small subset of people can have a toxic reaction to raw or undercooked shiitakes.  Once cooked, they are harmless.  And tasty! Lightly sauté in butter and add to any dish.  We use ours in frittatas, as well as sautéed and mixed into pasta salad or any dish.  Sautéed shiitakes and spinach are a great topping for pizza or rice bowls, e.g. bibimbap.
Storage, general: Refrigerate in a dry paper bag, but not in your crisper drawer with other vegetables, especially brassicas.  Do not cover the paper bag.  Mushrooms are perishable so use soon.

White salad turnips ( 1 to 3 white roots) – I know that returning members look forward to these sweet and delicious turnips, which taste nothing like the turnips that are harvested in fall.  We removed the tops this year and are sending just the roots.
– Storage: Cover and refrigerate.
– Uses: Salad turnip roots are excellent raw; Slice and add to salads.  They can be cooked and are especially good when lightly sauteed in butter.  Stir as little as possible so they brown on at least one side. 
– Our favorite use:  Slice the roots very thinly and combine with a mixture of rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil.  Eat immediately or marinate.

Romaine lettuce (upright head of lettuce with crisp leaves) – More sturdy and less fragile than our other spring lettuces.  Great for Caesar Salad or lettuce wraps.  If you’re intimidated by the amount of salad greens this week, Ceasar salad is a good option because it shrinks a big head of lettuce and everyone will fight over the leftovers.  Poof, it’s gone.

Komatsuna greens (bundle of dark green leaves) – See above.  Storage: Cover and refrigerate.

Scallions (bundle of green onions) – These are useful raw or cooked.  Thinly-sliced raw scallions can be folded into biscuit dough or sprinkled on top of soups or salads.  Terrific garnish for pasta dishes.  Think pad thai. 

(ONE site will receive instead of radishes) Kohlrabi (pale green, round vegetable with thick skin) – Crunchy and sweet, kohlrabi is a great addition to salads.
Storage:  Kohlrabi bulbs will store for a month in the refrigerator.  Remove the leaves if you plan to store for more than a few days.
Uses:  Kohlrabi are good peeled and eaten out of hand, or added to sandwiches, or added to salads.  It makes a nice salad on it’s own.  You can grate it, slice it, or cut it into matchsticks.  It’s also good cooked.  

Greens ID

This week’s escarole and Romaine lettuce look pretty similar.  Examine the base to distinguish them.  Escarole mid-veins are whiter and more pronounced.  Also, escarole leaves are wavier.

RECIPES by PHOEBE

Spinach Pesto Pasta with Capers and Chickpeas

In this bright & briny pasta recipe, I use spinach two ways. I blend some into a vibrant pesto with lemon and capers, and I toss the rest with the pasta to add texture to the final dish. You could make this recipe with almost any pasta shape, but I think it’s most fun when you use pipe rigate or orecchiette – something that will catch and cradle the capers and chickpeas.

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

For the pesto
½ cup toasted walnuts*
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons capers
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups spinach
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

For the pasta
10 ounces pipe rigate or other short pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry, loose skins removed
1 tablespoon capers
4 cups spinach
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Make the pesto: In a food processor, place the walnuts, lemon juice, garlic, capers, salt, and a few grinds of pepper and pulse until finely chopped. Add the spinach and pulse to combine. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse to form a thick sauce. Add the Parmesan and pulse until combined.
2. Make the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, cooking until al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, crisp the chickpeas. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the chickpeas are lightly crisp and beginning to brown. Stir in the capers and remove from the heat.
4. Return the pasta pot to the stove. Heat it over low heat, then add the spinach and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and stir until the spinach is just wilted. Add the pasta back to the pot and toss to combine. Stir in the chickpeas and capers. Add the pesto and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and toss to coat, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

*I like to toast the walnuts in a 325°F oven until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes.

Sautéed Turnips with Miso Butter

White turnips are one of my favorite spring vegetables, and this easy side dish is a really simple, delicious way to enjoy them. I love how the rich, savory miso butter accents the natural sweetness of the sautéed roots.

Serves 2 to 4 as a side dish
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons white miso paste
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces white turnips, halved if small, quartered or cut into thin wedges if large
2 tablespoons water
Thinly sliced scallion greens or finely chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Place the butter and miso paste in a small bowl. Use a fork to cream them together.

Heat the olive oil in a large lidded skillet over medium heat. Add the turnips, cut side down, and cook without stirring until they start to brown underneath, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip them over, add the water, and quickly cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the turnips are tender when pierced with a knife, about 3 minutes.

Uncover the pan and turn off the heat. Add the miso butter and allow it to melt, tossing the turnips to coat. Serve garnished with scallions, if using.

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Photo by Stephanie and Mike Le

One Pan Creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken

From I Am A Food Blog
You can use any type of mushrooms in this one-pan chicken recipe, and I think this week’s shiitakes would be delicious. For the greens, toss in spinach, chopped escarole, or especially komatsuna!
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Photo by Andrea Bemis

Chicory Salad with White Beans, Anchovies & Parmesan

From Dishing Up The Dirt
This hearty salad would be a great showcase for this week’s escarole! The bitter greens play off creamy white beans and an umami anchovy, garlic, and Parmesan dressing. This recipe calls for parsley. Feel free to skip it, or sub in fresh cilantro.
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Photo by Spoon Fork Bacon

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

From Spoon Fork Bacon
These lettuce wraps would be such a fun way to use this week’s romaine! The filling is a saucy, sweet, and savory mixture of chicken thighs, shiitake mushrooms, and garlic and ginger. It also includes canned bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. If you don’t keep these ingredients on hand, feel free to skip them and add a few extra shiitakes instead.
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Photo by Kathryne Taylor

Mega Crunchy Romaine Salad

From Cookie + Kate
This refreshing salad would be a great summer side dish or healthy lunch! A zippy cilantro dressing coats crunchy romaine, radishes, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and chewy dried cranberries. The recipe also calls for cabbage, which you can skip, and carrots, which you can replace with extra radishes or salad turnips.
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Photo by Andrea Bemis

Braised Mustard Greens with Sesame Chickpeas

From Dishing Up The Dirt
This recipe would be a simple, flavorful way to cook the komatsuna in this week’s box. The greens are braised in miso water and then tossed with nutty sesame oil, maple syrup, and tangy rice vinegar. A roasted sesame chickpea topping adds crunch.
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Photo by Pinch of Yum

Coconut Curry Ramen

From Pinch of Yum
Shiitake mushrooms add meaty texture and savory flavor to this rich vegetarian ramen. The recipe calls for bok choy, but a few handfuls of komatsuna would be a perfect sub.

Week #2; Forward motion

We think you will enjoy this box!  Clockwise from top; rhubarb, spinach, green leaf lettuce, salad radishes, button mushrooms, and bok choy, plus asparagus and green garlic in center.  The cilantro was not yet harvested so it didn’t make the photo.

Farm news

We are moving forward at a rapid pace, planting crops, training new employees, and harvesting produce for all of you.  Let’s share a few images and stories from the week.

The wind was crazy this week!  We lined up a large crew for Monday, expecting to spend the day transplanting the seedlings in the photos above.  The wind ended that plan.  We raise our seedlings in our greenhouses and move them outside to ‘harden off’ in a sheltered spot near the buildings.  Wind is buffered by trees to the west and south.  Exposure to sun and wind and rain helps prepare the seedlings but, early in the week, wind out in the unsheltered fields was too fierce.  Even hardened seedlings are fragile and can break.  So we switched gears, worked on other projects and are now ready to transplant most of the seedlings above on Thursday and Friday.

We add new employees are our work increases.  Above, crew leader Maggie shows new employees Madalyn and Ella (off screen) how to harvest and bunch cilantro.  The bunch size is important, to ensure we have enough crop for both this week’s and next week’s CSA deliveries.  In the background Karen (10th season) gathers the harvest tools. At left, Ari (5th season of work, 19th year of residence) watches.  

Abby washes your rhubarb.
Our rhubarb fields have recovered from last year’s devastating late May frost.  Returning members, you may remember that we had almost no rhubarb for you because of that frost.  The plants regrew, but needed a season’s recovery before we could harvest again.  They are looking good now.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #2, June 2/3 2022
– Weekly shares
– EOW/ purple
– Sampler/ sun

Asparagus, ~1 lb
Bok choy, 1 medium
Button mushrooms, 12 oz
Cilantro, 1 bunch
Green garlic, 1 bunch
Lettuce, green leaf
Rhubarb, 1.75 lb
Salad radishes, 1 bunch
Spinach, 1 bunch

Next week’s box will probably contain spinach, lettuce, salad turnips, shiitake mushrooms, escarole, another type of spring green and more.

VEGGIE NOTES
Visit this section each week for information about each vegetable, including anything I want you to know about this week’s harvest.  I list the storage and prep information once or twice, but then I stop repeating it.  We encourage you to read the newsletter each week so you have this information ready when you receive a vegetable for the first time.  For this week, I’ll repeat everything relevant from our 5/26/22 newsletter, to make things easy for members getting their first box this week.

Asparagus – This is my favorite spring treat!  Some of the asparagus is from our farm and some is from our friends Tim and April’s Lotfotl Farm.   They have a larger asparagus field than they need, so we go and pick it for them once a week.
Prep: Wash your asparagus thoroughly to remove hidden grit.  Submerge in water with the tips pointing down, soak briefly, then swish vigorously and pull out of the water.  The draining action helps pull the grit out of the asparagus tips.  Repeat several times.
Storage: Asparagus is perishable, so eat it as soon as possible.  Store in a paper towel, cloth or paper bag, then wrap loosely in a plastic bag.  The paper bag protects the asparagus tips from direct contact with the plastic bag.  The plastic bag keeps the asparagus from wilting.
Preparation: We snap our asparagus at harvest, rather than cutting.  Therefore, there is no need to snap the stalks to remove fibrous ends.  For the same reason, it is not necessary to peel the asparagus stalks.  It’s OK to trim the cut end a bit.
Cooking:  If your asparagus stalks vary greatly in size, you will want to cook the thicker ones longer.  Put an empty steamer pot over water, and bring the water to a boil.  Add the asparagus.  Cover and steam over medium heat until just tender.  Use two forks or a spatula to turn the asparagus during cooking, rotating the bottom spears to the top.  Drain and serve.  Alternatively, you can lay spears flat in the bottom of a broad pan, with ½ inch of water.  Also excellent broiled or grilled.  Good dressed with vinaigrette, or with lime juice, salt and pepper.

Bok choy (rosette with thick white stems and green leaves) – This Asian green is good for stir-frying or sautéing or in soup. You can think of the stems and leaves as two separate vegetables. The stems require longer cooking. The leaves will cook almost as quickly as spinach. Bok choy stores well, so feel free to pull off leaves as you need them, or use the whole head at once.  Storage: Refrigerate in a plastic bag or other container.
Some heads have small flower stalks which you can eat or remove.  The plants have begun flowering in response to cold – hot – cold weather this spring.  

Button mushrooms – These organic mushrooms are from Hidden Valley Mushrooms from Wisconsin Dells.  We bring in mushrooms from Mary and Ed every spring because they combine so perfectly with our spring vegetables, for salads, quiches, etc.  
Storage: Here are Mary’s suggestions for storing the mushrooms:
– Store separate from leafy greens, which hasten mushroom aging.  
– If storing for more than a few days, remove from the box and refrigerate in a paper bag with holes punched in the side.  Keep dry.  
– Don’t wash to clean, just wipe with a damp cloth.

Cilantro – Used in both Mexican and some Asian cuisines.  Good to season stir-fries, salad dressing, salsa, etc.
Storage: Cover and refrigerate.

Green garlic (looks like scallions, tastes like garlic) – Last fall, we planted garlic cloves that grew into the stalks we harvested this week.  If left to grow until mid-summer, the slim white bulb on this week’s garlic will divide and form the usual cluster of cloves in a garlic bulb.
Preparation: Green garlic is more pungent than scallions, so slice thinly and use sparingly when raw.  It mellows when cooked.  Chop and add to any cooked dish that would benefit from garlic.  Use the white bulbs and pale green stems.  Avoid the dark green stems and leaves, as these are fibrous.

Lettuce – See the “How to wash greens efficiently and to maximize storage life” section in our 5/26/22 newsletter.  That approved to wash and spin dry your greens will be useful all season.  Storage:  Refrigerate in a bag or other container.

Rhubarb – Storage: Refrigerate in a plastic bag. FYI, 1.75 lb of rhubarb yields 5 – 5.5 cups when chopped.
Stewed rhubarb: This is the simplest way to prepare rhubarb. Chop rhubarb into one inch chunks. Stir over medium heat with a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan. The rhubarb will release moisture as it cooks. Stew until it softens and falls apart. Sweeten to taste with honey or sugar. Eat warm on its own, over vanilla ice cream, on pancakes, etc.
Preserve: Rhubarb is so easy to freeze. Wash, chop and pop it in a freezer bag. That’s it; no need for blanching. When baking muffins or cakes, add the frozen rhubarb directly to the batter.

Salad radishes – These are so good right now; tender, crisp and not too spicy.  They are great in salads or thinly sliced on sandwiches.  A few years ago, I was served open-faced radish and butter sandwiches on toast and was impressed with how tasty they were.  Use good quality butter.
Storage: Cover and refrigerate.

Spinach – This batch is tender and excellent for salads or cooking. See the “How to wash greens efficiently and to maximize storage life” section in our 5/26/22 newsletter.

RECIPES by DEB

Turmeric-Black Pepper Chicken With Asparagus

This dish is based on a recipe from the New York Times, that suggests subbing in any quick cooking vegetable for the asparagus, such as the bok choy or spinach in this week’s box, and serving it with rice or noodles, or in lettuce cups. You could also sub tofu or shrimp for the chicken.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes, not counting time for rice or noodles

3 tablespoons honey
1.4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus additional to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon coconut or canola oil
3/4 asparagus, trimmed and sliced on an angle into about 1-inch lengths, leaving the tips a bit longer
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar or soy sauce
Optional – 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

1. Stir together the water, honey, pepper, and a 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl or spouted measuring cup, and set the honey mixture aside.
2. Combine the flour, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl of plate. Add the chicken pieces and toss until coated.
3. Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a 10-inch or larger nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until the turmeric is fragrant and the chicken is golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add the asparagus, stir to combine, and cook until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the honey mixture and cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar or soy sauce. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper to taste, and serve over rice or noodles with lime wedges if you like.

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Master recipe for vegetable quiche

Use this recipe to turn any number of vegetables from this week’s box – like mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, or a combination! – into quiche. See process pictures here.

Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus an hour or overnight to chill the crust
Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour (unbleached white or whole wheat)
good pinch salt, less if you’re using salted butter
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup butter, either salted or un- (1 stick, 8 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or lard
1 tablespoon sugar
2-4 tablespoons cold water

Filling:
1-2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion, or other onion-like vegetable – green garlic, shallots, scallions, leeks, etc.
Two generous cups vegetables, cleaned and sliced, e.g. asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, kale or other sturdy greens, etc. The exception is spinach – since it will wilt down a lot, you’ll need to start with at least half a pound and up to one pound of spinach.
salt and freshly ground pepper, maybe a grate or two of fresh nutmeg
1 1/2 cups grated cheese, 3-4 ounces, or similar volume crumbled goat cheese or feta
2-4 eggs
1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups half & half, buttermilk, heavy cream, or a mixture

1. Make the crust: measure the flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer (my favorite method), your food processor, or a mixing bowl. Slice the butter and shortening over the top and combine with the flour mixture, using the paddle attachment of the mixer, by pulsing the processor, or using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingers, until you have a crumbly mixture with no butter lumps bigger than currants. With the mixer or processor running, or while stirring with fork, drizzle in the water by tablespoons, until the mixture just starts to come together in clumps. Stop before you have one big ball. Turn the crust out onto a floured surface and knead lightly to bring it together. Gather it into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap (in plastic, wax paper, one of your reusable snack/sandwich bags), and chill for about an hour, and up to 2 days.
2. Roll out the crust: If the dough has been chilling, get it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to roll it out, to soften just a bit. Roll out the crust and fit it into a shallow 9-inch pie plate, metal preferred. The crust browns better in metal then glass, and tends to slip down the sides less. Set the crust in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the filling.
3. Make the filling: melt the butter or pour the olive oil in a 10-12 inch skillet with a lid. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until softened but not browned, 5-10 minutes. If you are using a vegetable with harder parts, such as asparagus stalks or broccoli or chard stems, add them now. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook until starting to soften, another 5 minutes or so. Add the rest of the vegetable, e.g. asparagus tips or broccoli florets. Cover the pan the let everything steam until the vegetables are done to your liking – they should be a little underdone than for regular eating, since they will cook again in the quiche. If you are using greens add them to the onion mixture, and cover right away to wilt. Remove the lid and cook for a few more minutes to boil off any excess liquid. Remove from the heat and let cool.
4. Heat the oven to 375° Get the quiche crust out of the fridge or freezer, and place it on a cookie sheet or pizza pan, dark colored (better for browning) if you have one.
5. Assemble the quiche: Sprinkle a layer of cheese into the bottom of the crust, reserving about 1/3 cup for topping. Beat the eggs in a spouted measuring cup that’s at least 2 cups (one pint) or larger if you have one. Add enough of whatever dairy product you are using to come to 2 1/4 cups. Add the vegetable filling on top of the cheese, and then pour in the egg mixture. Some people like to put the vegetable & cheese filled quiche onto the oven rack, and then add the egg to avoid having to walk across the kitchen with a liquid-filled quiche. If your oven racks don’t slide in smoothly you might spill the quiche at that point, however.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes on an upper rack then move to a lower rack and bake another 20 minutes or so until puffed and golden. Allow to rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy hot or room temperature.

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Photo by Melissa Gaman

Baby Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce

From Food Network
This recipe calls for about 1 1/2 pounds of bok choy; we’re getting a bit less than that in the box – but it’s a light amount of sauce so will not overpower the smaller amount of vegetables!
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Photo by Whitney of Salt & Baker

Creamy Goat Cheese and Asparagus Spinach Pasta

From Salt & Baker
This light pasta dish can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, and seems designed for the produce in this week’s box, mushrooms, asparagus, and spinach. Sub in the white parts of one stalk of green garlic, minced, for the garlic clove called for.
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Photo by Michelle Minnaar

Chicken with Rhubarb

From the Greedy Gourmet
This quick dinner shows off the savory side of rhubarb. Serve with sauteed spinach and cilantro rice (stir about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro into 2 cups of cooked rice) for a complete meal.
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Photo by DebsLunch

Rhubarb Custard Crumb Cake

From DebsLunch, based on Nicola Lamb
How many recipes for rhubarb cake can anyone possibly need? This crumble-topped, custard-filled version is a welcome addition to your recipe files!
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Photo by Julie of the Healthy Epicurean

Sweet Pickled Rhubarb

From The Healthy Epicurean
Another savory rhubarb recipe, and there are any number of ways to use this pickled rhubarb from the Healthy Epicurean; serve it with roasted chicken or other meats, top a bagel with cream cheese, or add it to a salad – see suggestions following. This recipe provides instructions for canning the pickled rhubarb to make it shelf-stable, but it will work as a refrigerator pickle and should keep in the fridge for several months.
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Photo by The Mother Cooker

Quick Pickled Rhubarb Salad with Goats Cheese

From The Mother Cooker
This recipe from a UK blog, where they have rhubarb much earlier in the year then we do, can be used with the sweet pickled rhubarb, and also provides another formula for pickling your rhubarb, and suggestions for combining it in a salad with lettuce from this week’s box, goat cheese, onion pickled along with the rhubarb, and a dressing made from olive oil and pickling brine. A few sliced mushrooms or spinach leaves or salad radishes would also be tasty in this salad.

Week #1; Weekly & EOW/green members

Much of your produce came from this field planted in mid April.  From left, spinach, escarole (for a future delivery), bok choy.  Radishes are far to the right and the red block at the back is red leaf lettuce.

The strawberries are blossoming and look great!  Berries won’t ripen until later June but it’s exciting to see lots of blossoms.

Farm News

We are busy starting our harvest season and training new employees.  I’ll write more about the farm in future but wanted to share the photos above.  We have kept to our usual planting schedule but crops are growing slowly because of the cool, cloudy weather.

Deliveries begin this week for our Weekly and Every-other-week/green members, on May 26/27 (Thurs/Fri sites)

If you are uncertain of your schedule, log into your account and view the calendar on your dashboard.  If you’ve forgotten your password, use the password re-set.  Having a live calendar for each member is pretty darn nice.

Things you need to know.

♦  On Thursday, we deliver CSA boxes to Evansville, Fitchburg, Madison, McFarland, Middleton, Oregon and Verona.
♦  On Friday, we deliver CSA boxes to Janesville.
♦  We post this newsletter/blog each Wednesday night, with a list of veggies for the week, quantities, information about storage and preparation, news of the farm, recipes, and a forecast for the next week’s box.  I’ll send an email on Wednesday night once the newsletter is posted and ready to read.  I send the Wednesday email to everyone, not just the people receiving a box that week.
♦  EOW, Sampler and Weekly members, we assume you read all the newsletters, even on your “off” weeks.  This newsletter (and our emails to you) are our means to communicate with you.
♦  Want earlier notice of what will be in the box?  Check the sidebar on our website homepage around 7 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday night.  I’ll post the list under “Box Contents.”  Also, the Veggie List section of this newsletter each week contains a forecast for the following week.  The list is rarely complete but the items listed are ones we feel confident about.
♦  The first few boxes of the season are often the lightest.  EOW members, do not worry that you have signed up for the wrong share!   Our deliveries get heavier and more abundant as the season progresses.

How to wash greens efficiently and to maximize storage life

Washing and drying your lettuce, spinach, and other greens prolongs their storage life.  Here’s our approach.  It works.
1.  Fill your sink or a basin halfway with cold tap water.  If you have two sinks, fill one sink partway with cold water.
2.  Chop your lettuce, spinach, escarole or other green to the size you wish.
3.  Dump it into the water and swish around gently but thoroughly.
4.  Working in two batches (for average lettuce head) or more batches (big spinach bunches, Romaine), pull handfuls out of the water and drain in the basket of a salad spinner.
5.  After all the greens have been rinsed one time, dump the water.  Rinse the sink/basin and refill with cold tap water.
6.  Repeat the process.
7.  Spin your greens dry and store in a dry container.  They store much longer when spun dry.

This works because …
– pre-chopping the greens frees soil trapped in the head.
– the large amount of water washes and dilutes away the grit.
– By pulling the greens out of the water, you take advantage of the draining action to pull the grit with it.
– Drying (spinning) the greens before storage reduces spoilage.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #1, May 26/27, 2022
– Weekly shares
– EOW/ green

Asparagus, ~1 lb
Bok choy, 1 medium
Green garlic, 1 bunch
Lettuce, red leaf, 2 heads
Potatoes, Dark Red Norlands, ~3.5 lb
Rhubarb, 1.75 lb
Salad radishes, 1 bunch
Spinach, 1 bunch

Next week’s box will probably contain asparagus, green garlic, lettuce, rhubarb, salad radishes, spinach, and mushrooms and more.

Asparagus – This is my favorite spring treat!  Some of the asparagus is from our farm and some is from our friends Tim and April’s Lotfotl Farm.   They have a larger asparagus field than they need, so we go and pick it for them once a week.
Prep: Wash your asparagus thoroughly to remove hidden grit.  Submerge in water with the tips pointing down, soak briefly, then swish vigorously and pull out of the water.  The draining action helps pull the grit out of the asparagus tips.  Repeat several times.
Storage: Asparagus is perishable, so eat it as soon as possible.  Store in a paper towel, cloth or paper bag, then wrap loosely in a plastic bag.  The paper bag protects the asparagus tips from direct contact with the plastic bag.  The plastic bag keeps the asparagus from wilting.
Preparation: We snap our asparagus at harvest, rather than cutting.  Therefore, there is no need to snap the stalks to remove fibrous ends.  For the same reason, it is not necessary to peel the asparagus stalks.  It’s OK to trim the cut end a bit.
Cooking:  If your asparagus stalks vary greatly in size, you will want to cook the thicker ones longer.  Put an empty steamer pot over water, and bring the water to a boil.  Add the asparagus.  Cover and steam over medium heat until just tender.  Use two forks or a spatula to turn the asparagus during cooking, rotating the bottom spears to the top.  Drain and serve.  Alternatively, you can lay spears flat in the bottom of a broad pan, with ½ inch of water.  Also excellent broiled or grilled.  Good dressed with vinaigrette, or with lime juice, salt and pepper.

Bok choy (rosette with thick white stems and green leaves) – This Asian green is good for stir-frying or sautéing or in soup. You can think of the stems and leaves as two separate vegetables. The stems require longer cooking. The leaves will cook almost as quickly as spinach. Bok choy stores well, so feel free to pull off leaves as you need them, or use the whole head at once.  Storage: Refrigerate in a plastic bag or other container.
Some heads have small flower stalks which you can eat or remove.  The plants have begun flowering in response to cold – hot – cold weather this spring.  

Green garlic (looks like scallions, tastes like garlic) – Last fall, we planted garlic cloves that grew into the stalks we harvested this week.  If left to grow until mid-summer, the slim white bulb on this week’s garlic will divide and form the usual cluster of cloves in a garlic bulb.
Preparation: Green garlic is more pungent than scallions, so slice thinly and use sparingly when raw.  It mellows when cooked.  Chop and add to any cooked dish that would benefit from garlic.  Use the white bulbs and pale green stems.  Avoid the dark green stems and leaves, as these are fibrous.

Lettuce – See notes about about washing and spinning dry.  Storage:  Refrigerate in a bag or other container.

Potatoes, Dark Red Norlands – Please refrigerate these potatoes.  They are in great shape now but will sprout within days if stored at room temperature!  They’ve been stored all winter and want to grow.  Store in a paper bag to protect from light, even in the fridge.  We grow everything we send in our CSA boxes except potatoes, mushrooms and some asparagus, all of which we buy from organic growers that we trust.  We purchased these potatoes from Jesse & Jonnah Perkins at Mythic Farm (formerly Vermont Valley Farm.)  Jesse says the potatoes have a higher sugar content because of starch to sugar conversion during cold storage.  That means the potatoes taste a bit sweet, and will darken slightly when fried. It’s a harmless color change due to the sugar conversion.  

Rhubarb – Storage: Refrigerate in a plastic bag. FYI, 1.75 lb of rhubarb yields 5 – 5.5 cups when chopped.
Stewed rhubarb: This is the simplest way to prepare rhubarb. Chop rhubarb into one inch chunks. Stir over medium heat with a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan. The rhubarb will release moisture as it cooks. Stew until it softens and falls apart. Sweeten to taste with honey or sugar. Eat warm on its own, over vanilla ice cream, on pancakes, etc.
Preserve: Rhubarb is so easy to freeze. Wash, chop and pop it in a freezer bag. That’s it; no need for blanching. When baking muffins or cakes, add the frozen rhubarb directly to the batter.

Salad radishes – These are so good right now; tender, crisp and not too spicy.  They are great in salads or thinly sliced on sandwiches.  A few years ago, I was served open-faced radish and butter sandwiches on toast and was impressed with how tasty they were.  Use good quality butter.
Storage: Cover and refrigerate.

Spinach – This batch is tender and excellent for salads cooking.  

RECIPES from PHOEBE

Spinach & Ricotta Pizza

I started making this pizza after eating a similar one at Spacca Napoli, a great Italian restaurant in our neighborhood. I love that it’s both super simple and super flavorful, topped with a creamy layer of lemon ricotta, lots of sautéed spinach, and a shower of Parmesan cheese. Look for fresh pizza dough at your grocery store, or try making your own. I’ve had success with this recipe and this recipe.

Serves: 2-3
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Cornmeal, for the pan
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 garlic clove, grated
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups fresh spinach
1 pound pizza dough
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F and dust a large baking sheet or pizza pan with cornmeal.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Place the pizza dough on the prepared pan and stretch it into a large circle about 12 inches in diameter. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Top with the spinach, then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
6. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, slice, and serve.

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Pickled Bok Choy Stems

Juicy, crunchy bok choy stems are perfect for pickling! Try adding these sweet and tangy pickles to salads, sandwiches, and wraps like the one below.

Prep time: overnight
Cook time: 1 minute

1½ cups diced bok choy stems
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
⅔ cup water
⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
1½ tablespoons cane sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt

1. Place the bok choy stems, peppercorns, and mustard seeds in a lidded jar and set aside.
2. Heat the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve, then pour the brine over the bok choy stems. Cover the jar and shake, then uncover and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Transfer to the fridge to chill overnight. The pickles should keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

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Curried Chickpea & Bok Choy Wraps

These refreshing wraps have been one of our go-to lunches this spring. A creamy curried chickpea salad contrasts with crisp bok choy leaves and crunchy, tangy pickled bok choy stems. If you make the bok choy stem pickles ahead of time, the wraps only take a few minutes to put together, but for even quicker assembly, you can also prep the chickpea salad and the greens up to two days in advance.

Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes with pre-made pickled bok choy stems

1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons raisins
8 medium bok choy leaves, roughly chopped
2 large tortillas
¼ cup Pickled Bok Choy Stems (recipe above)

1. In a medium bowl, place the chickpeas, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Stir to combine, then mash with a potato masher until the mixture is thick and creamy with some whole chickpeas still intact. Fold in the raisins.
2. In another medium bowl, toss the bok choy leaves with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
3. Fill each tortilla with half the chickpea salad, half the bok choy leaves, and half the pickled bok choy stems. Fold the left and right sides of the tortillas over the fillings, then tuck and roll the wraps closed. Slice in half, if desired, and serve.

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Photo by Andrea Bemis

Green Garlic Risotto

From Dishing Up The Dirt
This creamy spring risotto is a perfect way to showcase the green garlic in this week’s box. The recipe calls for mizuna, but a big handful of spinach (or even thinly sliced asparagus) would work just as well.
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Photo by Jeanine Donofrio & Phoebe Moore

Caesar Salad

From Love & Lemons
Romaine is traditional for Caesar salad, but the red leaf lettuce from this week’s box would taste fantastic in this recipe, too! Radishes, roasted chickpeas, and croutons give it lots of crunch, and a creamy homemade dressing packs it with tangy, briny flavor. For more ideas on how to dress your lettuce, check out this roundup of easy homemade salad dressings from Love & Lemons.
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Photo by Two Peas & Their Pod

Asparagus Chickpea Quinoa Salad

From Two Peas & Their Pod
This lemony asparagus, feta, and grain salad would be a great make-ahead lunch or picnic side dish! The recipe calls for green onions, but you could easily substitute thinly sliced green garlic from this week’s box.
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Photo by Spoon Fork Bacon

Creamy Potato Salad

From Spoon Fork Bacon
Perfect for a weekend cookout! This recipe calls for mashing some of the potatoes, which gives the salad an extra-creamy texture. If you don’t have a shallot or chives, add a few tablespoons of minced green garlic instead.
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Photo by Jeanine Donofrio & Jack Mathews

Oven Roasted Potatoes

From Love & Lemons
In this mouthwatering side dish, crispy roasted potatoes are tossed in a zingy lemon dressing. If you don’t have fresh rosemary, substitute 1 teaspoon dried, or feel free to skip it. The dressing is still plenty flavorful without it!
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Photo by Cookie + Kate

Rhubarb Chia Jam

From Cookie + Kate
A really simple way to enjoy your rhubarb! This sweet and sour jam would be fantastic on oatmeal, yogurt, toast, and more.
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Storage Share, Nov 18/19, 2021

Good bye for now!

Thank you so much for joining our farm this season.  We hope you stay safe and warm this winter, and that this big delivery brightens your winter meals.
Beth and Steve

We’ve packed both cauliflower and Romanesco in the Storage shares.  These crops were late this year because of the warm weather in September and October but the heads sized up eventually!  The outer leaves were nipped by frost but the heads were not.

A beautiful November sunset

Storage Share this week

Your produce is in one box labelled “A” and one box labelled “B”.  Bring lots of bags and containers.

Things you need to know about your winter share

* Your delivery will consist of two different boxes, labeled “A” and “B”.  Take produce from one “A” box and one “B” box.  The boxes contain different vegetables.
* Please pick up your boxes on the day of delivery, during the normal hours for your site.
* Bring extra bags or containers this time.  Leave the Tipi boxes at your site, take the produce home in your own bags/containers.
* If you send someone to pick up your produce, make sure they know what to do.

Strategy

We hope you enjoy this shipment of veggies.  Strategize to use them well, as some will last longer than others. 
* These are the most perishable vegetables:  Brussels sprouts, cauliflower.
* These are the next-most perishable: Leeks, Romanesco.  Keep an eye on your butternut, potatoes and sweet potatoes.  The last two are susceptible to drying out.  Expect the largest butternuts to last the longest.
* These will last the longest: beets, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, garlic, red & yellow onions, parsnips and shallots.

Veggie List (Nov. 18/19, 2021)

Box “A”
Everything in this box can be stored cool or at room temperature.  See notes below for more detail.

(Combined squash & sweet potatoes weigh 20 to 22 lb.)
Butternut squash, several
Special winter squash (‘Autumn Frost’ OR ‘Winter Sweet’)
Sweet potatoes, mixed ‘Beauregard’, ‘Covington’ & ‘Orleans’
Russet potatoes, 5 lb
Shallots, ~1 lb
Garlic, 3 – 4 bulbs (in shallot bag)

Box “B”
Refrigerate everything in this box, except the onions.

Beets, 3 lb
Brussels sprouts, 1 lb
Carrots, 5 lb
Cauliflower, 1 medium head
Celeriac, 1
Green cabbage, 1 head
Leeks, ~2.25 lb
Onions, 5 lb total
….. a mix of red ‘Blush’ and yellow onions
Parsnips, ~2 lb
Romanesco cauliflower, 1 medium head 

Everyone gets Winter Sweet (left) OR Autumn Frost squash (right) plus several butternuts.

Shallots.  Yours are packed in a paper bag with the garlic.

Top, ‘Blush’ red onion
Bottom, yellow onions

The ‘Blush’ onions are more pink than red, and excellent for long storage.

Beets – Refrigerate in a bag or container.  Beets will store for two months or longer.

Brussels sprouts – Eat within 2 to 3 weeks.

Cabbage – Refrigerate.

Carrots, orange.  Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  Will keep for several weeks.

Cauliflower – Refrigerate.  These should store for two weeks.  Don’t be alarmed by the frost damage on the wrapper leaves.  The heads are fine.

Celeriac – Will store for months in your fridge.  Cut off chunks as needed.  Peel before using.  I find it easiest to cut the celeriac into flat slices, then peel.

Garlic –  Store at room temperature.  Some of your bulbs might be in halves.  We continue opening the bulbs to check for any internal problems.

Green cabbage – Refrigerate.  These are big.  It’s OK to cut off chunks as needed.

Leeks.  Refrigerate. In general, leeks are not a long-storage crop.  You may need to strip off one or two outer leaves to freshen the leeks before you cook them.

Onions: Refrigerate or store in a cool, dark spot and protect from light.  Exposure to light stimulates sprouting.  

Parsnips (These look like large white carrots.) – Refrigerate in a plastic bag.  Parsnips will store for several months but will darken in color.  That is a harmless change.

Potatoes; russets – Can be stored at room temperature or in a cool spot, but must be kept in the dark so they do not turn green.  A cloth or loose plastic bag draped over the paper bag will slow moisture loss, but do not close the plastic bag.  Potatoes store longer if kept cool.  Around 40 – 50 F is ideal.  These potatoes were grown by the Igl family near Antigo.
Russets– We got the big ‘baking’ grade so you have nice bakers for Thanksgiving.  Excellent for baked or mashed potatoes.

Romanesco cauliflower (beautiful chartreuse green, spiraled head) – Refrigerate.  These should store well, eg for a few weeks.

Shallots (look like small red onions) – Good for salad dressing.  We’re still learning how to grow shallots and are thrilled to have a small bag for everyone!

Sweet potatoes – We’re sending a mix of two indistinguishable varieties, Beauregard and Covington.  Both have excellent flavor and sweetness.  Store at room temperature, no lower than 55 F, but 60+ F is better.  Keep them on your kitchen counter where it’s easy to keep an eye on them.  I like to keep ours in a paper bag so they don’t dehydrate.  Cook promptly if they start to soften.  The roots come in a wide ranges of sizes and all are good.

WINTER SQUASH – Store all winter squash cool and dry.  60 F is ideal.  Do not put in a plastic bag.  Check your squash regularly and eat promptly if flaws develop.
Autumn Frost (For some sites, frosted pumpkin) – These beautiful frosted squash have both pumpkin and butternut squash breeding in them.  They cook and taste like an unusually good butternut, with rich, smooth texture.  They are quite nice.  The skin is elible.
Winter Sweet (For some sites; dark grey) – These storage squash will be ready to eat in December or January.  The metal-gray exterior hides deep orange, flaky flesh.  Simple preparation is best for this flavorful squash.  Cut into slices or chunks, rub with oil and roast in 400 degree oven.  We like to eat the squash with a garlic-yogurt dipping sauce.  The skin is edible.
Butternut winter squash (All sites; tan, oblong) – We’ve sent several varieties, some of which store better than others. Expect the largest butternuts to store the longest.  If your butternuts show signs of drying or wrinkling, use them promptly.  They will still taste great, but it’s a sign that they are nearing the end of their storage life.  Remember, you can cook, mash and freeze the squash for future use.  I find that you can refrigerate cut raw squash for up to one week.  This runs counter to the accepted way to store squash, but is useful if you want to cook just half a squash.  Some of them are big!  Try microwaving your squash for one to two minutes before cutting or peeling.  This softens the squash and makes a large butternut easier to handle.

Thanksgiving Menus

It’s time for our annual Thanksgiving menu round-up!  Right now, websites are loaded with great recipes suited to your Storage Share vegetables.  Peruse and bookmark soon.  The Thanksgiving collections are usually taken down quickly after the holiday but individual recipes are not.  I’ve gathered a long list of recipes to try this winter.

Smitten Kitchen
I love Deb Perelman!  She has an extensive list of Thanksgiving recipes collected over the years.  I really trust her recipes.

Food52.com
Once again, the lively Food52.com site has outdone itself with an extensive Thanksgiving recipe collection.  They’ve named it “AutoMagic Holiday Menu Maker“.  It’s organized by type of dish.  Scroll down to these sections for lots of veggie-centric dishes.  There are soooo many appealing dishes.
3. Soups & Salads
4. Main Attractions/ Not meat subsection
5. Starchy Things
6. Vegetables

Thanksgiving meals by recent immigrants
https://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/a-totally-american-thanksgiving-immigrant-style 
In this 2017 post, Rachel Ray asked first- and second-generation American chefs to tell us how they mix cultures and cuisines to create Thanksgiving dinners.  The recipes include:
Persian-Style Roast Turkey with Pomegranate-Walnut Gravy
Beet & Tahini Dip (Khlat)
Jerk Sweet Potatoes
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Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin

From Spoon Fork Bacon
Look at that gorgeous casserole.  The recipe has well-thought-out instructions.  I have a difficult history with these kinds of dishes (4 hours in the oven, too much butter, etc) but this one worked great.  See my version below.
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Beth’s Gratin

I made the recipe above with these adaptions and it was still delicious! And pretty!
– I substituted oat milk for the heavy cream but didn’t change the amounts of cheese.  Honestly, skipping the cream did not matter.
– I used potatoes, sweet potatoes and parsnips, skipping beets to avoid the bleeding issues described in the original recipe.
– I added sliced shallots between every few slices.
– I baked it covered with foil for 45 minutes, then added gruyere cheese as directed and baked an additional 15 minutes.

It worked well to lay the raw vegetables in my baking dish to judge how much to slice.  I used all shown in the top photo except one potato, including the shallots visible at the edge of the dish.  We liked all three vegetables but the parsnips were the star so I’m making a sweet potato and parsnip version for Thanksgiving.

Extension Share

Just three more weeks.  Please don’t let it snow!

Bins of freshly harvested carrots

With our crew, we surge toward our finish line, harvesting and packing crops into storage.  We’re like squirrels, stashing away cabbage and root crops.  By Thanksgiving, we’ll be done.  This spell of cold weather has forced us to prioritize the more frost-vulnerable crops first.  All the celeriac, beets, daikon, rutabaga, napa cabbage are in.  We’re still working on carrots, parsnips, cabbage and leeks.  They can handle some very cold nights without damage.

Steve and I harvest carrots together most weekends.  He steers the harvester from the tractor.  I ride the back and keep the carrots flowing into bins.  We can harvest a lot, with just the two of us.

We picked lots of broccoli, cauliflower and some Romanesco for you this week, just before the nights got too cold.  Steve, Maggie, Ben and I cut in the field.  The conveyor carries the heads to the wagon.

Karen grades and counts the cauliflower from the conveyor belt.  So much counting!  Mike drives the tractor.

The farm is beautiful in the afternoon light.

Our house is filled with flowers that I cut before the freeze.  I bet you all did the same!  These are my favorite dahlias.

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Extension Share
November 4/5, 2021

Winter squash (‘Autumn Frost’  or ‘Heart of Gold’)
‘Orleans’ sweet potatoes, 2 lb
White cauliflower, 1
Purple cauliflower, 1 small
Broccoli, 1 small
Carrots, 2 lb
‘Suntan’ bell peppers, 2
Poblano chiles, 2 (in bag with carrots)
Red onion
Yellow onion
Garlic

By site, you’ll get an additional portion of Romanesco cauliflower OR cauliflower (white or green or purple) OR broccoli.

‘Autumn Frost’ squash – Store cool and dry.  60 F is ideal.
This beautiful frosted squash has both pumpkin and butternut squash breeding.  They cook and taste like an unusually good butternut, with rich, smooth texture.  They are quite nice.  The skin is edible.  They store very well but you have to keep an eye on them.  If  you see flaws developing, eat promptly.

‘Heart of Gold’ acorn squash – A few sites get these speckled acorn squash.  We’ve trialled this variety a few years and are very happy with its flavor and sturdiness.  Eat these soon – acorn squash do not store for long.

Orleans sweet potatoes – Store at room temperature, no colder than 60 F.
We couldn’t wash the sweet potatoes because of the cold weather.  We had to drain all the pipes in our pack shed.  Therefore, we packed the unwashed sweet potatoes into paper bags, to keep everything else from getting dirty.

Garlic – This is the German Extra Hardy strain.

Medley of cauliflowers, broccoli, Romanesco – Refrigerate.
We have a medley of these crops to share this week.  Most people will get a white cauliflower + a small purple cauliflower + something else (unless your cauliflower is unusually large).  The warm fall weather delayed these crops.  Cauliflower and Romanesco don’t set their heads without cold weather.  We’re glad they made it but then we had to pick them small before the freeze.

RECIPES from PHOEBE

Visit our 2020 Recipe Log or our 2019 Recipe Log.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Rice Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Tossed in a sweet and tangy honey mustard dressing, this salad is a fresh, fun side dish. You can make it a day or two ahead of time, but wait to add the toasted almonds until right before you eat.

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinating
Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 small head broccoli (about 1/2 pound)
1 small cauliflower (about 1 pound), chopped
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, more for sprinkling
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Big pinch smoked paprika
Heaping 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Break the broccoli into small florets. Set them aside and roughly chop the stalk. Place the chopped broccoli stalk in a food processor with half the cauliflower and lightly pulse until the vegetable pieces are well-chopped, but not pureed, about the size of grains of rice. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.
2. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, honey, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Add the second batch of cauliflower, the broccoli florets, and the red onion to the large bowl, and toss to combine. Pour in the dressing, and mix well to coat. Set aside for at least 30 minutes so that the vegetables have a chance to marinate in the dressing.
4. Meanwhile, toast the almonds. Line a large plate with paper towels. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown and fragrant, 4-5 minutes, turning down the heat as necessary. Remove from the heat and scrape onto the lined plate. Spread in an even layer, sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika, and set aside to crisp and cool for 10 minutes.
5. Before serving, fold the dried cranberries into the salad and sprinkle with the almonds. Season to taste and serve.

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Roasted Cauliflower Flatbreads

Thanks to toppings like dried apricots, olives, roasted onions, and cauliflower, these flatbreads boast a delicious, unexpected mix of sweet, tangy, and briny flavors. Slice them up and serve them as an appetizer, or enjoy them as a meal on their own. I like to make them with store-bought naan, though if there’s another type of flatbread you like, go ahead and use it instead!

Serves: 4-8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

5 cups small cauliflower and/or Romanesco florets (1 pound)
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
4 large or 8 small naan or other flatbreads
3 dried apricots, diced
1/4 cup pitted green olives, torn
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the cauliflower and/or Romanesco florets on one sheet and the chickpeas and onion wedges on the other. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the chickpeas are crisp, the onion is soft and browned, and the cauliflower is tender and browned around the edges.
2. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and measure 1/2 cup of the cauliflower florets. Place them in a food processor with the feta, 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, and water. Process until smooth.
3. Meanwhile, warm the flatbreads in the oven. I like to place them directly on the oven racks for 5 minutes, or until slightly browned and beginning to crisp up on the bottom.
4. Assemble the flatbreads with a slather of the feta mixture, the remaining cauliflower florets, the chickpeas, onions, dried apricots, and olives. Sprinkle with the lemon zest, season with a few grinds of black pepper, and serve.

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Butternut Squash Risotto

From Love & Lemons
Dice up your Autumn Frost squash, and use it in this creamy, comforting fall risotto. If you don’t have rosemary or sage on hand, feel free to skip it. Even without the herbs, this recipe is fantastic.
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Poblano Chicken Fajitas

From What’s Gaby Cooking
Served with tortillas and whatever fixings you like, this fajita recipe is an easy, 1-skillet meal. Toss in the poblanos and bell peppers from your box – any color will be fine!
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Roasted Broccoli Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad

From Minimalist Baker
This hearty salad would be a great lunch or light dinner. Cauliflower or Romanesco cauliflower would be a fine sub for the broccoli here, or you could use a mix of cauliflower and broccoli.
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5-Ingredient Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

From Pinch of Yum
Ok, in reality, this recipe is more like 10 ingredients, but it’s super simple nonetheless. Perfect for using this week’s sweet potatoes!
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Roasted Carrots with Honey Butter

From Cookie + Kate
A drizzle of honey butter highlights the natural sweetness of these simple roasted carrots.
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Spicy Sesame Carrot Soup with Red Lentils

From The First Mess
Tahini and red lentils give this pureed soup a rich, creamy texture. Serve with crusty bread for a delicious fall meal!