2014 Fall Share #2

Can’t wait to see y’all out here this Saturday for the member potluck picnic! Read below in how to store your veggies properly and as a general rule, wait to wash them until right before you are ready to eat them (this preserves their quality for longer).  Eat up!

Share Notes:

• Zipper Cream Peas—Red Ripper variety. A southern classic, these peas are just enough for a small side-item for your family. If you guys like them, we’ll grow loads more next year!  Some of you received them as dry shell peas and others of you received them green and fresh. All of them should be stored in the fridge until you can sit around the table together as a family and shell these (or it can be a great task to keep a small child’s hands busy for an hour!). In their dry form they will store a bit longer and take a few extra minutes to cook, but they’ll still have the same wonderfully creamy flavor and texture.  The fresh ones can actually be trimmed and simmered whole like green beans, if you like.  Try these peas simmered with a little bacon, ham, or beef bone added. If you’re a vegetarian, try them with a little cultured European butter.
• Acorn Squash—Sweet Reba variety. These small and delicious winter squash are great baked or grilled.  Leave the dirt on for now, as it contains a thin coating of wild yeasts that will protect against rotting, and just wash them when you’re ready to use them. Store at room temp for up to 3-4 weeks. (You’ll be getting more, so go ahead and use them up!) Acorn squash are actually pretty tough to grow here in humid and buggy East Texas, so we are so thrilled to be sending these out to you! Please enjoy!
• Bell Peppers—Sweet and beautiful in green, purple, and a few yellow, orange, and red hues. Store them in a bag in the fridge where they’ll last several days, or out on the counter at room temp if you’ll use them within 2-3 days. Try this tasty roasted pepper recipe or this Thai curry recipe if you still have some eggplant!
• Basil—Genovese variety.  This large leaved Italian type is great for any Italian dishes and makes a lovely pesto.
• Kale—Red Russian variety. It’s so young and tender-this is the perfect time to eat it raw in a salad. As the weather cools the leaves will get a bit tougher, so enjoy the wonderfully delicate texture.
• Sweet Potatoes— These sweet potatoes were grown by our friend Jose Gomez in some amazingly sandy soil just a few miles from Red Moon Farm. He’s the best sweet potato farmer around. Store at room temperature in a dry place.
• Hot Peppers—Red Serrano. They’ve turned a lovely red as they’ve had all summer to continue maturing on the plant. This reduces their heat just a touch, and adds a richer, sweeter flavor to them. Store sealed in a bag in the fridge.

We’re watching for a light frost this weekend, and if it does come our way, then this is the end of the basil, peppers, and eggplant, and it will end our chances of fall tomatoes (we’ve been keepin’ our fingers crossed!)  However; all the delicious roots and leaves of fall are doing great and have no trouble taking light frosts in stride. We’ll keep all the good stuff coming to ya!  We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this season. Send us a note or post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share!

Large Share

 Large share (Left to right): sweet bell peppers, sweet potatoes, Genovese basil, Zipper Cream peas, red serrano peppers, acorn squash, and Red Russian kale.

Small Share

Small share (left to right): sweet bell peppers, Zipper Cream peas, serrano peppers, Genovese basil, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and Red Russian Kale.

Jessica & Justin