Share Notes 12-19-19
CSA Share Notes:
It’s your NEXT TO LAST fall CSA share! We’ll have one more awesome harvest for you right after the holiday, delivered Thursday, Jan 2. Fingers crossed for Brussels sprouts, beets, and lots more broccoli.
Here’s this week’s vegetable line up:
- Kohlrabi—This crop is in the broccoli family and is nutty, sweet, and crisp. They make an awesome anchor vegetable in a milky, chowder type soup, but they’re also great for munching on, sliced thin. Also excellent in a salad or roasted and pureed into a root veggie soup.
- Broccoli—A serving for everyone. It’s sweet and delicious from the cold weather. Enjoy. The greens are edible, too, so don’t toss them out. Cook them like kale.
- Spring Mix/Arugula—For Large shares only. I like this flavorful mix with fresh fruit like apples or pears and toasted nuts or seeds and a good sweet and creamy dressing to balance out the spice of the leaves.
- Lettuce—Regular shares received a frilly romaine, a butter type, and an iceberg type. Crisp and perfect for taco salad or burgers.
- Turnips—Heirloom southern Purple Top Turnips for everyone, and enough for a crowd. Here’s my favorite turnip tip: rinse the turnips and leaves well. Leave some moisture on leaves. Dice the roots & coarsely chop the leaves. Chop up three strips of bacon and fry until soft-chewy, not crisp. Don’t drain pain, you need the grease. (Or skip the bacon and use 3 Tbs butter, or coconut oil). Throw in a handful of finely chopped onion and garlic and give it 1-2 minutes to soften. Add a pinch or 2 or 3 or 4 of red pepper flakes. Toss in the diced turnip roots and cook for about 3-5 minutes until they begin to soften a bit. Toss in the coarsely chopped leaves and wilt and cook until nice and tender, but not mush. Check every 1-2 minutes for desired doneness. Heap up a mess of greens on your plate. Excellent with grilled pork chops or roasted chicken or beef.
- Cabbage—Large shares received both savoy (crinkled) leaved cabbage and a smooth cabbage. Small shares all a savoy leaf. Cabbage salads, kim chee, and yummy roasted cabbage-apple-potato bake is in your future. Or always a hit: top a batch of street tacos with finely shredded cabbage and cilantro. Mmmm.
- Sweet Potatoes—A hearty, delicious staple.
- Winter Squash—A couple of butternuts, or a butternut and an acorn squash for everyone. This is the end of the squash!
Veggie Storage tips:
The leafy greens will want to be kept really cold. Make sure they’re sealed up so they don’t get wilty. The Kohlrabi and turnips will want to be in the fridge, too, but sever the roots from the tops to prevent the roots from becoming rubbery. Everything will need a significant washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent faster spoilage.
We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Send us a note or post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share.
Your farmers,
Jess & Justin
