Share Notes Dec 2 & 4, 2021

Share Notes Dec 2 & 4, 2021

CSA Share Notes:

The winter CSA season is open for registration and still has room!   This year we are hoping to come to two DFW locations, too. Irving and Far North Dallas. If we have 20 total members sign up in DFW we’ll be able to come to the metroplex this winter. We still have a ways to go towards that goal. We for SURE will be delivering to all our ETX locations this winter, though, so snag you a share before we’re full.

Hint hint, winter shares could make a fabulous Christmas gift for the healthy eater in your family.

Here’s this week’s vegetable line up:

  • Spinach—Mini shares received a very petite bag of spinach. It’s tender and delicious, and more is coming!
  • Chard— Large and Mini shares received a bunch of lovely, colorful chard. Use this in a fresh salad, roast it until crispy, or sautee it with lots of garlic. We have a Swiss Chard and Butternut Squash Lasanga we really enjoy.
  • Baby kale and collard mix— Large and Regular shares received a small bag of mixed greens. These are tender enough for a salad, or would be great in the above recipe.
  • Radish—Watermelon  radishes went out to all the Large and Regular shares. These are so, so pretty with their hot-pink centers. Enjoy on a fresh salad, or for snacking.
  • Kohlrabi— Large and Regular shares received these root crops that have a taste and texture similar to broccoli stems but sweeter and more flavorful.  It’s great cut matchstick style and put in a slaw or sliced in a salad, or fantastic in a cream soup.
  • Winter Squash — It’s mostly as follows, but some substitutions were made: Kabocha for the Large, Acorn squash for the Regular, and Butternut for the mini. Roast these babies up and enjoy!
  • Sweet Potatoes— These lovely tubers come from our friend just 5 miles up the road from us, Tony Philips Sweet Potatoes. He’s a wonderful area grower, and while he’s not organic, he is conscientious of chemical use, and uses no sprout-retarding chemicals on the roots, which is commonplace in conventional potato production.  We eat them all fall and winter, loading up on nutritious betacarotene.  Enjoy!
  • Turnips— Purple top for the Large and Mini, and Scarlet Queen for the Regular. These are both fantastic turnips. I enjoy them just cooked up in butter, but there are loads of options with turnips. Try cooking a bit of onion and garlic in some bacon fat, then add the chopped up roots and cook till softened, and toss in the sliced up greens at the end to cook for a final minute or three until as soft as you like. Salt, pepper, and if you like, vinegar or tabasco, and you’ve got a hearty side dish.  They also roast beautifully, especially in a winter root blend with carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, kohlrabi, etc., with some rosemary sprigs or other herbs.
  • Pac Choi—  It’s time for Asian soups!  Pac Choi is an Asian cabbage, and it’s delightful in a Thai curry, or a warming bowl of Vietnamese Pho or Japanese Ramen. The key is a good hearty bone broth base.  You can buy your bone broth, or make it from beef, pork, and chicken bones. We often do a whole mix of all-of-the-above when we have Ramen or Pho. We love all the Asian soups this time of year.

Veggie Storage tips:

All your bagged greens, radishes, turnips, & kohlrabi will keep longest stored in the fridge sealed up in produce bags. Remove all the roots from their tops, and store the greens separately to keep the roots from getting rubbery. Keep sweet potatoes and winter squash at room temp. Everything will need a thorough washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent 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

Regular

Regular Share-columns, left to right:  Scarlet Queen turnips, Watermelon radishes, pac choi, kohlrabi, (bottom row) Acorn squash, sweet potatoes, mixed collard and kale.

Large

Large Share-rows, left to right: Purple top turnips, Watermelon radishes, pac choi in a line, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, (bottom row) Kabocha squash, sweet potatoes, mixed collard and kale, purple kohlrabi

Mini

Mini share-rows, left to right: Purple top turnips, Swiss chard, Pac choi, (bottom row) Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, spinach