Sorry this is coming in so late — we topped off another long farm day by cutting some wood to build a shed for Kendra’s new wood fired oven and after that we made our first pickles of the season (using the last of the year’s garlic scapes and snap peas). All shares contain:
- “Rainbow” beets
- Endive
- Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
- Celery (a small bunch)
“Full” shares also contain:
- more “Rainbow” beets
- a bunch of marjoram and parsley
- Chicory
- shell peas
Veggie Notes
beets – As I mentioned last week, remember that the leaves of beets (aka `beet greens’) can be eaten like Swiss chard and that the color of the red beets will tend to bleed into the rest of the beets of they’re cooked together. If the beets taste bitter, peeling off the skins can rid them of the bitterness.
endive and chicory – Endive has the finely toothed, feathery leaves while the chicory will look more like a head of romaine lettuce. There are many, many kinds of “chicory”, but the one you’re getting this week is called “Pan de Zucchero”, or “Sugar Loaf”. Less bitter than most chicories, it’s natural sweetness really comes out when it’s roasted. See the next post for some more recipes involving chicory.
celery – Baby celery, though not really that useful for the peanut butter and raisin treatment, is still a great seasoning. Just chop it up (leaves and all) an add to any recipe that calls for celery.
Recipe Ideas
Simple Squash Saute
For a long time, we tried to figure out what to do with all of the squash that piled up during the summer. Then we found this recipe and now we have a hard time keeping enough squash around! It’s very flexible: use more or less squash, omit the herbs and/or garlic, etc.
2 6” squashes
1 medium onion
½ bunch fresh thyme, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
3-4 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
salt and pepper
Remove stems from squashes and chop into ¼” thick, round slices. Chop the onion (including the top, if it’s a fresh onion) into ¼” by 1” pieces. Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper and onion and cook until the onion has softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add the squash and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Also, be sure to check out the next post for some recipes for chicory and endive. (The roasted radicchio recipes would also work really well with this week’s chicory.)
As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.
We hope you enjoy the share!