Important note: the last share of the season will be the first week of November — only four weeks from now! Another Important Note: Keep those apples and carrots separate! More info below.
*All shares contain:*- Stir-fry Greens
- Celeriac
- Chives
- Potatoes
“Full” shares also contain:
- Carrots of Many Colors
- Apples
- Celery
- Salad Turnips
Veggie Notes
Celeriac – Those funky, knobby little rooty things in this weeks share are celeriac, or celery root. We often say that they have the texture of a parsnip but the flavor of celery. It can be grated into salads or cole slaws, roasted or added to soups and stews. It’s also a champ in the root cellar; we kept some of last year’s crop until June. (8 months!)
To Prepare: Trim off the top and the funky, rooty parts, then peel off the skin.
Potatoes – These are Carola potatoes and they have a firm, silky texture with excellent, rich flavor. That firm texture makes them excellent for soups and stews (where they will hold together) but also for potato salad.
Carrots – Finally, some carrots! Yes, they are all carrots (no parsnips) and they each taste slightly different. An important note about carrot storage: keep your carrots seperate from any fruits, especially apples. Ever wonder why all of those carrots in the grocery store taste bland, starchy and bitter when even the lowliest fresh-out-of-the-ground carrot tastes sweet and crispy? Those supermarket carrots are exposed to a gas (ethylene) that is used by the produce industry to force unripe produce to ripen. Ethylene is also released by all fruits (tomatoes, melons, etc) and especially apples. Carrots that are exposed to too much ethylene lose all of their sweetness and can become bitter. To tie this all together, supermarket carrots are often transported and stored right along side apples and such.
Apples – Northern Spys again this week. Make some cobbler! Crisp! Pie!
Celery – Celery freezes well and can be taken right out of the freezer and added to winter stews, sauces and soups. Freezing preserves the sweet flavor, but ruins the crunchiness of fresh celery; that’s usually not an issue for stews and such.
Recipe Ideas
Simple Potato Salad
Another one of my “approximate” recipes:
Clean a bunch of potatoes (Carolas are perfect), maybe 1-2 pounds. We don’t peel, but we carve out any unsightly spots. Cube them into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces, place into a pot with cold water, bring to a boil and boil until fork tender. (Perhaps 5-10 minutes.) Meanwhile, melt at least one stick of butter (and/or olive oil) in a small sauce or omelette pan over medium or med-low heat. Toss in a healthy handful of finely chopped chives and braise over low heat until the potatoes are done. When the potatoes are ready, drain them, pour the butter and chives over them, season with salt and pepper and toss to mix.
Ginger Sesame “Asian” Stir-fried Greens
I’ve adapted this from a recipe in the CSA cookbook From Asparagus to Zucchini. If you try it, let us know what you think. A tablespoon or two of maple syrup or honey would probably go well with the liquid ingredients, but I’m leaving it out for now.
2T sesame oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mixed mustard greens, coarsely chopped and dried
1T rice or cider vinegar
2T tamari or soy sauce
1t red chili flakes or minced hot pepper
2T sesame seeds
2T fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat, add the sesame seeds and toast over low heat — tossing or stirring often — until lightly toasted and fragrant. (If they’re done before the greens, just reserve in a bowl until they’re needed.) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger and chili, stir fry for 2 minutes (being careful not to burn the garlic and ginger) and then add the greens. Toss and stir the greens until they’ve just wilted. Remove greens from pan. Add the vinegar and tamari to pan. When they’re not, add the greens to the pan, tossing to combine w/ the sauce. The sesame seeds can either be added to the greens (toss to combine) or sprinkled over top when served. Season to taste w/ salt or more soy sauce.
We hope you enjoy the share!
As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.