Welcome to week 2 of the Pete's Greens Good Eats Fall/Winter CSA!
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Localvore Members
& Full Veggie Only Share Members
take a LIGHT GREEN BAG
This week your bag contains:
Mesclun, Lettuce Head, Sweet Potatoes, Garlic, Carrots, Yellow Onions, and Delicata Squash
And OUT of the bag:
Tomatoes!
Localvore / Pantry Offerings:
Cellars at Jasper Hill Kinsman Ridge
Champlain Orchards Silken Apples
Golden Crops Organic Barley
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Half Veggie Members
take a YELLOW BAG containing:
Mesclun, Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower, Garlic, Yellow Onions, and Delicata Squash
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From the Farm...
Welcome to the Pete's Greens Good Eats CSA!
If you're new to the CSA, welcome! If you're re-joining us, thanks for your continued support! I write the weekly Good Eats newsletter that you'll receive every Tuesday evening with farm updates, the week's share contents, storage and use tips, localvore information, recipes, and anything else we think you might find interesting or useful! Pete will often chime in with farm updates, thoughts, and pleas for feedback.
The picking for the weekly share begins over the weekend and the packing of shares is finished late Tuesday afternoon. You'll receive the newsletter once we're confident the share is finalized - sometimes there are last minute changes, like this week's addition of tomatoes, and we want to make sure you have the right information when you go to pick-up. If there are changes to the share after the newsletter has been sent, you may receive a follow-up email Tuesday night or Wednesday.
I'm excited about this week's share, which contains a little bit of summer and a little bit of fall. The Delicata squash is so lovely and the Full Share members get to enjoy one more week of tomatoes. We're fortunate to have tunnel-grown tomatoes continue to thrive with the warm weather we've been having - it's not every year that we still have tomatoes this late!
Despite the beautiful weather, the nights here are cold and the days short. Please enjoy the last of the tender head lettuce and cauliflower. While you'll receive greens each week of the Fall/ Winter Share, enjoy the head lettuce while it lasts!
If you ever have questions about any of the items in your share, or about something that happens at your site, please email me!
I'd love to hear from you if you discover a really great recipe that uses many of your weekly share items. The staff at Pete's Greens is always experimenting with the produce but if you find something that your household really loves, we're happy to test your recipe and share it with the rest of our members.
Thanks again for supporting Pete's Greens! We look forward to the next several weeks of deliciously good eating!
- Taylar
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Your greens being harvested this morning!
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Please note that the first Meat Share pick up is not this week, it is the first Wednesday of every month starting November 2.
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The Fall / Winter Share is here!
If you're just joining us...
Step #1:
Find and cross off your name on the Names Checklist!
Step #2:
Pick up your bag!
Localvore and Full Veggie Share members pick up this green bag:
Half Veggie Members pick up the yellow bag:
What To Do If You Have a Problem at Pick Up
Although we do our best to make sure that every delivery and pick-up goes smoothly, there are the occasional shortages and disappointments. Should you arrive at your pick-up site to find that your name (or share partner's name) is not on the list, one or more of your items are missing or that some of your produce is in unsatisfactory condition, please let us know right away!
Our goal is 100% satisfaction. If you email us (or call if you can't email) as soon as you discover the problem, we may be able to resolve it the same day or the following day. If you would like to receive an item that you missed at pick-up, you must contact us by Monday morning.
If we have not heard from anyone, by Friday our site hosts are instructed to donate leftover food, ensuring that they do not end up with bad food on their hands.
If we can not resolve your issue right away, email us to arrange a replacement or substitution the following week.
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Storage and Use Tips
Your bag of greens is a fall mesclun mix. Each week, you can expect to find a different bag of greens in your share. This mix includes a variety of mild tatsoi, spicy mizuna, hearty baby spinach, colorful mustard greens, and baby red Russian kale. The freeze took all our baby lettuces but we expect them back before too long. Large share members are also receiving either one large or two smaller heads of lettuce, either a butter lettuce (green) or red leaf lettuce.
Small share members will receive a white cauliflower. I used to hate raw cauliflower but as I've gotten older, I've found it is quite delectable when roasted in olive oil. To plain cook cauliflower, steam it in a heavy pot of boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes to maintain its crispness and nutty flavor. Do not overcook as no one enjoys mushy cauliflower. Store it in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.
Delicata Squash - Delicatas are a delicious heirloom variety and wholly edible. They are a crowd pleaser, with a mild but flavorful taste. Try halving it the long way, scooping out the insides, and roasting it with butter or olive oil or slicing it into rings. You can eat it as is or fill it and cook it stuffed with vegetables, meat, or grains. I have been enjoying it lately for breakfast filled with an egg scrambled with kale, garlic, mushrooms, and cheese. For kids, halve it the long way, cut 1/2" slices and bake them on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of butter and maple or just plain as "squash smiles'. Kids can eat the whole smile, peel and all. Store it in a cool location. Trim the ends before eating - where the stem meets the squash is a tough spot you want to remove. You may want to give it another good scrub before cooking.
These sweet potatoes actually come from our friend Adam's farm, Juniper Hill, in Upstate New York. Sweet potatoes can be challenging to grow in northern Vermont so we left that to the sweet potato expert. Sweet potatoes provide a different kind of nutrition than many other potatoes. Roast them, either whole or cut into wedges or pieces, in a 400F oven until they are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Store in a dark, dry, cool (55 degree) place, in a loose plastic bag or open to the air. Stored this way, they may keep up to 3 weeks. Do not refrigerate, as cold temperature alters the flavor of the potatoes.
Both shares are receiving two staple kitchen ingredients, garlic andyellow onions. Virtually every style of cooking includes one or both of these! We've heard from past members that they enjoy regular deliveries of garlic. We plan to feature it in your share on a regular basis - we had a good garlic crop this year! For the most flavorful results, saute the onions on low heat until translucent before adding other ingredients. Store both in a cool, dark, and well-ventilated location until ready to use.
You are also receiving mixed carrots! Many people are often amazed that carrots are not just bright orange, they also have purple flesh, white flesh, or a spectrum of orange. The flavor of the purple carrots is often richer, but they cook the same as orange carrots. Large carrots like this are best wrapped and stored in your crisper drawer. While not necessary, large carrots are often best when peeled.
Veggie Storage and Use Tips are on our website too, so please bookmark the recipe and storage tip section. I am sure you will find it useful.
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Going out of town?
Please let us know at least ONE WEEK before. We can either skip your share and give you credit, send it the next week, or donate it to the food pantry. It's up to you!
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Localvore Lore
This week's share includes a stellar combination, Kinsman Ridge cheese from the Cellars at Jasper Hill and Silken apples from Champlain Orchards. Kinsman Ridge is made by Deb & Doug Erb at Landaff Creamery and aged in the Cellars in Greensboro. This cheese can be described as a "funky tomme" style, modeled after French classic cheese that are fudgy, pudgy, and semi-soft. Imagine, perhaps, roasted cauliflower, with a rich, buttery body. October is American Cheese Month, and we proudly celebrate it by sharing this special batch of Kinsman with you!
Pairing nicely with cheese is a bag of Silkenapples! This variety was developed from a cross between two other popular varieties, the Honeygold and Sunrise. Silkens are known for their outstanding texture and flavor, with a white flesh that is firm, crisp, juicy, aromatic, and sweet. It is an early season variety and a favorite of many people. These apples provide the crisp, juicy, and fresh contrast to the rich, vegetal flavor of the Kinsman Ridge.
Along with the cheese and apples is pearled barley. Hailing from Golden Crops in Quebec, this organically grown refined grain is a component of many health foods. Pearled barley has the hull and outer bran removed. It is the most common kind of barley for human consumption because it cooks faster and is less chewy than other types of barley. Store the pearled barley in an airtight container. It will last for several months. I like to use barley instead of rice in a rich risotto but it is popular in hearty soups, like the mushroom barley soup recipe below. One cup of dry barley makes about 3 - 3 1/2 cups cooked. If you soak the grains for 6+ hours in cold water before use, you can reduce your cooking time by at least half. Without soaking, you'll want to let them simmer in water for a good hour. Cook barley like pasta or use cold in salads.
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Recipes
Mushroom and Barley Soup
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup pearled barley
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems removed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Place the water and porcinis in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside to soak.
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 8 minutes. Add the barley and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.
Add the flour, stir so it coats the barley and vegetables, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the porcini mushrooms and their soaking liquid (avoid any grit at the bottom of the bowl), cremini mushrooms, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the barley is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
The Lost Nation Veggie Melt
This vegetarian sandwich comes from Chef Erik Larson at Lost Nation Brewing in Morrisville - the cauliflower is so good, you don't even miss the meat. If you can't make it to see our friends in Morrisville, try your own version at home!
Ingredients
Cauliflower, sliced thickly
Rice Flour (for dredging)
Olive oil for frying
Tomato Jam
Thick slice of cheddar cheese (Cabot Clothbound is the real deal!)
Sliced bread, preferably country french (Lost Nation uses Elmore Mountain Bakery, but any handmade bread works)
Dredge your cauliflower in rice flour, then fry in a shallow bath of olive oil in a hot pan over medium heat until lightly brown on both sides. Salt the cauliflower while it cooks. Meanwhile, put jam on both pieces of bread and add cheddar to one slice. When cauliflower is cooked, put between slices of bread and grill until browned. Flip over and toast the other side.
Voila! Chef's trick: slice the sandwich and put the cut side down in the hot pan to get the cheese all ooey and gooey.
Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Brown Butter
For this recipe, you can use as much cauliflower as you like - just adapt the amount of other ingredients. Sage is a great flavor for this time of year.
Ingredients
Olive oil
Sage leaves, loosely packed
Sea salt, more for tossing
1 - 3 medium-large heads cauliflower(about 3 pounds)
3 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lemon, zest finely grated
Heat oil in a small pan until rippling. Add sage and cook, stirring, just until crisped, about 2 minutes. Lift out sage and drain on paper towels; transfer oil to a large bowl. Let sage cool and crumble with fingers into a small bowl. Stir in coarse salt and set aside.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place roasting pan with an inch of water in oven bottom. Add cauliflower to bowl with oil, add about 1 teaspoon table salt, and toss gently until coated. Spread out on two large baking sheets. Bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes.
Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. When foam subsides, watch closely and stir often. When white solids are brown and butter smells toasty, turn off heat, squeeze in juice of lemon and stir well.
Transfer cauliflower to a bowl, pour butter over, and add lemon zest. Add half the sage salt and toss. Taste and season with remaining salt as needed.
Seared Cauliflower with Garlic and Tamari
The tamari caramelizes the cauliflower, giving it a wonderful robustness. This makes a great side dish!
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp tamari
3-4 tbsp water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced parsley
Over medium-high heat, sauté the cauliflower, slowly stirring it until it just browns. Then add the tamari. When the tamari starts to stick to the pan, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of water and the garlic; allow the sauce to reduce until it just coats the cauliflower. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and immediately toss it with the parsley.
Options: Toss the cauliflower with the garlic, parsley, and tamari (no water) and bake it in a covered baking dish at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes
Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe
This recipe comes from the Summertomato.com blog.
2-4 delicata squash, depending on size (~1.5 lbs)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Clean the delicata squash by running under warm water and scrubbing away dirt with your hands. If there are any hard spots on the squash, you can scrape them off with a butter knife.
With a sharp knife, cut delicata in half lengthwise. This should be easy and not require any crazy hacking. With a spoon scoop out the seeds and discard (you can save these and prepare them like pumpkin seeds if you wish). Cut each delicata half into 1/2 inch segments, creating moon-shaped pieces that have slight bumps around the curve.
Arrange the pieces in a single layer in a metal baking pan and coat in 2 tbsp olive oil. Too much oil can make the squash soggy. Salt gently. It’s okay if the pieces are a little crowded, but try to maximize the surface area of the squash touching the pan. The browning only occurs where the squash and pan meet.
Place in oven and roast 10 minutes. Using a spatula (I use tongs for most veggies, but delicata squash are easily squished and hold up better if you don’t pinch them) turn the squash in the pan so that the light sides are now touching the pan and the brown sides are facing upward.
Continue roasting, turning every 7-10 minutes until both sides of the squash pieces are golden brown and the texture is creamy to the teeth all the way through, about 25-30 minutes. Adjust salt.
Serve as a side dish with the rest of your dinner.
Roasted Delicata Squash with Onion
2 lbs delicata squash (about 2 large)
1 medium red or yellow onion, sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 425 °F. Cut squash in half lengthwise, then crosswise; scoop out the seeds. Cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Toss with onion, 1 tablespoon oil and salt in a large bowl.
Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring once or twice, until tender and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, rosemary, syrup and mustard in a small bowl. Toss the vegetables with the dressing.
Carrots with Coconut Butter and Lime
This recipe comes from the book "Vegetable Literacy" by Deborah Madison. It's a great veggie resource filled with interesting facts about all kinds of veggies, as well as wonderful recipes. This recipe caught my eye as it's so simple yet so delicious. You should be able to find coconut butter at a co-op or you can make your very own. Get a bag of shredded unsweetened coconut and blend for about 3-5 minutes until smooth. If it doesn't come together try adding some coconut oil to make it gel. Store the butter in a glass jar and use it anywhere you have a recipe that calls for vegetable oil or regular butter.
1 pound carrots, scrubbed and sliced into rounds or on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick
Sea Salt
About 2 tbsp coconut butter
1 lime
In a pot, bring 4 or more cups of water to a boil. Add the carrots and 1 tsp salt and simmer until the carrots are tender to the touch of a knife tip, about 15 minutes. Drain well, then return the carrots to the pan for a few minutes to dry in the residual heat. Add the coconut butter, toss to coat the carrots, and then halve the lime and squeeze over the carrots. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
This is my favorite way to eat sweet potatoes. Feel free to mix up the spices to change the flavor. Cajun works really well as well as just plain old salt and pepper.
Vegetable oil for parchment
2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds) skins on, scrubbed and cut into 4-inch sticks, each 1/2 inch thick
1 tbsp olive oil
Mediterranean Spice
Preheat oven to 450 degrees with racks in the upper and middle positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and rub with oil.
Mix potatoes, spices ,and oil in a bowl; stir to cover. Place in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, then flip pieces over with a spatula. Rotate baking sheets from front to back and from one rack to the other. Bake until dark golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
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