Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - November 8, 2017

News from the Farm

Welcome to winter! It's about that time of year when the storage coolers are getting full, the fields are getting bare, and the layers come on in the wash house. We're starting to transition to root crops as many of our delicate greens are no longer available. With our greenhouse technology, we're able to extend the season but that limits what we have from week to week.
For our new members, and for our inquisitive returning members, here's the low-down on the plastic bags. Unfortunately, we cannot re-use them. Food safety rules that govern our organic farm do not allow us to re-use the bags, and in our search for receptacles that are re-usable, we've been stymied for some time in finding an affordable alternative that does not require a significant re-structuring of our staff time and wash house organization. It's something that is constantly on my mind. In the meantime, you're welcome to return your bags to your CSA site and we'll dispose of them at the farm. Otherwise, I know some members use them for cat litter, re-use them for other shopping or market purchases, and others take them to their local transfer station for recycling.
~ Taylar
Reminder!!!
During the week of Thanksgiving, we deliver shares ONE DAY EARLY!
Wednesday's delivery will happen on TUESDAY and Thursday's delivery will happen on WEDNESDAY. Same hours, different day.
Need to skip a delivery? We can donate your share to the food shelf, send it the next week, or credit your account for a future share. Please notify us by Monday, 8 am, at the latest for any changes to that week's delivery.

This week in your share:

Everyday Large

Salad Mix, Braising Mix, Chard, Parsley, Celeriac, Kohlrabi, Red Beets, Mixed Onions, and Delicata Squash

Everyday Standard

Salad Mix, Chard, Garlic, Parsley, Celeriac, Kohlrabi, Mixed Onions, Cabbage, and Delicata Squash

Fancy

Salad Mix, Braising Mix, Garlic, Italian Sweet Peppers, Purple Mizuna Mustard, Cippolini Onions, Celeriac, Fennel, and Delicata Squash

Lean & Green

Salad Mix, Braising Mix, Pac Choi, Leeks, Delicata Squash

Pete's Pantry

Red Hen Baking Co Bread, Tangletown Farm Eggs, and Full Sun Canola Oil
Spotlight on: Celeriac! When cooked well, celeriac can be a delicious, hearty potato substitute! It's great for roasting, mashing, or pureeing, and can be eaten much like potatoes. Store unwashed celeriac in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, where it will keep for several weeks. To prepare: soak celeriac briefly in warm water and then scrub it with a stiff brush. Take a thin slice off the top and bottom and peel it with a sharp paring knife or a sturdy vegetable peeler. A few deep crevices will remain; leave them, or slice them out. Remove the core if it seems pithy or hollow. Like apples, celeriac will darken if exposed to the air for too long. If you don’t plan to cook it immediately, submerge the celeriac in a bowl of water with lemon juice squeezed in.
All shares are receiving a bag of Salad Mix and most shares are receiving a bag of Braise Mix, using a variety of field, high tunnel, and greenhouse grown greens. Salad mix includes: salanova lettuce, baby mizuna, spicy mizuna, purple mustard, spinach, claytonia, minutina, arugula, and upland cress. The braise mix includes: spinach, arugula, scarlet frills mustard, and baby tatsoi, chard, and pac choi. Both mixes will keep for about a week in unopened bags. Opened, the mixes will start to deteriorate. The salad mix is intended to be eaten raw while the braise can be eaten raw or cooked. The Salad Mix will have more diversity and the long, stringy claytonia. The Braise has the colorful baby chard.
That funky purple thing in your bags is kohlrabi, meaning cabbage turnip in German. It looks weirder than it actually tastes... try it raw with a dip or grated on a salad, or make it into a slaw. I've also put it into stir-fries. It roasts nicely like potatoes, so try out a healthier French fry! Both Amy's and Melissa's kids eat it straight up. To prepare the bulb, cut off the leaves and stems. Use a vegetable peeler to pare off the tough outer layer. Or use a chefs knife to slice it off. Dice or shave up the inner bulb according to your recipe. Store loosely wrapped in plastic in the fridge.
Everyday Standard shares will receive either a Napa cabbage, green savoy cabbage, green cabbage, or arrowhead cabbage. Enjoy the surprise! All make lovely slaws.

Featured Recipes

Celeriac Remoulade (Celery Root Salad) 
This salad is a refreshing cool coleslaw-like salad. A food processor makes the job of grating the celeriac much faster.
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 lb celery root - quartered, peeled, and coarsely grated just before mixing
1/2 tart apple, peeled, cored, julienned
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and parsley in a medium-sized bowl. Fold in the celery root and apple and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Celeriac Soup
There are many variations one could use to turn out a lovely soup using the ingredients in this share. The recipe below is just a suggestion. Soup is a great place to experiment. If you don’t have an ingredient omit it and/or substitute something similar. Try adding other herbs if you'd like. A bit of sage or thyme would be nice in this soup.
2 TB Oil (or butter or combo)
1 medium onion, or 2 leeks, or 2 shallots (peeled and sliced thinly)
2 garlic cloves (peeled and sliced thinly, or minced)
1.5 lb celeriac (peeled and chopped into chunks)
2 stalks celery (peeled and chopped, use peeler to remove tough outer strings)
2 potatoes (or sunchokes or combo) – scrubbed and chopped
2 carrots – peeled or scrubbed and chopped
1 quart of chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
1 Bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup water (as needed) 
Heat butter/oil in Dutch oven or soup pot. Add onions, cover and simmer until tender. For more flavor, remove cover and simmer until onions have browned slightly. Add garlic and celery and simmer 2-3 minutes more. Add the other vegetables and let cook for about 5 mins. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and water if needed, enough to cover the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer covered for about 20 mins, until the vegetables are tender. Puree in batches in a blender or use a hand mixer to puree the vegetables. If you think your soup is too thick, add some water or more stock. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
For garnish consider a dollop of crème fraiche or yogurt or cream, (especially if you used veg stock). Crumbled bacon or some crumbled/grated cheddar on the top of each bowl would be delicious and make a very hearty meal with a hunk of this week’s bread.
I saw a recipe for a very similar celeriac soup in which the vegetables and broth were all thrown together in a Dutch oven, simmered on stove top for 5 minutes, then simmered in the oven covered for 3 hours. Not a quick dinner solution but this method would sweeten and deepen the flavors and would be lovely.
Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanuts and Ginger
This recipe from Martha Stewart is a great way to use your napa cabbage.
2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch long), peeled and grated
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 medium napa cabbage (about 1 pound), cored and cut into bite-size pieces
1 red bell pepper (seeds and ribs removed), thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh, cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, ginger, and oils until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and peanuts. Add dressing to taste, and toss to combine. Serve.
Sauteed Braising Greens with Blue Cheese and Pan Roasted Garlic
Here’s one from way back in our archives that was made up and expanded upon by several crew members, including Pete.
2 T sunflower oil
handful of minced onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in halves
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Bag of Braising Greens
Blue cheese to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium high flame. Add garlic halves, tossing and cooking for several minutes. Add minced onions and continue to toss until the onions are fragrant and the cloves are soft. With the water still clinging to the leaves, toss in the greens in 2 or 3 parts, cooking until just wilted. Add blue cheese and serve. Serves about 2 or 3 folks.
Variation: Add oven or pan roasted potatoes and/or eggs for a hearty breakfast or supper.

Pantry Lore

This is the time of the year when we start stocking up your pantries for Thanksgiving cooking! This week you're receiving canola oil from Full Sun Company, based in East Middlebury. Before David and Netaka started Full Sun in 2014, there was nowhere to buy Vermont grown and pressed canola oil that was certified GMO free. This oil is a fresh and delicious craft oil to use everyday for cooking, sauteeing, or in marinades or dressings. Full Sun produces specialty oils from organic or non-GMO sunflower and canola seeds. This oil is unrefined, cold-pressed, chemical free, and full of sun-ripened canola seeds. Store this oil in your fridge to preserve freshness.
Red Hen Baking Co has been one of Vermont's finest artisan bakeries since 1999, when Randy George and Liza Cain (also CSA site hosts!) started their bakery in Middlesex. Today, Red Hen has 40 employees and delivers bread all over Vermont - and even a little beyond! This week you're receiving the Waitsfield Common variety, named after Liza's hometown, made with organic Quebec-grown flour. Red Hen describes this bread as a "no-nonsense, do anything" loaf! So enjoy it however you enjoy bread. Here is how they suggest keeping your bread: Once you bring it home, you can toss the bag in the recycling (or save it for making papier mache) and store your bread sliced side down to keep it from drying out. The crust will act as a natural package for the rest of the loaf.
Tangletown Farmeggs are as fresh as can be! Eggs are collected on Tuesday mornings, washed, and packed by Lila Bennett in Glover. This week your eggs will be tasty with some braised greens

Comments

Popular Posts