Storage Tips and Recipes
Every week we'll send you snapshots of veggies in your share. You can always find more recipes and storage info on our blog and website.
Mesclun: All the greens are pre-washed but we recommend giving them a good rinse before eating. Unopened, the bags will store for several days in the fridge. They need to stay cool as much as possible.
Braising Greens: Purple bags will receive either mesclun or braising greens. The difference? Lettuce in the mesclun, not in the braising greens! Enjoy these cooked up as a hearty side dish.
Pie Pumpkins: Many people consider pumpkins to be the essence of fall, reminding them of crisp falling leaves, cool evenings and the approaching holidays. Any pumpkin recipe can be a source of comfort and warmth, but be sure to use the correct type of pumpkin to achieve a richly flavored result. Pie pumpkins are not only smaller than jack-o-lantern type pumpkins but they also have a denser flesh and more sugars that make their edible quality much more like winter squash. Most pumpkins in fact are in the same family of plants as winter squash such as: delicata squash, acorn squash, and dumpling squash and can be used similarly in pies, soups, breads even pancakes! Check out our recipes below for some tips on how to prepare. Pie pumpkins are an excellent source of beta carotene, calcium and potassium. Store all winter squash and pumpkins in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation, like a porch or garage, but make sure they do not freeze, around 55F is perfect. They should last over a month for decoration but use within a month for best flavor quality. Once cut, you can wrap the leftovers in plastic and store in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Romanesca Cauliflower: A very striking vegetable with a beautiful light green color and pointed florets instead of the usual rounded. Originally from Northern Italy, its taste is somewhat milder than the traditional cauliflower as well. Cook as you would a regular specimen. Consider blanching the florets and adding to a crudite platter. Store unwashed in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. We are having an amazing crop of cauliflower this fall and are preserving lots of it in the kitchen for members to enjoy this winter!
Cippolini Onions: are a small flattened Italian onion with a sweet, mild flavor. Cippolinis are traditionally served roasted or baked, but also work well on kebabs or eaten fresh. If you have never eaten a roasted cippolini you must, as you will never think of onions the same way. The advantage of the cipollini is its mild flavor that when roasted caramelizes quickly into sweet, flavorful goodness! Their shape lends them well to roasting. A classic Italian recipe is to glaze them with balsamic vinegar, roast and serve as part of an antipasto. Cippolini onions do not store as well as your typical onion. For short term storage keep in a cool, dry place or in the butter compartment of your fridge.
Brassica Bunch: While in the field last week I noticed some greens that looked rather ready for eating, but hadn't quite made it onto our harvest list! These bunches are a mix of brassicas - kales and mustards, chards and beet greens. They're great for cooking/ sauteeing, either on their own or mixed in with other dishes like a pasta or eggs. Store loosely wrapped in plastic in your crisper drawer..
Recipes
Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Filling
The most important step when making a pumpkin pie (or other recipe that calls for pumpkin) with fresh, rather than canned, pumpkin is to to use a pie pumpkin. These pumpkins are small and bred to have dense, sweet flesh, unlike Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins with flesh that is stringy and tasteless. I use this technique for any squash puree that I make.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Wash the pumpkin rind and cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out all of the seeds and strings. Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down in a rimmed baking pan. Add about ½ inch of water to the pan and then place it in the oven. Bake the pumpkin for about 30 minutes and then flip to cut side up, add a dollop of butter, maple syrup or honey if desired and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until it is soft when peirced with a fork or knife.
Remove the pumpkin from the oven and set it aside for about 30 minutes or until it is cool enough to handle. Then, scoop out the flesh out of the rind. Place the flesh into a blender or food processor and puree until it is very smooth. If you want extra smooth pumpkin puree, first run the pumpkin flesh through a food mill, then process it in a blender or food processor.
You can refrigerate the pumpkin puree for up to a week or you can freeze it for later use. To freeze, pour the pumpkin into ½ quart plastic freezer bags, leaving ½ inch of headroom at the top of the bag. Seal the bag, being sure to squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible. Lay the bag flat on a freezer shelf and freeze. Once the puree is solid you can stack the bags wherever you like in the freezer. Use the frozen puree within one year.
Old Fashioned Oatmeal
This is just the basic how to cook recipe. There are endless possibilities of what you might add to your oatmeal including honey, maple sugar or syrup, dried fruits, frozen berries, sliced apples or melons, etc. You can go totally dairy free, omitting butter and replacing all the milk with water, or add just as much of those as you like.
2 cups dry rolled oats
3.5 to 3.75 cups water/milk (1.5 cups milk/2+ cups water is good)
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB butter (optional)
Place oats, milk, water and salt in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for five to 10 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and oats have softened to a porridge. Stir in butter. Divide into bowls and garnish with dried fruit and sweetener of your choice.
Amy's Granola
In honor of the oats this week I thought I'd share this recipe from Amy, and here are her notes: I make this granola practically every week because everyone in my family eats it nearly every morning. One of my kids likes it dry, another with milk, and another with yogurt. I like to mix it with other cereals or fruit. We eat it for dessert on maple syrup sweetened yogurt. It's a solid, simple granola recipe. You can add as much as another three cups of various nuts or dried fruit without having to change the amounts of oil and sweetener. You can swap honey for maple syrup interchangeably and use other mild favored oils. Though the amounts given of sweetener and oil are what my family enjoys, you can reduce the oil to 3/4 cup and the sweetener to 1 cup.
Mix everything together well. If your honey is solid, put the oil and honey in a small saucepan first and warm on the stove until it becomes liquid enough to mix with the other ingredients. Put all of this in two 9" x 13" pans or a large roasting pan. Put in a preheated 250 degree oven and bake for a total of 70-80 minutes, stirring the granola at 30 mins, 50 mins, 60 mins, and 70 mins taking care to rotate the granola that is on the sides and bottom to somewhere in the middle. It is done when it is golden brown. After it cools completely, store in a tightly sealed container.
10 cups oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sunflower oil
1 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
Thai Winter Squash Soup
In case you are inspired to make something non traditional this week, here's a soup that makes use of the remainder of the pumpkin puree after you have made the pie above. Having puree in hand makes this a super easy soup to put together and this soup is a flavor explosion. In traditional Thai fashion, it combines sweet, sour and salty flavors and has a kick too. The lime and coconut both come through beautifully.
Vegetable oil
1 onion,
3 cloves garlic
2 thumb sized pieces of ginger
3-4 cups of winter squash or pumpkin puree
1 qt chicken or vegetable stock
3 TB Fish sauce
2.5 TB brown sugar (or maple syrup, or maple sugar)
2 TB Lime juice
1 can coconut milk
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
Puree the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor. Put a small amount of oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then add the pumpkin puree, stock, fish sauce, brown sugar or maple syrup, lime juice, and crushed red pepper and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Before serving, add the coconut milk. Taste the soup. You may want to add a fresh splash of lime just before serving.
Broccoli with Asian style dressing
This recipe can be addictive! For variety try adding matchstick-size strips of steamed carrots.
1 medium head broccoli
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp soy sauce, or tamari
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp hot chili oil (optional)
Separate the florets from the stalk; break into smaller florets. Cut the stalk into 1-inch lengths and then into matchstick size strips. Place the broccoli in a steamer basket set over 1 1/2 inches boiling water and cover. Steam for 5 minutes. Transfer the broccoli to a bowl.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir until well combined. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and mix well. Enjoy!
Broccoli Mac and Cheese
This mac and cheese comes together quickly and easily on a week night!
4 cups broccoli florets, cut into very small sections with no stems left attached
8 ounces elbow pasta (I use multi-grain)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cups skim milk
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese (I like Cabot's Seriously Sharp)
2 ounces grated pepper jack cheese (this makes it nicely spicy -- if you don't want spice, substitute an equal amount of regular cheddar cheese)
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the broccoli. Wait for the water to reboil then cook the broccoli for about 3 minutes. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. When done, drain and stir until the broccoli breaks down.
While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is thick and bubbly (a couple of minutes). Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to cook and whisk until the mixture thickens (just a few minutes, really). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese until it melts.
Add the cheese mixture to the pasta-broccoli mixture and stir thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sauteed Braising Greens with Blue Cheese and Pan Roasted Garlic
Here's a recipe 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
Cooking greens, rinsed
Blue cheese to taste (or other pungent cheese)
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.
Braised Winter Greens w/ Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar
Beet Greens, Mizuna and Kale are ideal for this recipe but some Pac Choi leaves would work in nicely too! From the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Austerberg and Wanda Urbanowicz.
1 large bunch 0f Greens
1 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 TB balsamic vinegar
cracked pepper to taste
Stem and wash the greens. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil, then garlic and stir until lightly golden. Add the chiles and greens. Toss with tongs, sprinkle with salt, and cover to allow volume to steam down. Uncover and continue to toss on high heat until greens are wilted. Add vinegar. Remove greens from pan. Return pan to burner. Reduce any remaining juices and drizzle over greens. Crack pepper over the top and serve immediately.
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