Week 13 – CORN!
You may have these things in your box: CORN! Tomatoes, Peaches, Apples, still no lettuce for most of the week, peppers, onion, hot peppers, we are trying to do cabbage as a choice…but it is trickier than you think.
We still have amazing tomatoes, peaches and are back into lots of corn. The lettuce is still scarce – I have not had any at my markets even. I am told it should be sized up by the end of the coming week. I see many of you have been receiving carrots and potatoes ? Surprise sightings of radishes or arugula may occur – the arugula is a small bunch of peppery smelling greens, usually with the roots on. We are still picking Paula Reds and Molly Delicious (or Sheepsnose) apples. Next week we will be picking Cortlands and other mid-season apples. There are several crops coming up like cauliflower and winter squash, celeriac and or celery. I don’t think you will see celeriac this week, but if you do have some ugly root with celery stalks attached, that’s it! Use the leaves for flavoring (not really edible, as they are so tough), peel the root and enjoy raw shaved thinly or shredded in slaw, roasted or in soup.
Winter squashes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Yes, we have butternut, but we also have red and gray kabocha, acorn, Delicata, Sweet Dumpling, spaghetti, Carnival, and more. Some of the late season melons look an awful lot like some of the winter squashes. Not sure what you’ve got? Post a picture on FB for me OR cut it half – then you will know for sure 😉 Naturally there are lots of pictures on our website and blog too!
Recipes
Member Ryan sent this to me this week – Yes, used chopped tomatoes instead of cherry ?
Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Primavera from Taste of Home
- 4 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1-2/3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces uncooked rigatoni or whole wheat rigatoni
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine carrots, zucchini and tomatoes in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Whisk together next six ingredients; reserve half. Drizzle remaining balsamic mixture over vegetables; toss to coat. Bake until carrots are crisp-tender, 20-25 minutes.Meanwhile, cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain. Toss rigatoni with roasted vegetables, pan juices and reserved balsamic mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 4 servings.
Butternut chicken pot pie
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup frozen white pearl onions, thawed
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 small bunch kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves chopped
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1/2″ pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat torn into bite-size pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (such as Dufour or Pepperidge Farm), thawed
- 1 large egg
Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Heat oil in an 8″ cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic and sage to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add kale and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing often, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes. Stir in broth, 1/2-cupful at a time, then add squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is just softened and broth is thickened, 8-10 minutes. Add chicken to skillet, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Unfold pastry and smooth any creases; place over skillet, allowing corners to hang over sides. Whisk egg and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush pastry with egg wash; cut four 1″ slits in top to vent. Bake pot pie until pastry is beginning to brown, 15-20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake until pastry is deep golden brown and crisp minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Check out: Boerenkool Stamppot (Kale Hash) – awesome this time of year. Also “winter squash basics” on the blog.
Farm Dirt
Hey members – don’t forget you are welcome at the farm ANYTIME (within reason). Roam around, pick some tomatoes, raspberries, apples… it’s kind of weedy in areas, but that is to be expected by September.
I’ve been busy putting food by for the family- got lots of beans frozen, zucchini cake and squares, pesto, but absolutely HAVE to make salsa this week! Have you been able to put any food by from your CSA? I love to enjoy the taste of summer in the dead of winter!
We saw quite a few Night Hawks migrating last week…another sure sign of Fall. They are beautiful flyers and so few people even know they exist. We typically see the largest number of them right about August 28th, but then there are always what seem like stragglers passing through the first week of September. Perhaps they know what they are flying towards?
And lastly, our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the hurricanes in Texas, Florida and beyond.