CSA Week 15

In Your Share:

Potatoes
Beets
Shallot
Cucumber or Zucchini
Napa Cabbage or Broccoli
Romaine Lettuce
Kale
Pepper or Tomato

Full Shares Only:

Kohlrabi
Parsley

I keep thinking that the shares have less in them, but then they are just as heavy and full as the week before.  This week we had trouble fitting it all in; I’m not sure how that happened…

There’s nothing new for half shares this week, but full shares get the first of our sweet bell peppers.  We have a few different varieties of peppers that we grow, but all of them are thin walled sweet peppers with lots of flavor.  They are fantastic raw or cooked, though I mostly prefer them raw or added at the last minute to a stir fry or saute.  Our peppers come on late and these are the very first to ripen, but we will hopefully have plenty more for you in the weeks to come.  They’re worth waiting for.

We have a few varieties of potatoes that we’re pulling from this week.  We are working on cleaning out several of the potato beds to prepare them for cover cropping, so we have a smorgasbord of potatoes to put in the shares.  Monday folks and at least some Wednesday folks are getting Terra Rosa, a red skin/red flesh variety we tried out this year.  Some of you will get Carolas or Purple Vikings.  After this week, most of the remaining potatoes in the shares will be Yellow Finns, which are our latest to mature, our best storage variety, and Mike’s favorite.

More beets today, as they continue to all be sized up at once.  More beautiful shallots as well, and the cukes and zukes are pumping for at least one more week.  Everyone gets a big dense head of romaine, though you’ll notice some holes in the leaves where they’ve been getting chewed.  I’ve been eating lots of these heads and they are sweet and delicious, just a bit aesthetically challenged.  Chop them up in a salad and dress them up and you won’t even notice the holes!  The parsley is the first cut off a fall planting, and it’s tender and flavorful.

Some of you will be pleased and some unhappy to see the giant fall storage kohlrabis in the full shares.  These are a late season variety that are meant to grow large to keep into winter, but they have matured earlier than we expect so you get them now.  They are still fresh and green and will be great raw, or try roasting them or putting them into a chicken noodle soup.  Or try pickling it.

If you are finding yourself stuck without new ideas for familiar vegetables, try cutting them up differently.  If you usually chop into cubes, try julienned.  If you usually do large pieces, try small, or vice versa.  I’m particularly fond of bias cuts for lots of things.  Or the Chinese roll cut gives you a very different shape with lots of surface area:

The shape may seem trivial, but it really changes how the veggies cook and how they taste.  You can even make a familiar recipe and see how it changes, or it might inspire you to try something totally new!

Fall Chicken Noodle Soup

You can’t go wrong with chicken noodle soup, but it gets even better with some extra fall root vegetables thrown in. I usually make my own chicken stock by boiling a whole chicken with aromatic veggies, then shred some of the boiled chicken into the soup.

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion or 2 leeks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, diced

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp minced thyme

1 Tbsp minced sage

2 c peeled, cubed kohlrabi

2 c peeled, cubed rutabaga

2 c carrots, cubed

2 c cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

8 c chicken stock

2 c elbow or farfalle noodles

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Sautee the onions or leeks, garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, kohlrabi and rutabaga and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are almost tender (about 30 minutes). Add the noodles, and cook until al dente. Add the chicken and cook just enough to heat it. Salt to taste.

Beet Burgers

This recipe came from an old family friend (hi Jane!). She usually makes it with 1 ½ c beet and ½ c carrots, and she combines jarlsberg and parmesan with the cheddar. They are delicious! Makes 6-8 burgers depending how big you make them. Easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled.

1 C grated beets
1 C grated carrots
½ C diced onion
1/8 C fresh parsley
½ C cooked rice
¼ C sesame seeds
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp tamari
½ C grated cheddar
1 ½ Tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tsp olive oil

Sautee the onions until soft. Mix all ingredients together and form into patties. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.