CSA Week 15

Week 15 is here! In your share this week:

Salad
Fennel
Carrots
Onion

Full Shares Only:
Zucchini
Cauliflower or Beet
Eggplant or Sweet Bell Pepper
Poblano or Anaheim Peppers
Kale

Half Shares Only:
Sweet Bell Pepper
Beet or Cauliflower or Broccoli
Bok Choy

The farm said farewell on Friday to two amazing crew members, Alec and Renee. They had an awesome season here. Alec harvested hundreds of pounds of potatoes and Renee was the root washing queen! They’ll both be off to new adventures.

We’ve got a new veggie for ya~fennel! All parts of fennel are edible but most recipes call for only the bulb. You can eat it raw or cooked. When eaten raw it has a texture similar to celery and a distinct licorice flavor; when cooked it becomes sweeteer and more tender. I most often thinly shave it onto a salad, roast it with potatoes, or use it in place of celery in soups or casseroles. It is low in calories but high in vitamin c, fiber and potassium. To store fennel in the fridge you can separate the stalk from the bulb and store each in their own plastic bag. Try and use in a few days as it will lose its flavor. Check out these two articles for more tips, recipes and how to use every part of your yummy fennel!: https://www.loveandlemons.com/what-is-fennel/
https://food52.com/blog/6027-fennel

Full shares have either Poblano or Anaheim peppers. Not sure which you have? The poblano looks like a dark, pointier bell pepper https://www.pepperscale.com/bell-pepper/ – it’s larger and rounder than most chilies with thicker walls to boot. The Anaheim is thin and curved not wide like the Poblano. It is also a paler green while the Poblano is much darker.

If you wind up with beets in your share, check out the recipe below for some kid-friendly (or kid at heart) pink beet pancakes.

Don’t forget to return those CSA bags as the season is winding down. Neskowin Farmers Market is over, but we will be at the Lincoln City hospital Thursday and open at the farm Saturdays, 10am-1pm. Enjoy your share!

Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

This colorful, oil free salad comes from Vegetable Heaven by Mollie Katzen.  Fresh fennel combines very will with orange, and the beets add a little more body.  Serves 4 to 6.

Preheat the oven to 375.  Trim the leaves from:

            1 bunch beets

Place them in a baking dish and cover with foil.  Bake until they are soft enough to be pierced easily with a fork, about 1 hour.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, peel:

4 oranges

Section them into a medium size bowl. 

When the beets are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and then into half moon shaped slices.  Add them to the oranges, along with:

            ¼ c raspberry vinegar

            ½ tsp salt

            1 to 2 tsp minced garlic

            1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

Stir gently until well combined, then cover tightly and refrigerate until serving time.  Garnish with a few chopped fennel tops.

Crunchy Gochujang Fennel

BY SOHUI KIM, https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crunchy-gochujang-fennel
4 servings

1 large fennel bulb, stems and dark green parts removed
Kosher salt
1½” piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1½ tsp. gochugaru (coarse Korean hot pepper flakes)
1½tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Slice fennel bulb into quarters lengthwise through the core. Cut out core; discard. Slice bulb lengthwise ¼” thick. Cook in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just beginning to soften and turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Drain; pat dry with paper towels.
Whisk together ginger, garlic, gochujang, vinegar, honey, oil, gochugaru, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Add fennel and toss to coat; season with salt.
Do Ahead: Fennel can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Kid-Friendly Pink Beet Pancakes

Kid-Friendly Pink Beet Pancakes

Ingredients
● 2 cups rolled oats uncooked. If gluten free is important, make sure the oats are certified gluten free
● 1 1/2 tsp baking powder aluminum free suggested
● 1/4 tsp fine salt
● 2 large eggs
● 1/2 cup plain yogurt
● 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
● 4 ounce beets cooked and peeled. I find that roasted beets offer up a stronger color
● 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe banana
● 3 tbsp maple syrup
● 2 tbsp flavorless oil plus more for cooking
Instructions

1. Combine oats, baking powder, and salt to a high-speed blender. Blend until oats become a fine powder.
2. Pour the oat flour mixture into a bowl and set aside.
3. In the now empty blender, combine remaining ingredients ( beets, egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla, syrup, applesauce). Blend until smooth and well combined. Add the oat flour mixture into the blender and blend again. Stop a few times to scrape the sides of the blender to ensure everything is well mixed.
4. Heat a pan or other skillet over medium-low heat. Add a little cooking oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, portion out the batter into small pancakes.
5. Cook until you see small bubbled forming on the top of the pancake and the edges seem dry, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Place cooked pancakes onto a plate and continue with the remaining batter.
6. Enjoy warm with topping of choice. Let cook completely before storing leftovers in an air-tight container in fridge for 4-5 days or in freezer