CSA Week 8
In your share week 8:
Potatoes
Fennel
Onion
Eggplant
Zucchini
Cucumber
Cherry Tomato
Kale
Beets or cauliflower
Full shares only:
Green Onion
Baby Turnips
This is the point in the season where I don’t have a whole lot to share in the share notes. We are just staying the course here at the farm, harvesting and bringing the vegetables to the people just about every day. There’s no new crops right now, but there’s lots of all our favorites. We finally had a bigger pick of cucumbers today, cauliflower is still going strong, we’re about to mow down half the zucchini because we have way too much, and the kale just keeps on pumping.
There is actually one new crop for half shares, so I’ll write about it again! Eggplant is one of my absolute favorite vegetables, and I love its succulent texture. I tend to like it roasted or grilled and eaten on top of or beside just about anything, but it’s also lovely in stir fries and curries or turned into baba ganouj. Last night we made eggplant and cabbage crepes with fresh tomatoes and basil, and they were delicious. Ours are the long slender Japanese type, and I always eat the skin. To prepare them, cut off the stem end and either slice them into slabs or cut them into cubes. Eggplant absorb quite a bit of oil in cooking, so some people like to salt them and let them sit for 15 or 20 minutes to cut down on that. Store eggplant in a bag in the fridge, though they’ll be all right on the counter for a day or so.
Pretty soon we’ll be switching from the fresh onions with green tops to the more familiar cured type. I love the fresh ones, though, so I’ll keep putting them in the shares for as long as we’ve got them. A lot of our onions have laid down their tops and are starting the curing process, if we see a big rain in the forecast we’ll pull them out and let them finish curing in the greenhouse. Hopefully there will be rain soon…
Right now we’re mostly focused on harvests and sales, but I’m getting everything lined up for cover cropping and winter plantings. I just ordered lots of flower bulbs to plant for blooms next spring; my flower experiment has been a lot of fun and I’m planning to expand on it for next year. I’m even planning to offer a bouquet add-on for the CSA so you can get fresh, local, organic flowers with your veggies next year. I’ve also ordered shallots to plant in the greenhouse for early harvests, and I’m working on ordering cover crop seed. We just pulled down the pea trellis and I tilled them in today, and we’re trying to stay ahead of the weeds so we don’t build up a seed bank for next year.
Warm Cauliflower & Kale Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs & Sauce Meunière
From Blue Apron, this is a salad that is a full meal by itself. The combination of browned butter, lemon juice and parsley is known as meunière—a classic French sauce that turns tonight’s simple roasted cauliflower into sophisticated fare.
Preheat oven to 475°F. Roast the cauliflower: Place on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt to taste; toss to coat. Roast 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender. Remove from the oven, transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, in a medium pan, heat 2 tsp olive oil on medium-high. Add breadcrumbs; season with salt and pepper. Toast, stirring frequently, 2 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese. Wipe out the pan.
Boil a small pot of water. Add the eggs whole. Cook for exactly 6 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water for 30 seconds to 1 minute to stop the cooking process. When cool enough to handle, carefully peel the cooked eggs and set aside.
In the bread crumb pan, heat 2 tsp olive oil on medium-high. Add shallot and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Add kale and ¼ cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes, or until kale has wilted and water has cooked off. Turn off the heat; stir in lemon zest. Add to cauliflower. Toss to combine. Wipe out the pan.
In the same pan, melt the butter on medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the butter is deep golden brown and nuttily fragrant. (Be careful not to overcook, as the butter can burn easily.) Turn off the heat. Stir in capers, parsley and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the cauliflower and kale between 2 bowls. Top with parmesan, breadcrumbs, almonds, peeled eggs and sauce. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Eggplant and Cauliflower with Tahini
I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I’ve been pretty smitten with tahini recently. I made this all vegan dish over the weekend and it was oh so tasty. Served with quinoa it makes a pretty filling meal.
1/2 onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 scallions, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 tomato, diced
2 -3 eggplant (about 3/4 pound), cut into 3/4″ cubes
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Saute onion, scallions, garlic, and salt to taste until soft, 4 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to stick, 8-10 minutes. Add the tomato and 2 Tbsp water and continue to cook until almost tender, 8-10 more minutes. Add the eggplant and 1 Tbsp olive oil, continue to cook until eggplant is tender, 8-10 more minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together:
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tahini
As mixture thickens, whisk in 1 – 2 Tbsp cold water to thin it out.
Add tahini mixture to vegetables. Stir and cook for another minute or two and serve hot.
Optional: add parsley, basil, or cilantro to the cooked veggies.