This is a nice mix of gem lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and some frilly greens.
We had this variety of potato back in August, but those were still ‘new potatoes’. Since then, these potatoes have gone through a curing process that improves their storability. They’re still deeply purple on the inside, but as the skin has cured, the outside is a little more brown looking.
This would be the sixth time that we’ve had onions in the shares, which sounds like a sweet deal to me. Onions being the chief among the allium family (garlic, leek, etc.), they are pretty much foundational to all cuisines and have been prized by humans for thousands of years.
We grilled some radishes whole the other night. It worked out better than I expected, with the outside taking on a nice char while the inside soften and sweetened without getting mushy.
‘Supersweet’ is the descriptor that Nichols attached to these carrots, and they live up to the name. We’ve stopped peeling carrots when we cook with them. I find it doesn’t make much of difference besides taking time, and when roasting the skin tends to crisp up nicely.
Jonagolds are a cross between Golden Delicious and Jonathon bred at the New York State Experimental Station. A little less tart than the Jonathan, its similarly sweet but comes off a little flatter.
Winecrisps are typically regarded for their complex flavor. Along with a crisp texture and nice sweet/acid balance, they’re extremly versatile; nice for eating fresh as well as in cooking applications.
Kabocha squash are popular in Japan. In Japan though, ‘kabocha’ is used to refer to this squash, pumpkin, and other winter squashes. They’re extremely sweet with a nice firm texture. We have used them in place of pumpkin for pumpkin pies before to great success.
Fall crop meaning that they have been freshly dug. These ones are a some hunkers, and some are little funny looking (but definitely taste great). They’re pretty different than the ones we had just earlier this week that were skinny ones (still rainbow).
We had these back in share 9, but those were still ‘new.’ Since then these potatoes have gone through a curing process that improves their storability. You’ll notice that these have a somewhat thicker skin then before (but not so unpleasant that requires peeling).
With all the greens in the shares this week, salads are definitely in our futures. Use the vinaigrette from this recipe for a quick dressing that would work with this lettuce or the with the arugula (or maybe both mixed?!).
Fall crop meaning that they have been freshly dug. I’d call these pencil carrots, and think they would be fun roasted whole. I’d do ~420F for ~10mins so you can crisp up the skins a bit without over cooking the carrots; hot and fast.
This garlic is not too spicy but has a prominent aroma.
Sautéing kale is usually our go-to for cooking it (typically along with other veggies) but it can do well as a salad green. Because it can be a little tougher than other greens, ‘massaging’ it beforehand can help soften the bite. Simply chop the kale, add some oil and salt, and get in there with your hands gently working the kale against itself and the bowl or by squeezing bunches in the center of your fist.
Also called celeriac, celery root is a favorite of ours. It’s from the base of the plant that celery shoots up out of the ground from. We’ve cleaned them up to the point that all they need is a quick easy peel and they’re good to chop. They have a deeply celery flavor but a much heartier texture. It does great chopped and roasted, in soups or stews, or anywhere that you would otherwise use celery.
Honeycrisp, a prized apple bred for taste, was developed by the University of Minnesota and released in 1991. They are a mix of green and blush-red and are sweet, tart, and fragrant.
This is some nice broad leaf lettuce, great for sandwiches. The non-bitter varieties that would include this lettuce have been under cultivations and improvement for 5,000 years, even being represented in ancient Egyptian art.
These are also known as Tropea onions. Another reappearance as we had them in the fourth share of the season. Their long shape makes them pretty easy to cut, and they have a prominent flavor almost similar to shallot.
From On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee:
“People have eaten this plant since prehistory, initially its leaves, then the underground part of specialized varieties. In Greek times beet roots were long, either white or red, and sweet; Theophrastus reported around 300 BCE that they were pleasant enough to eat raw. The fat red type is first depicted in the 16th century.”
We had parsnips in the shares back in September. They can sometimes be a little bitter, so we recommend peeling the skin before roasting, or make it into a puree like in this recipe (if you’re a dairy eater, cream or milk will help mellow the bitterness as well).
We had bell peppers in the last share, and I mentioned that it would likely be the last of the season. I am much more confidence that these are finally the last. Bell peppers have been the one variety of peppers that Nichols was able to salvage this year as the rest of the varieties that normally fill the shares did not far so well due to the rain we experienced in July. We are grateful for these peppers nonetheless.
Eggplant is part of the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers, and even tobacco). Interestingly though, it’s the only nightshade to have been domesticated in the outside of the Americas.
Developed by the University of Minnesota, honeygolds were breed to be an alternative to Golden Delicious that is suitable for colder climates. They have yellow to golden red skins with creamy flesh that has subtle notes of pear.
When writing these blurbs, I usually do a bit of research. One of my favorite resources for apple varieties has become this website, Apple Rankings. Created by comedian, Brian Frange, the reviews are some of the most entertaining out there.
Winter squash are members of the squash family (cucumber, melon, zucchini, pumpkin, etc.). They have a tough dry skin, and are more starchy than summer squash or melon making them great a storage crop. They were domesticated in the Americas ~5000 BCE and can be used in a number of sweet or savory applications: custards, pies, soups, stews, or simply roasted as a side.
From On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee:
“Unlike onions and garlic, leeks don’t form useful storage bulbs, and are grown instead for their scallion-like mass of fresh leaves. (…..) The upper green portion of each leek leaf is edible, but tends to be tougher and to have less onion, more cabbage-like flavor than the lower white portion. It’s also rich in long-chain carbohydrates that give the cooked vegetable a slippery texture, will gel when chilled, and can lend body to soups and stews.”
These are a fun different brassica. They’re a cross between brussels sprouts and kale, forming small heads on a stalk similar to brussels sprouts instead with kale leaves. We’ve trimmed the outer large leaves off and packed them separately. This way you can cook them separately since the large outside leaves tend to be fully cooked before the cores are tender. Use the leaves as you would kale and kalettes as you would brussels sprouts.
Sweet Sixteen was developed by the University of Minnesota. Its a cross between Northern Spy and Frostbite apples. They’re very sweet with notes that brought coconut to mind for us.
Jonathans are an old school apple. The origin story for it is a bit misty, but they’ve been around since at least the early 1800’s. With a relatively thicker skin, Jonathans have a nice sweet tart balance mild aromatics.
Onions are one of those things we’re always happy to get in the share. They’ll last plenty long in the refrigerator, and there is a place for onion in just about every dish.
