This variety of sweet potato is fun since its flesh is white rather than the typical orange. They’re particularly sweet and have a nice fluffy texture so do well just simply baked. If you do cut them, be mindful since the white flesh will discolor quickly (but will taste just fine).
Wow, what a green bean season. I don’t have much more to say about greens beans so I’ll just leave this excerpt from On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. Green beans come from a climbing plant native to Central America and the Andes region of northern South America. Though the peoples who domesticated them […]
Brussels Sprouts are pretty much mini heads of cabbage. To prep them for you all, we trim off the bottom woody stem, and remove the tough dark outer layers. Removing the darker green outside helps reduce some of bitterness that often turns people off from brussels sprouts. It also gives us more opportunity to find […]
We opted to leave the squashes whole for you this week. Lisa and I love using winter squash as décor around the house and then gradually eat them throughout the fall. With a thin edible skin, you often see them sliced and roasted as pretty rings. Being so big, these would do well cubed and […]
In contrast to most the apple varieties that we’ve had, Red Rubins aren’t an American bred variety. A cross between Gala and Elstar, Red Rubins were bred by the Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (Italian Consortium of Nurseries) in Ferrara, Italy in the 1960’s. They’re a bit smaller in size, but have an intense apple flavor and […]
These are some gorgeous peppers. They’re similar to other pepper varieties you might see called ‘frying peppers’ or ‘Jimmy Nardello’s.’ We’re in the peak of pepper season right now. This is point in the season when red peppers are plentiful and delicious. You’ll notice some green color lingering on these. Most peppers will eventually ripen […]
One of our favorite aspects of carrots is how long they’ll last. Lisa and I still have carrots from the last time we received them in shares, back in early August. Every now and then we’ll use half a carrot here or there for something but usually preferring to use up other veggies.
As I was cleaning kale last week, it inspired the recipe for this week. The kale has an awesome brassica-y flavor and toothy bite that I think will be perfect for a light braise and the funkiness of a bagna cauda sauce.
Snowsweets are a University of Minnesota breed variety introduced in 2006. They have a somewhat savory flavor that’s almost buttery as well as bright white flesh that oxidizes slowly. With those two attributes in mind, these apples would be great for salads or on a cheese/charcuterie board.
We had the grey zucchini from Otter Oaks earlier in the season. To switch it up, I had asked for the yellow zucchini for this week but with the season winding down Otter Oaks asked if a mix would be okay to fill the order. As a small urban farm, Otter Oaks’ availability will start […]
If you were with us at the very beginning of the season, you’ve already seen these. But since we’ve had lots of CSA Club members join since then, we left the popcorn on the cob for the novelty like before. Just put a full cob into a large paper bag and use the popcorn setting […]
I said in the last share that I thought it would be the last of the green beans, but here they are again. I was pretty surprised with how good I thought the green beans were last week. They were crunchy and tender at the same time with a complex flavor. I’d say the best […]
We end up cutting the squash for you all out of necessity more than anything else. Because it ends up being one squash per full share from Nichols, to make half shares work we have to cut them so we figure best to do them into nice wedges for everyone. That way all you have […]
These are a fun deeply purple potato. The color comes from anthocyanins; the same pigment that give grapes and wine their color. Anthocyanins are water soluble so I would guess that boiling them will cause the color to fade, but I haven’t tried it. If anyone tries it, let me know! If the color doesn’t […]
As I was cleaning the kale this morning, it inspired the still-to-be-written recipe for this week. Otter Oaks supplied us with an abundance of this kale. It has an awesome brassica-y flavor and toothy bite that I think will be perfect for a light braise and the funkiness of a bagna cauda sauce.
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. […]
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 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.
Beet greens for an otherwise greens-less share. Toss these into a soup or stew for nice bit of variety.
Nichols mentioned that these are the nicest looking green beans of the year and I’d have to agree (the green ones at least, the yellow are a little though). If you want to put off eating them, try giving them a quick pickle!
This week the peppers are these cute little ones, likely the last hoorah of the season for peppers.
Mutsu apples are a Golden Delicious cultivar, first grown in Japan. In Japan, there are three kinds typically available: Sun (yellow-green), Red, and Silver (pale-yellow). Each kind differ in color based on how much sunlight they receive.
With the addition of half shares this year, we’ve run into an interesting problem with the winter squashes; there’s only one per full share. Because of this we opted to cut the squash into wedges that are ready for you to roast (just oil and salt). While you won’t be able to use them as […]
We had sweet potatoes (covington) in the shares back in the very first share. Those sweet potatoes were from last year’s crop and now we get some of the first of this year’s. The simplest way to enjoy a sweet potato is to simply bake it; about 30-45 mins at 350F should do it but […]
Another happy surprise in the shares. The stems on these were particularly large so lots of it to enjoy in any vegetable medley you might be cooking.
Watermelon radishes are a little deceptive from the outside; green on the top fading to a pale white and then pink blushed at the tap root. On the inside they’re a strikingly vibrant red. If you like the spiciness of radishes (they’re pretty spicy), they look amazing thinly sliced on a salad. Otherwise consider a […]
Psych! No beets in the share this week. Instead we’re giving you pickled beets. These particular beets were from a Group B share back in August. We’ll pickle the beets that came with this week’s shares and share them with Group B next week to spread the love.
Kohlrabi for the third time in shares this year. I hope you all have found a way to cook it that you like. Quick tip: if you’re viewing this on the website, click the blue “kohlrabi” button to the right to find all of our recipes that feature kohlrabi!
Cortlands are a McIntosh x Ben Davis hybrid developed in Geneva, NY in 1898. They’re great for salads or fruit plates since they don’t turn brown quickly after being cut. They’re tart with a nice sweeetness and with a flavor that made me think of brown sugar.
Macoun (“Mc-cow-an”), a cross between McIntosh and Jersey Black, is the third McIntosh offshoot that we’ve had this year. These have a great subtle floralness and lack of acidity that makes the sweetness really stand out.
These are also called Hakurai turnips, which we had in the shares all the back in May. I said then that these are my favorite, and I stand firmly behind it. Turnips are part of the Brassica family of vegetables (ex. broccoli, cabbage, and radish). They’re nice raw, with a crisp texture and more mild […]
This is likely the last of the corn for the season. Combined with the warm days and cool nights recently, we opted to leave them on the cob for one last grilling session for the season.
We’ll likely receive two types of apples with each share for the remainder of the season. After we receive the apples, its a fun challenge to identify which are which variety and then separate them out. To be honest though, this week was a challenge (so hopefully we got them right). Autumn Crisp are a […]
We received Honeycrisps in the last share. Nichols mentioned that this has been one of the best apples crops, particularly Honeycrisps, that they’ve ever had owing it to the dramatic rains back in July.
There are extra melons in the shares this week. We hope you all have been enjoying it. Melons definitely fill my dreams in the dead of winter.
Kennebec is a great all-purpose potato, somewhat similar to russets. They’re commonly used for commercial potato chips since they have a medium starch level and low water content. Homemade potato chips are a bit of work, but definitely worth it if you have the time. The farm is still calling these ‘new’ so I would […]
The first time we’ve seen radishes since the first share of the season. If you think you don’t like radishes, give them a try roasted. They develop a nice soft-juicy texture and the flavor mellows.
Honeygold was developed at the University of Minnesota, and is a descendent of Golden Delicious bred for cold hardiness. It’s a firm with golden-green skin and is sweet with floral notes, like honey or rose. In comparison, the Empires have more of the classic brown apple notes (like apple cider or the soda Manzanita Sol) […]
We love winter squashes for eating, but also because they make great fall décor. Find a nice place in your dining room, kitchen, or living room to gradually build up winter squashes through the end of the season. Then when you have a hankering for some squash (or because there’s nothing else in the fridge) […]
We went ahead and cut these into sticks similar in shape to baby carrots. This way they are ready for easy snacking or are a simple cut away from diced. 70% of all carrots sold in the US are baby carrots. That fact was one the inspirations for Gard Mo; we think that it demonstrates […]
Another doubling of sweet potato varieties. Last time, Lisa and I simply baked (375F for ~1hr) one of the each of the sweet potatoes to taste against each other. Unfortunatly, we can really only ever do this after sending out the newsletter and via research the descriptions of the varieties online are uninspiring so you […]
What corn is to summer, brussels sprouts are to fall. Simply halved and roasted, these are a treat.
A little bit of a surprise this late in the season, and you can tell these are late season. A little larger and tougher, we would definitely slicing before cooking to compensate.
An interesting consequence of the way we have CSA Club setup is that this is the first time you all (B group) have received bell peppers while A group got them three shares in a row.
On the flip side of the bell peppers going to A group, they haven’t received any shallots, while this is the third time B group has. I’d make that trade.
These are my favorite. Raw they have a slight crunch and a funky flavor between a radish and horseradish (mild though). When cooked, the texture softens to creamy adjacent and the flavor mellows out. Try braising whole for the veggie equivalent of a pot roast.
Swiss chard always reminds me of spinach. There’s a fun mix of different colored chard here, some a deep red-orange color. Its has a mild, earthy flavor, with a slightly more hardy bite than lettuces. Give a quick chop and use for salads or sauté, just as you would spinach.
Developed by the University of Minnesota and released in 1991, the Honeycrisp is prized as an apple bred for taste. They are a mix of green and blush-red and are sweet, tart, and fragrant. A central part of the U of M apple breeding program since the 1920’s, Frostbite is actually the “grandparent” to the […]
Another squash for the centerpiece (or for noshing).
Beets came were included in this share, but we’re going to hold on to them and then we have time over the next week we’ll pickle and can them to return in the next share.
These are a red skinned potato with a creamy white flesh. Use for your favorite form of potato.
Celery root or celeriac is a favorite of ours. It’s like a literally the root of celery, and tastes just like it. With a texture sort of like potato, but not nearly starch, its awesome roasted, or in a soup or stew. These came with the celery still attached (it was pretty cute), but we […]
I mentioned that the dutch kale in the last share was my least favorite type of kale. This is my favorite. Bumpy and crisp with a broccoli-esk pepperiness, this Lacinato Kale is worthy being eaten raw. If you do cook, only cook briefly to highlight the awesome texture and flavor.
You thought we were past corn. This a pretty fun one and easy to make. Just put a full cob into a large paper bag and use the popcorn setting on your microwave (3.5 oz, ~1.5 mins). Season with some Cherry Bomb Pepper or Green Garlic Salt.
The last time cabbage was in a share, it was savoy cabbage (the really frilly type). This is your standard green cabbage. Before I recommended just cutting a portion off the head to use, and put the rest back in the refrigerator for later (in a unsealed plastic bag), and you can still do that […]
The return of greens and salads. We like to top our salads with leftover roasted veggies as a hardy addition.
What corn is to summer, brussels sprouts are to fall. Simply halved and roasted, these are a treat.
These French Green beans are a slender variety of green beans. They tend to be one of the more fragile vegetables. Because of this, local ones are much tastier than those at the end of long supply chains. These are sweet, crisp, and have a depth of flavor that’s lightly floral with notes of fresh […]
Golden Globes are a solid all purpose potato with a waxy texture and buttery flavor. I love using them in potato salad since they absorb the dressing well, but aren’t too dry and starchy.
