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. […]
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 […]
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.
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.
Empires have the classic brown apple notes (like apple cider or the soda Manzanita Sol) with nice tartness. Empire is cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh, bred at Cornell University in upstate New York.
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.
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.
