Hi everyone,
Lots of tasty stuff in the shares this week. It’s always interesting how the summer is bookended with the same veggies. Similar to the spring, we’ll start to see more leafy greens, radishes, and root vegetables. Keep in mind that the root vegetables, squashes, apples will last for quite a while so don’t be afraid to stash away some produce away as we come up towards the end of the season.
Enjoy the veggies!
-Ben
Beets from your last share.
Beets pickled and canned with baking spices, Tinyshop vinegar, and Michigan beet sugar.
Again, I am probably misnaming something. Green Goddess is a classic dressing dating back to the 1920’s. It’s typically made with parsley and tarragon, but we opt to use a larger mix of herbs from Smit’s Farm in Chicago Heights. With a base of Phoenix Bean Soft Tofu, this vegan dressing is great for heartier greens, cabbage or just as a dip for veggies.
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 Honeycrisp. The Frostbites are more of a brick-red and super sweet with notes of brown apples (like apple cider or the soda Manzanita Sol).
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 are dehydrating that to make celery salt that you’ll get in your next share.
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 here. I used to do a Cabbage sautéed with Bagna Cauda, and then reduced in cream at restaurant that I worked at. I think about that dish a lot.
The return of greens and salads. We like to top our salads with leftover roasted veggies as a hardy addition.
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, and we think that it demonstrates the convenience problem that makes eating local food difficult for most people. We hope we’re helping to solve that problem.
I often worry about the name I attach to things. This is by no means an authentic curry paste. Ginger, Bird’s Eye Chiles, and Cilantro (all from Nichols Farm), is ground with carrot tops and celery leaves from CSA Club shares. Use to make a curry, as a marinade for chicken, or as a spread on a roasted veggie sandwich.
Another round of stock from CSA Club scraps. Use for soup, sauce, braises, rice pilaf or anywhere stock or water is called for.
Cahokia Rice, McLure,IL
Bet you didn’t know rice grows in Illinois. Grown in southern Illinois, not only is the rice sustainable, it’s also a high protein rice. But most importantly, its delicious.
