The BEET: Volume 13, Issue 19.2
THE BEET : VOLUME 13, ISSUE 19.2
In today's BEET:
- This week's share
- Letter from Ted
- Winter Share
- Recipes
CSA Pickup Today 5-7:30pm
PS 56 at Gates and Downing (enter on Downing)
We are running low on bags- if you have any extra, please bring them for us. Thanks!
THIS WEEK'S SHARE
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Sweet Peppers
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Kale, Swiss Chard or Bok Choy
- Potatoes
- Butternut squash
- Eggplant
LETTER FROM TED
The landscape here is all fall colors, probably at their peak, and the air is crisp. We woke to a thick layer of frost this morning and, now that it’s lunchtime, I have squash soup on my mind. But that takes time. In the meanwhile, what to do with those green tomatoes? I think I’ll slice mine thin and put them on my sandwich, along with some baked tofu, lettuce, red onions, perhaps some sprouts and honey mustard. Andrea, our resident herbalist and an inveterate traveller, submits the ‘Indian Summer’ recipe you’ll find at the bottom of the page. Your fennel, which is a bulb that will arrive shaped like an outstretched hand, can be roasted with any number of other “root” vegetables, including the other bulbs in your recent shares (i.e., onions and garlic), your tubers (potatoes) and your true roots (this week’s carrots), to make a yummy dish. Salt, pepper, Rosemary and a little olive oil pulls this all together for me. Your fruit this week will be Jonagold apples from Pete.
Our annual survey will be coming soon. When the time comes, please share with us your thoughts about your CSA experience.
Have a great week, Ted
WINTER SHARE AVAILABLE
Our summer season will come to an end in a couple of weeks. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop getting some of your vegetables or local fruits and eggs from us. Once a month on four Saturdays during the fall and early winter, we assemble a one-bushel box that consists of greens, storage vegetables and fruits and some kind, along with a little treat. Each year we get a little better - we’ve been growing hardy winter greens in our unheated winter greenhouses for more than ten years, and we’ve built a new vegetable storage and packing building this year to help maintain crop quality (and to give the staff a warmer place to work!). Each month you’ll get approximately 2 lb. of our organically grown hardy greens, including arugula, tatsoi, spinach, kale and Swiss chard. You’ll also get 8-10 lb. of our storage vegetables, including carrots, red and yellow onions, potatoes, beets, leeks, sweet potatoes and more, plus 4-6 lb. of fruits, usually from the Borden Farm. And, depending on the month, you’ll get one of the following: maple syrup, honey, apple cider, our own frozen strawberries or preserves from neighboring producers. We’ll also reach out to friends and neighbors in our organic farming community to fill in odds and ends, including black beans from John Sats and celeriac from the new farm belonging to a member of our staff. An optional egg share from neighbors raising free-range hens is also available. Joining the winter CSA is a nice way to stay in touch with your neighbors, and it keeps your farmers off the streets and out of trouble.
Winter Share Price: $178.00
Optional Egg Share: $22.00 for 1 dozen each time, or $44.00 for 2 dozen each time
Pick Up Dates: November 22nd, December 13th, January 10th, & February 7th.
Clique Here to sign up:
Lewis-Waite farm orders can also be added to your winter share as well. Speaking of which- here's the link to them for next week:
http://www.csalewiswaitefarm.com/
RECIPES
Indian Summer Casserole
Adapted from "Still Life With Menu” by Mollie Katzen
Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus another 35 minutes to bake
Yield: 4 to 5 servings
Highly seasoned vegetables are combined with olives, chiles, and cheese, then a custard is poured over the top and the whole thing bakes to perfection. This is a wonderful, light entrée for a warm, lazy evening. Serve it with a fresh garden salad and some hot, buttered tortillas.
Ingredients:
- A little butter or oil for the pan
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
- 3 large bell peppers (a combination of colors), chopped
- 2 medium-sized green or underripe tomatoes, diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Mexican oregano, if available
- 1 cup chopped scallions (whites and greens) or chopped onion
- Several leaves fresh basil, minced or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne to taste, optional
- 1/2 cup pitted, sliced olives (any kind)
- 1 small Anaheim, poblano, jalapeno, or serrano chile, minced (or 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles)
- 1 packed cup grated jack cheese or sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
- Paprika for the top
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter or oil an 8-inch square baking pan or its equivalent.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, salt, cumin, and oregano, and sauté quickly over medium-high heat. After about 8 minutes, when the bell peppers are tender, remove from heat. Strain off any excess juices.
3. Add the scallions or onion, basil, parsley, black pepper, cayenne, olives, chiles, and cheese, and stir until the cheese melts. Spread this mixture into the prepared baking pan.
4. Beat the eggs together with the buttermilk or yogurt. Gently pour the custard over the vegetables. Sprinkle the top with paprika.
5. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Pickled Hot Peppers (or sweet peppers)
from Bon Appetit
- 4 cups assorted chilies
- 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 TBS black peppercorns
- 2 TBS kosher salt
- 2 TBS sugar
- 2 TBS coriander seeds
Directions:
Cut chilies into 1/4" rings. Pack all chilies into a clean 1-qt jar. (sterilized if you're going to process them for long term canning).
Bring vinegar, all remaining ingredients and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour hot brine over peppers. Seal jar. (Here's where you would process in hot water, if you're canning) If not: simply let them cool, then refrigerate. They will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator.