Extension Share, Nov. 7/8, 2019

Extension Share

This is a stand-alone share, for those who registered.  Our regular CSA season ended last week.

Mad dash

Folks, this is insane weather.  Take a look at the forecast.  Monday night is projected to be 8 degrees, followed by a string of nights almost as cold.  We had no choice; in the last 10 days, we have sprinted through a month of harvests.  It looked like Tuesday would be our last possible harvest.  The day ended with almost all crops gathered except a field of parsnips still in the ground.  That tainted our relief at getting almost everything finished.  Then we got a reprieve!   This morning’s snow skipped us, so Steve, Maggie and a few others got the harvester out and dug the parsnips.  It was cold and windy but had to be done.  The tractor and harvester ended the day completely covered in mud.  Hopefully there will be a warm day to clean them before storing for winter.

Our field work is done.  We are tired and our crew is tired, but we are thrilled to grub our way to the end of the field season.  Thank you for being Tipi members this year!  Beth & Steve

Weekend warriors.  Steve and I spent the entire weekend harvesting carrots.  Do you see the patches of snow between the carrot rows?  We could not waste the weekend days.

Only the most cold-hardy crops were still in the field on Tuesday.  We made a mad dash through the Brussels sprouts field, cutting and piling stalks into bins.  We worked indoors today to pluck the sprouts from the stalks.

We filled bins with leeks too, then brought them back to the buildings to clean up.

At dusk, Maggie and John raced to harvest the last napa cabbage.

Today, we squeezed into our indoor heated space to prepare this week’s produce.  It’s much smaller than our unheated pack shed and felt pretty crowded.  From left, Billy and Jory prepare leeks, Smitty and Kristin wash carrots, and Karen washed bok choy.

Extension Share Veggie List

Red cabbage
Mixed fall greens, probably
    – red bok choy, plus
    – red mizuna, plus
    – tatsoi.
‘Metro’ butternut squash
Sweet potatoes, ~3 lb
Brussels sprouts, ~ 1 lb
Carrots, 2 lb
Leeks, 1 – 1.25 lb
Yellow onion

A few items need extra washing.
The cold weather forced us into smaller quarters indoors.  Your butternut squash, leeks and sweet potatoes are more lightly washed than usual, and will need a little extra attention from you.  It’s the best we could do!

Mixed fall greens – We’re sending several small heads in the choy family.  They’ll be good mixed together.  The tat soi and the red choy have some silvering on the leaves, from being protected under row cover on cold nights.

RECIPES

Visit our 2019 Recipe Log or our 2018 Recipe Log or join our Facebook discussion group.

LOCAL THYME/ Comforting Classics
Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Almonds
Red Cabbage and Brussels Sprout Slaw with Honey Poppy Seed Dressing
Black Eyed Peas and Greens Soup
Beef, Leek and Sweet Potato All-Day Stew

LOCAL THYME/ Outside the Box Recipes
Glass Noodles with Shredded Veggies and Sweet Chili Sauce
Braised Red Cabbage With Apples, Bacon and Wine
Miso Braised Chicken with Sweet Potato and Greens
Black Bean Burrito with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes and Red Cabbage

LOCAL THYME/ Quick & Easy Meal
Smoked Trout Salad on a Bed of Shredded Cabbage

????????????

RECIPES FROM LAUREN

BRUSSELS SPROUTS, PICKLED CARROTS & WINTER GREENS
Adapted from Six Seasons

Serves 2-4
Takes 1 hour

1 pound carrots, cut very thin on the diagonal
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard seed

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup champagne vinegar
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons butter

1 head mizuna, thinly sliced
1 head tatsoi, greens onion, thinly sliced
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place carrots in a small glass bowl.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, 2 tablespoons salt, peppercorns and mustard seed. Bring to a boil and then pour immediately over carrots. Set aside to quick pickle while you prepare the rest of the dish.
4. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until crisp all over. Place in large bowl with yellow onion.
5. Meanwhile, heat honey in a small saucepan over medium low heat until it turns golden. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar, red pepper flakes and garlic until smooth. Return to medium low heat and add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until it melts. Let simmer 2-3 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Pour over Brussels and onions while still warm.
6. Just before serving toss roasted veggies with greens, walnuts and half of the pickled carrots (store the rest in your fridge for up to 3 weeks). If the salad is too acidic, add a drizzle or two of olive oil.

.
????????????
.
FALL HARVEST RISOTTO
Takes 1 hour
Serves 6-8

4 tablespoons butter
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced in half lengthwise and sliced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 cups peeled sweet potatoes, diced
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add leeks and onions, along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium low. Add potatoes, butternut squash and a few more pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes until soft, stirring every couple minutes. The bottom of the pan may brown a little, but don’t worry about this. It will just add flavor!
3. In a separate large sauce pan, bring broth to a low simmer.
4. Add rice and stir to combine. Stir for a couple minutes to toast the rice. Add wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
5. Use a ladle to add a couple spoonfuls of simmering broth to the stockpot. Stir to combine and continue stirring every minute or so to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The idea is to stir it often enough that it has no chance to stick, but not so frequently that it doesn’t have a chance to simmer. Add sage after first addition of broth. Continue adding ladlefuls of stock every few minutes. You will keep adding and stirring and adding and stirring (slowly) for 30-35 minutes. Taste occasionally to test the texture of the rice. You want it to be cooked but not too mushy at the end. Adjust seasonings as desired.