Large Fall Share #4
Wobbly Cart Farm Fall CSA box #4
11-12-13
Large Shares: Beets, Carrots, Parsley Root, Leeks, Potatoes, Delicata Squash, Chard, Rapini, Celariac, Thyme, Rosemary, Garlic
Small Shares: Leeks, Potatoes, Delicata Squash, Rapini, Beets, Carrots, Thyme, Rosemary, Garlic
Dear CSA members,
Here we are at the last week of our Fall season. Again, the weeks seem to have flown by and it’s hard to believe it is almost Thanksgiving! On the farm we have been enjoying the relatively mild weather, and the slower pace of the late season. It has been such a pleasant fall season. Seems like in years past there has been much more freezing weather, sideways rain and near floods! Thankfully, not this year.
Many of the end of season tasks around the farm are virtually done. The cover crops are growing, manure has been spread on some of our fallow fields, most of the onions and squash have been sold or sorted, and all the irrigation equipment has been put away till next year. The only exception seems to be our two high tunnels, which still await me to break down what’s left of the summer tomatoes and peppers, roll up the drip irrigation tape, compost and cover crop. It seems to be a dilemma of the season extension, timing the crops so there is actually a break to amend the soil and cover crop. Hopefully, I will get that done this week or next!
New this week we have Rapini, Delicata Squash and Parsley Root. Rapini is essentially the Italian equivalent to turnip greens. I read this article last night and thought is was quite a fitting summary as well as a nice recipe. Rapini will keep, wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for about a week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zester-daily/rapini_b_4072299.html
Parsley root is another vegetable better known in Europe than the United States. This long white root is a member of the carrot family, and looks like a parsnip, but tastes more like celery or parsley. The roots have a strong flavor that lends itself well to caramelizing or adding flavor to soups and stews. Stored like carrots these roots will keep for several weeks.
Delicata is the queen of the winter squash in my opinion. They are a nice size, easy to cut and clean, have a thin, edible skin and excellent flavor. Delicata is excellent roasted, caramelized, made into soups or baked into a pie! Most people think they are even sweeter and creamier than butternut squash. This squash will also keep for a long time in a cool dry place, like a pantry shelf.
I want to be sure to say thank you to everyone for joining us this season. It has been a wonderful 22 weeks growing food for you. I thought I should also be sure to tell you that we have lots of great produce for sale at the Olympia Farmer’s Market Saturday and Sundays. We have a $22 to $23“Market Special” box each week that is very similar to picking your weekly CSA box. Ask about a discount for our CSA members!
We hope you have enjoyed the season as much as we have! Please remember to take care of any balance due on your account, as well as return all plastic CSA boxes to the drop sites! We will be back to pick them up next week!
Have a happy and healthy holiday season and we’ll see you next year!
Asha, Joe and the Crew at Wobbly Cart
Creamy Barley and Chard Dressing: Preheat oven to 325. Cook 1 ¼ cups pearled barley in 4 cups chicken broth according to package directions and add ¾ tsp cracked black pepper. Meanwhile in a large skillet cook 2 cups chopped onion, and 1 ½ lbs winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces in ½ cup butter over medium heat, covered, until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked barley, 5 cups chopped Swiss chard, 1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts, and 1 ½ cups finely shredded Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a 3- quart rectangular baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Makes 8 servings. (From BHG magazine November 2013)
Lemon Garlic Mashed Potatoes: in a large saucepan cook 3 lbs potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks and 4 cloves of garlic halved in lightly salted boiling water, covered, 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup water. Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp butter, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper and enough of the reserved liquid to reach the desired consistency. Stir to combine. Transfer potatoes to serving dish. Top with 2 tbsp capers, drained, 1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley, 2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over before serving.
Delicata Squash Rings: Preheat oven to 375. Take a whole delicata squash and slice it across sideways. This will make ring shapes out of it. Scoop the seeds out of the middles of your squash rings. Lightly oil a large cast iron skillet with olive oil. Lay the rings out in a single layer across the skillet. Place in the hot oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Then flip the rings with a spatula. Bake the other side until both sides are lightly browned and the squash is tender. Remove from oven and serve.
Leek and Potato Gratin: Preheat oven to 375. In a large pot of salted boiling water, parboil 3 lbs red potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick, for 5 minutes. Drain potatoes well and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat. Saute 10 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces (washed thoroughly), and 4 chopped garlic cloves until leeks are tender about 7 minutes. Set aside. In a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish, arrange half of reserved potatoes in an overlapping pattern. Pour 1 cup cream and ½ cup milk over the top and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Top with reserved leeks and arrange remaining potatoes. Pour another cup of heavy cream and ½ cup milk and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Bake until potatoes are tender, top of gratin is golden brown, and most of the cream and milk have been absorbed, about 45 minutes. Garnish with parsely. Serves 12. From November 2011 issue of Country Living magazine).
Celariac and Apple Slaw: Trim, peel, and cut into 1 inch matchsticks, 1 12oz Celery root. Cut 1 large Johnagold apple into matchsticks (2 cups). Combine together with 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp fresh cider, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp dijon mustard, and 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Pumpkin, Parsley Root, and Thyme Soup: Clean and peel 1 small Pie Pumpkin or Delicata Squash, cut into cubes. Combine the squash with 1.5 L chicken stock, 1 chopped onion, 5 cubed parsley roots (or Celaria), 1 cubed potato, ½ tsp salt, 1 clove minced garlic, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed, and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer without the lid on and cook for 30 minutes. Puree the soup and add ½ tsp chili flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes more. Garnish with ½ tsp more chili flakes, more fresh thyme and black pepper. Serve with homemade croutons. (honestcooking.com)
Wobbly Cart Farm 