Produce Subscription (Week 38)

We packed a diverse bunch of produce in your boxes this week; pick the box up from below— it’s heavy!

Celeriac Don’t scream, it’s only celery root! Many ways to prepare its savory goodness.

Onion, yellow Standard ole’ onions.

Beans, green Hoping to get another week; cooler weather has slowed them down, and the heirlooms aren’t coming thru for us.

Melon, cantaloupe Three different varieties, randomly distributed. Enjoy the sweetness early in the week— they are ripe!

Watermelon Also three varieties— yellow, orange or red flesh.

Potatoes, Kennebec You can cook Kennebec any way – boil, mash, or bake – and enjoy a superb meal every time.

Lettuce, green summercrisp The deer are descending; we are marshalling the troops to protect those lettuce heads next in line.

Cucumber We are squeezing them out of the high tunnel plants. Not much longer…

Tomato, cherry variety Pop them in a freezer bag for the winter, if too many for fresh eating.

Tomato, slicer/heirloom and paste variety The high tunnel continues to produce some fine toms.

Sweet pepper variety Probably the last of the outdoor peppers…the nights are closing in on 32 degrees here at WLIG.

Peppers, sweet (Jimmy Nardello) One of the very best for frying, delicious roasted apple flavor.

Chives Perfect little seasoner for the potatoes this week!
Dill Or better yet, the dill with the potatoes…yum!

Recipes for your consideration

How to manage this weird celeriac/celery root thing?
1) Scrub under running water to get the dirt.
2) Peel with paring knife to remove tough skin and little rootlets.
3) To prevent darkening after peeling, toss with lemon juice or keep submerged in water.

Cooking options:
Boiled and mashed, alone or with potatoes.
Raw sticks dipped in your favorite dressing.
Grate it raw into salads.
Cubed and added to a hearty soup/stew.
Cubed and roasted 425F for 20-25min.
Anywhere you would put celery, for an extra “celery” flavor.

Wild Rice Celeriac Pilaf

1 Tbsp olive oil
¾ cup finely diced celeriac
¼ cup finely diced onion
1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp dried thyme
2 cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper, to taste.
2 Tbsp dried cranberries, chopped

Sauté celeriac and onion in olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in wild rice, thyme and vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to boil, cover and lower to simmer. Cook until rice is nearly tender, 30-60min (depends on type and age of rice).

Stir in cranberries; cook until rice is tender, 5-15min longer.

From: From Asparagus to Zucchini— A guide to cooking farm-fresh seasonal produce by Madison Area CSA Coalition

Beans and sweet peppers

½ lb green beans, topped and chopped into 2" pieces
2 sweet peppers, chopped (Jimmy Nardello or Sweet Cayenne)
1 Tbsp olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch green beans for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile start sautéing the peppers. When the beans are done, strain and transfer directly to the sauté pan.

Continue cooking until beans are tender to your liking.

Salt and pepper, to taste.

For Your Reading Pleasure

Wicked Plants * By Amy Stewart*
An entertaining one-of-akind A-Z guide of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend. You’ll learn which plants to avoid (like exploding shrubs), which plants make
themselves exceedingly unwelcome (like the vine that ate the South), and which ones have been killing for centuries (like the weed that killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother). This informative book is illustrated with 40 menacing botanical etchings.

It’s a hoot!

Farm News

Easy come, easy go. The buckwheat goes down, and the peas/oats are coming in behind.

Chilly nights are upon us out here in our frost pocket. The basil and peppers have been frosted a bit. Maybe we can squeak out more next week, but weather dependent. The root vegetables and brassicas are sweetening up as we speak, tho, so the trade off is good.

This will be our first cold weather trial with the high tunnel in full production with warm weather crops; it will be interesting to see how well protected they are. The tomatoes and peppers are still fully loaded.

We would love some feedback on the tomato varieties. Not being tomato-connoisseurs ourselves makes selection each year a challenge. So if you have some thoughts on the cherry tomatoes or the paste or slicers or heirlooms, please let us know.

Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the vegetables.

Roger and Lara