The trees are in full color right now and because we are in the middle of maple tree country, the woods are bright red and yellow. You’d be hard pressed to find a prettier spot.
We’ve got all of the pumpkins and winter squash in thanks to our Crossfit friends! They are in the hoophouse curing and then we will store them away in our attic until they are gone. We also store garlic, onions, and sweet potatoes in our cool dry attic. Everything else gets stored in the basement where we have a cooler already packed to the gills and another one on the way. Our new cooler, with any luck, will be ready by the end of the week.
We are doing all of this harvesting and squirreling away to be sure to have plenty of variety for our extended shares and the winter farmer’s market in Wausau. In case any of you aren’t familiar with the winter market, in starts up just as the summer market wraps up. We move inside just a few doors down on the same street. There is always breakfast (usually Urban Street), hot coffee (Condor), and seating. We will have lots of greens and root vegetables and there is a really good variety of produce, meats, eggs, canned goods, bakery, fish, and honey. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you are missing out! Few cities of any size can brag of a year round market and we have a great one in Central Wisconsin!
Announcements:
This is week 18 of 20! Two more weeks of CSA L If you joined the extended season, there will be a one-week break and start again the first Wednesday of November.
Surveys are out! Please take a minute to email or mail back the survey so we can make the CSA better and better each year. We pay close attention to the recommendations on the surveys and try to make the majority of people happy (although we know we can’t please everyone!)
Parsnips! – We’ve had a few people asking if we will have parsnips this year. We have plenty planted but now it is up to the frost whether they will make it to the box or not. They won’t be tasty until then.
Spinach
Rutabaga
Parsley
Salad Turnips
Winter Squash-Acorn
Sweet peppers-red, yellow, orange, or green
Jalapeno
Onions
Garlic
Sweet Potatoes
Celeriac OR Broccoli
Fresh Spinach- Sweet and tender. Great for a fresh salads! Try it with thinly sliced apples and a balsamic vinaigrette topped with feta or blue cheese—yum. If you’re not into fresh spinach, just steam it in a skillet for a few seconds, until wilted and stir into a quiche or scramble. Stores well in the fridge, for up to a week. Best when freshest though,
Rutabagas– If you haven’t used a rutabaga in a while, you are in for a treat. They actually make great fresh snacks, just cut into thin slices or sticks for snacking and dipping (kids love ‘em). Otherwise, Rutabagas typically shine in “pot meals” (soups, stews, pot roasts, crock pots, etc.) Similar to a potato, but with more flavor and a rich buttery color and texture. (They make a great addition to mashed potatoes too!) Store in the crisper.
Fresh Parsley – I love Parsley this time of year, because it allows me to start making hearty meat-and-potato-type dishes without giving up all the fresh summer flavors. Chop fine with some salt, then sprinkle onto almost any soup, stew or roast. Stores in a bag in the fridge for a few days.
Salad Turnips- These are so fresh and sweet. Our kids can’t get enough of them. Seriously, not your average turnip! The tops are great too, sautee or steam them and use like cooked spinach. Make a rich spinach and artichoke dip with the tops and save the actual spinach for salads. Then try dipping sliced fresh rutabagas in the dip! Separate the bulbs from the tops for best storage.
Acorn Squash– Rich and flavorful, a favorite squash to many folks. These are classics and they store well on the counter or as a centerpiece. Simplest way to use is to halve or quarter, then scoop the seeds. Roast cut-side down until tender and sweet. Sprinkle with salt before serving cut-side up with a dollop of butter and maple syrup in the “cup.”
Sweet Peppers – Fresh peppers are such a treat, and these are about as fresh as they get. But they do keep well in the fridge, and roasted peppers are great too! Can’t use them this week? Try roasting them while you bake anything else then slip the core out and freeze them whole in a bag for winter use. Great in sauces and blended soups, when thawed.
Jalapeno Peppers– These are the classic hot pepper. If you core them and roast them in halves until lightly charred, then chop and mix with cream cheese (room temp) and fresh parsley they will make for a great dip with roasted pepper flavor that will be mild enough for most.
Onions- Sweet and loaded with umami! I like to make a squash sauce by roasting squash (ideally butternut) and pureeing with lots of butter and water/broth/milk, then I add in caramelized onions and sage. Perfect over pasta with blue cheese on top!
Garlic– Sweet when roasted, strong and savory when raw. Stores well on the counter and compliments almost any dish.
Sweet Potatoes–Keep them out of the fridge! Local Sweet Potatoes are a seasonal treat. We cure them and store them for quite a while, but they won’t last forever. Give these a good scrub, but then leave the skins on. They are tender and loaded with vitamins and minerals. Sweet Potatoes don’t sweeten up until they are cured. We cured these for you and they are sweet and delicious, but they may continue to sweeten up on the counter for a week or so. Watch them closely though, so they don’t get soft. These can be roasted in halves or wholes and just eaten like a baked potato. They are also great in soups, stews, skillets and sauces. Kids love them!
Broccoli- Sweet and beautiful, great for fresh eating or a quick-light steaming in salted water. Store in a bag in the fridge, but best when freshest. Nice thick stems can be peeled and used in stir fry or enjoyed like kolrhabi. If you didn’t get them this week, you will next week.
Celeriac (or celery root)- Celery’s homely cousin. This gnarly-looking root shines culinarily. Wash and scrub thoroughly, then peel the bumpy rind and set it aside for soup stock. The remaining root can be cubed or sliced thinly and used in any potato dish, soup, stew or roast. These have a lovely fresh sweet celery flavor that will not disappear when cooked for a long time in a baked dish or a soup-pot. Stores well in a bag in the crisper drawer. If you didn’t get celeriac this week you will next week.
Hearty vegetable stew: Perfect for using up fall and winter storage crops. Basic recipe, please feel free to embellish, experiment and improvise.
INGREDIENTS
– 2 quarts stock (Veggie or chicken: homemade preferred)
– 1-2 lbs hearty root veggies (Turnips, potatoes, rutabagas, etc, or a mix) coarsely chopped
– ½ lb “aromatic” root crop (carrot, celeriac, parsnip, etc, or a mix) finely chopped
– 1 or 2 onions coarsely chopped
– ¼ cup oil, butter or bacon grease
– ¼ cup chopped fresh herb of your choice (parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc, or 2 Tbsp dried herbs)
– and/or 1 cup of celery
– thickening agent (flour, corn starch, or well-timed immersion blending)
– Salt and Pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Sautee onions in 2 tbsp of the oil with lid until clear and sweet.
Coat hearty root vegetables in flour or corn starch, then add to hot oil in large soup pot. Fry on high heat for several minutes until browned then stir and reduce heat until browned on most sides.
Add other root vegetables and fry on med for a couple mins to sear.
Add ½ cup of stock to the onion pan before adding to stew pot.
Add fresh herbs to stew. (if parsley, add just before serving.
Add remainder of stock and bring to gentle simmer.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate. (It will be better tomorrow).
*For immersion blending, skip flour/corn starch coating and blend onions with 2 cups stock after deglazing and before adding to stew pot.