Hi all!
Well, although this season had its challenges, we really feel like we had a great growing year all in all! And we will really miss harvesting each week for our CSA members! As tired as we are, we are always emotional as the season comes to an end....
We harvested some fun fall veggies this week - more gnarly roots: Celeriac and Sunchokes, as well as more peppers, spinach, squash, and cabbage. Some recipes and instructions can be found below...
NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER TO RETURN YOUR BASKETS THIS WEEK!
And as the 2011 season comes to an end, we're starting to plan our 2012 CSA season! So do let us know what you liked or didn't like as we always take our members' comments into consideration! That is one of the reasons we like farming on a small-scale.
One of the new things we'll be incorporating into our CSA program is to team up with other local food artisans to bring our members a more well-rounded Localvore CSA experience. As you probably realize, we are picky about what we eat - we want food that is clean, safe, organic, nutrient dense, created on a small scale, and of the highest quality...
And in that spirit, our favorite local bread baker, Janet, of Janet's Quality Baked Goods in Florida, NY will be doing a Bread/Baked Goods share with us next year! And she just dropped off fresh baked scones and whole grain mini rolls as samples for all our CSA members! So you'll find some baked goods in your basket this week! We're still working out the details of this new share structure, but we're very excited to be working with Janet as her baked goods are exquisitely crafted. She bakes with high quality ingredients including local organic ingredients and NY State wheat flour. She'll be baking for our CSA members each week - wholesome breads and other baked goods some using "alternative grains" and even sometimes incorporating our herbs and produce in her baked goods!
I am also planning on offering some sort of meat/dairy share and fruit share. If you know of a farmer or food artisan who you want to recommend to me - please do! I am looking for producers who are both local and organic. They don't have to be certified organic, but they have to be trustworthy in following organic methods. I am envisioning a "Localvore Share" where members could pick up veggies, eggs, herbs, dairy, meat, bread, etc etc all in one stop!
Here's some info on celeriac and sunchokes:
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Celeriac
Celeriac is a large root with a flavor very much like strong celery. It can be used in the same way for flavoring soups, stews, and casseroles. It can also be used raw, shredded, in salads. For a more delicate flavor it can be blanched in acidulated water for 2 minutes before shredding. Celeriac, like other root vegetables, will keep well for several weeks in the fridge in an open plastic bag.
Celeriac can be cooked either whole or cut into slices. Unfortunately, celeriac is not easy to peel because it is rather knobbly. Wash it first in cold water to remove all the mud and earth. If it is to be cooked in slices, slice, and then peel it; if it is to be cooked whole, peel thickly with a small sharp knife. As soon as the celeriac has been peeled, it should be put into acidulated water to preserve the color. Here's how they'll look peeled:
RECIPE: Celeriac Puree - our favorite way to enjoy it!
Boil or steam the celeriac, drain, and then sieve, mash or process in an electric blender. Because it has a very strong flavour, celeriac puree is best mixed with an equal quantity of potato puree. Season with salt and pepper, maybe a bit of chopped fresh dill or parsley, and add a good knob of butter and a little cream or milk.
RECIPE: Potato and Celeriac Gratin
1 lb + 5 oz potatoes, yellow firm flesh
14 oz celeriac
3 garlic cloves
7 fluid oz whole milk (7/8 cup)
7 fluid oz heavy cream (7/8 cup)
3 thyme twigs
dash of Nutmeg
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped finely
Butter
~Pour the milk and cream in a pot and bring to a boil. Add two peeled garlic cloves (crushed) and the thyme twigs. Stop the heat and cover to let infuse for 30 mins. Filter the milk/cream preparation.
~In the meantime, peel the potatoes and celeriac and slice them thinly (you can use a mandoline if you have one).
~Place the vegetables in two different plates and season with salt and pepper.
~Take a large oven dish or individual gratin dishes; rub them with a garlic clove and grease them with butter.
~Arrange the slices of vegetables alternating layers. Add the chopped parsley to the milk/cream preparation and pour over the vegetables. Add a dash of nutmeg and place in the preheated oven, temperature 400 degrees F, for 35 to 50 mns (all the liquid should be absorbed, check after 35 or 40 mns).
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Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes
Sunchokes are a member of the sunflower family and are native to North America, where the natives called them "sun roots."
Sunchokes are slow growers up until midsummer, when they suddenly take off wildly and grow over 12 feet. We have a small stand of them that show up in our greenhouse each summer, which survived the construction of the greenhouse from our original vegetable garden plot, and those grow to over 16 feet tall. (They don't get as tasty as the ones grown in the field though!)
Sunchoke plants get elegant small and graceful sunflowers on the tops, and you have to dig up the plants to get to the sunchokes themselves which are root buds. After we pull the nodule-like chokes off the root clusters, we trim off the stem and replant the root stock sections for next year's sunchokes. We like to harvest them after the first frost, once the pretty sunflower tops die down, but we wanted to include them in your basket this week. You do need a couple days of cool temperatures to get good flavor in them, and we lucked out with those very cool nights we just had!
Sunchokes are similar to potatoes and can be prepared in all the ways you'd prepare a potato. You do want to thoroughly scrub sunchokes and peel them. Also, unlike potatoes, you can eat raw sunchokes sliced into salads. I usually peel them and slice them into disks that look just like the water chestnuts you get in Chinese food... and I like to saute them so they're still crunchy like Water Chestnuts. They will also store for several weeks in the fridge in an open plastic bag ....
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RECIPE: Sunchokes and Lemon Chicken
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- the juice from 2 fresh lemons, strained
- about 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided use
- 4 chicken thighs (can be used whole or sliced for a quicker meal)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1/2 pound Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), peeled, sliced into 'water chestnut sized' pieces
- 8-12 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
Place a large, deep, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in the hot pan and quickly brown them, turning only once. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken broth, and saffron to the skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring to loosen any browned bits. Add Jerusalem artichokes, and garlic cloves. Return chicken to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices.
Reduce heat and simmer about 15/20 minutes, until sunchokes are tender. Stir in thyme leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning, if need be. Return to a simmer and cook an additional 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with pine nuts to garnish and serve.
