Week 19
Greetings!

Greetings from your farm. We hope you are enjoying the fall crops.
We're winding down the season here and looking forward to taking care of the fun tasks on the list like ripping up the plastic mulch, removing tomato stakes, and picking up and wrapping our irrigation lines...the list goes on! Just a reminder next week will be the last CSA delivery for the 2012 Summer Program.

 

 

Delicata Squash  
   
 




Harvest Moon Farms Winter Squash Ravioli With Sage Butter

1 Winter Squash (except Spaghetti Squash) Halved and Seeded
2 T Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
3 T Butter
1 Small Onion
1/2 C grated Parmesan Cheese
Wonton Wrapper (square)
10 Sage Leaves

Preheat Oven to 400 Brush the olive oil over the cut sides of the squash. Sprinkle With Salt and Pepper and place, cut-side down, in a glass-baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until soft. Let cool. Scoop the squash out of the skin and puree with immersion blender or food processor until smooth.
 
In a large skillet, melt 1 T of butter over medium -high heat and saut� the onion until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the Squash and Cheese and stir until just heated through. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.  


To Make Ravioli: Cut the wonton wrappers into smaller squares if desired.  Place 1 T filling on a wonton wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrapper with water (using your finger or small brush). Place another wonton wrapper atop the wrapper with the filling and seal shut around the filling, pinching shut.
 Repeat until all the filling is used.

In a large pot of salted slowly boiling water, cook the ravioli until they float to the top, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to serving bowls (drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking).

While the ravioli are cooking, melt the remaining 2 T butter (or more if desired) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Brown the sage leaves in the butter for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour over ravioli and serve.  


Brussels Sprouts 
   








Brussels Sprouts are an excellent source of Vitamin C, and K; also a good source of Vitamin A, B6, B1 (thiamin) Manganese, Iron, Protein, Potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Before washing Brussels sprouts, remove stems and any yellow or discolored leaves. Wash them well under running water or soak them in a bowl of water to remove any insects that may reside in the inner leaves.

 

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

  

1lb. fresh Brussels sprouts
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed or minced
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t salt
1/2 t dried sage


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the bottom of each brussel sprout off and then slice in half lengthwise. Toss all ingredients and place in a single layer on a baking dish. Roast for 25 minutes or until brussel sprouts are slightly browned and tender throughout. Serve hot or cold.

 

Cauliflower or Romanesco  




 

 

 

 

Cauliflower offers significant vegetable protein along with vitamins A, B-complex, C, and E, as well as variety of minerals.  

 

 Store cauliflower in the refrigerator stem side down, this will prevent moisture from developing. Prior to preparing soak head upside down in cold, salted water to remove any hidden field pests. 

 

Steamed cauliflower with brown butter and capers

1 head cauliflower

2 T butter

1 T capers in brine-drained

1 T lemon juice

1 T minced parsley or any fresh herb mix you like

 

Steam the cauliflower until tender and put in a large warm bowl. In a saut� pan over medium heat add the butter and cook until it starts to turn brown and become aromatic. Turn off the heat and add the capers, lemon juice-be careful as it will splatter. Add the herbs and pour mixture over steamed-warm cauliflower.

 

 

Romanesco is a spiraling head of broccoli with a green-apple color. Each little floret turns into cones, creating a very unique looking produce. The heads can range in size, anywhere from the size of a baseball all the way up to the size of a basketball. The flavor or Romanesco is vegetal like broccoli but milder, more closely related to cauliflower. It is a very balanced flavor, one that may be enjoyed by people who don't care for broccoli.

 

Romanesco can be prepared in ways similar to broccoli and cauliflower. It can be blanched, roasted, baked or even enjoyed raw. The flavor of it raw may be a little overpowering for some so it is often cooked to make the flavor milder. It can be prepped in the same manner as broccoli, cutting the head into small florets.

 

 Sage  

 

  

  

  

   

  

Sage Pesto

3/4 C lightly packed fresh sage leaves

3/4 C pine nuts

1/4 C fresh Italian parsley leaves, packed

1 garlic clove

3/4 C plus 3 T olive oil

6T freshly grated Parmesan Cheese 

 

Blend sage leaves, pine nuts, parsley, and garlic in processor until mixture is finely chopped. With machine running, add 3/4 cup oil and blend until thick paste forms. Mix in cheese. Transfer to small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

 
 Also, See Winter Squash Ravioli With Sage Butter Recipe.   
Garlic





Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette with Lemon Zest
 
1/3 cup firmly packed, peeled garlic cloves 
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar 
2 Tbsp water 
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest 
salt and pepper to taste 
 
Preheat oven to 400
. Place garlic cloves in a small roasting pan and toss with the olive oil. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, or until garlic cloves start to brown. Cover with foil and roast until garlic cloves are soft, about 10 minutes more. Remove garlic and let cool slightly. Place garlic in a food processor or blender. Add the vinegar, water, lemon zest and puree. If mixture seems too thick add a little more water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

 

Jalapenos 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasting Peppers:

It's simple really; the idea is to blister the thin, cellophane-like skin on the surface of the peppers and then remove it. This process also enhances the flavor of the peppers. So, put your peppers, whole, onto your barbecue grill, or in your oven. Cook them, turning as needed, until mostly blackened and blistered on all sides.

Once the peppers' skins are blistered, put them inside a paper bag and close it up. Set it somewhere to rest 10 - 15 minutes or so. This does two things: the heated moist flesh of the peppers 'steams' the skins, further loosening them, plus the wait allows the peppers to cool enough for you to handle.

Next, remove the stems and seeds (we like to leave them in, since roasting them sweetens the taste). Remove the blackened skin.
Slit one side of the pepper, open it up and lay it out skin-side up, then with a knife or  fingers, scrape/peel the skin away. Sometimes you can grab an edge of skin and peel off largish pieces.

After roasting them you can puree the peppers with olive oil for a sauce over pasta, dipping sauce for bread or rice.  

Chopped peppers freeze well without blanching. Upon thawing the peppers, they still retain some crispness and can be used in cooked dishes or raw in uncooked preparations.
 

 
Freezing Peppers:
  • Wash and core peppers. Chop, dice or slice according to how you plan to use them.
  • Spread in a single layer on a tray of a cookie sheet. Place tray in the freezer for an hour or longer.
  • Loosen pepper pieces from the tray and pour into zip closure freezer bags. Immediately place sealed bags in the freezer. The pepper pieces will remain separated for ease of measuring. Simply remove as many as you need, reseal the bag and return to the freezer.

 

 

Black Spanish and Watermelon Radishes 
 





Watermelon radishes have watermelon like flesh inside. However they taste sweet and less peppery. The Black Spanish radishes are peppery and more flavorful.  


 

Radish Slaw

2-3 black spanish or watermelon radishes, scrubbed and grated
3 C finely shredded cabbage
1 C coarsely grated carrots, any color
1/2 C thinly sliced green or red onion
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 t sugar
2 T olive oil
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or mint leaves  

 

In a bowl toss together the radishes, the cabbage, the carrots, the onion, the lemon juice, the sugar, the oil, the herb, and salt and pepper to taste.

 


In your share:
Delicata Squash
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower or Romanesco
Sage
Garlic
Jalapenos
Black Spanish and Watermelon Radishes
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Juicer Share


This week in your juicer share:

Jalapenos
Beets
Parsley
Sweet Peppers
Kale
Garlic
Celery
Have a great week!

Jen, Bob & The Harvest Moon Crew