If you've tried our celery, you might notice that it is not as watery as the celery from the store, which makes it a little tougher for raw eating but great for cooking. Tom shared that he has been cooking celery a lot recently and has really been enjoying the exceptional flavor that it has.  He has sauteed it with onions and eaten it as a cooked vegetable and also added it to mixed vegetable dishes.  Celery is great in soups such as borscht, minestrone and of course cream of celery.  

Bok Choi is back!  This succulent green is great in stir-fries and is also great raw in salads as well.  

Stir-Fried Bok Choy (or any kind of cabbage)

Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

2 Tbsp oil (peanut is best)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

½ cup scallions cut in 1-inch lengths, plus some minced for garnish

2 pounds bok choy cut into 1-inch pieces or other cabbage cored and shredded

1 cup stock, white wine or water

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat a wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oil, garlic, ginger and ½ cup scallions.  Cook, stirring, for about 15 seconds, then add the bok choy and turn the heat to high.  Cook, stirring almost constantly, for 3 minutes, then add the liquid.  Cook, stirring until it evaporates and the bok choy is tender, about 5 minutes more.  Add the soy sauce and turn off the heat.  Season with salt and pepper if desired and garnish with minced scallions.

 

 

Here's a nice Bok Choi Salad recipe from Martha Stewart

 

It's the start of winter squash season!  All winter squashes can be successfully cooked by cutting them in half, scooping out the seeds and fibers, and baking them cut side down on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until you can easily stick a fork into it.  You can also rinse the seeds free from the fibers, coat with a little oil and salt and roast them in the oven.  Some varieties you can eat the seed, hull and all, others you need to crack open like a blue jay and spit out the hulls.  Squashes can vary in their sweetness - sometimes I mash them with a little butter and honey and sometimes they don't need anything added at all.  Once I get tired of eating unadulterated squash (not yet!), I make squash soup, squash pie (as good or better than pumpkin pie) and squash bread.  I also freeze any extra squash I have in pint containers and pull them out during the rest of the year to add to our pancakes and waffles.  My kids aren't too interested in squash but they love the squash waffles.  I just add a cup of pureed squash to the batter to make an especially moist and flavorful waffle (or pancake). 

 

Do you have any recipes you've especially enjoyed lately?  Share them with us and we will pass them on to the rest of the CSA!