Dear Common Thread Winter CSA Members, 

More cold weather!  Luckily we've still found non-freezing windows to harvest (albeit 33 degrees and raining but not frozen!).  Amazingly, we were able to harvest the last round of spinach under just a double row cover (no plastic cover).  We had a few leek and brussel sprout plants left out of the covers that were no good after several nights into the single digits, but the ones under the plastic covers were still fine and are in the boxes today.

We've done a lot of cleaning of veggies, but you may see some evidence of the cold/being in storage in some of the veggies.  The lettuce ribs got a little "translucent" in some spots but if it's not turning brown, it's still fine to eat.  Brussel sprouts, especially the ones at the bottom of the stalk, may need a little more cleaning  (removing bad outer leaves) than last time.  Cold does make for tasty vegetables though - most of the hardy vegetables are sweeter when they've been frosted.

Daikon radish is in the standard size boxes today.  This big, relatively mild radish is very popular in Japan.  It's great in miso soup, in coleslaw and in stir fries (especially with a tamari/garlic/ginger flavoring).  

Golden beets are sweet and don't take over a dish the same way that red beets do. You get a sweet, mild beet flavor without everything turning red, and with a less intense beet flavor.  

Vitamin Green, or Yokatta-Na is an Asian green quite similar to Bok Choi but with a less succulent stem.  It's great stir-fried - it would be great sauteed with the daikon.   

Savoy Cabbage is a beautiful type of cabbage.  It can be used in coleslaws, soups and stir-fries like green cabbages.  I shared this last year but it's worth repeating: Asher's dad's family recipe which they brought from Hungary.  It is a tasty pureed soup:

KELKAPOSZTA aka SAVOY CABBAGE 

1 small head savoy cabbage

3-4 medium potatoes

salt

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2 Tbsp  oil

2 Tbsp  flour

2- 3 large cloves garlic, mashed

1)   Trim head of cabbage as necessary.  Cut cabbage into small squares.  Blanche cabbage with enough boiling water to cover.  Let sit while you prepare the potatoes.

2)    Peel and cut potatoes into large chunks.

3)    Discard the blanching water from the cabbage.  Put cabbage and potatoes into a pot and just cover with fresh cold water.  Add salt.  Boil until potatoes are tender.

4)    Drain water from cooking pot, reserving much of the liquid.

5)    Puree the cabbage and potatoes either with a Foley food mill, immersion blender or regular blender, adding small amounts of the cooking water.  Put the potato/cabbage puree in a heavy pot.

6)    Using a heavy skillet make a roux by tanning (browning) the flour in the oil, stirring continuously.  Add the mashed garlic before the roux is too brown and continue cooking until the mixture is a light to medium brown.  

7)    Add roux to cabbage and potatoes, adding back some of the cooking water to bring mixture to a smooth consistency of "runny" mashed potatoes.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring steadily.  (At this point the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan if not stirred frequently.)

8)    Adjust salt and ground black pepper to taste.