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Farmer Dave's

Community Supported Agriculture 

IN THIS ISSUE
Daikon Radish
Celeriac
Baby Sweet Potatoes
Romanesco
New England Celery
2013 CSA Registration

Burlington Pick-up Details

Mondays

4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

 

Burlington Presbyterian Church

 

335 Cambridge Street
Burlington, MA

Lanesville Pick-up Details

Mondays

3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

 

Lanesville Community Center
8 Vulcan Street
Gloucester, MA

Dracut Pick-up Details

Tuesdays

 

3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.   

 

Brox Farm Stand
1276 Broadway Road
Dracut, MA

Lawrence Pick-up Details

Tuesdays

 

3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

 

Chester's
60 Island Street
Lawrence, MA

Tewksbury Pick-up Details

Wednesdays

2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.   

 

East Street Farm Stand

 

460 East Street
Tewksbury, MA

East Somerville Pick-up Details

Wednesdays

 

3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.  

 

Cross Street Senior Center
165 Broadway
Somerville, MA

Somerville - Union Square Pick-up Details

Wednesdays

3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.   

 

Metro Pedal Power

 

11 Olive Squre
Somerville, MA

Reading Pick-up Details

Mondays
3:00 - 6:30 p.m.

    

Old South United Methodist Church

 

6 Salem Street
Reading, MA

Produce ID Guide 

Can't name that vegetable? Visit our Produce ID Guide.

CSA FAQ

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What is that?

In the next week or two you will begin to see some new vegetables making their appearance in your CSA boxes that might have you wondering, "What on earth is that thing and how do I use it?"

Here are a few of our late fall "mystery" veggies along with storage information and some recipes to get you going!

Daikon Radish

Daikon Radish

That monster root vegetable is a daikon radish.  Tragically most often relegated to sushi garnish, the daikon has so much more to offer to our tables!  It is rich in vitamin C, high in fiber and contains enzymes that aid digestion.  A 3 ounce serving contains only 18 calories and packs 34% of the RDA of Vitamin C!  But in my opinion the best part of the daikon is its mild flavor and addictive crunchiness. 

Storage:

Remove the greens right away as they can draw moisture out of the root leaving you with a limp daikon.  Once the roots are removed your daikon can be stored for a month or more in your refrigerator if it's wrapped tightly in a plastic bag!

Ways to use:
  • Dice or shred into salads
  • Slice into thin rounds and serve with dip for a nice change to your holiday crudite.  
  • Roast with other root vegetables as a side dish.  Note: roasting daikon and other radishes removes the "bite" that some people find unpleasant. 
  • Pickle them and use as a condiment for Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches or meats!  
  • Use in a stir fry
  • Golden Crisp Daikon Cake  Dim sum at home!
  • Peel into long ribbons and use as a gluten free/low carb pasta substitute.  Try this Martha Stewart recipe: Daikon Fettucine with Tomato-Basil sauce. 
Celeriac

Celeriac

Celeriac, aka. celery root, is not the root of the celery plant as some state.  Celeriac is its own cultivar in the celery family.  Its best quality is that it has all of the lovely herbal flavor of celery without all of the stringy bits that are the downfall of celery.  It can be peeled and eaten raw, boiled or roasted but when cooked and pureed it has a wonderful creamy quality.

Storage:

If the surface of the celeriac root is completely dry it will store well unpeeled in the refrigerator for up to four months.  Once peeled it should be wrapped tightly and used within a month.  The surface of peeled celeriac will darken- just cut off the darkened surface to reveal the rest of the white root beneath.

Preparation tip:

Don't kill yourself with the vegetable peeler.  Cut in half, place cut side down and slice crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Then lay each slice flat and cut off the "crust" like a PB&J or a pizza slice.  It will go much faster and ensure that you remove all of the tough lumpy exterior.


Ways to Use:
Baby Sweet Potatoes
 
Baby Sweet Potatoes

Baby sweet potatoes have been growing in popularity over the past few years.  These dainty little sweets couldn't possibly be easier to use.  Just give them a good scrub, slice them in half lengthwise and roast in a 425 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until caramelized.  They are so sweet and sinful that they shouldn't be allowed to be as healthy as they are.
Romanesco
 
Romanesco

Romanesco may not even qualify as a "what is that?" vegetable any more since it's one of our most requested items by returning members.  However, if you are new to romanesco you are in for a treat!  It's the Italian relative of broccoli and cauliflower and has a flavor and texture somewhere in between broccoli and cauliflower.  Romanesco's amazing fractal patterns make it a visual favorite for Math nerds of all ages.  :)  I've also heard it referred to as "Klingon Broccoli".

Storage:

This one you'll want to use right away.  Store wrapped in the fridge and use within a week.

Preparation tips:

To get the most of romanesco's pointy florets, remove the leaves (save for stock or chop up in a salad!), flip the head upside down and using a paring knife held at a 45 degree angle slowly cut out the core.  Then working from the bottom up release each floret until you get to the top.  You'll be left with perfectly formed florets.

Ways to use:
  • Substitute for broccoli or cauliflower in your favorite recipes.
  • Roasted
  • With Pasta
  • or raw! 

Celery
 
Celery

I'm know that you're familiar with celery so I'm sure you're wondering why I'm including it with these other "new" vegetables.  It's because New England grown celery is a totally different experience than the large crispy celery bunches that are grown in California and heaped up in every grocery store. 

The first thing that you'll notice about New England grown celery is that the stalks are much slimmer than California celery and the leaves are much larger and more prominent.  The second thing you'll notice is that the flavor is more astringent and bitter than what you may be used to.  So why do we bother growing it?  Because we've all forgotten that celery is a fabulous herb!  It's time for us appreciate the "real" flavor of celery and what it adds to soups and your basic mirepoix.

Storage:

Trim the bottoms off the celery stalk.  Wash and dry thoroughly.  Wrap in aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator making sure that it doesn't freeze.  Will store this way for up to two weeks.

Ways to use:
  • Save the leaves for homemade celery salt It will be much more flavorful than anything store bought.
  • Use the fresh leaves in place of cilantro or parsley in recipes or a traditional bouquet garni
  • I don't recommend eating our celery raw- it can be pretty bitter- but it's a great base for soups, stuffings, and mirepoix.  
2013 CSA Registration
 
Registration is open for all of our 2013 CSA shares!

Spring

Summer

Fruit

Late Fall! 


Visit our website to register!

 

Groundwork Share A Share Update
Thanks to generous donations by you (CSA members) to the Groundwork Share-A-Share™ fund, we were able to subsidize the cost of shares in 2012 for over thirty individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.

We'd love to be able to subsidize late fall shares as well. Please consider helping us in our efforts to make the CSA accessible to more families by donating to Groundwork Share-A-Share.

 

To learn more about the program, click here.

 

Thank you all for helping us keep this program going in 2012! 

 


Contact us:

 

Farmer Dave's 
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA 01826
(978) 349-1952