Managing Abundance

It's that time of year when the fall harvest really starts to crank its bounty. Roots and greens are truly at their prime and they'll be even better after a slight kiss of frost. It's the time when the CSA shares grow to their full potential. We completely understand that abundance can be both wonderful and overwhelming. That is certainly true on the farm, where we cobble together enough space for all our storage crops.

Here are a few tips to help manage that pile of veggies:

The cooking greens can take up a lot of space and go bad more quickly. They do best in plastic bags in the veggie drawer. You can bake them or dehydrate them to make them more shelf stable. Make pesto out of them and freeze it for later. Or, I like to take the cooking greens and cook them down right away with some garlic and olive oil - then they take up much less space and you can put them in anything after that (pasta, rice, omelettes, soups, tomato sauce etc).

Take the greens off the roots right away, keep the roots in a plastic bag in the fridge or if you're running out of room there, try storing them in a large tupperware in a cool dark place- like the basement. Keeping them cool and moist is the key to storage.

Onions and garlic are fine on the counter for a while, but for long term storage put them in the fridge outside of the veggie drawer. They like being cold and dry.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes and winter squash are fine in the pantry. They actually like being at a warmer temp, but make sure it's dark so they don't sprout or over ripen.

October is an incredible time of year, it's an amazing time to eat where we live.

Scenes from the farm: misty morning kale harvesting, cover crop looking awesome, radish rainbow, and Duma in the farm truck.

The share:

head lettuce

spinach

arugula

specialty greens mix

escarole

fennel!

broccoli!

swiss chard

collard greens

kale

kohlrabi

beets

carrots

winter squash

hakurei turnips

radishes

sweet peppers

eggplant

cherry tomatoes

dill

cilantro

parsley

 

Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad

Ingredients

  • 4 beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges (1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large fennel bulb with fronds—bulb cut into 1/2-inch wedges, 1 tablespoon chopped fronds
  • 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium baking dish, toss the beets with the thyme, the water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and cook for about 40 minutes, or until tender. Let cool slightly. Discard the thyme.
  2. In a small baking dish, drizzle the fennel wedges with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until tender and lightly browned.
  3. Pour the beet juices into a bowl and whisk in the vinegar. Add the beets, fennel wedges and fronds and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Daniel “Chino” Parilla’s Braised Hakurei Turnips


6 Hakurei turnips, tops removed
2 cups cold water
3/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup white soy sauce

Trim turnips and peel with a vegetable peeler. (1) Cut the turnips into sixths and (2) place them in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. (3) Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; cook very slowly for about 15 minutes, or until just tender. Let cool to room temperature in the braising liquid, then drain and serve with steamed or roasted fish.

Curry Coconut Creamed Kale

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 cups kale, finely chopped and stalks removed
  • ½ onion, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 can coconut milk, use the solid cream on the top of the can after it's been refrigerated for a few hours
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • salt to taste
  • coconut oil to cook in

Instructions

  1. Melt 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a saucepan and add in the onions. Saute until they turn translucent.
  2. Add the coconut cream on the top of a refrigerated can of coconut milk to the saucepan.
  3. Then add in the kale, the curry powder, and the salt.
  4. Let everything simmer for 5-10 minutes until the kale is soft.
  5. Use an immersion blender to make the dish smoother. (Optional)

 

 

 

Malaika SpencerComment