CSA Newsletter: Week 24- October 27, 2008

Asian Greens, Bok Choi
Cabbage
Fennel
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce
Peppers
Pumpkins, Snack Jack
Turnips, Hakurei

Pepper Notes: True, this year will not go down in SIO history as the year of the pepper.  In early June, when we usually start getting our pepper plants in the ground, night time temperatures were hovering at or below 50 degrees.  These cool nights send the pepper into shock – greatly slowing and stunting growth.  And so we waited, and waited, until we finally saw a rise in those night temperatures.  It wasn’t until the last week of June that we planted the peppers.  By September there was a field full of pepper plants, with fruits abounding, but no colored peppers.  When October arrived we knew that the green bell peppers didn’t stand a chance of coloring up.  They just hadn’t had a long enough warm season to reach full maturity that brings yellow, oranges, reds, and sweetness.  Rather than lose the green bells to an early frost, we harvested them all.  We stopped and sighed, and then hung our hopes on the two varities left that still stood a chance – Gypsy and Nardello.   With a frost threatening on the night of October 10th, we harvested Gypsies and Nardellos with any bit of color.  Once these peppers have some color, they will continue to ripen off the plant.  Then we pulled sheets of floating row cover over the plants, two layers thick, and wished them good night.  We’ve left them tucked in for the past few weeks, still hopeful that they would color up.  We’re giving the Nardellos one more week, but this week we’re harvesting the rest of the Gypsy peppers.  Some are yellow, some are orange, a few are red.  If you like, let them ripen up a bit more on your countertop.  

Recipes

You will be enjoying two different varieties of pumpkin this season. The first one this week is called Snack Jack, and it has a hull-less seed that is perfect for roasting and snacking on. Pumpkin seeds are also delicious in muffins of breads. You can carve out a little jack-o-lantern or enjoy the flesh in a pie soup or stew.


Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from Mom-A-Licious by Domenica Catelli via Oprah.com

3 tablespoon pumpkin seeds , ground (use a coffee or spice grinder)
Whole Pumpkin seeds for topping muffins (tossed in a salt and sugar combo mix)
1 cup whole wheat or whole grain flour
1/2 cup white unbleached flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pure maple syrup or 1/2 cup agave nectar or a combination of the two
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans , optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients.


Fold the wet ingredients (fold in nuts now if you are using them) into the dry ingredients and spoon into paper-lined muffin or greased muffin tins. Top with whole seeds (you can toss the seeds in a tiny bit of oil with salt and sugar mix). Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.


Hakurei Turnips
You will be getting another generous amount of these sweet turnips this week and the last for this season. There are quite a few recipes for these from previous blog entries and you can do a keyword search of the blog to find them.


Here is a great and simple recipe from share member Jessica Roberts…
Cut turnips into wedges and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange on cookie sheet and put in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Toss once, and then return to oven, checking at 5 minutes intervals until they are fork-tender and golden.


Bok Choi


These succulent greens have a great wide stem that can be eaten raw and is happily converted into a vehicle for peanut butter or cream cheese snacks. Bok Choi is the perfect stir fry green because it cooks fast and light and has a very tender taste..


Chinese Bok Choi with Oyster Sauce

3 Tbs. vegetable oil (olive oil is too heavy)
2 Heads Choi washed and roughly chopped
1 onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms of choice, shitakes preferred
1 cup thinly sliced Hakurei turnips
Soy Sauce
You can throw some tofu in here too…

Oyster Sauce
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking


Make a roux: Melt 2 tbs. Butter and blend over low heat 1 ½-2 tbs. flour for 3-5 minutes. Add 1 cup milk (room temperature to prevent lumping). Stir till smooth and add a few whole cloves and a whole bay leaf. Now, stir in 3 more tbs. butter 3 tbs. flour and 1 cup Oyster juice (in your tuna fish aisle) and few dashes Worcester sauce (optional). You can add chopped oysters to this if you like that too. Set sauce aside while you prepare the stir fry.


Sauté onions in oil till translucent, add mushrooms and turnips and 2 tbs. soy sauce. Stir fry for bout 5 minutes, add garlic and Choi and Oyster sauce and simmer for 5 minutes or so. Serve with rice


Risotto with Leeks, Fennel and Carrots
Adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini a MACSAC publication

½ tsp. salt
3 carrots, thinly sliced, save trimmings
1 fennel bulb, sliced up, save trimmings
3 small leeks, sliced in thin rounds, save trimmings
2 tbs. olive oil or butter
1 cup uncooked Arborio Rice
½ cup dry white wine
1 tsp. Italian herb of your choice
¼ cup fresh parsley
Copious amount of parmesan cheese

Bring 4 cups water to boil in large sauce pan and add salt. Reduce to low heat. Add carrots, fennel and leek trimmings to water and keep to a low simmer. In a soup pot, sauté vegetables in olive oil about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add rice and sauté 2 more minutes. Add wine and stir gently till all liquid absorbed. Add broth (strain out big chunks) 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly till liquid is absorbed before adding more broth. Continue cooking till rice is done and consistency is not soupy. Add herbs and cheese and serve hot.